Insertion
Unknown Artist
16th century
Medium
Cutwork
Dimensions
4 5/8 × 7 in. (11.7 × 17.8 cm)
Classification
Textiles-Laces
Culture
Italian
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Marian Hague, 1938
Accession Number
38.185.25
Art Historical Context
Step into the intricate world of Renaissance lace with *Insertion*, a delicate 16th-century Italian textile the Metropolitan Museum of Art European Sculpture and Decorative collection. Measuring just 4 5/8 × 7 inches, this exquisite piece—generously gifted by Marian Hague in 1938 crafted by an unknown artist using cutwork, a prized technique that transformed linen into airy, ornamental patterns. Cutwork, or *punto tagliato in Italian, involved meticulously cutting away sections of fabric and securing the edges with precise needlework embroidery. Popular in Renaissance Italy, especially in lac...