Re: From: <devonth...@gmail.com> Subject: [lace] Point d'Angleterre or Brussels bobbin lace
When I wrote my Illustrated Dictionary of lacemaking I had many problems like this and spent many hours thinking about them. Finally I came to the conclusion that the bottom line is that words are a form of communication and that what we say or write is correctly interpreted by the recipient. Different words have been used for the same variety of lace at different times, in different countries, in different communities in the same country and whether the name is used by a lacemaker, who knows the intimate structure of the lace, a dealer, who is trying to sell it or a collector who may know little about either but thinks she does. Also, many laces have been made in many towns, places and countries apart from the one from which the lace derived it,s name. We cannot ascribe any piece to a particular town or region unless there is direct evidence. Sometimes design can be an indicator and sometimes techniques, but even these can be unreliable. Researching Bucks point I have found almost all the techniques, in the excellent OIDFA book on Point Ground Laces, in pieces in the Lace Guild Collection, most of which would have been made in England. At best the names of the different laces should be treated as generic and not a statement of where the lace had been made. I have recently been researching a well known lace with an astounding result that I will be releasing in the May edition of the Lace Society magazine. It shows how little we can be sure of regarding the areas in which lace was made and how much research needs to be done. Happy lacemaking Alex - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
