I’m posting these pieces today instead of tomorrow because several excellent laces are ending their auctions on Sunday. And I have some travel to do for work, so this week’s posts are going to be done from hotel rooms, if at all.

http://tinyurl.com/44wk6so HC-antique point de Gaze Brussels lace lappet collar
Size: 2.5-4.5″ x 40″
Starting price: $9.99
Auction ends: May 29, 2011 19:38:53 PDT
Offered by: Ebay seller atticcon, Birmingham, Alabama, United States
Comments: 19th century joined lappets of Belgian needlelace. Call it point de gaze if you like – this is more a modern term although it is widely used. The label ‘Point a l’aiguille’ is found in contemporary catalogues. This is a nice intact piece – fairly simple work with no separate petals on the flowers. Looks like a few small holes in the net, and a lot of staining on the outer edges. Should come out nicely with a proper cleaning.

   Sold for $214.50, 11 bidders.

http://tinyurl.com/4y3opef ANTIQUE MIXED BRUSSELS LACE EDGING EXQUISITE 7 W X 30
Size: 7″ x 30″
Starting price: $195.00
Auction ends: May 29, 2011 20:51:43 PDT
Offered by: Ebay seller twist-in-time, Philadelphia / DFW, United States
Comments: A very interesting piece. A rather symmetric pattern of Duchesse de Brugges, but with a needlelace ground. Some appears to be point de gaze ground, and there is a lot of various buttonholed bride meshes. These look somewhat like the Alencon brides bouclé, but I don’t think they have that complexity in manufacture. Looks more like looped rows of long twisted stitches that have been buttonholed over on a second pass, which is not really the best way to do this ground. Some of this ground is a bit unraveled, but it’s unclear from the photos exactly where that damage is located.

   Did not sell.  Relisted as #300562608571, $225 Buy-it-Now.

http://tinyurl.com/3t8dyt3 Mechlin cap back c1780
Size: 9″ x 7.5″
Starting price: 260.00 GBP Buy-it-Now
Auction ends: May 30, 2011 01:18:39 PDT
Offered by: Ebay seller lunnantiques, London, London, United Kingdom
Comments: It might have been cut down from a larger piece, but if you stare at it long enough the design syemtry looks good and fits the form pretty well. I’m not happy about the edge along the sides and top.  And, I don’t think this is Mechlin, it looks more like the pieced Brussels bobbinlace know as point d’angleterre. The ground also looks a bit odd, but there aren’t enough closeup photos to really say what really is. It doesn’t have the rigid structure I’d expect from the droschel ground, so it might be something else. Simple bride fillings. It is a design you’d expect from a similar mechlin piece which often showed such symmetry because they were pieced side-by-side from one long length of lace. Date? Maybe late 18th century, but early 19th c isn’t out of the question.

   Did not sell.

http://tinyurl.com/3oellt6 ANTIQUE LACE- RARE EARLY LILLE LACE SKIRT
Size: 52″ around top, 90″ around bottom, 42-43″ width
Starting price: $45.00 with reserve
Auction ends: May 30, 2011 08:57:25 PDT
Offered by: Maria Niforos Ebay seller mithya, London-New York, United States
Comments: These large panels of Lille aren’t as rare as you might think – two have come up for auction on Ebay in the last 6 months (http://tinyurl.com/3kl4afd). Levey’s “Lace, A History” shows one with an 1800 date (plate 352).  Toomer in “Antique Lace: Identifying Types and Techniques” shows one in plate 225 dated 1800.  Hannover in “Tønderske Kniplinger” shows examples of this thin line pattern and labels it late 18th c Arras, not Lille. The problem with this date is how do you join together strips of a very large point ground lace before the racroc stich was invented? I have also seen large pieces dated more around 1840. So it’s a bit of a mystery.
Usually these pieces are made of linen, and this one is pieced together from several smaller (but not much smaller) lengths, so I don’t think the joining problem is completely reconciled with an 1800 date.
This example is excellent, just a few spots and one loose seam.

   Sold for $895.00, 3 bidders.

http://tinyurl.com/3g7whoj ANTIQUE PUNTO IN ARIA LACE COLLAR 17THc RARE POWYS COLL
Size: 6″ at widest point including net. lace 2.75″ wide. 25″ inside collar, 31″ outside collar
Starting price: $795.00
Auction ends: May 30, 2011 17:57:23 PDT
Offered by: Maria Niforos Ebay seller mithya, London-New York, United States
Comments: This appears to be a documented piece from the famous dealer Marian Powys. It very well could be a late 16th, early 17th century piece. Hard to tell if it was originally a collar – the original neckpiece, if there ever was one, is long gone. The net support is an obvious much later machine-made adaptation. It’s a little hard to see from the photos, but I think the trace at the bottom of the motifs (where it is sewn to the net) is a single braided cord. This is not unknown in pieces this early which had only recently been freed from a drawnwork support.  Very good condition.

   Did not sell.

http://tinyurl.com/43usyok stunning antique black maltese hanmade lace stole
Size: 106″ x 13″
Starting price: 15.00 GBP
Auction ends: May 31, 2011 09:23:13 PDT
Offered by: Ebay seller reddolly123, nottingham, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom
Comments: Black silk Maltese shawl. Good guipure patterns and an interesting ground. Minor defects, a few seams that need sewing up. Pieces like this made on the long narrow Maltese pillow were made in strips sewn together.

   Sold for 123.99 GBP, 5 bidders.

http://tinyurl.com/3fgvxun Victorian~Ornate HM Needlelace Collar~Flowers/Butterfly
Size: 34″ long, center 12″ x 13″
Starting price: $19.95
Auction ends: May 31, 2011 12:39:44 PDT
Offered by: Ebay seller twist-in-time, Philadelphia / DFW, United States
Comments: Good crochet collar, I think it’s Orvietto. It has the combination of small random bride ground and a larger mesh in interior spaces, along with well worked motifs. Interesting sort of Art Noveau design. Seller says it’s a little dusty, but no damage or spots.  A very interesting piece.

   Sold for $78.00, 4 bidders.

http://tinyurl.com/43qcnnr c1840 Hnd Md POINT de GAZE SHAWL COLLAR MUSEU PIECE~A+
Size: 5″ at deepest point, 30″ along top edge, 46″ along bottom edge
Starting price: $368.00 Buy-it-Now
Auction ends: 4 days 10 hours
Offered by: Ebay seller grannyfannysattic, Lebanon, Tennessee, United States
Comments: Belgian needlelace ‘point de gaze’ collar with a few raised petal roses. Seller says it was a museum deacquisition, but gives no details.The design is fairly conventional, and there is little in the way of needlelace fillings. But you have to give it to this piece for the excellent condition.  I’d put it later in the 19th century, no particular reason to think it was done before point de gaze was invented.

Unsold

http://tinyurl.com/3uf247p Swedish LACE MAKING PILLOW & BOOK
Size: Box 9″ x 11.8″ x 4.2″.  Pillow 8″ long
Starting price: $160.00
Auction ends: Jun 01, 2011 19:00:32 PDT
Offered by: Ebay seller pilbon, Lebanon, Dalarna, Sweden
Comments: Traditional Dalarna lace pillow. The stripes on the pillow are to guide the lacemaker because this is meant for a freehand lace.  I have no idea how old this is, usually they have wonderful woodworking joints. This one has some screws holding the divider piece in. A pillow like this is used with straight juniper bobbins with a handcarved indent for the thread. (more modern machine ones are now available). Unfortunately no bobbins with this one – the division at the back is used for bobbin storage. The accompanying book is excellent.  These pillows are very hard to find, and this one comes directly from Dalarna.

   Did not sell.

http://tinyurl.com/42p4sf8 HM Antique Vtg MALTESE LACE Handkerchief Hanky Hankie
Size: 13″ x 13″
Starting price: $19.99
Auction ends: Jun 02, 2011 18:05:13 PDT
Offered by: Ebay seller adtjmd, RED VELVET BENCH, United States
Comments: Good silk Maltese handkerchief, very minor condition issues. Looks like it has the original silk center. The design is a nice combination of several Maltese techniques, crosses, dense tallies, stars, and the net-like bar ground.  A nice example.

   Sold for $46.05, 4 bidders.