Chinoiserie Silk Clutch Bag

DESIGNER'S NOTES

A silk covered clutch bag with a blue chinoiserie style floral motif.

Chinoiserie emerged in seventeenth and eighteenth century Europe as a decorative style inspired by Chinese and East Asian art, filtered through Western imagination. It appeared in furniture, porcelain, wallpapers and garden pavilions, often combining pagodas, dragons, phoenixes, fanciful landscapes and figures in exotic dress.

Rather than faithful copies of Chinese objects, these designs were playful hybrids, merging Asian motifs with Rococo curves and European craftsmanship. The style reflected fascination with imported goods from the China trade, particularly porcelain and lacquer, which became symbols of wealth and cosmopolitan taste.

Chinoiserie also carried political and cultural weight, expressing Europe’s curiosity and desire for the exotic, while at the same time shaping fantasies of the East that bore little resemblance to reality.

COLOURS

DETAILING

Has a concealed shoulder chain, colour coordinated suede gusset, magnetic closure, is lined in silk satin and features an internal zip pocket.