Lace bobbin

1800-1850

Place madeHungary, Europe

Wood

Overall: 6 × 3/4 × 3/4 in. (15.2 × 1.9 × 1.9 cm)

Purchased from Elie Nadelman, 1937

Z.1564.1

This object was once part of the folk art collection of Elie Nadelman (1882-1946), the avant-garde sculptor. From 1924 to 1934, Nadelman's collection was displayed in his Museum of Folk Arts, located in the Riverdale section of the Bronx. The Historical Society purchased Nadelman's entire collection in 1937. Viola Nadelman purchased this group of carved Hungarian lace bobbins from the Budapest art dealer Vilmos Szilárd in early 1928. Bobbin lace originated in Italy in the sixteenth century and was made throughout Europe, with regional variations. The traditional bobbin lace made by Austro-Hungarian peasants was characterized by a flowing tape design on net ground. The lace maker outlined the design by setting pins into a pillow or cushion, and then twisted and plaited lengths of thread around the pins. The ends of the threads were wound around bobbins, which the lacemaker used to manage the multiple threads. Typically made of wood or bone, European bobbins were also produced in ivory, metal, and glass. Most European bobbins were cylindrical and turned on a lathe, these examples are square in profile and heavily carved. It is possible that the bobbins were created as part of a conscious revival of Hungarian folk craft, as the square notch-carved implements are more closely related to the carving found on traditional Hungarian grave-posts than they are to typical Hungarian bobbins.

DescriptionOne of a group of twenty wooden handmade bobbins of various shapes and sizes; flat sided, with various geometric designs of chip carving; loop carved in the top and carved decoration linked to the loop.

ClassificationsSEWING TOOLS & EQUIPMENT

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