Towel border
Unknown Artist
1800–1850
Medium
Linen, silk
Dimensions
13 x 8 1/2 in. (33.0 x 21.6 cm)
Classification
Textiles-Laces
Culture
Russian
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Mrs. Edward S. Harkness in memory of her mother, Elizabeth Greenman Stillman, 1931
Accession Number
2009.300.6317
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite towel border, crafted by an unknown Russian artist between 1800 and 1850, is a fine example of early 19th-century lacework in linen and silk. Measuring 13 x 8½ inches (33 x 21.6 cm), it as a decorative edging for household linens like towels, transforming everyday items into cherished objects of beauty. Classified among textiles-laces in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's European Sculpture and Decorative department, its delicate construction highlights the precision of traditional needle techniques. In Russian culture during this period, lacemaking flourished as both a domestic ...