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Cravat end

mid-18th century
Not on view
Figural lace panels such as this one were items of gentlemen's high-fashion neckwear, meant to be attached to the end of a long, fine fabric cravat. The elaborate imagery, time-consuming to achieve, made the panels extremely expensive accessories. Drawing inspiration from contemporary formal gardens, the design of this example centers on a fountain with water jets that issue from the tip of Amor's raised arrow and fall to fill a basin for swimming birds. Set among the parterres planted with tulips and other flowers is a fountain in the form of the mythical wyvern, spouting water from its mouth, and garden statuary representing a nesting bird. A whimsically incongruous dagged cloth is festooned—tied to trees and secured by overlarge tassels.

The ambiguous term point d'Angleterre does not refer in this instance to needle lace or the country of origin, but to a group of highest quality bobbin laces made in Brussels. The reference to England may denote the principal market for this type.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Cravat end
  • Date: mid-18th century
  • Culture: Flemish, Brussels
  • Medium: Bobbin lace, point d'Angleterre, linen
  • Dimensions: Overall (confirmed): 13 × 17 1/4 in. (33 × 43.8 cm)
  • Classification: Textiles-Laces
  • Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Edward S. Harkness, 1948
  • Object Number: 48.41.1
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

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The Arms of William and Mary, Daniel Marot the Elder French, Wool, silk, metal thread (20 warps per inch, 9 per cm.), Flemish, Brussels
The Arms of William and Mary
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Cravat end or rabat, Linen, bobbin lace (point d'Angleterre), Flemish, Brussels
Cravat end or rabat
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mid-18th century
Landscape with Birds, Daniel Abbeloos Belgian, Wool, silk (21-24 warps per inch, 8-10 per cm.), Flemish, Brussels
Landscape with Birds
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The Harvest, Urbanus Leyniers Flemish, Wool, silk (18-20 warps per inch, 8 per cm.), Flemish, Brussels
The Harvest
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1712–28
Seasons and Elements (Air) (set of four), Charles Le Brun French, Canvas; silk, wool, and metal-thread embroidery in tent stitch (316 stitches per sq. inch, 49 stitches per sq. cm.), French, Paris
Seasons and Elements (Air) (set of four)
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