HISTORY OF LACE.

%

bride 26 and reseau were mixed. 27 In the inventories the descriptionof ground is always minutely specified. 28

The reseau was made in two ways, 29 by hand (a l’aiguille), andon the pillow (au fuseau). The needle ground is worked from oneflower to another, as in Coloured Plate IV. The pillow is made insmall strips of 1 inch in width, and from 7 to 4f> inches long,joined together by a stitch long known to the lace-makers ofBrussels and Bayeux only, 30 called “ point (le raccrocin English,“ fine joining,” and consisting of a fresh stitch formed with a needlebetween the two pieces to be united. It requires the greatestnicety to join the segments of shawls and other large pieces.Since machine-made net has come into use, the “ vrai reseau ” israrely made, save for royal trousseaux.

There are two kinds of flowers: those made with the needleare called “point a l’aiguillethose on the pillow, “point plat.” 31The best flowers are made in Brussels itself, where they haveattained a perfection in the relief (point brode) unequalled by thosemade in the surrounding villages and at Binche, in llainault.

20 Albs of Brussels lace were muchworn by the Church.

“ Trois aubos do batisto garnies ticgrando dentclle do gros point d’Angle-terre.’’— Inv. des Meubles etc. de Louis,Due (VOrleans, dtfeidd 4 ftfo. 1752 (sonof tlio regent). Arch. Nat. X. 10,075.

“ Deux nubes do point d’Angleterreservant it Messieurs les enrez.

“Une autre nube It dentclle de grospoiut servant nussy it M. lo cure'.” —Inventaire el Description de VArgenterie,Vermeil Dol e, Ornemens, hinge etc. ap-purtenant it VtEuvre et Fabrique deVejlise Saint-Merry a Paris, 1714. Arch.Nat. L. L. 859.

21 “ Une coeflfure it une piece d’Angleterro bride et reseau.” —Comptes de Ma-dame du Barry.

“ 1 auno et quart d’Angleterre melc'.”—Ibid.

28 Mrs. Delany writes (“ Corr.” vol.2): “ The laces I have pitched on foryou are charming, it is grounded Brus-sels.”

“ Deux tours do gorge it raiseau, untour de camisolle it biide."— Inv. de laDuchesne de Bourbon, 1720. Arch. Nat.X. 10/(52-4.

“Six poignoirs do toille fine garnisparen liautd’une vit ille dentelled’Angle-terre it raiseau.”— Inv. de deces de Mon-sieur Philippe, pelit-fils de France, Dmd’Orleans, Regent du Royaume, dtWde 2ddeembre 1723. Arch. Nat. X. 10,0(57.

The “fond eoaille'” often occurs.

“ Une coeflfure a une piece do point itl’ecailio;

“ Une paire de manchettes de cour depoint a raizeau, et deux devants de corpsde point it brides it e'cailles.”— Inv. de laDuehesse de Modern, 1701. Arch. Nat.X. 10,082.

“ Deux barbes, rayon et fond d’Angle-terro superfin fond eoaille.”— Comptes deMadame du Barry. See her Angleterre,Chap. XI. note 2I .

20 To which machinery has added athird, the tulle or Brussels net.

30 Tlie needleground is three times asexpensive as the pillow, because theneedle is passed four times into eachmesh, whereas in the pillow it is notpjssed at all.

31 “ Trois oreillors, 1 un do toilleblanche pieqnee garnis nutour de ehacund’un point plat.”— Inv. de la Duehesse deModern.