FEATURE
OLD PORTRAITS SHOW
ROYALTY AND NOBILITY
WEARING GARMENTS
EMBELLISHED WITH ELEMENTS
OF BURANO LACE.
creating a net and three-dimensional relief effect
with a needle and single thread.
After this, the tacked stitches are cut and
the base paper and fabric, removed. The lace
is then carefully detached to obtain a delicate
tracery of patterned thread. A single piece of
work is typically divided between five (or more)
lacemakers, with each focusing on a particular
part of the composition that they have developed
skills in perfecting. Even a small piece can
take days to complete due to the fineness of
the stitches.
44
I APPAREL I
December 2019
EBB AND FLOW
As the lacework started being exported, the
technique was passed down generations, thus
making the island synonymous with the practice.
Burano lace was earlier used to create elaborate
works for churches, royalty, and other patrons.
It had an important place in religious institutions
and homes, and special occasions such as births
and weddings, and the demand kept the practice
flourishing. Old portraits show royalty and nobility
wearing garments embellished with elements
of Burano lace—such as intricately stitched
collars—and there are also accounts of beautiful,
long-flowing bridal veils of Burano lace filled
with flowers.
However, the lace faced several challenges
over time—competition from mechanised
production of lace from the early 19th century
affected it severely. As a result of this, the practice
of Burano lacemaking suffered a decline in the
mid-19th century. After a hard winter on the island
in 1872, a fund was created, headed by queen
Margherita of Savoy, to revive the tradition. An old
lady, named Cencia Scarpariola, the only woman
who knew the technique, was asked to teach it
to young women and thus, the expression got a
new lease of life.
LACEMAKING TODAY
Today, as visitors step off the boat and walk
towards the lovely Piazza Galuppi, they are
instantly charmed by the sight of mobile carts and
stores displaying a spectrum of lace products—
from hand fans and umbrellas to garments
graced with lovely motifs, predominantly of
flowers and foliage—lacemakers creating fine
works, and the brick building of Museo del
Merletto, the Lace Museum, where the famous
Burano Lace School functioned from 1872