Exhibition

Lace: The Art of Needle and Bobbin

Higbee Gallery, March 23, 2007 - January 6, 2008

Jean Druesedow, Curator

Fichu with Embroidery and Bobbin Lace

Embroidery, German, Saxony, 18^th century

Bobbin Lace, Brussels, Non-Continuous Lace, 18^th century

Linen

62”

As if the extraordinary whitework embroidery were not enough, an edging of bobbin lace was added to this lovely fichu. The more heavily embroidered areas are contrasted with the varied and delicate stitches in pulled fabric sections. Under magnification it appears that this piece is entirely pulled fabric work with no threads actually removed. Fichus were worn to fill in the open neckline created by the open robe and stomacher of 18^th century fashionable dress. Because the curved ends are finished, the fichu was most likely worn around the neckline and tied in the front in the late eighteenth century.

Kent State University Museum

Silverman/Rodgers Collection, 1983.1.2185

Bobbin Lace Border Fragment, Non-Continuous Lace

Brussels, mid-18^th century

Linen

11 ½” x 2 ¾”

This is a fragment of the bobbin lace called point d’Angleterre although it was not made in England. Santina M. Levey in Lace A History, published by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, suggests that England was its major market, thus giving the style its name.

Kent State University Museum

Gift of Jo A. Bidner, 2004.27.17

Bobbin Lace Fragment, Non-Continuous Lace

Brussels, 2^nd quarter, 18^th century

Linen

32” x 2 ¼”

Charming flower arrangements with a variety of flowers and pots are found all along the edge of this example. Among the fillings are the “snowflake” or “partridge eyes,” and bars with tiny picots.

Kent State University Museum

Silverman/Rodgers Collection, 1983.1.1726

Bobbin Lace Border, Continuous Lace

France, Valenciennes (Binche?), 2^nd quarter 18th century

Linen

31” x 3 1/8”

Valenciennes was ceded to France in 1678, but the lace-making associated with the area remained Flemish in both style and technique. Valenciennes suffered in the late 17^th century, having borne the brunt of the Franco-Spanish War, and its lace industry only began to revive in the 1720s. Valenciennes lace can be distinguished by the density of its pattern, the use of the snowflake or partridge’s eye fillings, the lack of an outline thread in the pattern areas and the softness of the lace. Close by Valenciennes, another town, Binche, had a much smaller bobbin lace industry, but it is mentioned in eighteenth century records. Today certain laces that are very soft, made with fine threads with an irregular snowflake ground and a less distinct pattern are referred to as Binche. This example has been called Binche by some experts.

Kent State University Museum

Gift of Jo A. Bidner, 2004.27.13

Part of a Woman’s Headdress or Caul, Bobbin Lace

France, Valenciennes (Binche), 2^nd quarter, 18^th century

Linen

8 5/8” x 8 5/8”

This piece of bobbin lace is remarkable for the careful symmetry of the pattern and the denseness of the ground. It would have been worn as part of a headdress, probably with lappets.

Kent State University Museum

Gift of Jo A. Bidner, 2004.27.6

Bobbin Lace Border, Valenciennes-style, Continuous Lace

France, Valenciennes (Binche?), 2^nd quarter 18^th century

Linen

52” x 1 ½”

Valenciennes was ceded to France in 1678, but the lace-making associated with the area remained Flemish in both style and technique. Valenciennes suffered in the late 17^th century, having borne the brunt of the Franco-Spanish War, and its lace industry only began to revive in the 1720s. Valenciennes lace can be distinguished by the density of its pattern, the use of the snowflake or partridge’s eye fillings, the lack of an outline thread in the pattern areas and the softness of the lace. Close by Valenciennes, another town, Binche, had a much smaller bobbin lace industry, but it is mentioned in eighteenth century records. Today certain laces that are very soft, made with fine threads with an irregular snowflake ground and a less distinct pattern are referred to as Binche. This example has been called Binche by some experts. “Continuous lace” can be the most difficult bobbin lace to make because all the bobbins needed for the pattern must be carefully calculated and each thread is used, like a warp thread, throughout the length of the piece.

Kent State University Museum

Silverman/Rodgers Collection, 1983.1.1727

Thomas Hudson (Attributed)
English, 1701-1779
Portrait of Miss Johnson
1740sOil on Canvas
50" x 40"
Kent State University Museum
Silverman/Rodgers Collection, 1983.4.712 The lace represented in this painting is most probably English Honiton bobbin lace with a bar ground from the 1740s and helps to confirm the date of the painting.