GO

HISTORY OF LACE.

de linguae.” When Venice manufactured enough for herself, thesecutworks and laces were no longer in demand; but the fabric stillcontinued, and found favour in its native isles, chiefly for eccle-siastical purposes, the dress of the islanders, and for grave-clothes.

In our English statutes we have no allusion to point deltaguse; in those of Franee, 5 it appears twice. Tallemant deslteaux 6 mentions it incidentally, and the “ Revolte des Passemens” 1give it honourable notice. Judging from the lines addressed to itin the last-named jeu d’esprit, point de Ragu.se was of a more costlycharacter, “ faite pour ruiner les estats,” than any of those otherpoints present. If, however, from this period it did still form anarticle of commerce, we may infer that it appeared under the generalappellation of point de Venise. Ragusa had affronted LouisQuatorzo.by her attachment to the Austro-Italian princes; hekicked out her ambassadors, 8 and if the name of the point wasunpleasant, we may feel assured it was no longer permitted tooffend the royal ears. Though no manufacture of thread lace isknown at Ragusa, yet much gold and silver lace is made forornamenting the bodices of the peasants. They also still fabricatea kind of lace or gimp of coloured silks in the style of Fig. 31. Itsresemblance, with its looped edges, to the pattern given from “ LePompe,” 9 published at Venice in 1557, is very remarkable.

The conventionally termed Greek lace is the Italian reticella;the designs of geometric fashion. The Ionian Islands for manyyears belonged to Venice. Fig. 35 is from a specimen purchasedin the island of Zante. This lace was much in vogue in Naplesfor curtains, bed-hangings, and coverlets. A room hung withbands of Greek lace, alternated with crimson or amber silk, has amost effective appearance.

The church lace of the Ionian Isles was not appreciated by thenatives, who were only too glad to dispose of it to the Englishofficers in garrison at Corfu. Much is still found in Cephalonia:

s Points do ltaguse; first mentionedin edict of January 1651, Gy which thoking mises for his own profit one quarterof the value of the “ passemens, dontclles,(mints coupez de Elandres, pointinars,(mints de Yenise, de ltaguse, de Genes,”&c .—liecuil den Loin Fn.ni^ainen. Again,the ordinance of August 1005 establishesthe points do Franco “ cn la maniere

des points qui sc font ii Venise, C'enes,ltaguse tt uutres pays etrnngers,” ncitedin tho Arret of Oct. 12, 1000 .—DeLmtuire, Truitede la Ft,lice..

“ “ Alors les points dc-Genes,de ltaguse,ni d Aurillnc n’etaieut (sunt connus.”

7 In 1001.

8 In 1007.

11 See Appendix.