VENICE.

43

A sailor youth, bound for the Southern Seas, brought home tohis betrothed a bunch of that pretty coralline (Fig. 24) knownto the unlearned as the “mermaid’s lace.” 20 The girl, a workerin points, struck by the graceful nature of the seaweed, with itssmall white knots united, as it were, by a “ bride,” imitated itwith her needle, and after several unsuccessful trials producedthat delicate guipure which before long became the taste of allEurope. 21

The Venetian point in relief, the “ punto a fogliami ” (French,

Fig. 25.

Yeuttian puint In relief.

“ a ramages ”) of the pattern books, is the richest and most com-plicated of all points. All the outlines in high relief are formedby means of cottons placed as thick as may be required to raisethem. Sometimes the pattern is in double and triple relief; aninfinity of beautiful stitches are introduced into the flowers,which are surrounded by a pearl of geometric regularity, the

20 Jhtlimedia opnntia. lection in the International Exhibition

21 Ihc fr.nged edging to a Venetian has great resemblance to the mermaid’scollar in the Dupont-Auberville col- coralline.