Jasper Republican, Volume 1, Number 6, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 October 1874 — Venetian Laces. [ARTICLE]

Venetian Laces.

A writer in the Cincinnati Gazette says: “The history of some of the Venetian laces is curious. Clement VII. gave his niece, Catherine de Medicis, laces in relief of enormous value, which afterward became the property of Mary Stuart. During the reign of Louis XIV. the laces necessary for a gentleman’s costume cost $13,000. The pontifical dress worn by Pope Innocent XI. is now exhibited at the Exposition at Milan, and also the magnificent laces of the Princess Margaret, presented to heron her marriage by the ladies of Venice. The collections oi antiquaries give the clearest idea which we can have of the variety and peculiarities of these laces. It is interesting to see the admiration which these persons feel for their treasures; they touch them with respect, and show them to an inexpert with ecstacy. There is the point d’Espagne, so named because the pattern came from Spain; point d’ivoire, imitated from the designs of ivory cuttings; point de rose, rose pattern; but all these are made in Venice. Their texture is marvelous, for all these stitches, so fine that they are scarcely visible to the eye, were made by the needle in a woman’s fingers. Happily, we may for these things use the past tense, for the fabrication of a piece would' often occupy years, and sometimes a lifetime. Their price is as extraordinary as their workmanship. You may have for S9OO a piece of lace four nches »(ide and long enough to trim an overskirt, and another piece for the bertha, which, although not the same pattern, will yet agree with it. For SIOO you can have an ugly, large collar of point de rose, which no modern lady would care about wearing.”