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| Click image to enlarge. Ruff Edging Italy, 1600-1620 The Victoria & Albert Museum |
A delicate pattern cut into fine linen creates this handsome bit of edging which was once a part of a fine ruff. Made between 1600 and 1620, the ruff comes from Italy and shows the ingenuity of early Seventeenth Century cutwork. Needle lace stitches around the cut edges complete the pattern and keep the cut ends of the linen from fraying.
Ruffs such as this were the height of fashion in the late Sixteenth and early Seventeenth Centuries. They were used to adorn daily dress and were especially meant to draw attention to a person’s face and throat, acting like a white frame.
Though only the edging remains, the V&A has recreated how it was used by displaying it on the edge of a newly created linen ruff in the style of Seventeenth Century Italian fashion. It really is an elegant bit of work, this remnant of edging with its row of cutwork squares featuring two alternating geometric designs. An outer row of cutwork pointed scallops and a narrow bobbin lace heading finish the piece.
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