Point de Venise is a

Venetian Venetian often means from or related to: * Venice, a city in Italy * Veneto, a region of Italy * Republic of Venice (697–1797), a historical nation in that area Venetians might refer to: * Masters of Venetian painting in 15th-16th centuries * ...

needle lace Needle lace is a type of lace created using a needle and thread to create hundreds of small stitches to form the lace itself. Origins The origins of needle lace date back to the 15th century and embroidery. Cutwork and drawn work were de ...

from the 17th century characterized by scrolling floral patterns with additional

flora Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...

l motifs worked in relief (in contrast with the geometric designs of the earlier

reticella Reticella (also reticello or in French point coupé or point couppe) is a needle lace dating from the 15th century and remaining popular into the first quarter of the 17th century. Reticella was originally a form of cutwork in which threads we ...

). By the mid-seventeenth century, it had overtaken

Flemish lace Flanders lace (point de Flandres) was made in Flanders, which was particularly well known for its bobbin lace. The supreme epoch of Flemish lace lasted from about 1550-1750. The lacemaking areas of Antwerp, Mechlin, Binche and Valenciennes are ...

as the most desirable type of lace in contemporary European fashion. Beginning in 1620 it became separated into Venetian raised lace (which became known by the French term "''gros point de Venise''" or sometimes the Italian ''punto a relievo'', "relief lace" ) and Venetian flat lace (in French "''point plat de Venise''"). The former (now known in English as "''Venetian Gros Point''") is characterized by having a raised pattern created through the use of cordonette worked over with buttonholing so that the curves achieved an elevated quality similar to a relief carving. Emily Leigh Lowes, historian of lace and needlework, described the history of this textile:

Notes

References

*Lefébure, Ernest, b. 1835: ''Embroidery and Lace: Their Manufacture and History from the Remotest Antiquity to the Present Day'' (London: H. Grevel and Co., 1888), ed. by Alan S. Col
Online Books page
*Montupet, Janine, and Ghislaine Schoeller: ''Lace: The Elegant Web'', *Lowes, Emily Leigh: "Chats on Old Lace & Needlework". (London: T. Fisher Unwin, 1908)

Needle lace Textile arts of Italy {{textile-arts-stub