Gros Point Lace
GROS POINT is a most distinctive lace, often said to look like carved ivory, and was made during the second half of the 17th century and continued to be made into the 18th century for furnishing and church use. In the 1670s it was the most expensive, prestigious and sought-after fashion lace in Europe, but by 1700 the Venetian lace industry had declined and never really recovered.
The motifs of the flowing Baroque designs are worked in twisted buttonhole stitch with patterns of blocks or lines of holes in some areas. The edges of the motifs are often highly padded and decorated with a variety of picots. The buttonholed bars joining the motifs can also be elaborately decorated. A flat lace which used similar designs without the heavily padded edges was also made but was never as popular.
During the 19th century there was a revival of interest in this lace — not only were copies made but old laces were taken apart and re-modelled to suit current fashions. Flat Venetian needle laces even had padded edges added to give them the fashionable heavy look!
This piece of Gros Point from the Lace Guild collection (BD.1.1999) has been re-grounded, possibly because the original bars had broken (the original bars would have been decorated with many tiny picots), and the motifs were probably re-positioned when this was done. The whole piece is 23 cm wide and 22 cm long.