In 1880, twenty-four of the thirty inpatients at the women-only San Clemente “lunatic asylum” in Venice were listed on the books as lacemakers. Whether a coincidence or a measure of the long-lasting effects of such tedious work, one thing is certain: creating traditional Venetian lace is one of the most painstaking endeavors in the history of art.
The Origins of Venetian Lace
The origins of Venetian lace are lost to history. According to legend, a love-struck sailor gave a Venetian girl an aquatic plant called trina delle sirene—mermaid’s lace. The girl was so taken with it that she immortalized its beautiful form with fine threads, and the art of lacemaking was born. Over several centuries, Venetian lacemakers produced wonders of breathtaking intricacy, extremely fine pieces stitched together with gossamer-fine threads. For three hundred years their work boasted the most prestigious lace pedigree in Italy, if not in the world.
The earliest Venetian laces were produced inside convents and were reserved for church vestments, altar cloths, and other delicate church finery. Trade guilds also began to craft lace in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, although in Venice—as in other important lace cities in northern France and Flanders—the convents continued to be prolific centers of lace production. Because lace was considered a proper task for a woman, especially one dedicated to contemplative life, many cloistered women spent most of their daylight hours—indeed most of their lives—with a needle and thread. Lacemaking also became the province of the various scuole, or Venetian civic organizations, which, among other charitable activities, organized work for victims of circumstance, including spinsters, orphans, and others who could not find a clear place within the strict social roles of Venetian society.
Burano’s Golden Age
The heyday of Burano needle lace ranged from about 1620 to 1710, the height of demand among European nobility and royalty. Venetian lace became known as punto in aria or “points in the air” because of its delicate effects. At that time, fashion called for lace collars and cuffs, as well as handkerchiefs and other accessories for both men and women. A type of lace collar that spread out in a fan behind a woman’s head became popular in Venice itself.
Burano lace gained such fame that it became a status symbol for European nobles. Portraits of nobles wearing outlandishly fancy lace collars—the kinds you see in the seventeenth-century paintings of Rembrandt and van Dyck—helped make Venetian lace a status symbol among aristocracy from Ghent to Paris. European nobles wore their Venetian lace finery to sit for portraits that would be handed down to future generations. Painters were challenged to capture the web-like intricacies of lace in paint, portraying their sitters’ collars, cuffs, shawls, veils, and gloves.
Venetian Vogue
Venetian lace is well documented among the most prized possessions of European nobles. In the 1600s, an inventory of the wardrobe of Elizabeth I of England included lace of “Venice sylver” and “Venys gold,” a testament to the practice of weaving braids of precious metals into lace patterns for costly fine garments. Punto in aria is also well documented throughout the Renaissance as part of women’s dowry inventories, a testament to its enduring value.
In order to supply the increasing demand for Venetian lace, cloth merchants moved lace production to the outlying lagoon islands in order to employ lacemakers at low cost. Soon, lace produced on the island of Burano became the most highly coveted lace in Europe. The women began working in almost an assembly-line fashion, churning out trimmings and finery to supply the clothiers’ guild. Although the lacemakers themselves never became wealthy, those involved in the international trade of lace and textiles could soon afford to occupy the finest palaces of Venice.
Catherine de Medici, an Italian noblewoman who became Queen of France, brought Burano lace designers to the French court in the mid-1500s, and punto in aria remained popular in France for another two centuries. King Louis XIV looked to Venetian artists rather than French ones when it came time for his coronation in 1654. For the event, he wore a fine lace collar that took lacemakers Lucretia and Vittoria Torre from the hospice of the Zitelle on Giudecca some two years to produce. The commission created renewed demand among French patrons, and in 1665, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, the French Minister of Finance, brought a group of Venetian lacemakers to train women in the French lacemaking centers of Reims and Alençon.
The End of an Era
Eventually, the rise of French and Flemish centers of production signaled the end of an era for Burano lace. By the end of the seventeenth century, stiff competition with these northern rivals caused the Venetian lace industry to decline, even though Burano lacemakers attempted to evolve along with fashions. French needle lace, point de France, rose in popularity, and Venetian lacemakers began to borrow French motifs. When collars made with Flemish bobbin lace became all the rage in the eighteenth century, Venetian lacemakers emulated it with the needle and thread, resulting in a new type of lace that came to be known as punto Burano.
As Venetian lace began to fall from favor, there were attempts to found a lacemaking school on Burano to revive what was already seen as a waning tradition. However, by the end of the eighteenth century, in the wake of the French and American Revolutions, people no longer wanted to wear fashions that were associated with the reviled aristocracy.
An Enduring Tradition
On Burano, however, lacemaking never truly died, as mothers continued to pass on the tradition and the skill to their daughters and granddaughters. The art of Venetian lacemaking ceased large-scale production and returned to its origins as a private, domestic occupation. Many women turned to bobbin lace, a faster and therefore more economical technique for turning out edgings for table linens and other accessories.
Venetian lace enjoyed a revival toward the end of the 1800s, thanks in part to the politician Paolo Fambri, who gathered the right group of people and resources to bolster Burano’s sagging economy and bring the tradition of lace to life again. A small group of supporters rallied around a vision to revive the tradition of Venetian needle lace, as well as other bobbin lace traditions once practiced widely in the Veneto region, particularly in Pellestrina and Chioggia. At that time, a single elderly, illiterate woman named Cencia Scarpariola remembered how to execute the centuries-old punto in aria di Burano stitch, which she passed on to several other women.
Burano Lace in the Modern World
In 1872, the Scuola di Merletti, or lace school, opened thanks to the patronage of Countess Adriana Marcello, Princess Margherita of Savoy, and several other noblewomen who agreed to purchase the work produced by the school. Fambri also brought together several companies to begin producing and selling traditional lace. One of these companies belonged to a Venetian entrepreneur named Michelangelo Jesurum. Mr. Jesurum opened a lacemaking factory, which helped to pass the torch of tradition. In 1939, the business was sold to the Levi Morenos family, who continues to operate the enterprise under the name Jesurum today.
Many of the women you see on Burano today making lace in the squares and on the sidewalks learned the craft from childhood, either from their mothers or grandmothers, or from the old lacemaking school. The craft continues thanks to today’s lively Venetian tourist trade, which still supplies buyers for this longstanding art form.
Loved this scholarly article! Thank you Laura !
Hi Danielle, I’m so glad you enjoyed reading it. Thank you for the feedback! –Laura
Hi Laura, I have a Burano lace tablecloth and napkins. It has been in my family for 100+ years, and is rumored to be 300+ years old. Do you know of anyone who appraises lace? The only clue I have is an old note saying that it was made by nuns. Thanks so much for your article above and your help
Hi Kathy,
Thanks so much for your message! I get a lot of questions about appraisals and value. Typically I refer people to one of the fine art appraisers certified by organizations such as the International Society of Appraisers or the American Society of Appraisers. In your case, though, I would suggest that you contact the Lace Museum on Burano, as I believe that they will be be able to help you more specifically. If your piece is authentic, it was likely made at the convent on Burano (which was replaced by the museum). I hope that helps! You should start with http://www.museomerletto.visitmuve.it. –Laura
A great article, Laura. Thank you.
I can also highly recommend the museum at Burano. I’ve been several times and, apart from being really interesting, there are usually ladies working who are happy to discuss their work and explain what they’re doing.
Hi, Laura;
When I first visited Venice, I was unaware of Burano, although Murano and their fine glassware are familiar. Thanks to the wonderful host at our Hotel, I was informed about the incredible lacework that Burano is famous for and immediately made plans to visit. What a wonderful day! Their work is exquisite, not just the fine lace but the embroidery and Battenburg cut-out work as well. I bought a tablecloth there and everyone has commented on how beautiful it is. Thanks for bringing attention to this work – I would hate to see this craft disappear.
Wow this only reenforces my desire to travel thank you Laura I love learning something new
I have recently visited the wonderful colourful buildings the beautiful lace and the quaint streets.
Well worth a visit.
On my return my mother can’t wait to try the intricate art that is beautiful Burano lace.
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Loved the lace museum on Burano — very special island indeed!
Me too! It’s such a wonderful museum! –Laura
Burano is a colorful spectacle…I especially loved a wonderful meal at Da Romano!
Yum, Judith! You must have really enjoyed yourself! –Laura
Thank for sharing this unique story of history of this lace. I hope these women were treated well at the same time.
Glad you enjoyed this, Megan! –Laura
I’ve been to Burano twice during tour stops in Venice and enjoyed watching the lacemakers, marveling at their skill and artistry. Grand Circle Travel tours make sure to include Burano as well as Murano on their tour itineraries and I actually love visiting the colorful island of Burano the most. On our most recent trip last fall, my husband ensconced himself in a taverna while I enjoyed roaming the streets, shops and churches and chatting with the shopkeepers.
Hi Kit, thank you for sharing your experience! Sounds like you and your husband have a good system worked out–ha! –Laura
Laura,
This was a very interesting short history on Burano lace. I have been to the island and marveled at the beautiful creations, and was mesmerized watching some of the older ladies working on their lace pieces. I am saddened when I think that one day these talented mothers and grandmothers will not be here to make these fantastic pieces. In questioning some of the lovely Italians it sounds like not as many young women are interested in having this art passed down to them. I hope this changes and that the beautiful artistry that is Burano lace will continue into the future.
Hi Linda, I hope you’re right! Burano lace is a truly special art. Thanks for your comments. –Laura
Laura,
You are a gem…and I absolutely love all your writing which slows me to dream and visualize and plan where to go to next…
Thank you much for your enlightened article on Burano lace…I must visit!
Fascinating! I did not know any of this, but I sure thought the multi-colored Burano buildings were dazzling when I went there years ago!
Thank you, Zoe! –Laura
My favorite memoriy of a 2004 Italy/Greece trip with Mom and 3 sisters was that magical island of Burano! I knew nothing of the fame of their lacemaking prior, but was astonished at the intricacy and fine work of this beautiful artform. I have recently inherited my mother’s treasured tablecloth and napkins acquired on that day trip to the island. How wonderful it is to be able to read the history of this tradition! My interest in traditional crafts and cultural expressions is now top on my “bucket list” and I’m looking forward to reading more of your discoveries, histories and adventures♡
Hi Laura
I’m a lace-maker myself so was excited to visit Burano (now several times). I make bobbin lace which I believe is now only made in Pellestrina. It was wonderful to talk to some of the women, especially the older ones who learned their craft in childhood.
I enjoyed your article. Lots to learn. I also love visiting Burano, and the incredible museum. I was disappointed that the shops are filled with imported tourist lace (all fun and lovely, of course). I could find very few pieces of authentic Burano lace made there. It really is a dying art.
Hi, when I visited Burano I knew nothing about the lacemaking so missed out there. However, really loved the island. Much prettier than Murano. My souvenir was an original watercolour from a resident artist.
We just returned from Italy and Burano was not on our travel list until our guide at Murano mentioned the lace. We went and were given a history lesson on Burano by a gal who grew up there. She said the colorful houses were painted that way so the fishermen could find them in the fog (she also joked that the local lore was so they could find their houses when they were drunk). We were told the lace making was so secret that they only taught one stitch to one woman so it took 7 of them to make one piece of lace. I purchased a beautiful round piece for my table that is breathtaking. It is sad to see the art fading though as the school they had closed in 1980. We missed the museum and will have to go the next time we visit.
I went to Venice and Burano years ago. I loved watching the women do their lace I didn’t know there was a museum . I will have to go there when I plan another trip. Live reading your articles