Strip
Unknown Artist
ca. 1700
Medium
Needle lace
Dimensions
L. 40 x W. 3 inches (101.6 x 7.6 cm)
Classification
Textiles-Laces
Culture
Italian, Venice
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Anonymous Gift, 1879
Accession Number
79.1.256
Art Historical Context
Nestled in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's European Sculpture and Decorative Arts, this exquisite *Strip* of needle lace hails from Venice, Italy, around 1700. Measuring 40 inches long by 3 inches wide, this delicate textile exemplifies the city's renowned mastery of lace-making during the Baroque era. Created as an anonymous gift in1879, it invites visitors to marvel at the intricate craftsmanship of an unknown artist from a golden age of Venetian goods. Needle lace, or *punto in aria* ("stitch in air"), was prestigious technique where artisans knotted and looped fine linen threads with a n...