Detail: This exhibition explores one of the most rare and beautiful objects in the collection of The Courtauld Gallery: a brass bag inlaid with gold and silver, made in Northern Iraq around 1300. Decorated with a courtly scene showing a couple surrounded by their retinue of courtiers as well as musicians, hunters and revellers, it ranks as one of the finest pieces of Islamic inlaid metalwork in existence.

A rhyming inscription, composed specifically for the bag, and intricate geometric patterns complete the decoration of this splendid luxury item. No other object of this kind survives. The exhibition will explore the origins, function and imagery of this masterpiece, as well as the cultural context in which it was made.