Cloth with Border of Crowned Double-Headed Eagles with Various Emblems, Birds, and Other Animals

19th century

Cloth with Border of Crowned Double-Headed Eagles with Various Emblems, Birds, and Other Animals, 19th century. Italy, 19th century. Needle lace, burato (twined ground and darned in two directions), bobbin lace insert and edging, and crochet insert; bleached linen (est.); overall: 62.4 x 132.3 cm (24 9/16 x 52 1/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Bequest of Louise Tifft Brown 1933.315 A range of techniques were used to create textural variation in this lace cloth: buratto, bobbin, and crochet. Figural motifs appear within the inserted buratto bands. Different birds, with crosses visible on their chests, crowned double-headed eagles, and feline figures facing a vessel may allude to the heraldic symbols of a particular family. This cloth 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.