Men In Lace
The Textile Gallery (22) ||| May 20-October 10, 2010

Lace may be strictly for women today, but 400 years ago, it was a manly accessory. Men in Lace, showcasing selections from the Academy’s exquisite lace collection, reveals how the textile was once the ultimate status symbol in Europe.

Men, as the holders of power and wealth, were consummate lace connoisseurs who drove a continent-wide industry. At one point, there was a domestic-help shortage because so many people were pressed into lacemaking. It’s a fascinating story, told through intricate lace fragments along with paintings, drawings and prints that highlight this extravagant accessory of fashionable European dress.

Italy and Flanders were the major centers for the early development of lace. Desired by kings and courtiers, the aristocracy and the clergy, lace was a symbol of wealth. In France, the elite spent such vast amounts of money on Italian lace that Colbert, the great French Minister under Louis XIV, forbade its use. Consequently, Colbert induced Venetian and Flemish lace makers to establish lace schools near Alençon in 1665. The textile was the perfect style accent during this period of frivolous, rich, and refined living.

The exhibition traces the evolution of lace in men’s collars, cuffs, ruffs, bibs, cravats, fichus, flounces, shoe roses, bootlaces and garters.—Sara Oka, Collection Manager of Textiles

Interact with the art: Continuing the Academy’s trend to present experiential exhibitions, the gallery includes a costume station where visitors can try on ruffs, collars and cuffs, as recorded Baroque music plays.

Available in The Academy Shop:
Old World Lace: A Concise Illustrated Guide
Pictorial Archive of Lace Designs

Jacobus Houbraken,
England, 1698–1780
After a painting by Isaac Oliver. England, c. 1565–1617
Henry, Prince of Wales, Son of King James I, 1738
Published by I. and P. Knapton, London, England
Engraving
Gift of Frances M. Damon, 1969 (15442)

Wide Edging Lace
Italy, Milan, 17th century
Flax, bobbin lace
Gift of Mrs. C.M. Cooke, 1927 (3783)
Milanese lace frequently has coats-of-arms or family badges woven in it, such as the dogs of the great Carrara family as seen here along with peacocks used by them at that epoch.  This is an example of the Carnival lace especially manufactured for grand occasions, such as marriages, births and other commemorative family events.