Vintage 20s/30s "Hand-Illumined Florentine" Tooled Leather Purse

“Illumined” with jewel-toned dabs of red and green, the purse also features a wonderfully ornate frame, stamped on both sides with a leaf-and-berry design (though the outside is antiqued gold and the inside is bright gilt). The clasp is a knob that snaps through a ring in the shape of a tiny wreath. The 15” paper clip chain links have a stamped design as well.

Measuring 5” x 5 ½”, the purse is lined in tan moire silk and has both an attached mirror and an attached coin purse. The detached label inside it reads “Hand-Illumined Work, Real Florentine.”

This little gem of a purse is in good to very good condition. The purse frame is in excellent condition, as are the gorgeous tooled panels. Leather sides and bottom of the purse show surface wear (see photos), as does the cording around the panel; the mirror silver is crackled (though bevelled glass surface is intact); and the lining is laddering, as often happens with old silk. Overall, a gorgeous find.

NOTE: Please double-click on any picture to enlarge for best detail.

Proud Member of the VFG Vintage Fashion Guild

Item ID: alop1