lady’s attendant

The central lady’s attendant is seen here carrying a bag over his shoulder. In fourteenth-century Iran and Iraq depictions of noblewomen are rare, but they are sometimes shown with an attendant who wears or carries a bag, as in this court scene. We can only speculate what these bags contained, but other items carried by ladies’ attendants include mirrors, napkins and perfume bottles, so they may have contained items for the lady’s toilette that were not appropriate for public display.