Fragment
Unknown Artist
early 17th century
Medium
Needle lace
Dimensions
L. 23 x W. 1 3/4 inches (58.4 x 4.4 cm)
Classification
Textiles-Laces
Culture
Italian
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Museum Accession
Accession Number
X.1.12
Art Historical Context
This delicate *Fragment* of needle lace, crafted by an unknown Italian artist in the early 17th century, exemplifies the pinnacle of Renaissance-era textile artistry. Measuring 23 inches long and just 1¾ inches wide, this slender strip survives as a testament to the era's obsession with intricate ornamentation. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's European Sculpture and Decorative Arts Department, it hails from Italy, a hub of lace production where such pieces adorned collars, cuffs, and ecclesiastical garments for the elite. Needle lace, or *punto in aria*, was a labor-intensive techni...