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isabelladangeloThere is a lady at a museum who needs help dating this lovely lace. I told her I'd ask around and see if anyone could help. The information she has is thus:
The family story is that the lace (Point-de-Venise) was purchased from the sister-in-law of the Russian Grand-Duchess Olga Alexandrovna in 1922. It is supposed to be made in Belgium in the early years of the 19th century, on special order from the Grand-Duchess's family. The family paid $250 for it in Russia in 1922, and had it appraised in New York the same year for $18,000. The original 4.5 yards was fashioned into a bridal veil in the 1940s.
There are more pictures up at my flickr account of the lace. Any ideas?
Personally, I don't think it's any earlier than the late 19th c but I could be very wrong. I'm not that good with lace.
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Date: 2008-03-05 08:40 pm (UTC)A quick skim through Jourdain's "Old Lace" book shows photos of Mechlin and Alencon lace which look similar to this. In those cases, the hexagonal mesh ground is made as the other decorative elements are too. Those kinds dated from the 18th century and early 19th century. Some examples date from the very late 17th century.
However, looking at the other images you have of this lace, I noticed a section in the lace that was very much like battenburg lace. This was revived in the late 19th century but its roots are earlier - in the renaissance period!
Without handling the lace, it is difficult to work out whether this is a hand made lace (mesh and decorative elements) or whether it is a machine made ground (the mesh) and the decorative elements then hand made onto the mesh.
If that can be determined, then you will be able to date the lace. The late 19th century discovered how to make machine made laces that looked just like the hand made ones.
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Date: 2008-03-05 09:51 pm (UTC)