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Brussels lace

Example of Brussels lace. Example of Brussels lace. Courtesy Rijksmuseum Amsterdam.

Brussels lace is the name given to various forms of lace produced over the centuries in and around Brussels. More specifically, it is applied to various forms of non-continuous bobbin lace: the bobbin-lace patterns are made separately from the net (réseau).

Brussels (bobbin) lace is characterised by its lack of a cordonnet and, during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, by the shape of the meshes, which are hexagonal (drochel), while in the nineteenth century and later the motifs are generally brought together by brides. 

Brussels (bobbin) lace dates back to at least the seventeenth century, and was often known as point d'Angleterre. It was a costly product, made from very fine linen, spun in rooms that were deliberately kept damp.

See also Brussels needlepoint lace, and the schematic survey of needle made lace types.

Wikipedia

Digital source of illustration (retrieved 18 September 2016).

WV

Last modified on Sunday, 18 September 2016 14:20