Bobbin lace
Encaje de bolillos
- Date
- c. 1550 · confidence low
- Place
- Flanders, Belgium
- Credited to
- Flemish and Italian lacemakers
- Field
- Tools
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
Lace made by twisting and crossing threads wound on bobbins over a pillow where pins fix the pattern. Bruges, Mechelen and Valenciennes were famous centres, and the procedure served as the model for lace machines.
Origin disputed between Flanders and Italy (Genoa and Venice). The first images and patterns date from the mid-16th century. Flanders is chosen for the weight of its industry, not for proven priority.
What it led to
- cottage industry of lacemakers in Flanders, France and England
- lace exports as the main textile luxury of the 17th century
- mechanisation with the Leavers machine in the 19th century