Tønder Lace


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Tønderkniplinger is a continuous lace of motifs on a tulle or point d'esprit ground from the Sønderjylland area (Schleswig) of Denmark. Tønder Lace could said to have three iterations. The first, influenced by Binche lace, the second in a Arras style, then finally what we associate with Tønder Lace today. Tønderkniplinger/ Tønderske Kniplinger is a ‘point ground’ lace or 'tulle' and is similar to english Buckinghamshire and Lille Lace from France. What distinguishes Tønder lace is the gimp which surrounds the motifs and this emphasises the pattern, tallies in the point ground and the picot edge. Changes in fashion, the invention of machines to make lace and the disastrous war of 1864 when Sønderjylland came under German control could all said to be contributory factors in the decline of Tønder Lace. An exhibition at the Kunstindustriemuseet in 1908 and Emill Hannover's (1864 - 1923) book Tønderske Kniplinger helped to revive interest in Tønder lace. In 1920 the revival began in earnest when people sought to discover what where the Danish traditions in Sønderjylland. Ladies circles were formed to learn the old techniques. In 1985 Knipling i Danmark was formed. The techniques used in Tønder lace lend themselves to reinterpretation for a contemporary audience in a technique which could be described as 'irregular tulle'.


Tønder Lace Handkerchief edging

To discover more an excellent resource Kunstindustrimusset in Copenhagen and the Museum Sonderjylland. You can see also some examples at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London.

Books on Tønder Lace:

Femten Bredere Tønderkniplinger med arbejdstegniger by Astrid Hansen 2004 Tønder Museum ISBN 87-87372-14-2

Knipling efter Tegning by Johann Nyrop-Larsen. Notabene 1982 ISBN 87-7490-223-7

Mønstertegning til kniplinger: et øvelsehæfte fra 1700-tallet 1980 Nationalmuseet 87-480-0308-5

Spindelvæv og drømme: Tønderkniplinger på gamle huelin

by Bobbi Donnelly, Michael Guisiana, Ben Eslykke Kristensen and Nancy Carnegie 2013 ISBN 978-87-88376-60–9-1

The Technique of Tønder Lace by Inge Skovgård. Batsford 1991 ISBN 0-7134-6255-8

Tønderkniplinger I  by Inge Wind Skovgård. Akacia 2001 ISBN 87-7847-029-3

Tønderkniplinger II  by Inge Wind Skovgård. Akacia 2001 ISBN 87-7847-030-7

Tønder: 10 mønstre med arbejdstegninger. Knipling i Danmark  1989

Tønder Lace: about lace-making history i Western Sønderjylland from the 17th Century till Today Iben Eslykke Kristensen 2013 ISBN 978-87-88376-61-6


Tønderske Kniplinger by Emil Hannover. Høst & Søns Forlag 1989 ISBN 87-14-28902-4

Tylsbund og picoter: Tønderkniplinger fra Detlev Hansens prøvebøger
by Bobbi Donnelly, Michael Guisiana, Iben Eslykke Kristensen and Nancy Carnegie 2016 ISBN 978-87-88376-96-8

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Pays D'Enhaut
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Dentelles Du Pays-D'Enhaut is a black silk from the Pays D'Enhaut area of Canton Vaud in Switzerland. The lace was often made by farmers wives to adorn their black bonnets.
Books on Pays D'Enhaut:
Dentelles Du Pays-D'Enhaut by Ruth Doepfner- Wettstein 1994 Barbara Fay Verlag ISBN 3-925184-85-6
Tüllgrundspitzen by Ruth Doepfner- Wettstein Barbara Fay Verlag