Cleveland Museum of Art

Band with Leaf Motifs

Date

1600s

Medium

Bleached linen (est.): needle lace, filet/lacis (knotted ground and darned in one and two directions)

Culture

Italy, Sardinia

Department

Textiles

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

A scrolling vine with budding vegetation or a tendril motif is a recurring pattern in needle lace. The frequent use of the motif, adapted in lace from different centuries and regions, suggests that it was found in a pattern book. The maker of this piece used thread of different thicknesses to give texture and variety to the design. Books of patterns for lace making and other needlework were aimed at well-to-do women and girls as a way of encouraging domestic virtue.

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