The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of August 10, 2022

Fragment with Wide Circular Pattern

16th-17th century

Italy, 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

Location

not on view

Fun Fact

<em>Mezza mandolina</em> was frequently used for lace collars, often depicted in portraits of women from the 1500s and 1600s.

Description

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.

Provenance
Ida Schiff Collection
J.H. Wade
1920-
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Citations
Ricci, Elisa. Old Italian Lace. 1913. Vol. 1, No. 56
Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1920.1125