Devon This particular problem of terminology keeps on coming up. I think you are right to question, and I do understand your desire to use descriptive terms that people who are searching the collection will understand. Personally, I am pretty much opposed to using terminology which perpetuates misunderstanding. I think Point d'Angleterre is one of those. It has nothing to do with England, but every time it is used people get involved in asking if it was made in England or on the continent, or whether it was made for the English market. That particular discussion is fruitless.
The real question is, what did bobbin part lace from Devonshire, made in the 1700s, look like? The answer, as far as I can tell, is that nobody knows. It is not reasonable to assume that such lace looks anything like modern Honiton lace. Nor is it reasonable to assume it looked like 19th century Honiton (such as queen Victoria's wedding lace). It is unreasonable because style changes over time, and it changes quite starkly. As far as I can tell, Point d'Angleterre seems to be applied to laces which have structure like Brussels laces of the early 18th century, but which have considerably more ground (a higher ground to motif ratio) than for the early 1700s. http://lynxlace.com/bobbinlace18th.html#earlyBrussels/Flemish These are Brussels from the first half of the 1700s. Lace 159 is what is usually called Point d'Angleterre, I think. The earliest ones have almost no ground at all. But as the century progresses ground gradually occupies more of the surface area. The term Brussels is applied to high fashion laces made in or near that center, and which use the best and most complex technique, and the most high quality designs of the current vogue. Levey uses the term "Brabant" to describe laces which are structurally similar to Brussels, but are not quite as well designed or well made. They often have very thin cheesecloth like cloth areas. The idea is that these are trying to follow the current fashion but are made further out into the countryside, where lace makers don't have much direct access to the best examples. They are trying to copy Brussels but don't quite make it. I have followed Levey's terms mostly, because I think it makes sense. I am more interested in structure, and not at all interested in how lace merchants use words to make their merchandise sound better. So for part laces from the mid 1700s using high quality technique and design would be called "mid 18th c Brussels (sometimes called Point d'Angleterre)". At least, that is what I would do. The terms "Brussels Duchesse" and "Duchesse de Bruges" are used by dealers to distinguish Duchesse with needle lace elements (Brussels Duchesse) from the kind which does not have needle elements. Personally I think these terms are just inventions to enhance the reputation of the dealer. It is much simpler to call the first "Brussels bobbin lace with needle lace inserts or elements" and just simply "Duchesse". I am not aware of any evidence that Duchesse with needle elements was only made in Brussels or that the plainer kind was made in Bruges. The geographical origin has no relevance at all, and I think that using those town names is misleading (just as the term Point d'Anglterre is misleading). There is another complication which you have not mentioned. I have in my collection 2 fragments of part laces which show nothing that suggests England. I think they are continental. The problem is that they are more coarse in scale than Duchesse ever is. The technique is not as complex. The designs are not so intricate. I didn't know what to call them. Back in the 1980s my local lace guild invited Yo Pauwels to come to Chicago and give us a workshop. I showed her those pieces and asked her what to call them. She said that back home in Belgium that kind was called "fine bloomwork". I should mention that stylistically these pieces are not at all like modern Bruges Bloomwork. The designs are more fluid, and not limited in motif shapes, as Bruges bloomwork is. Here are links to some of my pinterest pinboards which contain these various kinds, sorted by type. https://www.pinterest.com/lynxlacelady/early-brussels-flemish-milanese/ https://www.pinterest.com/lynxlacelady/brussels-point-de-angleterre-brabant/ https://www.pinterest.com/lynxlacelady/duchesse-bobbin-lace/ https://www.pinterest.com/lynxlacelady/fine-bloomwork-coarse-duchesse/ https://www.pinterest.com/lynxlacelady/bruges-bloomwork/ Lorelei Halley http://lynxlace.com - To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [email protected]. For help, write to [email protected]. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
