Bow Case
Velvet, leather, silver thread, brass, pearls and precious stones (rubies and emeralds)
Turkey (Ottoman craftsmanship) late 17th or early 18th century
Musée de l’Armée / Invalides / Inv No. 2022.0.7
This bow case was a diplomatic gift given to Louis XV in 1742 by the Ottoman ambassador, Said Pasha. Taken from the Topkapi Treasury, it came with a quiver of arrows to form a prestigious set with strong symbolic value. In Turkish culture, archery was a symbol of power.
Included in the inventory of the jewels of the crown of France, it was seized during the French Revolution and handed to the Artillery Museum (a forerunner of the Army Museum) at the beginning of the 19th century.