Set of Flounces thumbnail 1
Set of Flounces thumbnail 2
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This object consists of 4 parts, some of which may be located elsewhere.

Set of Flounces

1867 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Alcide Roussel was one of the outstanding lace designers of the 19th century. He designed this set of flounces, which was shown at the Paris International Exhibition of 1867.

The market for all qualities of lace grew in the the mid 19th century. Handmade lace was a status symbol that demonstrated wealth and position. In the 1850s and 1860s people began to spend large quantities on luxury lace as they had done in the 18th century. The market leaders were large international companies. Auguste Lefébure at Bayeux made this piece. Verdé, Delisle et Cie of Paris and Brussels made lace for such leaders of fashion as the Empress Eugénie of France. Both of these manufacturers commissioned designs from Roussel. They were prominent at international exhibitions where they showed increasingly elaborate and technically accomplished pieces like this example. They also made lower quality lace for the mass market. This was a period of experimentation. Manufacturers of handmade lace recognised that technical and stylistic excellence were needed to compete successfully against the threat of machine-made lace.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 4 parts.

  • Flounce
  • Flounce
  • Flounce
  • Flounce
Materials and techniques
Needle lace worked in linen thread
Brief description
Set of flounces of needle lace, French (Bayeux), about 1867
Physical description
Set of two deep and two narrow flounces of point d'Alencon needle lace. Complex pattern dominated by undulating trompe l'oeil fluted band, in front of exotic leaves and flowers, with dragonflies and butterflies, on net ground.
Dimensions
  • T.59 c length: 1130mm
  • T.59 c width: 110mm
  • T.59 length: 264cm
  • T.59 width: 53.5cm
Credit line
Bequeathed by Lady Ludlow
Object history
Shown at Paris Exhibition of 1867 by M. Lefebure of Bayeux. Point d'Alencon made to the design of Alcide Roussel. Illustrated in the Art Journal Catalogue of the Exhibition, p.103.
Summary
Alcide Roussel was one of the outstanding lace designers of the 19th century. He designed this set of flounces, which was shown at the Paris International Exhibition of 1867.

The market for all qualities of lace grew in the the mid 19th century. Handmade lace was a status symbol that demonstrated wealth and position. In the 1850s and 1860s people began to spend large quantities on luxury lace as they had done in the 18th century. The market leaders were large international companies. Auguste Lefébure at Bayeux made this piece. Verdé, Delisle et Cie of Paris and Brussels made lace for such leaders of fashion as the Empress Eugénie of France. Both of these manufacturers commissioned designs from Roussel. They were prominent at international exhibitions where they showed increasingly elaborate and technically accomplished pieces like this example. They also made lower quality lace for the mass market. This was a period of experimentation. Manufacturers of handmade lace recognised that technical and stylistic excellence were needed to compete successfully against the threat of machine-made lace.
Bibliographic reference
Santina M. Levey, Lace: A History, 1983, pl. 410 Clare Browne, Lace from the Victoria and Albert Museum, 2004, p. 24, pl. 67
Collection
Accession number
T.59 to C-1949

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Record createdDecember 17, 2003
Record URL
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