Insertion of needle point silk lace, Burano, 1700-1750Insertion of needle point silk lace. With a scrolling pattern comparable to Venetian point, and a square meshed ground of the point d'Alençon type but with a cloudy appearance. The repeating design consists of branching stems which develop on either side of a shield-shaped motif. Small birds are perched on stems or fly amongst the branches. The design is worked in flat buttonhole stitch with decorative fillings in the leaves and the shields. Only the wings and eyes of the birds have a raised cordonnet.