Victorian Lace Bobbin
It is unsure when the art of lace making first made its appearance in Britain but it is thought that the Flemish immigrants during the 1560's may have been responsible. Another theory is that lace making originated in Italy and it was from here that lace was introduced to England. But it was known - there was an import duty on lace as early as 1562.
The bobbin was usually constructed either from bone, which lasted longer, or 'fruitwoods' such as plum, apple, nut - in fact any hard wood that the bobbin maker found. This was a skilled craft and the name 'Bobbin" Brown, Robert Haskins, James Crompton and the 'Bitted" man ( his true name is unknown) produced some of the finest bobbins in the 19th Century.
The glass beads were used to stop the bobbin from slipping off the bobbin pillow whilst a piece of lace was being made. They were often locally made and 'square' in shape (known as 'square-cuts) with the indentation of a file clearly visible. The colors were mainly blue, red, pink, white, amber, brown and green. Some of the larger beads had spots which were known as "Kitty Fisher's eyes' named after an actress of the day
The above bobbin is made from fruitwood and shows a inlay of Pewter in the form of small 'dots' which was referred to as a "Leopard" bobbin. Constant use of the bobbin would have caused the pewter to appear 'silver' in color.
This finely executed "Midlands" bobbin shows it was made by a true craftsman, it is beautifully turned and spangled with seven glass beads, strung on brass wire which was typical of the period and measures 10.0 cm in length.
Shipping R40.00
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