Back to thinking about that Lotto partlet

I ran across a sample of the kind of work that made up those mats I mentioned in my earlier post. I found this on eBay

See the similarity in texture and depth?

The ad describes it as crochet but it doesn't resemble any type of crochet I've seen or read instructions for. I'd think it was woven on a frame and knotted except that the threads lie in stacked bands rather than bunches and the connection points are level with the rest of the surface rather than dipping in. If you happen to know the name of this technique please share!

Ideas about the Palo/Lotto partlet

The lovely big picture of this partlet at Web Gallery of Art pretty much makes it possible to count the threads so I have been counting, and pondering, and doing some on-line investigating and have come up with a theory regarding it's possible construction.

I think it may be a double weave (which basically means to weave two layers of fabric at once) which is joined together at the curvy diamond shapes (the lighter threads at the back layer brought forward to make the pattern) the flowers (the warp of the back layer pulled forward and held around a dowel to form loops) and the knots. (I'm calling them knots for lack of a better term but I think they are actually more loops which have been woven in again after several rows.)

I think I could get the loops at the edges just by leaving some extra thread at the edge at each pass--possibly held by another dowel for consistency of size and tension.

Mind you, I haven't actually woven a thing since high school, and even then it was never this complicated, but I think the theory is sound and worth trying. I guess my next step would be to investigate looms...

Hmmm...Looks WARM!

Portrait of Laura da Palo, Lorenzo Lotto 1544 (Detail)

I swear this lady looks like she is wearing a variation on a potholder/trivet thingy one of my Mom's friends had in the 1970's. It was of string-ish yarn, thick, with loops on the edges much like this partlet and caul.

I have no idea what the technique is called but if I can figure it out I may have to make a set for myself. Warm would be nice.

Any ideas?