Cleveland Museum of Art

Fragment of a Border with Standing and Seated Birds Amidst Vegetation

Date: 1500s
Medium: Bleached linen (est.): needle lace, burato (twined ground and darned in one direction)
Culture: Italy
Department: Textiles
Institution: Cleveland Museum of Art

Three distinct bird species appear in this fragment distinguished through their body, neck, and feather shapes. In the period this lace was created, there was growing interest in the scientific study of birds, called ornithology. Ornithological books and prints depicted accurate records of birds, which deviated from previous fanciful portrayals. The word lace derives from the Latin laqueus , meaning noose .

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