italiano
The ancient Venetian art of lace-making
An ancient legend says that the origins of lace lie in the so-called “trina delle sirene” – mermaid’s lace – an aquatic plant given by a sailor to a beautiful Venetian girl. She was so struck by its beauty that she wished to recreate it, thus giving rise to the art of lace-making.These precious trimmings used to decorate garments and drapery soon won the favour of Venetian noblewomen who were the first to contribute to its production and diffusion in the islands of the Most Serene Republic, later founding lace-making schools at the end of the 19th century.
In 1870, Michelangelo Jesurum opened the “Manifattura Veneziana dei merletti” and needle lace schools in Burano, as well as schools teaching the bobbin lace technique typical of Pellestrina and the filet lace-making more popular in Chioggia.
Using the traditional cylindrical embroidery cushion the skilful hands of the Burano lace-makers wove the woof and warp of sophisticate motifs, producing fine laces that soon spread to all the courts of Europe.
“Punto Venezia” (Venetian point), “punto Burano” (Burano point), and “punto Margherita” (Margherita point) embellished wedding gowns, parasols, bedspreads and royal trousseaux.
Jesurum, known as “il Michelangelo dei fuselli” (the Michelangelo of Bobbins), was awarded the gold medal in Paris for inventing polychrome bobbin lace with coloured silk threads; in 1906 he founded the Lace-Making Museum in his palazzo.
In 1939 the Levi Morenos family bought Jesurum, the historic Venetian lace-making company, thus saving it from bankruptcy and oblivion and saving its precious lace collection and war archive material. The guests of Ca’ Maffio can admire some of the historic pieces from the Levi Morenos family’s private collection now on display in the villa.
