16th-17th century
Needle lace, mezza mandolina; bleached linen (est.)
Overall: 11.4 x 17.5 cm (4 1/2 x 6 7/8 in.)
Gift of J. H. Wade 1920.1125
Mezza mandolina was frequently used for lace collars, often depicted in portraits of women from the 1500s and 1600s.
The mezza mandolina technique produces an irregular mesh netting, as opposed to the uniform knotted netting of filet/lacis needle lace. This piece gains the overall effect of the mesh netting through the lace maker’s use of large and small circular patterns.
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