Needle lace strip with symmetrical composition of bell-shaped panels formed by acanthus leaves and large flowers

Strip of natural-coloured needle lace: Argentan lace. The largely symmetrical composition consists of bell-shaped fields formed by acanthus leaves and alternating with various large flowers, which hang downwards from the upper side of the strip. Always one large flower or a flower branch with three large flowers between the bell-shaped fields. The motifs are built up from festoon stitches with cutouts and provided with relief contours. They are connected to each other by a hexagonal ground with festooned meshes, an Argentan ground. In the bell-shaped fields various ornamental grounds are applied, from coarse double hexagonal grounds to extremely finely worked ornamental grounds decorated with rosettes which are also visible in the flower hearts. The flat irregular shell border is finished with picots. The upper side of the strip is finished straight with a bobbin lace strip.