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Object Timeline
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1962 |
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2012 |
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2014 |
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2024 |
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Tassel (Italy)
This is a Tassel. It is dated late 16th–early 17th century and we acquired it in 1962. Its medium is linen, wood and its technique is braided and knotted. It is a part of the Textiles department.
Tassels are typically made from richly colored, glossy silk. Passementerie, or the art of making tassels, fringes, pompoms and cords, is an early word for lace, and the bobbin lace technique is believed to have evolved from the making of braided silk and metal trimmings. These white linen tassels combine the skills of the passementier, braiding and knotting, with the materials and techniques of the lace-maker, in one case, of stitching tiny lace flowers and figures. One use for tassels such as these is for the cincture of the alb, a long white linen tunic worn under elaborate silk church vestments. Others are seen in Dutch portraits of the seventeenth century, fastening the necks of men’s shirts, hanging just below their elaborate lace falling collars. In Italian painting, they can be seen adorning domestic linens, while the largest examples may have found use in bed furnishings.
This object was
bequest of
Richard Cranch Greenleaf (American, 1887–1961).
It is credited Bequest of Richard Cranch Greenleaf in memory of his mother, Adeline Emma Greenleaf.
Its dimensions are
H x W: 12 x 7 cm (4 3/4 x 2 3/4 in.)
Cite this object as
Tassel (Italy); linen, wood; H x W: 12 x 7 cm (4 3/4 x 2 3/4 in.); Bequest of Richard Cranch Greenleaf in memory of his mother, Adeline Emma Greenleaf; 1962-51-8
This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibition Making Design.
