Valenciennes Lace

Valenciennes lace, one of the most famous of bobbin laces, first made in the French city of Valenciennes, Nord département, and later in Belgium (around Ypres and Ghent) and on the French–Belgian frontier at Bailleul. Lace produced in Valenciennes itself flourished from about 1705 until 1780. The industry continued on a diminished scale into the 19th century at other centres.

The lace is distinguished by having no cordonnet (the raised outline present in most laces of the period to give definition to the design) and is consequently flat and even in texture. Early Valenciennes had a repertoire of backgrounds including a “snowy” ground of little “partridge eye” circles; from 1715 the laceworkers within the city (as opposed to those around it) started using exclusively a diamond mesh ground, calling this type vrai (“true”) Valenciennes and that with the older grounds, still used outside the city, fausse (“false”) Valenciennes. Never a formal, “dress” lace, Valenciennes was nevertheless costly; it was used by the rich and by those at court for bedlinen, lingerie, fichus (triangular scarf draped over the shoulders), and the like. Early patterns were of curving, conventional leaves and flowers; in the late 18th century there was greater naturalism in their treatment. From around 1830 the diamond vrai Valenciennes mesh and some of the characteristic patterns were successfully imitated by machine.