Message:

<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Northern Lights Lodge, post: 4395121, member: 13464&quot;]WoW! Now that I&#039;ve taken a deep breath!</p><p>Photo #1 - That first piece is exceptional! It is a Bertha in terms of size and shape. Even from this long view it screams &quot;quality&quot;. The detail in the ferns; the 3-D layering; the flowers! OH the flowers!! the shadowing and movement in those beautiful large flowers; balancing of design; workmanship... this was not made by a novice. Actually it was probably made by a large number of people!</p><p>Photo #2 (and 3)- Moving in closer. We can see that there are TWO types of lace here - in terms of construction. Bobbin lace and needle lace are utilized.</p><p><br /></p><p>A: The large bottom flower - which is BEAUTIFULLY worked - is &quot;needle lace&quot;. (Made with a needle and thread). It utilizes those padded circular eyelets around the center of the flower; and those wonderful layered petals... you &quot;should&quot; be able to actually slide your finger or a piece of paper between the layers (don&#039;t damage it in the process - but they are probably separate); those nice crisp edges defining the edge of the flower.&nbsp; All those large flowers around the edge and &quot;maybe&quot; the large daisy looking ones... can&#039;t tell without a close up... are all the same technique. These are elements found in Point de Gaze.</p><p><br /></p><p>B: The rest of the lace in photo #2 is made using bobbin techniques. The raised work defining each leaf, those funny little circular &quot;buds&quot;... (and possibly the large daisy ones) are all bobbin techniques typically found in Belgian Duchesse.</p><p>Overall this piece may be called &quot;Point de Gaze&quot; or some may call it &quot;Mixed Brussels&quot;. Both are probably accepted terms.</p><p><br /></p><p>Age: Hmmm... harder for me to judge. The quality is exceptional as I said - so it would have had to be made within a time frame when this type of lace was still &quot;reallllly&quot; being made by serious lacemakers. The other consideration is the size and shape from a fashion standpoint; as it has a smaller neck opening rather than sitting on the shoulders with an open neck. I&#039;m guessing somewhere mid-1800&#039;s to 1880.</p><p>Truly a beautiful and stunning piece. Take care storing this beauty. AND ... do you know anything of the provenance of these pieces? Was there a lot of lace at this sale or only a few pieces? Mostly curious here.</p><p><br /></p><p>One last observation. This doesn&#039;t look as if it has ever been laundered. I don&#039;t think I would - especially because it doesn&#039;t particularly appear to &quot;need&quot; to be laundered.</p><p><br /></p><p>Ok... I&#039;ll move on to the next piece in another post.</p><p>Wowza!</p><p>Leslie[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

Your name or email address:

Do you already have an account?

• No, create an account now.
• Yes, my password is:
• Forgot your password?

Stay logged in