Lace length, Brussels border, needle made, (cotton) Belgium, Late 19th century.

Pattern
Ornate repeating foliate design. Scalloped headside border formed of a row of small joined flowers alternating with a larger single flower the petals forming the headside. Open "boat shaped leaves form a second scalloped band, within the open mesh ground, that curves over a sprigged floral medallion and under a large single sprigged flower similar to motif in headside border. Trailing floral sprigs from large motifs reach up towards straight footside.

Technical notes for Brussels needle laces of the kind known as "Point de Gaze"

The solid areas of the dsign are worked in simple corded buttonhole stitch,either "closed" or "open" to suggest light and shade.
The cordonnet is a group of threads loosely buttonholed over the foundation cord as in Diagram 1. Where the cordonnet is part of the headside edge it is generally decorated with a rown of triple-twisted buttonhole stitches.
The mesh is the standard Brussels mesh of twisted buttonhole stitches as in Diagram 2. Because it is neither whipped nor corded this mesh has a very light, gauzy appearance, hence the name Point de Gaze. The mesh ground of some pieces is decorated with tiny buttonholed ring "spots."
Most pieces have filling stitches based on these buttonholed rings (or larger buttonholed circles) arranged in a seemingly endless variety of groupings.
Other pieces have rose petals worked in relief, sometimes 2 or 3 layers of them overlapping. These same techniques were used for the needle lace medallions in Brussels Duchesse, a mixed bobbin and needle lace. Both Point de Gaze and Duchesse are laces of the second half of the 19th century.

H3752

160 mm

670 mm