ITALY.

35

The Cavaliere Antonio Merli, in his interesting pamphlet onItalian lace, 4 mentions an account preserved in the municipalarchives of Ferrara, dated 1469, as probably referring to lace; 5but he more especially brings forward a document of the Sforzafamily, dated 1493/ in which the word “ trina ” 7 (under itsancient form, “ tarnete ”) constantly occurs, together with boneand bobbin lace.

Again, the Florentine poet, Firenzuola, who wrote from1520 to 1530, composed an elegy upon a collar of raised point,made by the hand of his mistress. See “ Florence.”

Cavaliere Merli cites, as the earliest-known painting in whichlace occurs, a maiolica disc, after the style of the Della Robbiafamily, in which, surrounded by a wreath of fruit, is representedthe half-figure of a lady, dressed in a rich brocade, with a collarof white lace. The costume is of the fifteenth century; but asLuca della Robbia’s descendants worked to a later period, theprecise date of the work cannot be fixed.

Evidences of white lace, or passement, are said to appear inthe pictures of Carpaccio, in the gallery at Venice, and in anotherby Gentile Bellini, where the dress of one of the ladies is trimmedround the neck with a white lace. The date of this last paintingis 1500. We have not seen them.

Lace was made throughout Italy mostly by the nuns, and ex-

4 “Origine ed Uso dell Trine afilo di refe” (thread). 1SG4. Privatelyprinted.

1 “ 1469. — Io, Battista de Nicollo,d’Andrea da Ferrara, debio avere per miaraanifatura et reve per cuxere et candelleper inzirare ... It. per desgramitare erefilare e inzirare e ripezaree reapicarelegramite a camixi quatordece per li signoricalonexi, et per li, mansonarij le qualgramite staxea malissimamente, p. ehealcnne persone le a guaete. Lire 1 10. It.per reve et p. candelle. L. 0 5.”

“ 1469.—I, Baptist de Nicollo, of Andreada Ferrara, have owing to me for mymaking, and thread to sew, and candlesto wax . . . Item, for nntrimming andreweaving and waxing and repiecing andrejoining the trimmings of fourteen albsfor the canons and attendants of thechurch, the which trimmings were in avery bad state because some persons had

spoiled them. L. 1 10. It. for threadand wax. I.. 0 5.”

These trimmings (gramite), Cav. Merlithinks, were probably “ trine.”

8 See “ Milan.”

1 “ Trina,” like our word lace, is usedin a general sense for braid or passement.Floris, in his Dictionary (“ A Worlds ofWords,” John Floris, London, 1598),gives:—

“ Trine,—cuts, snips, pincke worke ongarments; and Trinci,—gardings, bring-ings, lacings, &c., or other ornaments ofgarments.”

“ Merlo,” “ merletto,” are Ihe moremodem terms for lace. We find the firstas early as the poet Firenzuola. (See“ Florence.”) It does not occur in anypattern book of an older date than the“Fiori da Rieami,” of Pasini, and fhetwo works of Francesco de* Franceschi,all printed in 1591.

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