SOLD Wonderful Folk Art Needle Lace Medallion: Robed Woman with Book (Mourning Picture?) dancing dolls In addition to illustrations

In addition to illustrations

I've also seen notes that the lid was designed to  serve as a sort of pedestal for the bowl in serving

I might guess there was one a second carving of this man's wife facing in the opposite direction that hung beside it

Excellent--pristine--condition

SOLD Wonderful Folk Art Needle Lace Medallion: Robed Woman with Book (Mourning Picture?) dancing dolls In addition to illustrationsI've always got an eye out for handmade figurative lace, the folkier and more singular the better, so was delighted to find this piece this week, most of all for the fact that its subject holds a book in her hand! Though I'm not certain, I might guess this was made as a mourning piece, with our somewhat mournful looking woman holding one hand over her heart and perhaps reading a prayer from the book in the other, standing in front of what looks like