Not currently on display at the V&A

Bobbin

1800s (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The equipment used historically for hand lace-making varied in different countries and regions, partly as a matter of tradition and partly according to the type of lace being made. Most bobbins have a long body with a narrow neck onto which the thread is wound. Wood and bone were the materials most commonly used, with ivory, metal and glass very occasionally. In the counties of the English East Midlands, where the type of bobbin lace made required the threads to be kept under tension during its working, bobbins were made of pieces of wood, bone or ivory weighted with a loop of copper wire attached to the base strung with coloured beads. The bobbins were often also decorated with inscriptions, commemorating events or with names or messages.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Bone with glass beads
Brief description
Bone lace bobbin with glass beads and inscription, England, 1800s.
Physical description
Bone bobbin with red, green, black and clear glass beads, and the inscription 'love me dearly me alone'.
Marks and inscriptions
'love me dearly me alone'
Subject depicted
Summary
The equipment used historically for hand lace-making varied in different countries and regions, partly as a matter of tradition and partly according to the type of lace being made. Most bobbins have a long body with a narrow neck onto which the thread is wound. Wood and bone were the materials most commonly used, with ivory, metal and glass very occasionally. In the counties of the English East Midlands, where the type of bobbin lace made required the threads to be kept under tension during its working, bobbins were made of pieces of wood, bone or ivory weighted with a loop of copper wire attached to the base strung with coloured beads. The bobbins were often also decorated with inscriptions, commemorating events or with names or messages.
Other number
LOAN:WALKER.5 - previous loan number
Collection
Accession number
T.25-2004

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Record createdMarch 19, 2004
Record URL
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