Dear Devon, My first thought was "When did Marco Polo go to China?" Sure enough, his dates are 1254-1324. Trade is always a two way street. While I don't necessarily think that it was Marco Polo or his father or their expedition that was the most likely contact point, I do think that traders and travellers could have introduced some European needle work in that period. As early as it is, the Chinese work could be a parallel development that petered out because it didn't suit the Chinese taste. A lot of Chinese embroidery uses filament silk in acres of satin stitch for lustrous, lavish show. The stitching required in this piece creates a much more matte appearance, even with the gold backup group!
As for the appearance of the work, I think it looks more like Hollie Point. And I just love the color shading. (Color should be my middle name.) The edges of each element seem to be worked in an even button hole stitch, but not so closely worked as Point de Venise. For me, this opens the question of whether the motif elements were worked separately and then applied or whether they are worked directly on the foundation fabric. If the former, it is a form of lace, if the latter, it is a form of embroidery tantalizing close to lace. My experience of Chinese textiles is that the rich embroideries are not nearly as 3-D as the European needle laces became. The Chinese embroidery is sumptuous but essentially flat and full of shine. (But I may have lead a sheltered life.) Musingly, Patty Dowden Devon wrote: Since the list is quiet, perhaps I could introduce a subject that has me intriqued. The other day I saw a textile at the MMA which looks just like needlelace, being made of detached buttonhole stitch, but dates from the Yuan dynasty(1279-1368). I know that looping stiches have been made in the past. I have even seen some looped net bags in the American Southwest, but this piece so resembles Italian Needlelace, especially in its diamond shaped geometrical patterns that it is really quite stunning. To see the piece go to (http://www.metmuseum.org/Works_Of_Art/viewOne.asp?dep=20&viewmode=0&item=1987.277) You can enlarge with a zoom, which helps. I had earlier seen on the wall at the Cooper-Hewitt in the non-public areas, a huge enlarged poster of what appeared to be similar Chinese Needlelace depicting a figure. Recently I asked about it and was told that it was actually a small patch on a spectacular Chinese robe, dating, I believe to about the same period. In both cases the needlelace is set against a gold leaf background for ultimate glow effect. Co-incidence? Clue to origin? Thoughts anyone? Devon - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
