POWERHOUSE COLLECTION

Lace galloon from court dress of silk brocade

Object No. 85/2801-4

Lace galloon (1 of 2), part of court dress, metal, maker unknown, France / Spain, c 1760

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Summary

Physical Description

Metallic lace galloon, wide, maker unknown, France / Spain, c. 1760 Continuous lace with a double headside. The motif is baskets of flowers set either side of a narrow undulating trail; fan-shaped scallops along the top edge, and floral scalloped border on the bottom edge; mesh ground and lengthwise on-way design. The size of the pattern repeat is 25 cm.

DIMENSIONS

Width

50 mm

PRODUCTION

Notes

The maker of the lace is unknown. The lace was made in France or Spain, c. 1760. Three different metallic threads have been used in the lace. The main thread is a glimp-plied thread in which a silk core is wound around with a very narrow flat ribbon of metal (probably silver). The solid areas of the design are worked in fine flat silver ribbon about 1mm wide. The thread used as a gimp or outlining thread around the solid areas of the design is similar to the main thread in construction and thickness but is crimped. The flat metal ribbon is woven as a single thread in the solid areas of the design, instead of being one of a pair as is more usual in the woven areas of a bobbin lace, most likely because it would be easier to keep a single thread flat. The ground stitches are worked cross, twist, pin, cross, twist, twist. The gimp outlining thread is sometimes used double and sometimes single. Although the current shape of the lace and its accompaniment of the open robe suggests that it was worn as a scarf, it is possible that it originally had some other purpose because it is joined in the middle with sewings between two areas of mesh, and the ends were first cut (throught a pattern repeat) and then finished with separate matching edge trimmings.

SOURCE

Acquisition Date

1 October 1985

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