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Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Europe 1600-1815, Room 2, The Wolfson Gallery

Border

1720-1740 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This narrow border of needle lace could have been used to edge a variety of men's and women's dress items, including cuffs and sleeve trimmings, neck cloths and kerchiefs, lace caps and other types of coiffure.

The French needle lace industry, centred in Alençon and Argentan, was badly affected by the early eighteenth century slump in trade. It could not adopt the muslin–like quality that fashion required in that period, and bobbin lace could assume; but with continued patronage from the Catholic church and some court use, particularly in Spain, Russia, and Poland, where French needle lace remained the prime lace for ceremonial occasions, the industry saw gradual development again.



Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Needle lace worked in linen thread.
Brief description
lace, 1720-40, French; Needle
Physical description
Narrow border of needle lace, with design of flowers and slightly chinoiserie forms. Bobbin-made footing. The lower edge is original, the upper may have been cut down.
Dimensions
  • Length: 725mm
  • Width: 43mm
Measured by Conservation, 2012
Object history
Purchased from the Vacher Collection.
Summary
This narrow border of needle lace could have been used to edge a variety of men's and women's dress items, including cuffs and sleeve trimmings, neck cloths and kerchiefs, lace caps and other types of coiffure.

The French needle lace industry, centred in Alençon and Argentan, was badly affected by the early eighteenth century slump in trade. It could not adopt the muslin–like quality that fashion required in that period, and bobbin lace could assume; but with continued patronage from the Catholic church and some court use, particularly in Spain, Russia, and Poland, where French needle lace remained the prime lace for ceremonial occasions, the industry saw gradual development again.

Collection
Accession number
T.141-1913

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
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