Lace fit for royalty, quite literally. This cravat end marks the culmination of a considerable effot by the French royal government under Louis XIV to develop a lace industry that rivaled the high-quality laces made in Venice and Flanders in the 17th-century. It's meticulously conceived design is delicate and complex. It is believed to have been made to celebrate the marriage of the Duke of Burgundy (1682–1712), grandson of Louis XIV, to Marie-Adélaïde of Savoy (1685–1712) in 1697. The Duke is represented as a warrior in Greco-Roman style armor with a helmet suggesting the form of a double-headed eagle. See many more fine examples of lace in our collection at the link in our bio. _ Cravat end; ca. 1695