Spanish
Lace Flounce, 17th century
Silk and metal, bobbin lace, 445.8 x 21.6 cm (175 1/2 x 8 1/2 in.)
This Spanish textile is a wide ornamental strip of white lace with multiple rows of tiny open silvery stitches edged by borders on each side. Attached to this flounce, in uneven rows along its length, are long white tassels of various sizes.
Veronese Room
Commentary
Lacemaking in Spain can be traced back to the Middle Ages, but lace became fashionable in the 15th and 16th centuries. This lace flounce made of silver thread may have been used on an ecclesiastical vestment, a common practice in 17th century Spain.