Lace

Unknown

1720–40 · linen · Costume Institute

This is an exquisitely crafted lace cravat end. Lace was often utilized as neckwear in the 17th and 18th centuries for aesthetic purposes and to emphasize the fine quality the wearer could afford. This refined example contains an exceptional level of detail in an obviously musically themed article. Music in this period was a common form of entertainment and utilizing it as a theme for an article of clothing is sensible and elegant.

Artist

Unknown

Date

1720–40

Medium

linen

Culture

Flemish

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Charlotte R. Stillman, 1951