Fragment of a Band with Floral Motif

18th or early 19th century

Fragment of a Band with Floral Motif, 18th or early 19th century. Spain, 18th or early 19th century. Needle lace, filet/lacis (knotted ground and darned in one direction); bleached linen (est.); overall: 20 x 23 cm (7 7/8 x 9 1/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Myrta Leonora Jones 1919.753 Though it is a small fragment, this piece of lace is simple and honest in its decorative quality. The focus is on the abstract floral motif, which stands out with its thick darning against the unadorned diamond ground netting. Myrta Leonora Jones, the donor of this work, was a women’s rights activist in Cleveland in the early 20th century.