164

HISTORY OF LACK.

mention we find of the lace of Alenpon. “ The manufacture ofthe points of France is also,” he says, “ one of the most consider-able of the country. This fabric began at Alenfon, where mostof the women and girls work at it, to the number of more thaneight to nine hundred, without counting those in the country,which are in considerable numbers. It is a commerce of about500,000 livres per annum. This point is called ‘ vilain ’ 7 in thecountry; the principal sale was in Paris during the war, but thedemand increases very much since the peace, in consequence ofits exportation to foreign countries.” The number of lace-workersgiven by M. Pommereu appears small, but the Alenpon manu-facture was then on the decline. The death of its protectorColbert (1683), the revocation of the Edict of Nantes (1685), whichreduced the population of Alenfon one-third, the industrial familiesretiring to other countries, the disastrous, long wars of Louis XIV.,and finally his death (1715), all contributed to diminish theprosperity of this magnificent manufacture. 8

In the eighteenth century, the reseau ground was introduced,and soon became universally adopted.

After carefully examining the engravings of the time, thecollection of historic portraits at Versailles and other galleries,we find no traces of point d’Alenpon with the reseau or networkground in the time of Louis XIV. The laces are all of theVenetian character, “ a bride; ” while, on the other hand, thedaughters of Louis XV. (Mesdames de France), and the “Fillesdu Regent,” all wear rich points of Alenjon and Argentan, “ areseau.”

The earlier patterns of the eighteenth century are flowery andundulating (Coloured Plate VII.), scarcely begun, never ending,into which are introduced haphazard patterns of a finer ground,much as the medallions of Boucher or Vanloo were inserted in thegilded panellings of a room. Twined among them appear avariety of “ jours,” filled up with patterns of endless variety, thewhole wreathed and garlanded like the decoration of a theatre.Such was the taste of the day. “ Apres moi le deluge; ” and the

7 “Vilain,” “velin,” “vellum,” fromthe parchment or vellum upon which itis made. The expression is still used.When the Author inquired at Alen<;onthe way to the house of M. R., a lacemanufacturer, she was asked in return if

it was “ Celui qui fait le velin ? ”

8 In 1788 Arthur Young states thenumber of lace-makers at and aboutAlemjon to be from 8000 to 9000.“ Travels in France.”