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Gros Point de Venice (Italy)

Portrait of a young man from the Chigi family, wearing a Gros Point de Venice cravat, by Jacob Ferdinand Voet (c. 1639 - 1689). Portrait of a young man from the Chigi family, wearing a Gros Point de Venice cravat, by Jacob Ferdinand Voet (c. 1639 - 1689).

Gros Point de Venice, or simply Point de Venice, is a type of needlepoint lace produced in Venice from the seventeenth century. It is characterised by its floral patterns and other floral motifs set in relief, hence its other name, 'Gros' Point de Venice. Venetican lace is often described as the origin of many types of French lace, as for instance Point de France and Point de Sedan.

realpointdeveniseGros Point de Venice is made by first drawing the patterns and subsequently embroidering them, layer after layer. The work is carried out with white thread. In between the patterns there are decorative stitches.

Gros Point de Venice is relatively heavy and densely worked, and for that reason it was allegedly particularly popular for use as a 'cravat' by gentlemen. Such cravats were worn by noblemen at the court of Louis XIV. In France, Gros Point de Venice and its French variations were partly replaced by net-based lace by the late eighteenth century.

The name Point de Venice is also used for a twentieth-century type of lace from Belgium.

Illustration: Fragment of Point de Venice.

Wikipedia (NL) (retrieved 23rd March 2016).

Digital source of illustration (retrieved 6th July 2016).

WV

Last modified on Wednesday, 10 May 2017 15:14