LACE, BOBBIN, BRUSSELS, COLLAR

A beautiful, elaborate handmade Brussels guipure bobbin lace lady’s collar made in Belgium in mid 19th century.

Made in Belgium, Brussels guipure lace is a type of bobbin lace, known for its delicate floral patterns and the fact that the motifs/patterns are made first and then the separate pieces are stitched together. There is no mesh ground, instead the motifs are connected by brides/bars.

In this collar, the variety of floral and leaf motifs, clearly identified, are outlined with a gimp and connected with twisted bobbin lace brides/bars with tiny picots. Several of the threads are broken.

Brussels lace is well known for its delicacy and beauty. Originally it was only made from the finest spun linen thread, which was spun in dark damp rooms to keep the thread from becoming too brittle. Only one ray of light was allowed into the room, and it was arranged so that it fell upon the thread. This fine thread was one reason preventing mechanization of the process of making Brussels lace, as well as the production of it in other regions, as it could not be bought anywhere else. It was also what made the lace so costly. Brussels lace cost more than Mechlin lace, and was in high demand in England and France.