Fragment of a Band with Three Crosses of the Crucifixion

18th century

Fragment of a Band with Three Crosses of the Crucifixion, 18th century. Spain, 18th century. Needle lace, filet/lacis (knotted ground and darned in one direction) and burato (twined ground and darned in two directions); bleached linen (est.); overall: 29.2 x 26 cm (11 1/2 x 10 1/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Myrta Leonora Jones 1919.746 The three crosses on a hill depicted in this piece of lace reference Golgotha or Calvary, the hill upon which Jesus was crucified. The ladder resting against the central cross suggests the Deposition of Christ. The scene is ensconced within a decorative scallop, imitative of lace and tassels, perhaps indicating that the larger piece from which this fragment was cut included a series of scenes from the Passion of Christ. Myrta Leonora Jones, the donor of this work, was a women’s rights activist in Cleveland in the early 20th century.