The piece of fruit that the enthroned woman is holding in her right hand is thought to be a pomegranate – an ancient symbol of fertility. Its presence in this and other images of the time illustrates the concern of the Il-Khanid dynasty for the continuation of the royal blood line.

The figures on the lid represent a Mongol court scene in which attendants provide entertainment and refreshments to a nobleman and his wife. This enthroned man’s hair is looped and gathered by a gold clip below his ears in the typical Mongol style.

In the thirteenth and fourteenth-centuries, gerfalcons and goshawks were the raptor hunting companions of choice among Mongol and Turkic peoples, favoured for their size and hunting skills as well as their appearance.

The two bottles suggest that a variety of liquid refreshment that was available. Visitors to Mongol courts describe complicated apparatus which served several different drinks including rice mead, rice ale, honey mead and red wine.

The small roundels on the bag all enclose a cross-legged figure. Eight of the figures are playing a musical instrument and most of them also have a beaker or bottle in the background.

One of the most striking aspects of the Courtauld bag is the background fret: an ornamental design consisting of a repeated, interlocking and symmetrical figure pattern in the form of a double-ended T, which is also found on many examples of metalwork from the region.

The small roundels on the bag all enclose a cross-legged figure. Eight of the figures are playing a musical instrument and most of them also have a beaker or bottle in the background.

The Courtauld bag was originally worn as a shoulder-bag, suspended by a long strap (now missing) attached to loops on each side.

The small roundels on the bag all enclose a cross-legged figure. Eight of the figures are playing a musical instrument and most of them also have a beaker or bottle in the background.

The small roundels on the bag all enclose a cross-legged figure. Eight of the figures are playing a musical instrument and most of them also have a beaker or bottle in the background.