The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-02-17
Lace History
Fine Designs and Where
They Came From

The Icve Of fine laces, 50 generally dis
played in the fashions Of today. Illus
trates the universal affection which this
purely decorative handikork has inspired
for six hundred years more During this
period but few changes have taken place
N the finished form Of lace articles.
Where today boleros. aporn draperies,
collars and sleeve ornaments are com
ing into Increasing use, in the seventeenth
century, the fowerlns time Of lace manu-
fscture. taouers or aprons. ja5ots, and
fitted bodice covers IN all the fancy
needle-point and piyyow lacss, together
with narrow ruffles and wide f0unces,
fans, and headdresses. were become 50
much IN vogue in the court circles Of
Spain and italy. France and England,
that prohibititive measures were taken
10 restrict the use Of the fabric IN the
two last named countries, in order %
save these two foremost nations Of north
ern Europe from a threatened financial
ruin.
Italy, that by this time had absorbed
the industries which oDuleut Sualn dis
dained to protect and little Flanders,
With her remarkable market towns
Of deft needIewomen dwelling principally
IN converts and in surrounding cottages
To purchase their beautiful handiwork
thousands Of pounds sterling and livres
left England and France with the depar-
s. ture Of each merchant vessel. The Ital-
ian laces. especially those OF Venice and
Genoa. were most sought after by the ex-
pert agents sent to secure them. The
names Of these old favorites. however,
mingle freely withs those Of the later
needle point lace II France and Of Bel
GUM. which 50 literally dot the pages Of
the current fashion gazettes Of London
Paris. Vienna and New York.
Even the earliest specimens Of Veue-
tan point that are still preserved possess
beauties Of stitch and pattern that are
unapproached by those OF any other
school Their grasp upon the fancy Il
womtn and upon the masculine lover Of
elegant apparel has ever been strong.
Men, wholly ignorant Of OF uninterested
IN textiles otherwise. are fascinated by
the intricate loveHness Of Venetian laces
The old time ecclesiastcs loved 10 adOrn
themselves with abs and chasubles fas-
tidiously chosen. The Vatican boasts a
treasure-houss OF matchIess altar cloths
and exquisite Iaces once worn over the
sacerdotal robes The cathedral at Bura-
no Is rich in specimens of Italian laces-
The discovery OF the boarded treasures
OF native needlework. found in the sec
ret places Of the ecclesiastical houses Of
Spain. IS one Of the art events of the
nineteenth century. The laces then
brought 70 hight for the first time in
two hundred years were Of rarest beauty,
antedating in style the italian product
IN the collection Of needlework presented
to the Metropolitan Museum Of Art by
Mrs. John Jacob Astor Cby all means
the finest specimens available 10 the
students of lace crefatl are several ex-
amples Of antique Spanish lace, some
" which are three yards long and from
rem to eighteen inches wide. They rep
resent fiat founces. front panels OF
gowns and priests vestments. The early
wearers of Spanish lace. as with those
Of the present day knew but one way
Of employing the costly fabric. They
laid it smooth upon fiat surfaces in order
more clearly to enhance the beauty Of its
motifs
one Of the Aston examples Of Spanish
lace that bears all the indications Of
sixteenth century origin includes button
hole stitching and the open and closed
cloth stitch with occasional coarse cor
donnets. such as later were included in
the more elaborate italian laces In a
second piece Of the same school the but
ton-hole stitch is absent. except upon the
extreme edge Here it is diversified by
sparsely placed picots or small loops.
which. abundantly employed. later be-
came the leading characteristic Of the
Venetian product. This specimen reveals
only cloth and lace stitches in the body
of the fabric with twisted brides that
unfortunately are SO worn that their true
character is difficult To detect The care
full mending this lace has Undergone
serves merely to preserve the scroll Of
its design
This original Spanish needlework IS ex-
hibited In close proximity to French pro-
auctions If a slightly later date. and the
eye OF an expert is unnecessary TO dis
crimiuate between the ornate conception
~ the Spanish design and the airy, not to
say the fippant character of the French
product The designs seen In the latter
although winsoue ana marked by 4
sic ana stately forms taat characterize
the Spanish and Venetian laces. Spanish
needlework invaribly found expression In
large scroll patterns bearing little re-
semblance IN surface or outline to the
minute details of the competing vene-
uan faces. covered. as the latter are. with
a feathery coating OF picots. that re-
sembies nothing So much Us the lace de-
sings natlfre sometimes traces on snow
drift. or the coral branches from which
the legend tells Us the Venetian lace first
was patterned. The last named lace in
particular. has always appealed - men.
who's envy 20 possess II has exceeded
the ardor Of women. It's poetic value IS
at once apparent 10 critical men and tn
artists-more so indeed. than the product
q amy other school TIE wearing Of We
retian lace has been ascrlbed to their fair
herHnes by almost every remancist ana
poet who has delineated hieh-horn W.
men of the old world In arr. needle
work in general and lace I'm particular
has fsfured prominently. The early BY
zautine emhrolderfes and cut works
were depicted ~ Pouaiuolo and other
Flarentne and Venetian painters Of the
Fifteenth century. and ueedlework Of an
involved style appears with great clear
ness ~ detail in thte works of Bissolo
Veaeziano. ard succeeding artists The
history 81 Genoese and Venetian laces
mas be traced with fair cohesiveness by
q string IF such dates paintings. Tt was
reserved for Vandyke n create p great
national vogue for the italian laces in
England.