New-York tribune., 1906-05-20

7oiitan Museum OF Art has ever nasA VIII oPN
20 the public to-day. A few specimens have been
shown before, but others were locked up IN the
cellar and no one knew just what the Museum
dsd possess. When Sir Purdon Clarke became
director and began to investigate the resources
of the Museum, a veritable gold mine Of lace
treasures was brought to light, and Nine Ste
kanfe Kubasel. OF Vienna, was sent for to cata-
lOgue and arrange them. The exhibit is aot now
the largest or the most valuable in the world.
but 1t is considered TO be the most interesting
and attractive in its arrangement
'.The European exhibits are so dry says
Nine Kubasek Il have tried to make this one
beautiful and interesting, and think nave sue
ceeded in a measure"
Nine Kubasek's method OF arrangement IS
chronological She has begun the south wall
with the earliest specimens OF the art Of lace
making that are known 10 exist-three price
less relics taken from the Fayum graves in
Esrpt Their date has been fixed somewhere
R,efween the third and seventh centuries ana
though they cannot, strictly speaking be called
lace they show the beginnings Of that art. Ihis
ancient Coptlc lace Is a variety OF weaving ana
was used for personal adornment. two Of the
relics being head pieces.
The next landmark in the art Of lace making
sa the German net work Of the fifteenth CEN
tury. and there IS nothing yet discovered 70
bridge the gap between this period and tne
C,outic specimens These laces, which, like nearly
everything before the seventeenth century, were
deeiEned for ecclesiastical use, have the de-
sign worked upon a net foundation. One curious
niece an the possession of the Museum Is an
altar frontal showing a group Of the Holy Fam
sly In rude and grotesQue outline.
The north wall shows how drawn work. the
nezf step after net work. came over from tne
Orient an the sixteenth century. and gradually
rio M H.
zone M 70 the North. Following this comes cut
work ana then reticella, so-called from two
italian words meaning net and star. It htly de-
ec-Ibss the lace in which a star-li1e design is
.oe into a net or linen foundation. Simulta-
naousiv with the reticella from the fifteenth TO
the sixteenth century appear the boboln laces'
Then come the puntO IN aria Of the seventeenth
century. The stitches are taken IN the ar
1lv,thout nny foundation at all, and here the art
,op lace making reaches its height This Is the
novsoa OF Van Dyke, and Van Dyke pictures
above the eases show how the laces were "OfH
To this dourIshing period belongs case OF rare
venetian points, which contains among olner
.s,,rz three OF those beautiful little accessories
known as cardinals capes," but designed not
gor ecclesiastical, but for feminine wear. one
20 4,,oso ,s from the collection Of the late Mrs.
Aur7,st Belmont, the other two from that OF tne
,.4e Mrs John Jacob Astor. These are among
4na show pieces Of the Museum, one OF the AsUOr
capes being valued at $4,000.
Taces almost exactly similar TO these are mace
to-day. but except for a few nineteenth century
.D.c,nens there are no really modern laces In
the collection. In the nineteenth century case
sbere is a rare and beautiful collection OF col
lars such as were worn a couple OF generations
ago.
The entire collection includes about eight hun
off ffC
-.be collection has been somewhat enlarged late
~ byf purchase. IN the making Of these pur-
chases the Museum was assisted by Mrs. Mar
garet Taylor Johnston. who is also one OF tne
r. was through Miss Johnston and other
women interested in the Museum that Nine
Kubasek was sent for to arrange the eXhiolI
She was formerly superintendent Of the Society
of Decorative Art, and while here made many
friends among lace lovers. She undertook the
work at the Metropolitan Museum practcaily
as a labor Of love and is most enthusiastic ABOUT
1T has been difficult work" she said TO a
Tribune reporter Il have been as busy as pos
Ssible for six weeks, and We Will have 10 open
without the labels on, after all The work is
hard on the eyes and hard on the brain ana
has hardly anything to depend upon put
ones own knowledge. The lace books tell almost
nothing and the information they do give is
often of q confused and conflicting character.
But il has been most interesting, and ] have
had valuable assistance from members Of the
Museum staff I find American women much
interested in lace and ! am much interested
myself in the laces made by your Indians They
have been taught the modern stitches, but they
are working in their emblems I'm a delight
ful way. There are none Of these laces IN the
Museum as yet but have myself little lamp
shade decorated with wigwams which / value
greatly
Asked about the origin Of her interest in laces
Nine. Kubasek said:
TIL have to tell you my story. was talking
% the director of a museum in Berlin about
laces and happened to be wearing some ma
Cd Glarn al "a
Il was a trivial incident. but it turned my at
1ention TO the subject OF lace. On reflection ]
decided that he meant to compliment me by init
mating that Imitation lace was unworthy of me.
At any rate, I gave up wearing imitation lace
Rs soon as I could afford st. and found that the
real was a great economy. 1t doesn't matter
~ ones gown is little out Of style bit of real
lace gives st distinction, and no one notices the
old fashioned cut. But economy or no economy,
one really can't wear imitation lace when one
knows the real. No, haven't any favorite lace.
I love ell laces.
when I found IL necessary 70 do something
70 earn money it seemed natural 20 turn my at
Art School Of Needlework the greatest tnstitE-
lion Of the kind in the world. The course covers
everything in the line of needlework and eX-
tends over four or five years, but I did Il in
two After that I studied in the Hamburg and
other museums. There is no stitch now that
don't know, nor any kind Of lace that I can't
make But intend 10 go on with my researches
IN the museums when l return 20 Europe. I
USll as soon as I finish my work at the Metro
politan Museum. Lace is an endless study and
avery elevating one.
STUDIO NOTES.