Needle lace is lace made with a single needle and thread, built up stitch by stitch using variations of the buttonhole stitch over a pattern drawn on parchment or paper. It is one of the two principal forms of handmade lace, the other being bobbin lace, which is made by twisting and crossing many threads wound on bobbins over a pillow.
Needle lace developed in sixteenth-century Italy from cutwork and drawn-thread embroidery, leading to reticella and then to punto in aria, literally stitches in the air, which no longer required a fabric ground. Venice became famous for heavy, sculptural raised laces known as gros point de Venise, which were fashionable across Europe for collars and cravats in the seventeenth century. In 1665 the French minister Colbert established lace workshops to rival Venice, producing Point de France and later the fine laces of Alençon and Argentan, and in the nineteenth century Brussels became known for delicate point de gaze. Collectors value fine, even stitching, clear designs and good condition, and they examine pieces closely to distinguish genuine needle lace from bobbin lace and machine imitations. Antique lace requires gentle handling and storage in acid-free tissue.
