Border with Floral Motifs

19th century

Border with Floral Motifs, 19th century. Italy, Sardinia, 19th century. Needle lace, filet/lacis (knotted ground and darned in one direction); bleached linen (est.); overall: 27.9 x 316.2 cm (11 x 124 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Bequest of Louise Tifft Brown 1933.317 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. Here, the pattern is unusually ornate with additional swirling and flowering motifs. This lace was given to the museum by Louise Tifft Brown, a native Clevelander who became an expert in lace while living in Venice for 35 years.