Studio: international art (90.1925)

MODERN VIENNESE HAND-MADE
LACE, BY A. S. LEVETUS. 0 0

AS far back as 1904 an account was given
in the pages of The Studio of the
efforts made by the Austrian Govern-
ment to revive the hand-made lace in-
dustry after the success obtained at the
Paris Exhibition, where the examples
shown earned the Grand Prix for the
beauty of the designs and the exquisite
manner in which these were carried out;
a like honour was awarded for it at the
St. Louis Exhibition. This encouragement
led to the establishment of lace schools
throughout the then Austrian monarchy,
where lacemaking was practised, but first
a number of girls were brought to Vienna
(where a home was provided for them)
to study new methods and designing, and

HAND-MADE LACE. DESIGNED BY
RENI SCHASCHL, EXECUTED BY
THE WIENER WERKSTATTE

284

HAND-MADE LACE. DESIGNED
BY DAGOBERT PECHE, EXECUTED
BY THE WIENER WERKSTATTE

when their period of training was ended,
to return to their respective villages and
instruct the laceworkers. From that time
onwards the industry prospered, a big
business being done with England,
America, and other countries. All this,
however, came to an end for present
Austria when the monarchy was broken
up, for exactly in the part remaining there
had never been a lace industry otherwise
than machine-made. From the moment
of dissolution hand-made lace became a
luxury and an imported article. The
central lace school in Vienna could not
be kept up for " foreigners," as the
students had now become; they were
returned to their respective homes in
what had now become " foreign "
countries. Nevertheless, the art of lace-