Needlepoint Lace (Punto Argentan) Edging

c. 1900–1920

Needlepoint Lace (Punto Argentan) Edging, c. 1900–1920. Scuola Merletti di Burano, Italy, Venice, 20th Century. Linen: lace, needlepoint; overall: 11.7 x 38.4 cm (4 5/8 x 15 1/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Frances McIntosh Sherwin Collection 1936.253 This fragment of Venetian Punto Argentan needle lace edging was identified by Luigi Zanini of the Museo del Merletto, Venice, as having been made by the Scuola Merletti di Burano. Photos in an album assembled by the Scuola show that this lace fragment, designed in 1890, exactly matches model no. XXIX in the album. This lace pattern was produced between the end of the 1800s and the first quarter of the 1900s. Although inspired by French point d'Argentan net (champ de bride) and French point d’Alençon net (champ de réseau), this Italian fragment differs from its French counterparts. In this example, the two net fillings imitate but do not copy French needle lace fillings; instead they are a Venetian imitation of French point d’Argentan net filling and Burano net filling. We are able to date our example by looking at the back of the lace under magnification. Very tiny pieces of green paper indicate the lace is from the first quarter of the 20th century, due to the color of the paper (green) on which the lace design was printed.