Fragment of a Band with Confronted Birds, a Formal Tree, and Smaller Animals

1500s

Fragment of a Band with Confronted Birds, a Formal Tree, and Smaller Animals, 1500s. Italy, 16th century. Needle lace, burato (twined ground and darned in one direction); bleached linen (est.); overall: 39.1 x 45.6 cm (15 3/8 x 17 15/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of J. H. Wade 1920.1142 Birds, perhaps eagles, confront each other on this corner fragment. Of particular interest is how they are surrounded by smaller animals and framed by a geometric structure. This could reference a family’s heraldry, or show the lace maker’s skill in rendering figural and geometric motifs. The word lace derives from the Latin laqueus, meaning noose.