Kleed van kloskant met een rozet straalsgewijs omgeven met goudenregentakken en -bloemen c. 1912

This is a lace cloth by Louise Wilhelmina van der Meulen-Nulle, featuring a rosette surrounded by golden rain branches and flowers. Imagine the artist, hour after hour, intricately knotting and weaving, drawing botanical forms into being. The way the leaves and flowers radiate from the center, so carefully and diligently made. I imagine her completely immersed, focused, and in conversation with the material, with other lacemakers, with nature, and maybe even with us. There is a meditative quality to repetitive gestures, and I wonder what thoughts occupy the lacemaker's mind. Maybe they think of the weight of the linen thread in their hands. The constant rhythm, like a heartbeat. Each knot builds upon the last, creating this complex, delicate structure. This is a slow art; so much skill and patience is invested in it. You can almost feel the presence of the artist in every stitch. Lacemaking and painting, both are an embodied expression, embracing ambiguity and allowing for multiple interpretations.