Christening blanket of satin with applied metal lace border, England, approx. 1651-1675.

Mantle of cream-coloured satin, lined with fine, soft cream silk. Decorated all round with a border of heavy silver and silver-gilt bobbin lace. The lace has a bold baroque design based on the needle laces of Venice. Scrolling, open-work tapes, outlined with a thick cordonnet are decorated with applied rosettes.

The bearing mantle is one of two handed down in the Holworthy family. They were mentioned in the inventory of 1766, taken on the death of Samuel Holworthy of Elsworth: 'Furniture for the beds' in the Yellow Room, 'two silk mantles trimmed with a broad gold and silver lace'. The second mantle passed into the Somerset branch of the family and is now in the Fashion Museum in Bath. The mantles were possibly made for the christening of twins.

Purchased for £88 at an auction held at Sotheby's on 17th December 1976 (Lot 35; property of Mrs. Anne Myers)

This christening blanket has an elaborate border of bobbin lace worked in gold and silver thread. Families wrapped babies in christening blankets, or bearing cloths, at christenings and other ceremonial occasions. The blankets were of rich materials, typically silk velvet, silk satin, or silk woven with a pattern in gold or silver thread. They often had elaborate borders. Such blankets displayed the wealth and status of their owners. Families used them to celebrate a new birth. They used them only on special occasions and treated then with great care, passing them down through the generations.

T.122-1977