Floats and lace

This chalice veil was produced from silk and made in a complicated traditional Chinese satin weave with weft floats on one side and wrap floats on the other, clipped to provide a horizontal seam across the bottom part, which is of a smooth and lustrous texture.

The hem of the chalice veil is decorated with lace, which was a European design and stitching technique. Lace was first developed in Europe during the 16th century and included needle lace and bobbin lace by golden thread, silver thread or linen. The materials of this chalice veil show an exchange between Europe and China.

It could be assumed that the lace had been made in a weaving workshop in the Canton region. Yet, Chinese weavers did not know how to produce lace as this technique was not known to China before the 19th century and the chalice veil was made in the late 18th century. It therefore seems plausible to assume that the chalice veil was made in a weaving workshop in the Canton region with lace sewn on after being exported to the European market.