History
ORIGIN
The origin of bobbin-lace is not well known. This art may have been brought from northern Europe by merchants and sailors who had important trade relations with Flanders (Belgian region).
The origin of bobbin-lace is not well known. This art may have been brought from northern Europe by merchants and sailors who had important trade relations with Flanders (Belgian region).
HISTORY
The first lace works in Portugal back to the fifteenth century. During the reign of D. João V the country was inundated and influenced by the lace originating in Flanders, as the protocol of the court required the use of Flemish lace, fact that affected the development of the national lace. This triggered a revolt of northern lace makers who sent their protest before the King, through the village condense Joana Maria de Jesus, who got permission for the use of national lace in towels, sheets, and other house items, although personal use was still prohibited. The national lace was released in 1751, in the reign of King D. José, allowing its use in peoples white clothing, towels, sheets and other house items. But entry into the capital of the lace made in the rest of the country was subject to documentation issued by the council’s clerks, though, only poor people were hired for the production, they were exempted from taxes. |
And if was then that on the classification of lace, aristocratic are described as those who imitate the foreigners because they are more elaborate and use fine lines, and the popular are those that have traditionally been made by the population.
The expression "Where there are nets, there is lace" is well known, and the Algarve is no exception, as they are almost all coastal villages where fishing activity is developed. In a book published in 1865 by the then captain of the port Pedro Cervantes de Carvalho Figueira states that some women, who then numbered more than eighty years, claimed that their aunt / grandmother showed them patterns of lace that they had made when they were children, stating that the lace in Peniche, began to appear in the middle of the eighteenth century.
The expression "Where there are nets, there is lace" is well known, and the Algarve is no exception, as they are almost all coastal villages where fishing activity is developed. In a book published in 1865 by the then captain of the port Pedro Cervantes de Carvalho Figueira states that some women, who then numbered more than eighty years, claimed that their aunt / grandmother showed them patterns of lace that they had made when they were children, stating that the lace in Peniche, began to appear in the middle of the eighteenth century.
BOBBIN LACE IN PENICHE
It is reported that in 1836 the wife of the Conde de Casal, analyzing the gross lace that was made here, felt that if they used more delicate materials, such as finer threads and elaborate designs, they could get better quality product. With the help of an engineer on duty in the square, she put the plan into action, which resulted in marked improvement of quality, allowing our lace to be awarded in international events as early as 1851 (Paris and London), 1857 and 1861 (Porto), 1872 (Vienna, Austria) and 1878 (Paris). |
The originality and quality of Peniche bobbin lace reached a stage of perfection and prestige that any Portuguese bobbin lace came to be known simply by bobbin lace from Peniche. In mid-nineteenth century there were nearly a thousand lacemakers in Peniche and, according to Pedro Cervantes de Carvalho Figueira, there were eight private workshops where children as young as four years old were beginning the adventure of this art.
Vila do Conde and Peniche are currently the two more important regions in the country for the production of bobbin lace, for the quality of the work or the number of people involved.
Bibliography
• "Peniche na história e na lenda", de Dr. Mariano Calado
• "Bordados e rendas de Portugal", de Dr. Manuel Maria de Sousa Calvet de Magalhães
Photographs
• Rancho da Praça
• Câmara Municipal de Peniche
Vila do Conde and Peniche are currently the two more important regions in the country for the production of bobbin lace, for the quality of the work or the number of people involved.
Bibliography
• "Peniche na história e na lenda", de Dr. Mariano Calado
• "Bordados e rendas de Portugal", de Dr. Manuel Maria de Sousa Calvet de Magalhães
Photographs
• Rancho da Praça
• Câmara Municipal de Peniche