http://tinyurl.com/h6akqff Antique vintage handkerchief handmade Bedfordshire English lace – wedding hanky
Size: 29.5 cm square
Starting Price: £12.00 Buy-it-Now
Auction ends: March 13, 2016, 8:07 AM PST
Offered by: Ebay seller hedgehogpear, BN8, United Kingdom
Comments: A Floral Beds handkerchief. Fairly simple edging with point ground and woven leaves used as fillings. Nicely worked around the corners.  The center is silk, not the same color as the lace.
Provenance: None cited.
Date: ~1900
Condition:
Modifications: None.
Damage: Nothing obvious from the photos.
Soilage: Seller cites a few age marks.
Finish: Horizontal and vertical fold creases.

   No bids.

http://tinyurl.com/hcl8uwl 2 METRES OF EXQUISITE CHANTILLY LACE EDGING TRIM, circa 1900, Fuchsias and Swags
Size: 2 meters long, no width given.  I’m a little worried, the seller says there are 9 more meters, so I’m wondering if this piece is being cut up.
Starting Price: £14.00
Auction ends: March 13, 2016, 8:07 AM PST
Offered by: Ebay seller mystuff-fr, Mielan, France
Comments: A wide Chantilly flounce, 2nd Empire romantic floral design. There seems to be a little attempt at shading in some of the flowers, but not ‘ombré’ as it is usually seen. It has a good, strong design with small circular esprits in the upper ground. Hard to tell if it is French or Belgian, but the rather delicate work, especially the wide halfstitch trail at the bottom edge makes me suspect French.
Provenance: None cited.
Date: 2nd half 19th c.
Condition:
Modifications: Can’t see the ends to tell if they are cut. Engrelure added.
Damage: Occasional minor pinhole.
Soilage: Looks clean, but hard to tell with black lace.
Finish: No obvious creases or wrinkles.

   Sold for £88.00, 6 bidders.

http://tinyurl.com/hrhnvm4 ANTIQUE BRUSSELS LACE WITH POINT DE GAZE LACE INSERTS HANDKERCHIEF
Size: 12.5″ x 12.25″
Starting Price: $95.00 Buy-it-Now
Auction ends: March 14, 2016, 8:37 AM PST
Offered by: Ebay seller avivb, Raynham, Massachusetts, United States
Comments: A Brussels Duchesse handkerchief with raised petal roses in the Point de Gaze rose insert. There’s no PtdG mesh around the roses. Lots of raised work against halfstitch ground in the bobbinlace scrollwork. and in some ‘finger-like’ motifs arranged as rays pointing outward. There is a funny bobbin-made filling stitch between these ‘fingers’ that I can’t really make out.Elaborate unconventional design with well sculpted inner edge.
Provenance: None cited.
Date: 4th quarter 19th c.
Condition:
Modifications: None.
Damage: Pinholes in the center cloth.
Soilage: Looks clean.
Finish: To me it looks a bit shrunken, perhaps from a past wash.  A few irregular creases in the cloth.

  Unsold.

http://tinyurl.com/j8mfhaz Antique handmade Maltese lace table centre piece mat
Size: 21″ diameter
Starting Price: £14.99
Auction ends: March 14, 2016, 10:13 AM PST
Offered by: Ebay seller discover4, London, United Kingdom
Comments: You don’t see Maltese table linens very often. Perfectly round shapes like this exist but mostly as a part of a large triangular or square shawl. This one has several nicely done layers, with Maltese crosses at the center and around the edge. There’s a spoked ‘wheel motif made of woven leaves just inside the outer layer, then some nice guipure work, and an interesting ground pattern next to the innermost cross.
Provenance: None cited.
Date: 1st quarter 20th c.
Condition:
Modifications: None.
Damage: Nothing obvious from the photos.
Soilage: Looks clean.
Finish: There’s a prominent join on the right, which might also be a fold line, hard to tell.

   Sold for £49.00, 7 bidders.

http://tinyurl.com/zqakfqq Mouchoir dentelle ancienne antique Brussels lace bridal hankie encaje antigua
Size: 16″ x 17″
Starting Price: 35.00 EUR
Auction ends: March 14, 2016, 10:56 AM PST
Offered by: Ebay seller atelier1900, Rhône-Alpes, France
Comments: A handkerchief with a deep border of Brussels applique on machine net. The floral design elements are small and delicately worked. I especially like the border of flowers around the outer edge; something you don’t often see in this lace.  There are some needle-made rings and knots used as decorative ‘mode’ fillings, and the ground has small circles used as esprits.
Provenance: None cited.
Date: 2nd half 19th c.
Condition:
Modifications: None.
Damage: Small holes and pinholes in the tulle.
Soilage: Looks clean.
Finish: Horizontal and vertical fold creases, also some irregular creases in the cloth.

   Sold for EUR 62.00, 3 bidders.

http://tinyurl.com/gmogwcj LENGTH OF BEAUTIFUL ANTIQUE IRISH CROCHET LACE 356 CMS BY 13 CMS
Size: 5″ x 140″
Starting Price: £0.99
Auction ends: March 14, 2016, 1:15 PM PST
Offered by: Ebay seller discover4, London, United Kingdom
Comments: A long scalloped border of Irish Crochet. Square picoted mesh, the picots look like tight crocheted loops. Note the three-part ‘pinwheel’ design you see so much of in IC, here with largely 2 different motifs/pinwheel. Some good raised work in motif centers and along some edges. Good technique, tightly done.
Provenance: From a private collection of a large estate.
Date: 4th quarter 19th c.
Condition:
Modifications: Can’t see the ends to tell if they are cut.
Damage: Nothing obvious from the photos.
Soilage: Looks clean.
Finish: No obvious creases or wrinkles.Looks unused. One photo shows the whole piece tied with pink ribbons.

   Sold for £97.00, 14 bidders.

http://tinyurl.com/jy43t2j Fine Vintage Needle Lace / 114″ Point Colbert ?
Size: 58″ x 56″ outer dimensions. No inner dimension given.
Starting Price: $199.00
Auction ends: March 14, 2016, 7:00 PM PST
Offered by: Ebay seller textile2012, Hydes, Maryland, United States
Comments: A Venise lace that looks like it was made in this form to go around some kind of linen. It is very difficult to attribute these later ‘gros point’ imitations. They could be Italian or Belgian or French or Irish, some was even made in England and very elaborate examples come from Austria. Someday I’ll write a book on the subject. I’m thinking this one is Italian.  Point Colbert is a very special lace with some specific characteristics – I’ll make my only example a “lace of the month” soon.
Provenance: None cited.
Date: 4th quarter 19th c.
Condition:
Modifications: The piece was removed from a sham – fragments of the cloth remain along the inner edge.
Damage: Some damage to the top edge in a section about 1.5″ long.
Soilage: Looks clean, but seller says it has not been cleaned.
Finish: No obvious creases or wrinkles.

   No bids.

http://tinyurl.com/jhnnozh Elaborate antique Victorian lady’s Irish crochet lace cap, crochet flowers
Size: 13″ x 19″ laid flat.
Starting Price: £38.00
Auction ends: March 15, 2016, 12:15 PM PST
Offered by: Ebay seller vintagecountryhome, Wales, United Kingdom
Comments: An Irish Crochet cap, and from the elaborate decoration, I think it’s a French piece. The raised knots are the biggest I’ve ever seen. They seem to be at the ends of leaf stalks, probably representing some kind of grain. They also run around the edge of the piece. Square picoted mesh, photos aren’t close enough to see how the picots are made.  It looks like the flower and tassels attached to one bow are a separate piece, and I wonder if a matching set is missing on the other side.
Provenance: None cited.
Date: 4th quarter 19th c.
Condition:
Modifications: Looks like an assembled piece – you can see a seam going up the center. But it works well as a headpiece.
Damage: Seller cites a few breaks in the lace. Silk backing is fraying.
Soilage: Looks beige in the photos.
Finish: Nothing unexpected for a costume piece.

   Sold for £38.00, 1 bidder.

http://tinyurl.com/hc5vurj Antique/vintage Maltese lace bertha 1908 – damage
Size: Not given
Starting Price: £28.00
Auction ends: March 15, 2016, 1:29 PM PST
Offered by: Ebay seller derbeatle, Cheltenham, United Kingdom
Comments: A Maltese bertha with an attached tag stating the origin, which is extremely unusual.  I did not know that Gibraltar dealt in this kind of lace, but why not? Berthas in Maltese are not too common, and this one is a good example. The 6-pointed star ground which is used extensively in the piece often  indicates a better quality manufacturer.
Provenance: Tag attached saying “Maltese lace bought in Gibralter 1908 by C.M.Hill”.
Date: ~1900
Condition:
Modifications: None.
Damage: A few broken brides, some fraying along edges.
Soilage: One area of dark stains. Given the provenance, that actually doesn’t bother me much as a collector.
Finish: No obvious creases or wrinkles.

   Sold for £32.00, 2 bidders.

http://tinyurl.com/hukkqee Gorgeous Antique c1890 Point de Gaze Lace Trim 96″ x3 78″ French Doll Dressing
Size: 3-7/8″ x 96″
Starting Price: $44.00
Auction ends: March 16, 2016, 4:13 AM PST
Offered by: Ebay seller vintageblessings, Eagle, Idaho, United States
Comments: A long length of narrow Brussels bobbin and needlelace applique on machine net. Good technique, small motifs, a few esprits in the tulle.  The short repeat is good for a lace meant to be ruffled. Very simple needle-made knot fillings, and note the equal balance between bobbin and needlelace in the motifs.
Provenance: None cited.
Date: 2nd half 19th c.
Condition:
Modifications: One end cut, can’t see the other end.
Damage: A few pinholes in the tulle.
Soilage: Looks clean.
Finish: slight wrinkling at one end, minor.

   Sold for $83.82, 9 bidders.

http://tinyurl.com/ho5mdsw Gorgeous Antique c1890 Point de Gaze Lace Trim 96″ x3 78″ French Doll Dressing
Size: lace is 272 cm circumference, 92 cm high.
Starting Price: 160.00 EUR
Auction ends: March 16, 2016, 12:53 PM PST
Offered by: Ebay seller acquachiara-2007, Fornovo Di Taro, Italy
Comments: An alb with handmade bobbinlace flounce, machine made cuffs. The flounce is bobbin-made with a fond chant ground, quite a simple torchon-like pattern. There is a seam up  what is probably the back. I’m guessing it was made in strips and joined together, you can see a little evidence of that i the last photo.
The lace is likely Italian, the seller implies it was made by nuns, but without a provenance that’s hard to verify. Pieces like this do come on the market occasionally, mostly with machine lace.  A piece like this is more unusual.
Provenance: None cited.
Date: ~1900
Condition:
Modifications: None.
Damage: A few broken meshes in the lace.
Soilage: A few small stains in the linen.
Finish: Nothing unexpected from an item of clothing.

   Sold for 160.00 EUR, 1 bidder.

http://tinyurl.com/hks2fde 2 huge antique applied bobbin lace pannels pelmets bridal deco VGC 95″ x 18″
Size: 95″ x 18″ each
Starting Price: $650.00 Buy-it-Now
Auction ends: March 16, 2016, 12:56 PM PST
Offered by: Ebay seller atelier1900, Gaillard, France
Comments: Two large bobbin-made flounces of pieced lace that imitates the early designs of Brabant laces. The motifs resemble “Old Flanders”; I’m guessing this is a Belgian piece. The motifs are appliqued on a machine net. Two of the ends are not finished, so you can see how the motifs are applied and the tulle cut away to allow for the larger bobbin-made filling in the main trail.  It’s am ambitious undertaking, and I think the motif quality compare with earlier Brabant work.
Provenance: Seller states that one corner has the ‘original atelier seal’, but it is not shown.  I just heard from the seller who says the seal reads “déposé Paris” on one side and a B among 3 stars on the other.  Doesn’t sound familiar to me.
Date: 4th quarter 19th c.
Condition:
Modifications: I spoke to the seller, these were made as two separate pieces.
Damage: A few pulls and pinholes in the tulle.
Soilage: Looks clean.
Finish: No obvious creases or wrinkles.

   Unsold as of 3/17/2016 2:36 PM MDT

http://tinyurl.com/zzokkw9 wide antique bobbin lace applied on tulle wedding shawl bridal encaje antigua
Size: 23″ x 120″
Starting Price: $650.00 Buy-it-Now
Auction ends: March 16, 2016, 1:01 PM PST
Offered by: Ebay seller atelier1900, Gaillard, France
Comments: A rectangular shawl of Brussels bobbinlace applique on machine net. Motifs are a little on the Bruges side, and seem to resemble the technique used in the flounce above. Romantic floral design with large flower sprays scattered throughout, giving it a very light appearance. Small circular esprits throughout the main ground.
Provenance: None cited.
Date: 4th quarter 19th c.
Condition:
Modifications: None.
Damage: Seller cites 2 recent tiny flaws in the tulle.
Soilage: Looks clean.
Finish: No obvious creases or wrinkles.

   Unsold as of 3/17/2016 2:36 PM MDT

http://tinyurl.com/hrzxrxk Antique FAN Brussels POINT de GAZE French Trophy Needle LACE w Fancy Pierced MOP
Size: 11.25″ long, 21″ wide
Starting Price: $165.00
Auction ends: March 16, 2016, 8:30 PM PST
Offered by: Ebay seller winter-garden, West Palm Beach, Florida, United States
Comments: A Point de Gaze fan with carved and pierced Mother of Pearl sticks. No raised work in the lace. Decorative ‘mode’ fillings are confined largely to the edges of the lace. The central motif appears to be a basket of tools, the rest are florals.
Provenance: None cited.
Date: 4th quarter 19th c.
Condition:
Modifications: None.
Damage: Nothing obvious in the lace. The seller says one stick was repaired by overlaying it on another stick, which throws the alignment of the lace off a bit. Not sure that I understand how this is working.
Soilage: Looks clean.
Finish: Expected fan creases.

      Sold for $169.49, 2 bidders.

http://tinyurl.com/jzwc7sp FRENCH WHITEWORK AND VALENCIENNES LACE HANDKERCHIEF CROWN & TC MOTIFS MOUCHOIR
Size: 18.5″ square
Starting Price: $10.00 with reserve
Auction ends: March 19, 2016, 4:00 PM PST
Offered by: Ebay seller eastayton, London, England, United Kingdom
Comments: A whitework embroidered handkerchief with a 19th c Valenciennes border, both of high quality.  I occasional review whitework embroidery because of the inclusion of needlelace fillings – when I was studying in Alençon in 1980, I actually did some of this kind of work. Here the design and execution of the embroidery are exceptional, note the TC monogram with the crown. Having a crown is no guarantee that this was a Royal commission.  The lace, typical of the mid 19th c is also finely worked, and gathered around the corners as is typical of handkerchiefs like this.
Provenance: I can’t quite read the attached tag, but it does mention a “Marquess Smith?”
Date: 4th quarter 19th c.
Condition:
Modifications: None.
Damage: Nothing obvious from the photos.
Soilage: Looks clean.
Finish: A little light creasing in the center cloth.

   Sold for $420.00, 6 bidders.

http://tinyurl.com/zelx86a NANDUTI SOL LACE SOUTH AMERICAN FAN LEAF
Size: 25″ wide from the photo.
Starting Price: $10.00 with reserve
Auction ends: March 19, 2016, 4:10 PM PST
Offered by: Ebay seller eastayton, London, England, United Kingdom
Comments: An exceptional fan leaf of Ñanduti. Note the offset in the Sol motifs giving it an undulating appearance.  The work uses very fine thread and is of high design and technical quality.
Provenance: None cited.
Date: 1st quarter 20th c.
Condition:
Modifications: None.
Damage: Nothing obvious from the photos.
Soilage: Looks clean. There might be a little shadow at the right hand corner, but hard to tell from the photo.
Finish: Picots aren’t standing up as well as they could along the top edge, but that’s minor. Looks unused.

   Sold for $140.50, 3 bidders.

http://tinyurl.com/z9qfdj9 RETICELLA PIECE LINEN 17th CENTURY ITALIAN32x8.5 inches / 80×21 cm
Size: 32 x 8.5 inches.
Starting Price: $10.00 with reserve
Auction ends: March 19, 2016, 4:15 PM PST
Offered by: Ebay seller eastayton, London, England, United Kingdom
Comments: I wonder if this was meant to be part of a headdress. Or it could have been part of a towel now cut off at the top. There aren’t any closeups of that area, but I see a few loose threads and it does look cut.
A strip of linen, drawn and decorated with reticella around the main body, with a more Punto in Aria reticella variation at the top (hard to tell how far the original cloth structure extends as a support – in fact I think it actually might be a separate addition without a cutwork/drawnwork base).  There is plaited Venise bobbinlace around three edges.
Provenance: None cited.
Date: We have to be extraordinarily careful in dating pieces like this. Copies were extensive in the later 19th c. A tag labels this as XVII century Punto di Sienna, a name I’m not familiar with. Things arguing for an early date include the combination of both needle and bobbinlace, along with the general finish of the work.  Against is the extraordinary condition.
Condition:
Modifications: None?
Damage: A small hole in the cloth.
Soilage: Seller cites some light staining.
Finish: No obvious creases or wrinkles.

   Sold for $152.50, 2 bidders.

http://tinyurl.com/zoaxl5v ITALIAN BURATTO and DRAWN THREAD WORK LACE THREE PIECES 17TH CENTURY
http://tinyurl.com/haz5efu ITALIAN BURATTO LACE 17TH CENTURY 160 x 23 cms / 63 x 9 inches
Size: 40x18cm, 50x27cm, 50x23cm.
160 x 23 cm
Starting Price: $10.00 with reserve on both
Auction ends: March 19, 2016, 4:20 PM PST
March 19, 2016, 4:25 PM PST
Offered by: Ebay seller eastayton, London, England, United Kingdom
Comments: The first lot has three early fragments. The first is Burato embroidered with what looks like yellow thread, perhaps silk. The man designs of deer and trees are made by leaving the leno weave cloth bare. The second piece is Punto Tirato Tela Sfilata (Sicily isn’t a bad guess), and the third piece is Burato with white embroidery. It is the same pattern as the second listing.
These fragment designs are quite sophisticated, and the technique excellent in all cases.  A lot of this material ‘appeared’ at the end of the 19th century, most out of Italy and we always have to be careful of dates. These were types of laces that are even being made today, mostly in Sardinia.
Provenance: The yellow piece, Bought by Mr. Nuttall? in Rome 1900. That name seems familiar but I can’t place it just now.
Date: I think all of these are early pieces, somewhere in the 17th c.
Condition:
Modifications: Cut from longer pieces.  The Punto Tirato is cut along one side, probably part of a much larger linen originally.
Damage: General wear and some fraying.  Occasional broken mesh thread.
Soilage: All show some small stains.
Finish: No obvious creases or wrinkles.

  
Sold for $315.99, 4 bidders.

Sold for $315.99, 4 bidders.

http://tinyurl.com/gnkvvrp BINCHE BOBBIN LACE FLEMISH 18th CENTURY 61 x 6.4 cms / 24 x 2.5 inches
Size: 24″ x 2.5″
Starting Price: $10.00 with reserve
Auction ends: March 19, 2016, 4:30 PM PST
Offered by: Ebay seller eastayton, London, England, United Kingdom
Comments: A short length of Valenciennes with Partridge Eye ground. “Binche” of this period has a much more random design.  This piece has wonderful ‘line drawing’ effect using halfstitch for shading.  A very high end market piece,l in exceptional condition.  I wish there were more.
Provenance: None cited.
Date: 1720-30
Condition:
Modifications: Cut both ends, engrelure added. Looks like it has been mounted on black paper or cloth, which should be removed as soon as possible. I see at least one pin piercing the clothwork.
Damage: Nothing obvious from the photos.
Soilage: Looks clean.
Finish: No obvious creases or wrinkles.

   Sold for $213.50, 7 bidders.

http://tinyurl.com/j9sbpop FLEMISH BOBBIN LACE 18th CENTURY 53 x 8 cms / 21 x 3 inches
Size: 21″ x 3″
Starting Price: $10.00 with reserve
Auction ends: March 19, 2016, 4:45 PM PST
Offered by: Ebay seller eastayton, London, England, United Kingdom
Comments: This is a little more what we think of as 17th c Binche, but without the snowflake ground, and a little too organized.  This example has a 5-hole ground. Well done technique with an elegant design.
Provenance: None cited.
Date: 2nd quarter 18th c.
Condition:
Modifications: Cut both ends, engrelure added on both long sides. One long side also looks cut, not sure about the other side. Probably not much, you can still follow the general design.
Damage: A little frayed, a few small holes in the mesh.
Soilage: Looks clean.
Finish: No obvious creases or wrinkles.

   Sold for $95.00, 4 bidders.