Alba

White baptism alb with a loose body and sleeves falling off the shoulder; the neckline has a band and central opening in the front and a lace spread. This piece has a varied plant decoration distributed in an irregular pattern to form a whole piece of fine beauty which goes from the foot to the top of the flounce and ends in irregular waves with knots.

The ornamental elements are highly varied, mostly depicting sturdy, exceptionally realistic shapes, especially from the plant world: large palms, pines and pomegranates and a wide floral repertory. It also includes figurative elements, such as butterflies, as well as geometric shapes. The base has areas of bullions with tiny knots and in other areas it consists of mesh of open eyelets that indicate it was possibly made in Spain. It was produced by linking the pairs of bobbins on the edges of the motifs so as to produce rings and figures respectively.

The work uses fine natural linen and technically demonstrates a broad use of stitches, such as cloth and half stitches for the decorative sections, and net, fly and star stitches for the adornments. The openwork eyes on the mesh base indicates that the lace is Spanish-made. The flounce measures 52cm in width and has a spread of 380 cm.