Silk money purse with very fine embroidery in ‘Peking’ stitch. It was embroidered with auspicious symbols such as a Lingzhi fungus (symbol of Longevity), a Magpie and a Bat (both symbolic for Happiness), a Deer (Wealth and Achievement), a Shou character (Longevity), a Spider (Happy events are about to happen), a Sampan (to Pass a High Rank to the next generation) and a Musical instrument (zither) called ‘Qin’ (chin) which is one of the ‘Four Scholarly Pursuits’. The purse is almost like new and was never used. It dates from the end of the Qing period (1644 – 1912). Length 14.3 cm. Width 8.8 cm.