Cloth with Border of Vegetal Motifs and Insertion with Bird Motifs

18th century

Cloth with Border of Vegetal Motifs and Insertion with Bird Motifs, 18th century. Cyprus ?, 18th century. Plain weave wool with needle lace, burato insertion (twined ground and darned in two directions), filet/lacis border and edging (knotted ground and darned in one direction), drawn work, and embroidery; bleached linen (est.), wool (est.), and cotton (est.); overall: 72.6 x 233.6 cm (28 9/16 x 91 15/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Bequest of Louise Tifft Brown 1933.311 Textiles often incorporate multiple needlework techniques within a single piece. One of the techniques in this example of lace is called cutwork. In cutwork, portions of the textile ground, such as a linen or cotton cloth, are cut away and threads are removed to create holes. The edges of the hole are then reinforced with embroidery and a pattern of needle lace can be created within the perimeter. Rather than adding to the cloth to create a design, the craftsperson removes threads to fabricate a pattern. This lace was given to the museum by Louise Tifft Brown, a native Clevelander who became an expert in lace while living in Venice for 35 years.