Set of Six Antique Blue and White Linen Tenerife Drawn-Work Embroidery Doilies

A beautiful set of six antique blue and white linen pieces featuring delicate Tenerife drawn-work embroidery. The composition includes four smaller pieces and two larger pieces, designed to complement a dining table, console, side table, or bar.

Known as calado in the Canary Islands and internationally as Tenerife drawn-work embroidery, this is one of the most delicate expressions of the islands’ textile heritage. The technique consists of carefully removing selected threads from the linen and working the remaining threads with tiny stitches, groupings, and openwork patterns. In this way, the compact surface of the fabric is transformed into a light, transparent design, almost lace-like in appearance, while preserving the structure and natural quality of the linen.

This tradition is related to the historic drawn-thread work of several regions of Spain, particularly the “sun” and “wheel” motifs known as soles and ruedas in Salamanca, Cáceres, and other parts of the Iberian Peninsula. Once established in the Canary Islands, these techniques were reinterpreted and developed a distinctive regional identity, particularly in Tenerife and Lanzarote. The resulting forms are recognized for their geometric compositions, rhythmic repetition, and circular and radiating motifs.

The designs found in Tenerife drawn work often recall flowers, stars, wheels, and suns. Although individual motifs do not carry one single fixed meaning, these forms naturally evoke light, blossoming, continuity, and the cycles of nature.

During the nineteenth century and the first decades of the twentieth century, Tenerife embroidery and lace became an important artisanal industry. The work was carried out primarily by women, who learned the techniques within their homes and transmitted them orally from mothers to daughters and across generations. Several foreign commercial houses established in Tenerife helped distribute these textiles beyond the islands, sending them to Europe and the Americas, where the tradition became internationally known as Tenerife lace.

This collection preserves the intimacy of handmade domestic textiles while also reflecting the cultural importance of an artisanal tradition passed down through generations. The combination of blue and white lends the collection a serene and timeless elegance, while the openwork allows light to pass softly through the fabric and reveal the complexity of its construction. The four smaller and two larger pieces may be displayed together as a composition or arranged individually throughout the home.

The pieces show signs of wear consistent with their age and use. They are antique, delicate textiles full of character, offering an intimate glimpse into the history of embroidery and textile craftsmanship in the Canary Islands.

Dimensions: larger pieces 8 × 8 in; smaller pieces 6 × 6 in.

Details 1stDibs reference: LU10969251493952 Period: Early 20th Century Date: 1920 Origin: Canary Islands, Spain Materials: Linen, Drawn-work embroidery Style: Folk Art Dimensions: 8 × 8 IN and 6 × 6 IN Condition: GOOD