THE LACEMAKER

Historical and artistic context

Presented in 1898, the work depicts a young woman absorbed in her work, her bust leaning over the bobbin pillow where she weaves lace with painstaking care. Devreese captures the silent grace of the artisanal gesture, elevating the simplicity of manual labor to the dignity of a universal symbol: that of feminine labour and inner concentration.

The original plaster (H. 55 cm), preserved at the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Liège – La Boverie (inv. Sc 0359), bears the artist’s signature and corresponds to the model. Other versions are known: two uniface medals, one in gold, the other in silver-plated copper electrogalvanic casting, made between 1898 and 1899, preserved at the Musée d’Orsay (inv. MEDOR 401–402, legend: Province de Brabant), as well as a bronze example acquired by the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya in Barcelona at the 6th International Art Exhibition of Barcelona in 1911.

The inscription “La Panne” engraved on the base of the present example undoubtedly refers to the place of execution of the model. The Lacemaker is thus part of a Flemish cycle inspired by the light of the coastline and everyday life, with a profound empathy for the popular condition.

Literature

• ENGELEN, C., MARX, M. La Sculpture en Belgique à partir de 1830. Louvain : Engelen-Marx, 2006. Tome III.

• DULIÈRE, Cécile. Le vase Bacchanale de Godefroid Devreese dans le parc de Mariemont. Les Cahiers de Mariemont, vol. 24–25, 1993.