It is in a pattern book, published at Montbéliard in 1598,[86] we first find designs for "dantelles." It contains twenty patterns, of all sizes, "bien petites, petites" (Figs. 9, 10, 11, 12), "moyennes, et grosses" (Fig. 8).
| Fig. 9. | Fig. 10. |
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| Petite Dantelle.—(1598.) | Petite Dantelle.—(1598.) |
The word dentelle seems now in general use; but Vecellio, in his Corona, 1592, has "opere a mazette," pillow lace, and Mignerak first gives the novelty of "passements au fuzeau," pillow lace (Fig. 13), for which Vinciolo, in his edition of 1623, also furnishes patterns (Figs. 14 and 15); and Parasoli, 1616, gives designs for "merli a piombini" (Fig. 16).
| Fig. 11. | Fig. 12. |
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| Petite Dantelle.—(1598.) | Petite Dantelle.—(1598.) |
In the inventory of Henrietta Maria, dated 1619,[87] appear a variety of laces, all qualified under the name of "passement"; and in that of the Maréchal La Motte, 1627, we find the term applied to every description of lace.
"Item, quatre paires de manchettes garnyes de passement, tant de Venise, Gennes, et de Malines."[88]
Lace consists of two parts, the ground and the pattern.
The plain ground is styled in French entoilage, on account of its containing the flower or ornament, which is called toilé, from the flat close texture resembling linen, and also from its being often made of that material or of muslin.
| Fig. 13. | Fig. 14. |
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| Passement au Fuseau.—(Mignerak, 1605.) | Passement au Fuseau.—(Vinciolo, Edition 1623.) |
The honeycomb network or ground, in French fond, champ,[89] réseau, treille, is of various kinds: wire ground, Brussels ground, trolly ground, etc., fond clair, fond double, etc.
Some laces, points and guipures are not worked upon a ground; the flowers are connected by irregular threads overcast (buttonhole stitch), and sometimes worked over with pearl loops (picot). Such are the points of Venice and Spain and most of the guipures. To these uniting threads, called by our lace-makers "pearl ties"—old Randle Holme[90] styles them "coxcombs"—the Italians give the name of "legs," the French that of "brides."[91]
| Fig. 15. | Fig. 16. |
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| Passement au Fuseau.—(Vinciolo, Edition 1623.) | Merletti a Piombini.—(Parasole, 1616.) |
The flower, or ornamental pattern, is either made together with the ground, as in Valenciennes or Mechlin, or separately, and then either worked in or sewn on (appliqué), as in Brussels.
The open-work stitches introduced into the pattern are called modes, jours; by our Devonshire workers, "fillings."
All lace is terminated by two edges, the pearl, picot,[92] or couronne—a row of little points at equal distances, and the footing or engrêlure—a narrow lace, which serves to keep the stitches of the ground firm, and to sew the lace to the garment upon which it is to be worn.
Lace is divided into point and pillow (or more correctly bobbin) lace. The term pillow gives rise to misconceptions, as it is impossible to define the distinction between the "cushion" used for some needle-laces and the "pillow" of bobbin-lace. The first is made by the needle on a parchment pattern, and termed needle-point, point à l'aiguille, punto in aco.
The word is sometimes incorrectly applied to pillow-lace, as point de Malines, point de Valenciennes, etc.
Point also means a particular kind of stitch, as point de Paris,[93] point de neige, point d'esprit,[94] point à la Reine, point à carreaux, à chaînette, etc.
"Cet homme est bien en points," was a term used to denote a person who wore rich laces.[95]
The mention of point de neige recalls the quarrel of Gros René and Marinette, in the Dépit Amoureux[96] of Molière:—
"Ton beau galant de neige,[97] avec ta nonpareille,
Il n'aura plus l'honneur d'être sur mon oreille."
Gros René evidently returns to his mistress his point de neige nightcap.
The manner of making bobbin lace on a pillow[98] need hardly be described. The "pillow"[99] is a round or oval board, stuffed so as to form a cushion, and placed upon the knees of the workwoman. On this pillow a stiff piece of parchment is fixed, with small holes pricked through to mark the pattern. Through these holes pins are stuck into the cushion. The threads with which the lace is formed are wound upon "bobbins," formerly bones,[100] now small round pieces of wood, about the size of a pencil, having round their upper ends a deep groove, so formed as to reduce the bobbin to a thin neck, on which the thread is wound, a separate bobbin being used for each thread.
Plate VI.
Italian.—Modern reproduction at Burano of Point de Venise à la feuille et la rose, of seventeenth century.
Width, 8 in. Photo by the Burano School.
Plate VII.
Heraldic (carnival lace), was made in Italy. This appears to be a specimen, though the archaic pattern points to a German origin. The réseau is twisted and knotted. Circ. 1700. The Arms are those of a Bishop.
Photo by A. Dryden from private collection.
To face page 32.
By the twisting and crossing of these threads the ground of the