CROATIAN LACE

Darko Zubrinic, 2006

The annual exhbition of Croatian lace in the town of Lepoglava, NW of Zagreb, showed amazing skills of our women in knitting, using subtle patterns of breathtaking beauty. The 10th International Lace Festival - Lepoglava 2006 has been very successfuly organized. Here are just a few photos from the 2006 exhibition, taken by the author.

The tradition of Lepoglava lace is several centuries old. It was especially blossoming in 19th century and in the first half of 20th century. In 1937 the Lepoglava lace won the gold medal in Paris. After 1945, during the ex-Yugoslav communist regime, the tradition has almost died out. Since the 1997 it is blossoming again.

The oldest testimony of lace making in Croatia is from the 15th century, mentioned in the minutes of the Dubrovnik Senat, see [Eckhel].

 

Lepoglava lace (bobbin lace):

 

 

 

 

The Lepoglava lace began to flower especially by the end of the 19th century, when Zlata Sufflay, a sister of Milan Sufflay, organized the production of sofisticated lace patterns based on folk decoration. It was very sucessfully continued and developed by Danica Brössler after the WWI. Organized workshops of lace-making, and introduced it into specilaized schools. Among outstanding achievements we mention the gold medal for the Lepoglava lace
won at the 1937 World Fair organized in Paris.

Lace Tent is an interesting project initiated by Akiko Sato, a japanese artist (photographer). The tent measures 3x2 meters. In order to finish it, ten local lace-makers worked for two monts, six hours a day.

 

Pag lace (needle point lace)

 

 

Pag lace (source: Pag, Turistkomerc, Zagreb 1983)

 

 

source: http://www.santafe.edu/~zovko/croatia.html

source: http://www.hkr.hr/?sec=3&tid=5&cid=12588

A systematic teching of preparing the Pag lace started in 1906 (cancelled in 1948 during the ex Yugoslav communist regime, renewed in 1994). But it is known that already in the 15th century the Pag lace has been prepared within the benedictine convent of St Margarita on the island of Pag.

Zadar lace, see [Eckhel]

 

Hvar lace (agave lace) from the island of Hvar is unique in the world to be made of threads of agave leaves!

 

Source: www.croatianmuseum.com, The Croatian Heritage Museum and Library, located in the American Croatian Lodge Complex in Eastlake, Ohio, USA

Two fantastic "reciprocal" postage stamps, one issued in Belgium representing Croatian lace, and another one in issued in Croatia representing Belgium lace:

Belgique Belgie: Dentelle de l'ille de Pag / Kan van het eiland Pag (Croatia)

Republika Hrvatska (Republic of Croatia): Cipka iz Liedekerkea (A lace from Lidedekerk, Belgium)

For more information see

Croatia - its History, Culture and Science