vintage crochet doily

i wanted to share another fabulous hand crochet piece we recently found.

this intricate doily measures very nearly a yard across! i can't even imagine how much love and work went into this, not to mention time.
maybe my fascination with this sort of work stems from the fact that i myself have zero skills with a needle.
we still hunt high and low for these pieces and were thrilled to find this one, as it is so large.

wouldn't this be beautiful draped over the edge of a table, or at the center of a tea table, surrounded with rose patterned china?