The Noé was designed in 1932 to carry five bottles of champagne without breaking them. Sotheby's describes it as the second-oldest handbag in Louis Vuitton's collection. The original was big enough to hold four bottles standing upright with a fifth upside down in the centre.
Its shape, a soft bucket closed by a drawstring, has since become a staple of designer handbags. The name comes from the biblical Noah, who became a winemaker after the Flood.
For decades the Noé came in two sizes, the original and the Petit Noé. Louis Vuitton widened the range in 2013 with the smaller BB, and in 2015 added the even smaller Nano Noé, which can be worn across the body. Early versions are particularly sought after by collectors, and the bag is one of the heritage designs, along with the Keepall, Speedy and Alma, that Sotheby's names as the most collectable Louis Vuitton bags.