Monday 15 March 2010

Venetian Rose point needlepoint lace c1660-90











A piece of Venetian Rose Point Lace c1660-90 with some references to support its dating and identification. Photos & info from 'Antique Lace: Identifying Types & Techniques' by Heather Toomer.

This lace flounce is very different from the bobbin lace piece from the previous post, but contemporary to it, both dating to the second half of the 17th century. It is a fine example of a piece of needlepoint lace, comprising thousands of minute button hole stitches over fine foundation threads to create this exquisite and highly complex lace.

It is called 'Rose' point lace, this could be because of the floral element to the design, but the more likely explanation is because of the picoted & frilled raised 'caterpillars' worked into the floral design that give it a 3 dimensional quality, so it is a 'raised point', as opposed to similar contemporary Venetian laces without any raised work that ar known as 'flat point' laces.

6 comments:

  1. Such beautiful laces...this type of work is so incredible, how someone could have conceived of the techniques and precision in design and workmanship. Thanks for the information, and another peek at your collections!
    Stella xx

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  2. Very informative, I am a bit hopeless when it comes to lace!

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  3. Oh here is my heart always. I love lace more than anything else! And these pieces are so rare. Thank you for all the information you shared.

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  4. I agree with you Stella, the precision of the techniques devised are incredible, especially when the work wass created on such a small scale, the worker's eyesight must have been incredible. I don't think the skills are around today to make such intricate work, such a shame that so many fine skills have been lost over the centuries. We are really fortunate that linen, even when really fine, survives so long if properly stored.

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  5. I used to feel the same way Lizzie, until I found a piece of really old lace, then it was a quest to ivestigate it!

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  6. Thanks Phyllis, my heart too thrills at the beauty of these really old pieces, yet they are not too hard to find once you know what you are looking for, as so much early lace still survives, and is very cheap to buy, as so few people know what they are looking at. xx

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