Delicate Ñandutí Hair Pin Lace Handkerchief circa 1800s

Ñandutí lace is a woven needle lace. The lace is worked on fabric stretched tightly in a frame. The often complex patterns are drawn on the fabric and the warp threads stitched before the motifs are needle woven. The lace is made as one piece, unlike other Sol laces where the individual motifs are made separately and joined. Ñandutí is a traditional lace of Paraguay, the name is from Guarani, the official indigenous language of Paraguay, meaning “spider web”.

This Nañdutí doily also has machine-made lace attached around the edge. It was made in Venezuela and measures 9 1/2 x 9 1/2” (24.13 x 24.13 cm).

The lace style is based on 17th century Spanish Sol lace. The patterns are usually individual circles, and the name, meaning sun, reflects the shapes of the spoked wheel lace. Other Sol laces include Teneriffe (or Tenerife), and Hvar.