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Guipure lace

Modern example guipure lace. Modern example guipure lace.

Guipure lace is a form of bobbin lace, whereby the patterns are connected with bars or plaits, and not with a mesh or net. The patterns, placed closely together, used to be outlined with a thicker thread (gimp). Guipure lace has an almost three-dimensional, raised appearance. It is nowadays also often known as Venetian lace.

The traditional lace from Genoa (Genoese lace) was a guipure lace, and hence it was allegedly introduced to Malta. From Malta this type of lace was taken to England, where it influenced the development of Bedfordshire (Maltese) lace. Another type of guipure lace is Cluny lace.

The word guipure may derive from Old French guiper, which refers to the covering with silk. The term guipure lace is known in France from 1843.

See also the TRC Needles entry on Carrickmacross lace.

Digital source of illustration (retrieved 15 July 2016).

WV

Last modified on Sunday, 09 May 2021 14:43