Studio: international art (27.1903)

Modern Austrian Lace

exactitude and vigour of workmanship showing
that she thoroughly comprehended the designer's
intentions.

In pillow-lace, too, there is in Austrian work a
great advance on the conventional patterns of
bygone ages. This is at once seen in the work of
Frau Hrdlicka, which displays fine technique
in design and execution. In pillow-lace the
greatest difficulty is the junction where the stems
meet. This has been got over by a clever
manipulation of the thread, thus avoiding the use
of the scissors. In old lace the stems are made by
running lengths of thread through the net and
cutting them to the required length at either end.
Modern lace can only be made by the most
talented and dexterous of workers ; for, not only
must they be au fait with the technicalities of
lace-making, but they must be in touch with
the designer and possess a fine sense of feeling
for their work. This new method of working

the stems has been evolved by Frau Jamnik,
and is only to be met with in work done
under her direction. She is now engaged in
working out other new methods of treatment, and
we may expect further developments in this as in
point lace. In some of the pieces of work by Frau
Hrdlicka, which are illustrated here, one sees the
same variation as in the point lace. The leaves too
are curved, a manipulation never to be found in
fine old pillow-lace, owing to the difficulty of
forming the curve, though one may meet with it
in coarser kinds.

A contrast to this may be seen in designs after old
patterns, though the groundwork of net, with its
openwork stitches, is modern. The lights and
shades are not so effective as in the modern
designs. In some of Frau Hrdlicka's designs the
blossoms are rather too heavy; though there is
no question as to the beauty 01 the lace-maker's
work. Frau Hrdlicka's tablecloth (page 165) in

PILLOW LACE

DESIGNED BY FRAULEIN HRDLICKA
EXECUTED BY THE IMPERIAL ROYAL
SCHOOL OF LACE-MAKING, VIENNA