Last night I attended the opening of English Embroidery from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1580-1700: 'Twixt Art and Nature, held at the Bard Graduate Center in New York. This is a stunning show! Curator Melinda Watt has outdone herself. The embroideries are beautiful, three floors of them, and the scholarship drawing them all together, just fascinating. Of interest to lacemakers are early metallic bobbin laces on gloves, hats, and an embroidered jacket resembling the Laton Jacket in the V & A. Also on exhibit is needlelace in a coif, and in some samplers. There are some original early pattern books on display showing lace designs. There are some reproductions of portraits showing lace on them. There is also a film in which bobbin lace is demonstrated with the focus on the stitches being made, as opposed to a long shot just showing someone fiddling with bobbins. This film was shot at Plimoth and the lace is some of the reproduction lace being made for their reproduction jacket. The film also shows embroidery being done and animation to show how certain stitches are made. There is a great deal of over-the-top raised embroidery (stumpwork) and even, be still my beating heart, an x-ray of some stumpwork showing the hidden metal supports under the padded embroidery. While the focus of the show is embroidery, there is plenty of interest to lacemakers. How often do you see these early laces attached to early costume items, rather than just strips of them? There is a sumptuous catalogue with mouthwatering photography. Also there is a full line up of activities, some of which require advance registration at _http://www.bgc.bard.edu/programs/exhibit_events.shtml_ (http://www.bgc.bard.edu/programs/exhibit_events.shtml) If you are planning to be in New York between now and April 12th you should try to see this exhibit and possibly go to a program. Devon Thein **************Make your life easier with all your friends, email, and favorite sites in one place. Try it now. (http://www.aol.com/?optin=new-dp&icid=aolcom40vanity&ncid=emlcntaolcom00000010)
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