Probably North Italian, early 16th century.They call it "late-medieval." Others would probably say this is early Renaissance item. In either case it just fascinates me to ponder who might have used it and what might have been carried in it. This item sold for $10,800.
130 x 100 x 50 mm. Black leather, hardened and cut, the case and lid decorated with a design of oak-leaf wreaths containing a gothic Y, the foliage and initials in relief against a punch-dotted ground, the sides with four raised lion heads forming slots for carrying (the strap is modern)...
Late-medieval cut-leather decoration on bindings and boxes without content or provenance is notoriously hard to localize and date. Many surviving examples are Germanic and Central European, while Italian or French work such as this satchel are rather rarer.
Via Uncertain Times.
"rather rarer"
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Here's a lovely selection of book bindings for bibliophiles:
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Actually, the linked blog has all sorts of wonderful material culture.
Those are nice photos, but unfortunately they don't give credit for where they got them, so I really shouldn't link to them.
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