Seamstresses in Fine Art

Giacomo Ceruti, Women Working On Pillow Lace

The Sewing School

Giacomo Ceruti (1698-1767)

Italian

Read more HERE

18 responses to “Seamstresses in Fine Art”

  1. Looks like they are tatting? That is one skill I don’t ever expect to learn. I don’t think my brain and bad memory could handle it.

  2. What a charming picture but Its odd its called the sewing school as they are making bobbin lace, i used to do this before quilting got its hold on me! I like the way some of the girls are looking up at the viewer almost as if they were looking at the ‘camera’. The artist has captured a moment in time.

    1. The titles are often given by museum curators to identify the work–not the artist.

  3. my mom made lace. I have all of her lace and supplies.
    She made some incredible stuff. Once they went on a travel trip in Italy and in a store window she saw a necklace made of gold thread The store was closed. Daddy took a picture of it. She came home and made the necklace. She has tried to teach me. I know the basic concept of lace making, it is not that hard, but rather tedious, and my ADHD does not lend well to that.
    This painting is really really adorable.
    This is what people did before tv and internets

  5. Totally new to me…I knew bobbin lace/tatting existed, but never remotely knew how it was done. They are using the bolsters as a “desk”-work support it appears. I love that individuality is painted in their faces. Hair styles are their current one or it is common to students. A young girl is reading to them. Would love to know what she is
    reading…novel, Bible, instructions for their work, or maybe her own school work??? Did girls have school in that era? I have also seen in other period art work the appearance of an adult face on a child size body, as here. She isn’t occupied in any way…? Bless her heart, somebody at least please hand her a sampler to work on!

  6. I really like the painting. I tried tatting but didn’t do well. I will need to find a left handed teacher. My only negative about this Italian artist is he made the ladies homely looking. If anyone has been around Italians they are beautiful.

      1. I was hesitant to say anything but this/my comment is about the artist and his subjects.. When his bio is read, it reveals that he liked to paint poor folk. street people and those labeled “derelicts”. He did paint a gentleman labeled a “dwarf”. As we know, that refers to folks who have no choice as to what genes do to them. I was thinking the small lady in the featured painting today might be in that same situation. I thought it was terrific when there was a modern day TV show featuring those with
        that heritage.

  9. I also make bobbin lace using a pattern tacked to a pillow. Different from tatting which uses a shuttle or a hook. I have a friend in her 80s who works with 50 to 60 bobbins and moves them quickly making beautiful lace. Thanks for the pictures. I started making the lace to decorate doll clothes for the porcelain dolls I made. Now in my 70s I mostly quilt.

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