Venetian lace

Refers to needle lace created in Venice primarily during the 16th through 19th centuries. It also refers to imitations of Venetian lace made later and/or in other locations. It is characterized by a sumptuousness defined by the large size of the pieces of lace and by the rich high-relief patterns and Baroque designs. Early examples were created by stitching together sections of deep, acute-angled points of lacework, which were typically used for making ruffs and collars known as "vandykes." Later designs were more curvilinear. Lace making declined in Venice proper in the early 19th century, but lace is still made on the nearby island of Burano.