Tie, 19th c.

Tie, 19th century, M. Randacciu, I-Cagliari, Sardinia. UK-Edinburgh, National Museums of Scotland, NMSZ 1913.1.15 (a) (MS Inventory 25).

Sea silk, knitted or crocheted like a net, long and narrow, with fringes – or defective?

At the 1862 World’s Fair in London, sea silk products from Italy are shown for the first time. In the Official Catalogue of the Industrial Department this tie is called a shawl: ”Sub-Class C. 1672 Randacciu, M. Cagliari. – Shawl made with the byssus of the Pinna”.

An inspection at the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh in June 2013 revealed that this textile is not a shawl but a tie.

The Royal Italian Commission, which had brought these objects to London, offered them to the then Industrial Museum of Scotland, now the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.