Flea Market Item 26-318

Antique French Passementerie Appliqué Trim

A wonderful length of antique French passementerie which measures 40 x 6cm, worked in a warm cream/ecru thread with a repeating stylised trefoil or three-petal motif. 

Each motif is formed from fine woven and knotted thread, outlined with raised corded work and joined by elegant scrolling bands. The combination of open mesh, wrapped cord and dimensional detailing gives it a particularly beautiful sculptural quality.

Particularly appealing is the original old paper stock or price label still attached, which strongly suggests that this is unused mercerie stock rather than trim removed from a garment.

Date: approximately 1900–1920, possibly late Belle Époque/Edwardian. It was most likely intended as a decorative insertion or appliqué trim for a fashionable dress, bodice, lingerie or fine household textile. The elaborate corded construction is typical of the beautiful passementerie and lace-like trimmings produced in France around the turn of the century.

Condition: Very good antique condition for its age, with some gentle mellowing of the original cream colour and minor irregularities consistent with age and storage.