By degrees these patterns developed into a more solid massing of the flower forms, and the ties, or brides, became more irregular, but at the same time more evenly distributed. Sometimes, as in Venetian point lace, the brides had little flowers worked on them, and in many instances the larger forms were raised to a considerable height or thickness. The groundwork in some of the scroll designs of Venetian point laces is composed of regular hexagons, and this was the starting-point of the future hexagonal mesh grounds. [Illustration: Fig. 280.—Guipure; Flemish; Seventeenth Century.] Raised scroll work is peculiar to the Venetian point laces of the best period—the end of the seventeenth century. Flemish lace was mostly of the pillow-made variety, but some point work was also executed, principally at Brussels. Mechlin, Lille, and Valenciennes were all famous for their pillow-made laces. Returning to the development of patterns in lace, we find that France led the way in design from the early years of the eighteenth century. Prior to this time, Colbert, the Minister of Louis XIV.—whose far-sightedness in the matters of art did so much for France—succeeded in establishing lace-making centres at Alençon, Argentan, Quesnoy, Arras, Rheims, &c., and the patterns of lace then in favour partook of the prevailing style of Louis-Quatorze ornament with a mixture of floral forms, more or less realistic in character (Fig. 279). The latter illustration is that of a lappet of “point d’Alençon” fabric, which is the most elaborate and most expensive of all French laces. Another French point lace is that known as “point d’Argentan,” and if not a variety of Alençon lace, is very much like it. This lace is noted for its clear and strong-meshed ground. [Illustration: Fig. 281.—Guipure Lace; Italian; Seventeenth Century.] Valenciennes lace, made in the French town of that name, is one of the oldest pillow-made laces, dating from the fifteenth century; the best Valenciennes, however, has been made at Yprès, and is a very soft and flat variety of fabric, with the meshes plaited, not twisted, has no cordonnet around the edges, and is very floral in design. “Fausse” Valenciennes is an irregular and slightly coarser variety than the “vraie” or true Valenciennes. Mechlin lace is similar in design to Valenciennes, but has the cordonnet outline, and has the meshes of the ground partly twisted and partly plaited (Fig. 283). Lille and Arras laces have fine single grounds: four of the six sides of the mesh are formed by the twisting of two threads, and the other two sides by simply crossing the threads. Lille was formerly famous for its black straight-edged laces. Chantilly laces were made in white and black silk, but now similar black silk laces are made at Bayeux in Normandy, and at Auvergne, an old-established centre. Laces are now made in all kinds of materials. [Illustration: Fig. 282.—Finest Raised Venetian Point.]