more Lace Making

Cut and drawn thread linen work (the latter known as tela tirata in Italy and as deshilado in Spain) were other forms of embroidery as much in vogue as the darning on net and the purling. The ornament of much of this cut and drawn linen work, more restricted in scope than that of the darning on net, was governed by the recurrence of open squares formed by the withdrawal of the threads. Within these squares and rectangles radiating devices usually were worked by means of whipped and buttonhole stitches. The general effect in the linen was a succession of insertions or borders of plain or enriched reticulations, whence the name punto a reticella given to this class of embroidery in Italy. Work of similar style and especially that with whipped stitches was done rather earlier in the Grecian islands, which derived it from Asia Minor and Persia. The close connection of the Venetian republic with Greece and the eastern islands, as well as its commercial relations with the East, sufficiently explains an early transplanting of this kind of embroidery into Venice, as well as in southern Spain.

At Venice besides being called reticella, cut work was also called punto tagliato. Once fairly established as home industries such arts were quickly exploited with a beauty and variety of pattern, complexity of stitch and delicacy of execution, until insertions and edgings made independently of any linen as a starting base came into being under the name of Punto in aria. This was the first variety of Venetian and Italian needlepoint lace in the middle of the 16th century, and its appearance then almost coincides in date with that of the merletti a piombini, which was the earliest Italian cushion or pillow lace.

The prevalence of fashion in the above-mentioned sorts of embroidery during the 16th century is marked by the number of pattern books then published. In Venice a work of this class was issued by Alessandro Pagannino in 1527; another of a similar nature, printed by Pierre Quinty, appeared in the same year at Cologne; and La Fleur de la science de pourtraicture et patrons di broderie,fa con arabicque it ytalique, was published at Paris in 1530. From these early dates until the beginning of the 17th century pattern books for embroidery in Italy, France, Germany and England were published in great abundance. The designs contained in many of those dating from the early 16th century were to be worked for costumes and hangings, and consisted of scrolls, arabesques, birds, animals, flowers, foliage, herbs and grasses. So far, however, as their reproduction as laces might be concerned, the execution of complicated work was involved which none but practiced lace workers, such as those who arose a century later, could be expected to undertake.