OK. I’ve been reading Santina Levey this morning, and I think the collar in the Jan Six XI Rembrandt is indeed bobbin lace. Read Levey's remarks on Flemish bobbin lace on p. 23 and take a good look at plates 112 and 135 - 140. The Flemish falling collars are specifically mentioned as being made in bobbin lace, which was much softer than needle lace and very popular for falling collars.
Plate 140 is another Rembrandt portrait, with a very similar collar, that she states is bobbin lace. Plate 112 shows an early bedcover of part lace, and it is divided into squares, like reticella but the closeup shows that it is a bobbin-made part lace. When I started making lace I was told that the rectangular make-up was a sure sign of needle lace - but I can see that was wrong information. There is one similar lace piece shown (plate 132, bottom), that is needle lace. To me it looks more fully filled-in, heavier & stiffer than the other pieces. If you look at the Rembrandt portraits, they often show the lace being casually curled up, as if wafting in a breeze. Needle lace didn’t do that. Softness and lightness were the hallmarks of Flemish bobbin laces at this time. I don’t see any reason to challenge Levey over this, or the European expert that Jan Six XI consulted. But, I haven’t read what the people commenting on the NYT article have said. Adele West Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [email protected]. For help, write to [email protected]. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
