Lace - WikiHQ

thumb|Valuable old lace, cut and framed for sale in [[Bruges, Belgium]]

Lace is a decorative openwork textile made without the use of pre-existing fabric. Lace can be made by hand or machine. Various techniques can be employed to form lace, each having a distinct category. Lace can also be used to refer to other types of openwork fabric such as cutwork or filet, which use pre-existing fabric.

Lace is commonly used as an embellishment for clothing or household linens. The origin of lace is unclear, however the earliest examples are from 16th century Italy.

Machine-made lace is any style of lace created or replicated using mechanical means.
Needle lace, such as Venetian Gros Point, is made using a needle and thread.
Net lace is made using a ready made net which is embellished by hand or machine.
Tape lace can be made by forming the tape (thin woven strips) as the lace is worked or by using a ready made tape. The tape then joined and embellished with needle or bobbin lace.
Tatting is a textile craft consisting of a series of knots and loops arranged with a shuttle or needle based process.

File:Branscombe4.jpg|Needle lace, showing button hole stitch

File:Ursuline_lace_2.jpg|Bobbin lace being made on a roller pillow

File:Boy's Frock LACMA M.2007.211.89 (3 of 3).jpg|Broderie anglaise, a type of cutwork

File:Lace-filet-hrynkiw.jpg|Filet lace embroidered on an existing net

File:Lace_knitting_2.jpg|Lace knitting

File:Nuperelle-skyttel_med_nupereller.JPG|Tatting with a shuttle

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History: Bobbin and needle lace

thumb|Early lace on a fragment of The Virgin and Child by [[Hans Memling.]]

Origins

Since lace evolved from multiple different techniques, it is impossible to say that it originated in any one place. The fragility of lace means that few exceedingly old specimens are extant. A Flemish claim is lace on the alb of a worshiping priest in a painting about 1485 by Hans Memling.

Early history

Lace was used by clergy of the Catholic Church as part of vestments in religious ceremonies. Much of their lace was made of gold, silver, and silk. The early forms of lace were made using cutwork techniques. Wealthy people began to use such expensive lace in clothing trimmings and furnishings. In the 1300s and 1400s heavy duties were imposed on lace, and strict sumptuary laws were passed in the Italian states. This led to less demand for lace. In the mid-1400s some lacemakers turned to using flax, which cost less, while others migrated, bringing the industry to other countries.

Lace came into widespread use in the 16th century in the northwestern part of the European continent. The popularity of lace increased rapidly and the lace making cottage industry spread throughout Europe. The late 16th century marked the rapid development of lace. Both needle lace and bobbin lace became dominant in fashion and home décor. Sumptuary laws in many countries had a major impact on lace wearing and production throughout its early history, though in some countries they were often ignored or worked around. Documenting lace in Italy in the 15th century is a list of fine laces from the inventory of Beatrice d'Este, Duchess of Milan, from 1493.

Venice

In Venice, lace making was originally the province of leisured noblewomen who used it as a pastime. Some of the wives of doges also supported lacemaking in the Republic. One, Giovanna Malipiero Dandolo, showed support in 1457 for a law protecting lacemakers. In 1476, the lace trade was seriously affected by a law which disallowed "silver and embroidery on any fabric and the Punto in Aria of linen threads made with a needle, or gold and silver threads." In the early 1500s, the production of lace became a paid activity. Young girls worked in convents and the houses of noblewomen, creating lace for household use. Lace was a popular Venetian export in the 1500s and 1600s. The demand for lace remained strong in Europe even when the other Venetian exports during this period slumped. Schools were founded to teach lacemaking to the young. The 17th century court of King Louis the XIV of France was known for its extravagance. During his reign lace, particularly the delicate Alençon and Argentan varieties, was extremely popular as court dress. The frontange, a tall lace headdress, became fashionable in France at this time. Louis XIV's finance minister, Jean Baptiste Colbert, strengthened the lace industry by establishing lace schools and workshops in the country.

Spain

By the 1600s Spain's Point d'Espagne lace, made of gold and silver thread, was very popular. Lace was made for use in churches and for the mantilla. Lacemaking may have come to Spain from Italy in the 1500s, or from Flanders, its province at the time.

Germany

Barbara Uttmann learned how to make bobbin lace as a girl from a Protestant refugee. In 1561 she started a lace-making workshop in Annaberg. By the time of her death in 1575, there were over 30,000 lacemakers in that area of Germany. Following the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in France in 1685, many Huguenot lacemakers moved to Hamburg and Berlin. The earliest known lace pattern book was printed in Cologne in 1527. The court of Queen Elizabeth of England maintained close ties with the French court, so French lace began to be seen and appreciated in England. Lace was used on her court gowns and became fashionable.

There are two distinct areas of England where lacemaking was a significant industry: Devon and part of the South Midlands. This may be the origin of the lacemaker's holiday, Cattern's Day. On this day (the 25th or 26th of November) lacemakers were given a day off from work and Cattern cakes (small dough cakes made with caraway seeds) were used to celebrate.

The English diarist Samuel Pepys often wrote about the lace used for his, his wife's, and his acquaintances' clothing. On May 10th,1669 he noted that he intended to remove the gold lace from the sleeves of his coat "as it is fit [he] should", possibly in order to avoid charges of ostentatious living.

The decline of the lace industry in England began about 1780, as was happening elsewhere. Some of the reasons include the increased popularity Classical style clothing, the economic issues connected to war, and the increased production and use of machine-made laces.

America

American colonists of both British and Dutch origins strove to acquire lace accessories such as caps, ruffs, other neckwear, and handkerchiefs. American women who could afford lace textiles were also able to afford aprons and dresses trimmed lace or made only from lace. Because of sumptuary laws, such as one in Massachusetts in 1634, American citizens were not allowed to own or make their lace textiles. Sumptuary laws prevented spending on extravagance and luxury and classified who could own or make lace. The existence of these laws indicates that lace was being made in that colony at the time.

Lacemaking was being taught in boarding schools by the mid 1700s. Newspaper advertisements starting in the early 1700s offered to teach the technique.

Machines to make lace began to be smuggled into the country in the early 1800s, as England did not permit these machines to be exported. The first lacemaking factory opened in Medway, Massachusetts in 1818. Ipswich had its own in 1824. The women there moved from making bobbin lace to decorating the machine-made net lace with darning and tambour stitches, creating what is known as Limerick lace. Sibyl Carter, an Episcopalian missionary, began to teach lacemaking to Ojibwa women in Minnesota in 1890. Classes were being held for members of many tribes throughout the US by the first decade of the 1900s

Ireland

thumb|right|Carrickmacross Lace "Illusion" dress by Irish fashion designer [[Sybil Connolly]]

Lace was made in Ireland from the 1730s onwards with several different lace-making schools being founded across the country. Many regions acquired a name for high-quality work and others developed a distinctive style. Lace proved to be an important means of income for many poorer women. Several important schools of lace included: Carrickmacross lace, Kenmare lace, Limerick lace and Youghal lace.

Patrons, designers, and lace makers

Patron saints

Some patron saints of lace include:

St Anne
St Catherine of Alexandria
St Crispin
St Elizabeth of Hungary
St Helena of Constantine
St John Regis
St Paraskeva of the Balkans
St Rose of Lima

Historic

Giovanna Dandolo (1457–1462)
Barbara Uthmann (1514–1575)
Morosina Morosini (1545–1614)
Federico de Vinciolo (16th century)
Caterina Angiola Pieroncini (18th century)
Florence Vere O'Brien (1854-1936)

Contemporary

Rosa Elena Egipciaco

Lace in art

The earliest portraits showing lace are those of the Florentine School. Later, in the 17th century, lace was very popular. Painting styles at the time were realistic, allowing viewers to see the finery of lace. Painted portraits of the wealthy or the nobility depicted costly laces. This presented a challenge to the painters who needed to represent not only their sitters accurately but their intricate lace as well.

An anonymous female artisan is shown making bobbin lace in The Lacemaker, a painting by the Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675). This painting was completed around 1669–1670.

File:Godfrey Kneller (1646-1723) (style of) - Portrait of an Unknown Gentleman in Brown with a Lace Collar - 1336256 - National Trust.jpg|alt=The man shown is wearing a lace cravat. |Portrait of an Unknown Gentleman in Brown with a Lace Collar by Godfrey Kneller (1646–1723)

File:Frans Hals - Nicolaes Hasselaer - WGA11104.jpg|alt=Man seated sideways on a chair, facing viewer, whose garment has an intricately patterned lace collar.|Portrait of Nicolaes Hasselaer by Frans Hals, c. 1627. Rijksmuseum.

File:Unknown holland painter. Portrait of woman.jpg|Portrait of woman by Unknown Holland painter, 17th century. National Gallery of Armenia

File:Italian (Florentine) School - Portrait of an Unknown Lady, Aged 23 (called ‘the Countess Miranda’) - 1210350 - National Trust.jpg|alt=Portrait of a woman in an ornate dress with a massive lace collar.|Portrait of an Unknown Lady. Florentine School, 1571. National Trust.