Cleveland Museum of Art

Cloth with Floral and Vegetal Patterns

Date

1560–1600

Medium

Bleached linen (est.): needle lace, filet/lacis (knotted ground and darned in two directions), alternating reticella squares (open cutwork), and bobbin lace edging

Culture

Italy, late 1500s

Department

Textiles

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Textiles often incorporate multiple needlework techniques within a single piece. One of the main techniques in this example of lace is called cutwork. In cutwork, portions of the textile ground, such as a linen or cotton cloth, are cut away and threads are removed to create holes. The edges of the hole are then reinforced with embroidery and a pattern of needle lace can be created within the perimeter. Rather than adding to the cloth to create a design, the craftsperson removes threads to fabricate a pattern. The large size and square shape suggest that this textile would likely have been used as a table cloth.

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