Table-cloth 6802 - 28 no price 39x12 Pulled thread embroidery has a long and colorful history, from being worn by Cleopatra circa 50 B.C. to adorning altar cloths in Germany in the 1200s. In the 1800s, it was made to imitate ace and was esteemed enough to have been included with ace in the practices of taxation and smuggling. It has been worn by the aristocracy and the peasantry aike. The earliest documentation of the practice of pulled thread was in India, 320-340 A.D. Records indicated that pulled thread was done on filmy muslin and executed with silk threads. Evidence also indicated that around 1200 pulled thread was done on natural linen with colored silk and metal threads in Egypt, the Middle East, and Peru. The 1800s found Dresden (another name for pulled thread) being done in Germany on nearly transparent muslin. It also has been worked on Raffia cloth in West Africa and pina cloth (a cloth made from the bark of the pineapple tree) as well as hemp in the Phillipines. Down through the centuries, pulled thread embroidery has been done on fabrics of very fine thread counts of at least 100 threads to the inch. It is a truely fabulous 19 c. hand made. Very delicate and intricate pattern, made by hand. 81 x 53 inches. A charming piece. It is in near perfect condition - I couldn't see any tears or discolorations. It needs washed but I have decided not to do it myself and will leave it up to the buyer.