Fragment of a Border with Repeated Pattern of Fantastic Winged Animals

1500s-1600s

Fragment of a Border with Repeated Pattern of Fantastic Winged Animals, 1500s-1600s. Italy, 16th-17th century. Bleached linen: needle lace, burato (twined ground and darned in two directions) and fringe; overall: 28.8 x 143.2 cm (11 5/16 x 56 3/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of J. H. Wade 1920.1245 A four-legged animal pattern repeats in the top register, and winged birds appear in the central and bottom register. The birds, which are significantly larger in the central panel, may be peacocks. The word lace derives from the Latin laqueus, meaning noose.