Border
Unknown Artist
18th century
Medium
Bobbin lace
Dimensions
L. 29 x W. 3 inches 73.7 x 7.6 cm
Classification
Textiles-Laces
Culture
Austrian
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Mabel Metcalf Fahnestock Collection, the gift of Ruth Fahnestock Schermerhorn and Faith Fahnestock, 1933
Accession Number
33.90.182
Art Historical Context
Step into the delicate world of 18th-century Austrian craftsmanship with *Border*, a stunning example of bobbin lace from Metropolitan Museum of Art's Sculpture and Decorative Arts collection. Measuring 29 inches long by 3 inches (73.7 x 7.6 cm), this strip was likely designed as an elegant edging for garments, linens, or, showcasing the era's obsession with intricate ornamentation. Bobbin lace, a prized technique originating in Europe, involves twisting and intertwining fine threads held on handheld bobbins over a patterned pillow. In 18th-century Austria, this labor-intensive art flourished...