LIAN "CUTWORKE."

(_Author's Collection._)]

CHATS ON OLD LACE

I

A BRIEF HISTORY OF LACE

Early vestiges in Egypt--Lace found in St. Cuthbert's Tomb (685
A.D.)--Drawn Thread and Cutworks--Venetian Lace--Flanders
Lace--French Laces--English Lace.

In every other art or craft we can search the history of ages and find
some vestiges or beginnings among the earlier civilisations. Possibly
owing to the exquisite fragility of Lace, there is a complete absence of
data earlier than that of Egypt. The astonishing perfection in art
handicrafts of all descriptions which we find in China many hundreds of
years before the Christian era shows no vestiges of a manufacture of
lace; but, in the tombs of ancient Egypt, garments have been discovered
with the edges frayed and twisted into what we may call a primitive
lace, and in some of the Coptic embroideries threads have been drawn out
at intervals and replaced with those of coloured wools, making an
uncouth but striking design. Netting must have been understood, as many
of the mummies found at Thebes and elsewhere are discovered wearing a
net to hold or bind the hair; and also, a fine network, interspersed
with beads, is often discovered laid over the breast, sometimes having
delightful little blue porcelain deities strung amongst their meshes.

These early vestiges, however, are in no way representative of the later
exquisite fabrics which we now know and recognise as Lace. Far nearer to
them, as an art, are the early gold and silver laces of simple design
found amongst the tombs of Mycenae and Etruria, and those of a later
date--_i.e._, the laces of gold used to decorate the vestments of the
clergy, and the simple but sumptuous gowns of the Middle Ages. Along
with the stole and maniple of St. Cuthbert, which are now at Durham
Cathedral, was found a piece of detached gold lace, which must have
formed a separate trimming. St. Cuthbert died in 685 A.D., and was
buried at Lindisfarne, his body being afterwards transferred to Durham
to save it from the desecration of the Danes who were ravaging the land.
Over the body was a cloth, or sheet, which was worked in cutworks and
fringes, showing that even at so early a date initial efforts at
lace-making had been attempted.

[Illustration: EARLY ENGLISH SAMPLERS, SHOWING CUT AND DRAWN WORK.

(_S.K.M. Collection._)]

As far as we can gather, the earliest endeavour at lace-making
originated with the dra