Collar

Unknown

1890–1910 · linen · Costume Institute

17th century laces were created at great cost and with exquisite attention to detail and were signifiers of wealth and status. The in this collar is an excellent example of the the refined handwork and design sensibility needed to produce this raised work lace for which Venetian lace makers were renowned. The lace was originally a larger piece, possibly a flounce, and was cut and fashioned into a collar, probably in the late 19th or early 20th century. The neck edging also dates from the later period. Reconfiguring fine old laces into updated styles was a common practice.

Artist

Unknown

Date

1890–1910

Medium

linen

Culture

Italian

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Mrs. Benjamin R. Kittredge, 1971