At 05:52 PM 6/30/2005, you wrote: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7332317820
I am very curious. This doesn't look like anything from the 17th century to me. For one thing, it is quite small. Any handkerchiefs that I've ever heard of from prior to the 19th c. were quite large. Also, I was under the impression that corners in lace were not developed until the later half of the nineteenth/twentieth century.
I'd like to put forth some thoughts for the more expert people to counter. First, it is small. This size today we call a hanky. However, needlelace is fairly firm and I would think that a hanky with this much firm lace would not be much fun to carry, and it is true that older hankies were much larger than todays'. Consider that it might have been made as a small doily. It would look lovely under a sculpture or flower vase. And the 3-dimensional part would show up well.
Second, the 'gathered corners' on hankies was for bobbin lace which gathers much more easily. Set corners in bobbin lace can be a challenge, especially on the laces that are not 45 degree angle. Corners in needlelace are as easy as straight edging. The motifs -- flowers, leaves, scrolls-- are made separately, then laid out in whatever design is desired, and the connecting brides put in. This design is geometrically arranged for four corners. However, if you look closely, not all the symetrical features are truly symetrical. There's some differences in the left and right matching motifs. Very possibly, many people were involved in making the motifs of this doily.
I notice that there is no way to get a close look at the lace itself.
The words ' larger picture' are above the main picture but don't show up well on the dark background. Once in 'large' mode, just click on the side arrows to page through all the pictures. Click on the middle arrows for an automatic scroll through all of them. Click the side arrow when you want the paging to stop.
As for the linen center, it is possible that this is not the original center. As fabric wore out, lace was often removed and then attached to new fabric. The stains and wear on the lace do not match the linen center.
It would be lovely to have this, but with IOLI coming up, I'm saving my pennies for the sales room. <G>
Alice in Oregon -- where we had summer today.
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