Early mystery lace for a collector. This is a lovely supple, soft lace that probably dates to either the eighteenth or nineteenth century. The background mesh technically is a round Valenciennes mesh, with braids on all sides. Most of the clothwork pattern has a semblance of a ring pair separating it from the background. The lace, however, is much more of a peasant lace than Valenciennes is. It is by no means coarse -- the thread is very fine and supple, and it is a very pleasant lace, but there are lots of curious anomalies and irregularities in the mesh. All and all a delightful piece. The condition likewise is very curious. What seem to be holes and frays always seem to turn out to be irregularities in the workmanship. The color is actually a nice even ivory - the bright scanner light seems to make it look whiter than it is, and highlights stains that are not visible in normal light. |
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