lynxlace.com   Bobbin Lace 18th Century   Antique Bobbin Lace   © Lorelei Halley 2009

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In general terms, for both straight and part laces, the relative proportions of the surface of the lace devoted to motifs and to ground also changed during the 18th century.  In the early part of the century the motifs occupied nearly the whole surface, with very little ground between the motifs.  As the century went on ground occupied an ever larger percentage of the lace, until it was about 50% in mid century.  During the 1780s we begin to see straight laces which are mostly ground with very small motifs.  Some of the used Mechlin ground and some used Point ground.  (This fashion may have developed because Marie Antoinette was fond of clear net.)  This is a matter of style, but it helps us to date individual pieces.  Also whether the headside was straight, slightly scalloped, or deeply scalloped also changed across time.

Straight Laces

Early Mechlin or Brussels ground lace

33 ek  Date and origin unknown.  Scale and thread are fairly coarse, not typical of Flanders area.

Straight laces of the 18th century are of two primary types: those with gimp and those without gimp.  Levey considers the distinction between Binche and Valenciennes to be immaterial this early:  both towns were very close together, and there was no reason for their styles to have developed differently.  The distinction only becomes important in the Revival Era laces.  (Revival Era Straight) .   These Binche/Val laces did not have gimp, but did have a ring pair.  The other group are laces with gimp.  Some authorities call these Mechlin, after the major town in the district, but some European writers call these Flanders, after the name of the whole district.  So there are two kinds:

Binche/Val             no gimp

Mechlin/Flanders    gimp

However both groups used a multiplicity of grounds, among which were: Flanders ground (5 hole), Paris ground, Valenciennes ground (round version), Binche snowflakes in half stitch (12 thread armure), other Binche snowflakes, Binche snowballs of various kinds, Mechlin ground.  In the early years of the century you could find any one of these with equal frequency.  As the century progressed the preferred grounds changed somewhat.  By around 1750 in the Mechlin/Flanders laces Flanders ground was becoming more common than all the others.  But Mechlin ground  increased in frequency because it began to be used in those laces which were mostly ground.  This general type developed into the Napoleonic era laces.   After about 1770 we don't see Flanders, Paris, or the various Binche snowflakes and snowballs.  The Binche/Val laces began to use Val ground exclusively at mid century.  Val laces continued throughout the 19th century, but were always made with Val ground (square version).

Mechlin/Flanders: Laces with Gimp

	bkmk	bkmk	early Flanders bobbin lace bkmk
13 n ek  Mechlin ground	14 ek  Mechlin ground	30 ek Paris ground See also revival era Paris lace.	11 ek Flanders ground See also revival era Flanders lace.	12 ek Flanders ground

Mechlin/Flanders lace with armure ground		Mechlin/Flanders lace with ground of snowflakes in half stitch
10 ek armure ground (Binche snowflakes in half stitch)	20 ek Mechlin ground	500 IT  Armure ground

These are probably 1770s.	21 ek  Mechlin ground	26 ek  point ground

  See also revival era Mechlin, Napoleonic era, and 19th c Mechlin laces.

 Val/Binche: No Gimp

This group are very early, probably 1700 - 1715.
Binche bobbin lace
1 ek early 18th
			bkmk
131 rh		493 IT

See also revival era Binche. and revival era Valenciennes.

These are a little later: c. 1715-1735.
2 2nd qtr 18th ek snowball		4 ek Flanders ground snowflake filling	7 ek  snowball	5 several gnds ek

8 ek  Flanders	494 IT snowball	3 ek Flanders ground snowball filling

These are mid-century, c. 1740-1760.
	early Flanders bobbin lace	bkmk
6 ek mid 18th c Flanders ground	495 it  Flanders ground	485 it  Flanders ground

Part/Sectional Laces:

Early Brussels

				bkmk
156 bn		487 it	158 bn

See also very early Brussels.

Brussels 2nd qtr 18th century

36 ek	195 ek	565 it	39 ek

38 ek		All the white outlines are raised work, not gjmp.	37 ek

mid century

159 LH	Original ground was droschel, but has been replaced in places by a needle made ground.		40 ek droschel ground See also 19th c Duchesse.

Brabant: Levey uses this description for laces with a slightly looser weave and less distinct design.  She regards these a probably made in outlying districts away from, and not so closely in touch with, the fashion center in the town.   bkmk

Brabant bobbin lace
43 ek	44 ek	42 ek

Bath Brussels:  Levey's term for laces of the same time period, made in England.      bkmk

Bath Brussels bobbin lace
555 IT  Ilske thinks this is 1770s Devon.  See also 19th c Honiton

Go to:

    Abbreviations      Terminology  

  Bobbin Lace Introduction      Bobbin 2 structural classes          Bobbin lace history overview 

  1559-1700      Pottenkant/Milanese     Napoleonic era   

  19th c Straight Bar Lace     19th c Straight Mesh Lace       19th c Part Lace 

  Revival Era Straight Lace       Revival Era Part Lace        New Revival Era