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aded doilies and lacy gloves may evoke visions
of bygone afternoon teas in overstuffed parlors.
F Yet these openwork textiles were likely
inspired by highly embroidered Italian
Renaissance church vestments.
In time, decorative needle lace—
hundreds of impossibly tiny, twisted,
looped, knotted, and plaited hand-
worked needle stitches forming
delicate, openwork fabric—followed.
During the 16th century, needlecraft
was considered a virtuous, ladylike
pursuit. So, aristocratic girls and
women spent much of their time
adorning linens, samplers, under-
garments, handkerchiefs, gloves, Lace pillow with bobbins, made by Lydia
cuffs, and caps with elegant silver, Lakeman, born at Ipswich, Massachusetts, in 1781,
gold, or silk needle lace edgings. photo: Wikimedia Commons
They also hand-stitched frothy lace
sleeves, cuffs, petticoats, ribbons,
jackets, and wide, flat collars. Though few of these historic garments have
survived intact, fragments may be seen in select museums.
Yet exquisite needle lace garments do appear in prestigious portraits of this
time. Members of the European aristocracy, for instance, often posed in
elaborately folded, starch-stiffened needle lace ruffs. These expansive, costly
creations not only symbolized the wearer’s social position and wealth
but ensured perfect posture. However, by the late
1660s, wrote diarist Samuel Pepys, these
cumbersome collars had been replaced by lacy
rectangles tied comfortably at the neck.
As the love of lush needle lace
swept Italy and France, young girls in
convents spent years plying this craft.
In time, a variety of types and
patterns arose, reflecting a range of
tastes and creative traditions. Many
are named for their place of origin.
Venetian needle lace, for example,
features scrolled floral patterns embel-
lished with high-relief florals. Burano
lace, originating on an island near Venice,
was produced through its hallmark “punto
in aria (“stitch in air”) technique—creating
intricate designs onto themselves—without
the use of briefly attached supportive cloth. Portrait of a lady, possibly
In addition to imitating popular European Dame Bridget Mead in
patterns, Burano lacemakers created stiffened lace ruff, oil on panel,
original designs worked in characteristic 57.7cm x 45cm, late 16th
light rown cotton thread. century, realized $4492 in
2010, photo: www.bonhams.com

Rare Brussels silk Point de Gaze net lace wedding cape
with applied decorations, 1840s, photo: Rubylane.com

30 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles