The Portland daily press., 1888-03-02
N. Wilson's Sentence.
LAcEs RICH AND RARE.
A Look at Mrs. Astor's Collection,
Lately Given TO the Art Museum.
NEW Yerk Wcrld.1

New Yerk Wcrld.l
The gift Of the late Mrs. John Jacob As
tors collection of French and Italian laces to
the Metropolitan Museum Of Art. put our
only public art gallery in possession OF some
Of the finest and oldest specimens Of art
needlework in the world. 1t was long Mrs.
Astors opinion that American women. with all
their taste and proficiency in matters Of dress
and decoration. and their deftness in fine
needlework, could acquire high reputation
as lace makers, and that in this way profit
able source Unemployment was open to many
American ladies dependent upon their own
exertiOns for support. She recognized clear
ly the necessity for popular education In this
regard, and the wide field Of usefulness as
permanent educational factor which the
Metropolitan Museum OF Art enjoyed.
Hence Mrs. Ast0r's laudible Intention that
her own exquisite specimens Of needlework
should find last resting place in Its CALLER
les, 10 interest American women In the sub
ject and excite a spirit Of imitation and Or
The collection Of these laces by Mrs. Astor
begun over thirty years ago when the eonr-
mental art emporiums and bric-a-brac shops
had not as yet been transacted OF all the gems
which they possessed, put her In possession
of many rare and beautiful specimens not
now Obtainable, and which Otherwise would
European collections which were being then
or have since been formed. Had the laees
been thrown upon the market at this time
there Is no doubt that many OF the pieces
would have been snapped up by agents OF
European museums or Of some Of the mem.
bers Of Frances OF England $ arlst0eraey ana
so lost to America forever. The choicest
bits of Mrs. Astor's collection are represeD-
tative of the best schools OF the seventeenth
and eighteenth centuries.
One point de France fchu cost Mrs. Astor
$500. 1t was made by French peasant
wife in Ardennes between 1885 and 175O, and
at cne time belonged to Empress josephine,
Similarly most Of the laces In the collection
belonged at one time or another to famous
ladies of royal or aristocratic families. for
their high cost precluded any but the very
richest people from possessing them, line
point coupe is the Oldest piece In the coilec-
tion, having been made by the cunning hand
Of a Frenchwoman in 1850. IL cost $500 and
another piece of similar make, which dates
from 1880 TO 1000. cost nearly as much, An
other old piece Is guipure de belgiqne,
which cost S2100, and was made at Brussells
between 1890 and 1850 by Nine: Qnimet. A
dress thinning Of point de Venise, which
| cost $500 Is one Of the largest pieces In the
| collection, and was made In the hah century
| between 1850 and 1901 The Empress Eugene,
| who was at one time a great lace lover, IS
| said TO have been negotiating for its purchase
| when 1t came into Mrs. Astor's collection.
| Another very old piece Of lace which the col
lection contains is point cerepe, which was
| made In 1850.
| enciennes in existence Is bit In the e0llee-
| tiOn dating from 1870, and which the late
Mrs. AstOr frequently wore. Another fav-
| Orite with her was a Guipure dAngleterre,
made between 1910 and lICo, one OF tne lew
| specimens representing this school In exist
| ence, and perhaps the only one In America:
| 1t cost, it Is said, $500. The high cost OF
| these laees even forty years ago, when they
| were relatively cheaper than at presens, Is
| explained partly by the few people who knew
| the secretof their manufacture in those old
times and the great time and labor Involved
/ in their production, and partly by their rarity
/ only a small number Of undOubted antiquity
| having survived intact. Others, too, were
more highly priced because OF tnelr assocls-
/ tiOns and former possession by historic per
/ sOnages. 1t Is not too much TO say thas
| many Of these laces have witnessed some OF
| the great court pageants OF Europe.
/ A Guipure de Malines made In the latter
/ part of the seventeenth century, one OF the
Valuable specimens in the collection, and a
/ Point de France, OF somewhat earlier date
| are said to have belonged to Orleans frih-
1 cessess long since gathered 10 their tathers;
Point de Brabant made between 100 ana oO loOo
aud which costs $500 apiece. that are asso.
ciated with memories Of the ladies OF the nrsi
/ NapOleOnic generation. Two exquisite speci-
mems Of Point de Venise. made between looo
| and 1900, and a point d d'Alencon, OF 1900, nave
I eccicSldellcdl dooOCidteOuos ocAue Seat ~ A~te
| come from the estate Of one OF the Roman
| Cardinals.
Besides the laces mentioned, there are fifty
five other pieces In the collection Of scarcely
less value and interest, and each OF which
cost Mrs AstOr from $500 TO $1,000. In re
cent number Of the Art AmetelT three piecs'
of which Mrs. Astor was very proud wer'
reproduced by the photo etching process un
der her direction. A dozen Of the lines
specimens of lace were shown In the Bar
th0lei Loan Exhibition at the Academy o
Design some four years ago, and it Is expect
ed that the general public will this year hay'
an opportunity Of viewing the collection u
its entirety when the new galleries OF TN
Metropolitan Museum Of Art are ready 10
| occupancy.