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Alençon lace (, ) or point d'Alençon () is a
needle lace Needle lace is a type of lace created using a needle and thread to create hundreds of small stitches to form the lace itself. Origins The origins of needle lace date back to the 15th century and embroidery. Cutwork and drawn work were de ...
that originated in
Alençon Alençon (, , ; ) is a commune in Normandy, France, and the capital of the Orne department. It is situated between Paris and Rennes (about west of Paris) and a little over north of Le Mans. Alençon belongs to the intercommunality of Alen� ...
,
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
. It is sometimes called the "Queen of lace." Lace making began in Alençon during the 16th century and the local industry was rapidly expanded during the reign of
Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...
by
Jean-Baptiste Colbert Jean-Baptiste Colbert (; 29 August 1619 – 6 September 1683) was a French statesman who served as First Minister of State from 1661 until his death in 1683 under the rule of King Louis XIV. His lasting impact on the organization of the countr ...
, who established a Royal Workshop in the town to produce lace in the Venetian style in 1665. The purpose of establishing this workshop was to reduce the French court's dependence on expensive foreign imports. Marthe La Perrière had modified the Venetian technique and Alençon emerged as a unique style around 1675 after Colbert's monopoly ended. The lace employs a mesh ground and incorporates pattern motifs with a raised outline of closely packed buttonhole stitches, an outer edge decorated with picots, and open areas with decorative fillings.


History

Though the demand for lace went into sharp decline following the French Revolution, it recovered some of its popularity during the
Second French Empire The Second French Empire, officially the French Empire, was the government of France from 1852 to 1870. It was established on 2 December 1852 by Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, president of France under the French Second Republic, who proclaimed hi ...
.
The manufacture of Alençon lace had greatly declined even before the Revolution, and was almost extinct when the patronage of Napoleon restored its prosperity. On his marriage with the Empress Marie Louise, among other orders executed for him was a bed furniture—tester, curtains, coverlet, and pillow-cases, of great beauty and richness. The pattern represented the arms of the empire surrounded by bees.
St. Marie-Azélie Guérin Martin, the mother of St. Thérèse of Lisieux was a famous lace-maker at Alençon.
Bamba Müller Bamba Müller (6 July 1848 – 16 September 1887) was the wife of Maharaja Duleep Singh, the last Maharaja of Lahore. Brought up by Christian missionaries, her transformation from an illegitimate girl, born to a German father and Abyssinian (Eth ...
, the wife of the Maharaja
Duleep Singh Maharaja Sir Duleep Singh (6 September 1838 – 22 October 1893), also spelled Dalip Singh, and later in life nicknamed the "Black Prince of Perthshire", was the last ''Maharaja'' of the Sikh Empire. He was Maharaja Ranjit Singh's youngest son ...
, wore an Alençon trimmed gown on the occasion of her wedding in
Alexandria, Egypt Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...
in 1864. The manufacture of Alençon lace entered terminal decline at the end of the 19th century with changes in fashion and the development of cheaper, machine-made lace. Hand-made lace-making survived on a small scale and the technique was preserved by Carmelite nuns in Alençon. In 1976 a National Lace Workshop was established in the town to ensure that this lace-making technique survives. There is a permanent exhibition of lace and a display showing how it is made in the Musée des Beaux Arts et de la Dentelle, located in the town centre and adjoining the Workshop. The workshops themselves are open to the public only on certain days of the year. UNESCO recognised the unusual craftsmanship of this lace and added it to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in November 2010.


Techniques and Tools

Historically, a series of steps to create a lace design and translate it to the needlework was performed by different specialists in the process.
"Point d'Alençon is made entirely by hand with a fine needle, upon a parchment pattern, in small pieces, afterward united by invisible seams. Each part is executed by a special workman."
A design was created or selected, and the design was reproduced on paper for the lacemaker to work on directly. The working design sheet is placed on two layers of fabric for support. A pricking step to outline the design was done to provide a place for tacking threads. A trace or outline of the pattern was created by a specialist called the "traceuse". Once the outline is prepared, the ground and filling and mode motif steps could follow. Joining motifs with brides, as well as topstitching, complete the main needlework stages. Separating the work from the support layers and trimming extraneous threads finishes the series of steps, and a final smoothing step using a lobster claw to gently rub the work would ensue. In modern Alençon lacemaking, all of the steps are accomplished by one lacemaker. The work is created on the "right" side, contrary to bobbin lace which is typically worked on the "back" side. The work is folded over a finger of the stitcher, with the working area in focus at the top. In the Alençon style, the stitching is completed with the needle pointing upwards and the working hand moving away from the lacemaker.


See also

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Alençon Alençon (, , ; ) is a commune in Normandy, France, and the capital of the Orne department. It is situated between Paris and Rennes (about west of Paris) and a little over north of Le Mans. Alençon belongs to the intercommunality of Alen� ...
*
Lace Lace is a delicate fabric made of yarn or thread in an open weblike pattern, made by machine or by hand. Generally, lace is split into two main categories, needlelace and bobbin lace, although there are other types of lace, such as knitted o ...
**
Brussels lace Brussels lace is a type of pillow lace that originated in and around Brussels."Brussels." ''The Oxford English Dictionary''. 2nd ed. 1989. The term "Brussels lace" has been broadly used for any lace from Brussels; however, strictly interpreted ...
** Flanders lace *
List of fabric names Fabrics in this list include fabrics that are woven, braided or knitted from textile fibres. A * Aertex * Alençon lace * Antique satin * Argentan lace * Argentella lace B * Bafta cloth * Baize * Ballistic nylon * Barathea * Barkclo ...
*
Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...
*
Wedding dress of Grace Kelly The wedding dress of the American actress Grace Kelly, worn during her wedding to Rainier III, Prince of Monaco on 19 April 1956, is cited as one of the most elegant and best-remembered bridal gowns of all time, and one of the most famous since ...


Bibliography

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Notes


External links


Alençon Lace - History






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Le savoir-faire de la dentelle au point d'Alençon UNESCO (video, French)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alencon lace Needle lace Textile arts of France Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity