Tiffany and Co, evening bag

Tiffany and Co
Evening bag
18kt gold marked
15.8 x 11 cm
Weight 345.1 g

Mesh bags were already in use in the 1820s, although these early bags were made of real woven gold or silver. Chain mesh bags later came into fashion when a simple ring mesh was developed, and net bags were created from individual metal rings. The so-called fish scale net appeared around 1900, with cross-shaped links connected by metal rings. Soon these bags could also be produced by machine. Evening bags made of metal mesh were produced by numerous international companies in various styles at the beginning of the 20th century. The popularity of these mesh bags was due to the flexible metal mesh, but they had to be constantly adapted to suit changing fashion trends.

This mesh bag from Tiffany and Co, however, is characterised by its opulent elegance and extravagant design in pure gold mesh. It consists of a hinged frame with colourless brilliant-cut stones and a so-called "kiss-lock" clasp containing two round cabochons, from which a mesh bag with a link chain strap hangs. This evening bag is comparable to the one in the Metropolitan Museum of Art from 1913 from the collection of Hilda S. Biberman (inv. no. 1982.401.7). This Art Deco evening bag probably dates from the 1920s to 1930s and is a remarkable objet d'art in which craftsmanship and precious raw materials merge to create a timeless design.