Fragment with Floral Motif

17th-18th century

Fragment with Floral Motif, 17th-18th century. Spain, 17th-18th century. Needle lace, filet/lacis (knotted ground and darned in two directions); bleached linen (est.); overall: 14.6 x 15.1 cm (5 3/4 x 5 15/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Myrta Leonora Jones 1919.775 Though this fragment of lace is completed in the filet/lacis technique, the floral motif imitates a form of needle lace particular to Spain, known as Ruedas or Sol Lace, due to its radial patterns. Myrta Leonora Jones, the donor of this work, was a women’s rights activist in Cleveland in the early 20th century.