The lace pillow is similar to the drum like, Tombolo type. It is very similar to the pillow from the nearby French village of Tignes. The main difference is that the Cogne pillow is held by a stand, often elaborately carved by local wookdcarvers.

 

From Elisa Ricci: Old Italian Lace, Vol. II London, Philadelphia 1913 p. 14-15: "Even of late years, when a revival of artistic feeling seems to be stirring in every field of work, although we are conscious of a renewed interest being awakened in this delicate art, we are not able to locate the moving spirit. Fifty years or so ago a woman in service at Cogne, Val d'Aosta, taught two or three compatriots how to make bobbin-lace; these taught others. During wintertime the women of that region employ themselves by making simple laces which are sold in the neighbourhood and have given rise to a local fashion of wearing a large collar of starched lace. The work is done on a cylindrical cushion, empty inside, covered with striped material which serves as guide to the worker who makes her lace without a design. The pins are thick, with coloured heads. The rude cushion, the large pins, and absence of design are sufficient to mark Cogne lace unmistakably.

Cooperativa "Dentellières de Cogne" Tel.0165749282)
Mostra "I pizzi di Cogne"
Orario: 9.00-12.30 / 14.30-19.00
 Bobbin lace manufacture was probably brought to Cogne in the 16th century by a group of Benedictine nuns who escaped from the convent at Cluny in France. The local women quickly developed their own designs, based on the landscapes and animals of their valley. The patterns have been passed down from mother to daughter, and hundreds of them are exhibited here. Open 9-12:30 and 3-7:30 in summer; 8:30-11:30 and 1:30-5:30 in winter.

 Atelier d'Arts et Métiers
Mostra "I costumi tradizionali di Cogne"

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Cogne lace for sale