This large panel of needle lace comes from Spain. It was probably intended as a cover or frontal for an altar. The lacemaker worked the buttonhole stitching in coloured silks over silver-gilt thread. We call this type of lace 'frisado de Valladolid', after the convents in that region of Spain who produced large quantities of it. It was particularly used to decorate furnishings for the church.
Even though it still appears colourful, the cover is very faded on the front side through too much exposure to light over a long period. Its colours are much brighter on the back. They show us how it originally looked. When it was first made, the untarnished metal thread would have given it a rich and glittering appearance.