Identifying a piece of lace - anybody?

[Claudia Crowley]

I don't remember where I got this, but it is beautiful. It is cuff-sized. Needlelace of some sort. Can anybody give me any information about this kind of work?

[Trinity]

That's beautiful!  I'm thinking Venetian (not gros point), but I'm nowhere near an expert.

[Lorelei Halley Administrator]

Thank you for posting those photos. It is a marvelous piece.  I also am not an expert on needle lace, and I agree that Venetian is the first thing that comes to mind. Not terribly old. Perhaps circa 1900.

[Trinity]

I noticed the heavy gimp threads and bars rather than netting.  Those will narrow it down.  Looking at your penny for scale, that is TINY thread!

[Claudia Crowley]

Thanks, y'all. Yes, I have the feeling it's in the range of 1910. Foreign-made probably - that is to say, not in the U.S. I tend to assume intricate lace of that era comes from China because the lacemaking industry in Europe had collapsed by then - but that's a complete guess, and I need to do some research. I wish I remembered where it came from. Probably a thrift shop.