Victoria and Albert Museum
The world’s greatest museum of art and design
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Pockets at the V&A
Pocket, Russia
Pocket, Russia
Pocket
Russia
1800-30
Museum no. 492-1907
This silk pocket was purchased in 1907 from a Russian dealer, along with a collection of other textiles from Russia. At the time it was thought to date from the reign of Catherine the Great (1762-1796). However, the style of the embroidery suggests a date in the early 19th century. The silk fabric is woven with a wide stripe of moiré (watered silk) and a narrow one of twill. A pattern of leaves and roses covers most of the pocket. A view of the back shows how bright the pink binding was originally. The front of the pocket is badly faded possibly due to overexposure to light.
