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Fragment of bed hanging
Clerambault1796–1810
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
New York, United States
An all-over bee pattern bordered by lilies and a garland of leaves and berries. Once part of the border of a set of bed hangings, this lace was said to have been ordered by Napoleon I for Josephine, but was more likely a gift to Marie Louise on the occasion of their marriage in 1810. Commonly called Alençon lace.
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Details
- Title: Fragment of bed hanging
- Creator: Clerambault
- Date Created: 1796–1810
- Type: Fragment of bed hanging
- Rights: Bequest of Richard Cranch Greenleaf in memory of his mother, Adeline Emma Greenleaf
- Medium: Medium: linen Technique: needle lace with ground of loop and twist with twist return
- Viewing Notes: An often cited example of Napoleon's lace commissions is the set of bed furnishings which he ordered for his wife, Josephine. Due to the length of time it took to complete the large laces and to Napoleon's change of wives, the set was completed for his Empress, Marie Louise of Austria whom he married in 1810. The set consisted of a ceiling canopy, a pair of curtains, a bed cover and a valance (of which this is a small section) and is now divided between several museums in the United States. -From Lace Exhibtion, August 3 - November 7, 1982
- Provenance: This lace was once part of the border of a set of bed hangings said to have been ordered by Napoleon I for Josephine but which was most likely a gift to Marie Louise on the occasion of their marriage in 1810.
- Exhibitions: Exhibition: C.U.M., "The Greenleaf Collection, Textile Arts from the 16th to early 19th century," 22 Jan. – 9 May 1964, p. 16, no. 200.CHM: "More Than Meets the Eye," Nov. 15–Feb. 15, 1978.
- Dimensions: H x W: 52 x 49 cm (20 1/2 x 19 5/16 in.)Repeat H: 29.2 cm (11 1/2 in.)
- Bibliography: Mayer, Christa C. "Two Centuries of Needle Lace," Antiques, Vol. LXXXVII, no. 2, February 1965, p. 181, fig. 11.
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