Seven Centuries of Lace

by Maria Margaret Pollen

A curious border of the Venetian rose-point is No. 1, Plate [38], worked entirely in punto a festone. Birds and serpents occur, and the thick cordonnet which outlines the pattern is also used to denote the scales of the serpents and the feathers of the birds, tiny black beads mark the eyes as in Plate [37]. The edging is of very fine punto avorio. A specimen of the so-called coraline Venice needle-point is also on this Plate.

In Plate [39] we have a very interesting specimen of needle-point as applied to personal use—a lady's camisia, or shirt, of the sixteenth century. The linen has a square hole cut for the head, and this opening is beautifully worked in punto in aria. The sleeves are ornamental with oblique bands of cut-work, and the seams everywhere worked with drawn stitches and insertions of punto avorio. The handwoven linen is in good condition, although the garment must have been much worn, as the cuffs have been replaced by bobbin-made frills, trine a fuselli. It is doubtful whether three hundred years hence any linen garment worn at the present time will survive.

From the beginning of the sixteenth century the fashion began of working portions of the lace separately, and joining them together by brides, and modes or fillings were also introduced, into the pattern. Later, from about 1630, the réseau ground was introduced, covering the whole space between the patterns; the patterns themselves also changed, and from being geometric and conventional became more and more realistic. The stately lace of Venice, however, may be said to have always preserved its conventional tradition, whether in the heavy rose or raised point or the delicate point à réseau.

Venice obtained her pre-eminence of lace-making in the sixteenth century. The flat point is probably the earliest distinctive lace; but this was soon enriched by work upon work, stitch upon stitch, which gave the name of rose-point or punto in rilievo. The characteristic ornament in the heavy so-called gros point de Venise consists of conventional blossoms like leaves and scrolls treated as though carved in ivory or bone, and to it applies the title of punto tagliato a fogliami. The brides are sometimes quite plain, but later are adorned with picots.

We now come to the period when lace, so long only made for church purposes, was very extensively made and used by lay persons for their personal adornment, and for furnishing purposes. The bed cover Plate [40] was, no doubt, one of many made for a household of simple tastes; the coarse linen is cut into a fine flowing pattern edged with buttonhole stitch, and ornamented with various fillings. But in houses of greater pretension the use of the richest rose-point became lavish, not only on the dress of the mistress, the collar of the master, but on table covers and hangings of every kind. Examples of this splendid lace are given in No. [42] and following plates. No. [44] has, perhaps, the finest toilé; but the design of No. [45] is very beautiful. No. [46] is a flounce for an alb of very fine scroll design with brides picotées and occasional raised work; the beauty of the pattern is better seen in the enlargement, Plate [47]. The paten cover, No. [48], and the enlargement of it, No. [49], give a complete idea of the style and execution of this lace.

The design of the flounce, No. [51], is of the style usually associated with point de France, the stitches and brides picotées are identical in workmanship with the Venetian point. It was probably made at Alençon, Sedan, or one of the other lace-making centres which were started upon the importation of Venetian laceworkers into France after the middle of the seventeenth century.

The specimens of Spanish rose-point, Nos. [53] and [54], show the stately and elaborate design, rather overloaded with ornament, which is characteristic of this lace.

The Venetian point à réseau was made from about 1650 in Venice and Burano. The cap shown in No. [56] has a beautiful flowing design of a scroll with flowers and leaves, and brides connecting some portions of the design. The main ground is of small mesh réseau worked the length of the lace, which is often the case in Venetian work, though I have never seen it in Alençon lace, the réseau being, as far as I know, usually worked across the lace by the early French workers. (Later, the réseau of the Alençon lace was worked obliquely, as can be seen by examining Plate [67], and the specimens I have seen of modern Alençon are also worked in this way.)

Plates [59] and [60] show interesting specimens of this very rare Venetian lace. No. 2, in the latter plate, is probably a specimen worked in France.

The ground of No. [59] is of brides picotées arranged into hexagonal meshes, a ground which is chiefly associated with the point de France, and this specimen was no doubt from Alençon.