Vingerdoek van linnendamast met motief Naaldenveld, dessin 607 c. 1900 - 1925

This is 'Vingerdoek van linnendamast met motief Naaldenveld, dessin 607', a linen damask cloth made by Chris Lebeau. The design is all in white, with a delicate ‘Naaldenveld’ or ‘Needle Field’ motif. I'm wondering about Lebeau, and what he was thinking about when he made this, because it is very subtle, very understated. It's not about big gestures, but the overall effect. It makes me think of Agnes Martin’s grid paintings, but softer, and somehow even more intimate because it's functional, made to be used. I can imagine Lebeau, sitting there, figuring out how to make something so quietly powerful with such limited means. It must have been incredibly challenging, pushing the limits of the material to create something so intricate and beautiful. I suppose that's what all artists do, really: wrestling with the medium, learning its secrets, and then, if we're lucky, letting it sing.