About 20 years ago I received a question about whether lace was being made in Colonial Spanish America. I did not know the answer. I asked a curator at he Hispanic Society. He didnât know, but he said it was very likely because the Spanish tended to set up these industries in their colonies. I asked another scholar at the Met about this and she said it would have to be researched in the Codexes. She was involved in a show, The Colonial Andes: Tapestries and Silverwork, 1530-1830. The show was very striking for the sophistication of the craftsmanship in the tapestries, as well as the Silver. Also there were many paintings showing people in Spanish America wearing lace.
Today, on my Instagram stream I was treated to an image from a textile conservator that really caught my attention. It was from the Codex of Martinez Companon. The conservator says it is part of a manuscript sent to the king of Spain in the late 18th century. The information about it, in the index, says Mestiza de Valles texiendo trensilla. This seems to mean Mestizo woman weaving braid. Does this show a woman making bobbin lace? What do people think about this? Here is the link: http://www.cervantesvirtual.com/obra-visor/trujillo-del-peru--volumen-ii/html /966bf129-a181-4dd1-996b-ac44db7844e2_110.html Devon - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
