Fragment of a Border with Standing and Seated Birds Amidst Vegetation

1500s

Fragment of a Border with Standing and Seated Birds Amidst Vegetation, 1500s. Italy, 16th century. Needle lace, burato (twined ground and darned in one direction); bleached linen (est.); overall: 40.1 x 46.4 cm (15 13/16 x 18 1/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of J. H. Wade 1920.1141 Three distinct bird species appear in this fragment distinguished through their body, neck, and feather shapes. In the period this lace was created, there was growing interest in the scientific study of birds, called ornithology. Ornithological books and prints depicted accurate records of birds, which deviated from previous fanciful portrayals. The word lace derives from the Latin laqueus, meaning noose.