Belgian War Lace tablecover

42" to 44" diameter, lace depth 7" to 10"
One small hole in the center cloth, localized brown stains. Center cloth wrinkled, I have not ironed this.

The images on this cloth are WWI scenes of battle, including an unusual depiction of an airplane. There are also 5 soldiers, labled Russie, Italie, Belgique, France, and Angleterre. Russia, England, Italy, the UK and the USA were allies in WWI. In this piece Belgium takes the place of the USA. Or perhaps the USA had not joined the war at the time this piece was made. It might also be a recognition of Belgium as the place of manufacture of the lace, and also its tragic role in the war.
This is an extraordinary piece.The figures are probably taken from illustrations in some publication, and it will take searching to pin this down. The technique slightly resembles Ghent work, and the figural technique is unusual. No halfstitch is used as shading, the figures only rely on lines to define details. There appears to be some piecing within the figures. Brides are both single and double picoted plaited hexagons, and there are several different fillings (including some halfstitch) in the flowers and leaves. The work is a little coarse, and uses a heavier thread. Many of the motifs have a simple tape-like technique, while the figural work is more refined.
The center is a fine cotton with heavy whitework embroidery in a thin pattern including a few cutouts. The alignment with the lace is off, in fact the symmetry of the lace motifs is also a bit off.

accession number purchased 02/20/2020
first posted 03/03/2020
updated 06/25/2022