The Point de France was born thanks to an initiative of the minister of finance of Louis XIV, Jean Baptiste Colbert, who on August, 5, 1665 created the Royal Lace Manufactures in many different cities of the kingdom. After several attempts to copy the famous Gros Point de Venise, French lace makers were able to create a new, and competitive lace, the Point de France.

Without any major changes in the basic technique, but without the characteristic high relief of the Gros Point, it was in the choice of the patterns that the Point de France distinguished itself. They certainly came from the court of Versailles. In fact, in the Point de France large compositions resembling architectural projects dominate and there are also numerous symbols and allusions to the Sun King, such as suns, sunflowers, canopies, royal crowns, symmetrically arranged and regularly spaced, in a way that is characteristic of the time.

Further readings:

Cfr. D.D. Poli, Il Merletto Veneziano, Novara, 1998,
A. Kraatz, Merletti, Milano, 1988.