gros point de Venise

Gros point de Venise, also known as raised point, is a type of Venetian needle lace created from the 16th to the 19th century. This intricate lace is characterized by its raised, padded floral designs, giving it a high relief effect.1

Early Venetian needle lace featured deep, acute-angled points worked separately and joined by a band. By the 17th century, patterns became more curvilinear. Gros point de Venise developed distinctively from flat Venetian lace by outlining designs with a heavier thread, called a cordonnet, which was then worked over with buttonholing. This technique made the scrolls and leaves stand out in relief.2

Later variations included rose point, which was more ornamented with loops (picots) and rosettes, and point de neige, featuring light bars of thread with similar motifs. Around 1650, point de Venise à réseau emerged, imitating French lace with a mesh ground. Lace making in Venice declined in the early 19th century but was revived in the late 19th century.2