BURANO LACE

lace made on the island of Burano, near Venice. Until the early 19th century, there had been a Burano lace industry producing copies of 18th-century French lace. By midcentury it was virtually extinct. When in 1872 attempts were made to revive the lace industry to provide relief to the islanders after a ruinous winter, one elderly inhabitant was found who remembered the technique. On this foundation, well supported by patronage, a flourishing lace school was started and successfully copied from the antique. The lace, sold in Venice, is widely exported.