This large antique Chantilly lace shawl is decorated in a profuse multi floral design
of elaborate bouquets, garlands and flowers, accented with a stylized shell and feather
motif, on a spotted net ground, c. 1855 - 1860's.
I believe that this garment was made by the Pusher lace machine, which was invented
in 1812, but due to decreased demand basically ceased shawl production during the
1870's.
Research shows that between 1840 and 1870 Chantilly lace shawls were extremely popular.
While not entirely handmade, Pusher lace shawls have a great deal of hand embroidery
work, as all of the outline stitching around the fine pattern design was done completely
by hand.
Unlike other period examples with a less intricate design, this particular shawl
features a very dense, profuse naturalistic floral pattern, requiring a great deal
of hand executed gimp outline stitching. Additionally, it is a larger size early
shawl, made to accommodate the very generous hoop skirts of the late 1850's and
1860's era.
There is a great deal of information available about antique Chantilly
lace. The experts state that almost all true antique black Chantilly is made from
silk that was treated with gum Arabic, which gave the garment the desired period
substance and body. I believe that this shawl still retains the original finish.
It is in overall very good antique estate condition. We examined it very, very closely
and found only two small breaks in the picot edge (the tiny embroidered loops that
form the decorative edge trim) and one similar size area where the picot is slightly
loose. Within the body of the shawl there are 5 extremely small, apx. 3/8 of an
inch (10mm) sections of the net where the brides have opened. This may sound like
a large area, but it is actually very small, consisting of apx. 5-7 tiny individual
brides that could easily be darned by an experienced seamstress or tailor. There
are no glaring large issues. Even the small concerns are really only detectable under
very close scrutiny and do not noticeably disturb the flowing pattern design. For
example; one is apx. 12 inches from the back bottom tip. Not readily visible of course
due to small size, but especially because while the shawl is worn this area is near
the floor. Two others are also on the back, apx 6 inches from the top and not readily
visible, but easily completely concealed by folding over the edge, which is the way
shawls are commonly worn. Since all are of comparable size I took a couple of
pictures for reference. Please see last two images.
This shawl is not faded , it remains
a very rich black color. It would probably benefit from a gentle steam as it has
a light, slightly musty fragrance from storage.
While this wonderful antique shawl
is not absolutely perfect, most 150 plus year old garments are not. Generally speaking,
most true antique Chantilly lace shawls are going to show some signs of age and use.
This is to be expected. Accordingly, we consider this particular garment to be in
very nice condition, yet we have taken into account all factors in our pricing.
We
have taken numerous photographs using different light and several backgrounds, but
the detail remained difficult to accurately capture. Please review the images and
contact us if you require additional information.
