Panel with Panthers, Birds, and Floral Motifs

18th-19th century

Panel with Panthers, Birds, and Floral Motifs, 18th-19th century. Russia, Nizhniy Novgorod, 18th-19th century. Needle lace, filet/lacis (knotted ground and darned in one and two directions); bleached linen (est.); overall: 57.4 x 90.2 cm (22 5/8 x 35 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. Rollin J. Stickle 1934.193 In this panel, a pair of panthers, a common motif in Russian textiles, flank a stylized Tree of Life. Two different types of birds fly above the scene. One bird is small, while the other is larger and similar to a peacock. The diamond patterning and geometric motifs throughout this lace are characteristic of Russian “peasant laces.” The Tree of Life, panther, and peacock are all ancient symbolic motifs introduced into lace patterns during the latter eighteenth century.