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Border

1630-1640 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This length of needle lace would probably have been used as a border on a fine linen furnishing, such as a table cover.
Needle lace was being made in England from the later 16th century. It was taught and practised as a domestic embroidery skill, as well as being made in professional workshops. However, needle lace of this high quality and fluid, balanced design would have been imported from Italy. The use of such lace was extensive, and increased with the changes in fashion in clothing and furnishings in the early 17th century.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Needle lace worked in linen thread
Brief description
Border, needle lace worked in linen thread, Venice, 1630-1640
Physical description
Furnishing border of needle lace (punto-in-aria). Wide border with a vertical pattern of twining flower stems, including columbines and cornflowers, and a variety of others. Repeat of 15.24 inches. The border has been joined in one place across its width, and is unfinished at either end. It has a later bobbin lace footing along one edge, needle lace picots along the other.
Dimensions
  • Maximum length length: 2280mm
  • Maximum width width: 280mm
  • Pattern repeat length: 38.5cm
Object history
Purchased. Registered File number 1993/1991.
Historical context
Punto in aria ('stitches in the air') was the name given to the type of needle lace that developed away from the grid structure of cutwork (dependent on the warp and weft of a woven ground). It was worked without the support of a woven ground. This moved it on from being essentially a trimming or means of surface decoration into a fabric in its own right.
Subject depicted
Summary
This length of needle lace would probably have been used as a border on a fine linen furnishing, such as a table cover.
Needle lace was being made in England from the later 16th century. It was taught and practised as a domestic embroidery skill, as well as being made in professional workshops. However, needle lace of this high quality and fluid, balanced design would have been imported from Italy. The use of such lace was extensive, and increased with the changes in fashion in clothing and furnishings in the early 17th century.
Bibliographic reference
Patricia Wardle, 75 X Lace, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, 2000
Collection
Accession number
T.154-1994

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Record createdJanuary 27, 2004
Record URL
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