History

Lace: one of the finest and most beautiful crafts that has been made throughout the centuries.

We can be proud that we possess such a rich art and lace industry. Lace has created great respect over time.

Where and when did bobbin lace originate?
We won’t dwell too long on the origins of lace. Primarily, sources regarding lace in the East should be sought, as our Western culture has been greatly influenced by the East.
The fine, almost translucent fabrics became known in our regions after the Crusades. These fabrics quickly gained general admiration and were soon adapted for Western garments.
Other sources can be found in the gold embroidery industries, passementerie, and weaving. 

Where was the first lace made?
Italy or Flanders? This is a significant point of contention.
There has been a discussion for many years in both countries about who gets the credit.
A painting by the Bruges painter Memling, depicting the Floreins family, is the oldest painting where bobbin lace can be seen. This should serve as evidence that lace-making was already being practiced in Flanders in the 15th century, though it is certain that needle lace originated in Italy. Venice was particularly known for this.
What is bobbin lace made from?
As soon as the stiff gold and silver wire used in passementerie was replaced by flexible and fine flax thread, we can speak of bobbin lace.
Lace was no longer sought for the preciousness of the raw materials but for the neatness and fineness of the execution. The flax lace would be processed not by men but by women’s hands.
Flanders, and especially Bruges, would take the lead in this splendid triumph that would lead bobbin lace across Europe.
Brussels and Mechelen also participated, as evidenced by the numerous paintings depicting Flemish women and men with lace.

Brief summary of history.
The lace industry has contributed more than any other craft to the prosperity of Flanders. While many industries left our land amidst disasters and wars, the lace industry was strong enough to withstand it.
Nowhere in Europe did the lace industry explode as it did in Belgium.
Bobbin lace, also called pin work, was practiced by Bruges women as early as 1493 and enjoyed an unprecedented bloom in the 16th century.
Charles V, the great emperor of the West, protected this industry.
Initially, it was a pastime for the wealthy and noblewomen, but as Charles V ensured that lace became a source of wealth, he mandated that lace work should be taught in schools.
Although the lace industry flourished under Charles V, our lace makers had not yet produced the beautiful refined works that would command admiration across Europe.
The first lace works were narrow, tooth-shaped edges that served to adorn collars and cuffs. The designs were derived from geometry and looked quite similar to each other.
Later, lace distinct to a region or city emerged. Due to the saturation of the Zwin, Bruges saw its ports disappear, causing Bruges to lose the cloth industry, which shifted towards Ghent and the new port of Antwerp.
Merchants settled in those cities, leading to the emergence of a new social class.
How could these new wealthy individuals distinguish themselves from the other nobility? By wearing lace, thereby revitalizing the lace industry.
The lace industry continued to grow steadily and, under the rule of Philip II, experienced significant prosperity, prompting him to issue a decree in Binche in 1590.
This decree stated: it was forbidden for adults to engage in minutiae like pin work.
Later, a similar decree was placed in Ghent, where it was even prohibited for all girls over the age of 12 to make lace.
These girls primarily focused on producing fine lace work, which made it difficult for the wealthy class to find household help, as the costs became too high.
In the 17th century, lace became one of the main sources of prosperity for our country; annually, lace markets were held in our country where people came from far and wide.
Our lace was particularly well-known to the French; they praised our high quality and the use of fine linen.

During the Iconoclasm in 1567, many pieces of lace were torn, burned, and stolen from our churches. Nevertheless, the lace industry remained intact; this progress continued under the regime of Albrecht and Isabella.

During the first half of the 17th century, Belgian artists such as Rubens, Teniers, and Jordaens exerted a significant influence on our lace. They tried to depict lace as finely as possible in their paintings.
The narrow edges made way for wider laces; geometric figures disappeared and were replaced by flowers and leaves, taken from local plants.
Initially, the motifs were closely knitted together; later, they were placed further apart with a fine net or ground in between. The ground varied from lace to lace; at times, it consisted of little sticks, sometimes of spiderweb, and sometimes little fluffy patterns.
The laces had a stately appearance but were still referred to by the same name: Point de Flandre or Flemish lace.
During the second half of the 17th century, they gained a distinct local character, in which flowers were created in their own unique way and connected by sticks with rich filler.
During the Austrian rule, under the reign of Joseph II, who halted many industries, he did not explicitly forbid lace-making; still, the industry experienced a downturn.
In the 18th century, known as the Golden Age, lace reached its peak.
There was an immense revival, and the demand for these delicate lace works was unprecedented.
Again, there was significant competition among lace makers from different centers, schools, and beguinages. All created their own unique styles.
The irregular stick grounds made way for beautiful net grounds.

When in 1794 our country fell into the hands of France, it marked dark days for our lace makers. Nevertheless, various attempts were made to revive the industry in our land.

From 1815 to 1817, the lace industry came to a complete standstill due to various events:

• Political events. 
• Tulle, invented by the English, was improved and introduced in Belgium, while Brussels still completely worked with tulle by hand. From then on, the motifs, whether bobbin or needle lace, were appliquéd onto the tulle, which caused Mechelen and Binche to enter a great crisis because these were made with a continuous thread and demand for these lace works dwindled. 
• The burgeoning industry attracted lace makers to the factories, where wages were also significantly higher.
  Until 1846, the lace industry continued to decline; only older women still engaged in lace-making. Flanders was plagued by poverty. Nevertheless, the lace industry took an unexpected turn.
  Under the influence of several village priests, lace-making was taught again in schools. In a short time, there were no lace makers left without a lace school. In 1859, however, they suffered significantly under the persecution of Frère Orchan, a liberal finance minister, who looked down on lace schools and referred to the girls as workers.

Every war adversely affected various branches of the economy, including the lace industry. The war in 1870 and the First World War devastated the entire lace region.
Yet, in 1919, the lace industry saw a brief bloom again. Charitable organizations ensured that our lace makers, who were struggling, could return to work.
The motifs created at that time were very patriotic: the lion for Belgium, the unicorn for England, the rooster for France, and the bear symbolizing Russia.
These were sent to the Allied countries and sold with a certificate.
The proceeds from these lace pieces served as wages for the lace makers, while the rest went to war victims and soldiers.
“Les dentelières de Belgique” is one such organization.
Due to compulsory schooling and the fact that girls were in school, the lace industry headed in the wrong direction, resulting in a decline in the number of lace makers.
What is needle lace made from?
It originated from a white openwork embroidery, which dates back to antiquity.
In the 15th century, the needle lace industry flourished primarily in Venice; there were various ways to achieve that openwork decoration in the fabric. Threads were pulled out, or parts of the fabric were cut away. The remaining threads were worked in various stitches, resulting in openwork embroidery. When all these threads were stretched in space and no longer attached to the prepared fabric, this characterized it as lace because lace is an openwork fabric entirely created by the maker, while embroidery is an ornamentation on a piece of fabric.

Needle point lace likely originated in Venice; this is where openwork embroidery on linen flourished, and it is also where the earliest model books of needle lace come from.

Venice was the most important center for needle lace during the 16th century; it exclusively focused on this technique, while in Flanders, both techniques were practiced.
However, it is clear that in the early 16th century, the art of lace-making was part of the activities of women in Flanders.

Bruges and the lace industry?
Bruges is and remains the flourishing city of lace industries. With nimble fingers, exquisite lace pieces were conjured up, and this was achieved entirely through the use of bobbins pinned to a pattern.
Bruges has been producing lace since the 16th century, especially during the 17th century.
The first pinwork schools were established in Antwerp in 1680 by Miss Baliques, founder of the Sisters Apostolinnen, who wanted to provide poor girls with not just general education but also solid knowledge with which they could earn their bread. In 1717, these Sisters also started a lace school here in Bruges.
Previously, primarily straw lace, Cluny, and Flemish lace were made, but Binche or Point de Fée remained the flagship of Bruges.
The students were mostly children from the working class, and often their mothers were lace makers; due to better wages, the schools received more and more students.
A child learned to handle the blocks or bobbins from a young age, creating the most stunning works of art without questioning it.

We must always remember that lace has created prosperity in Flanders, particularly in Bruges, and that it is not an outdated piece of fabric but a delicate artwork crafted with love and outstanding finesse.