Frančiška Giacomelli Gantar
Frančiška Giacomelli Gantar | |
|---|---|
| Born | Frančiška Giacomelli February 5, 1907 |
| Died | January 1, 1988 (aged 80) |
| Occupations | bobbin lacemaker, drafter, designer |
Frančiška Giacomelli Gantar (27 February 1905 – 1 January 1988) was Slovenian bobbin lacemaker, drafter and designer. Her lacemaking patterns were very popular in Slovenia at her time and are still made nowadays.[1][2][3]
Early life
Frančiška Giacomelli Gantar was born on 27 February 1905 in Nova Vas pri Žireh into a poor family.[3][4][5] Her mother was a farm worker Frančiška Gregorač and her father was farm worker Franc Giacomelli.[4][6] It was her father who first taught her the basics of lace-making.[5] At the age of seven she entered the lace school.[3][5] Her lace teacher was Leopoldina Pelhan,[3] with whom she studied lace-making for eight years.[5]
Career
At fifteen she began working as a bobbin lacemaker.[5] She produced complex lace and demand for her work was high.[1][7] In 1920 a new border was set, and lace patterns ("paperci") from Idrija were no longer available.[1] Frančiška was artistically gifted, and some lacemakers encouraged her to start drawing patterns herself. At first she hesitated, as she was earning well from lacemaking.[1] In 1926 she created her first patterns.[3][5] She invented and drew the designs herself, first copying them with carbon paper, later with a special copying machine.[1] Initially, she created patterns for a shopkeeper who exported lace to the American market, and later for several other merchants.[5] She also produced custom patterns for individual clients, drawing to the requested size and filling them with motifs. She drew freehand with a soft pencil, so corrections could be erased. The only base she had pre-drawn was the honeycomb grid in various sizes.[1] Soon she abandoned lacemaking altogether and earned her living solely from designing and reproducing patterns.[1]
In 1931 she married Vinko Gantar. Her husband strongly supported her work and, when orders were heavy, also helped copy patterns with the machine.[1][3][5] Occasionally her sister and sister-in-law, themselves lacemakers, assisted her as well.[1] She kept every pattern she ever made.[1]
Later life and death
In old age, Frančiška Giacomelli Gantar considered burning her collection of patterns, believing they would only be a burden after her death because lacemaking in Žiri had lost its former popularity. Her daughter convinced her to preserve them.[3] She died on 1 January 1988 in Nova Vas pri Žireh.[4]
Artistic legacy
Her artistic legacy is now cared for by her daughter, a prize-winning lacemaker.[1][3][8] Lace based on her patterns is still being produced.[1][2][3] In 2017, an exhibition of her patterns and lace made from them was held in Žiri.[3][5]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Klekljane čipke, “špice” na Žirovskem - Bobbin Lace, “špice” in the Žiri Region (PDF). Žiri. 2022.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ a b ulimarus (2023-09-11). "Exhibition of Idrija lace and lace from Železniki and Žiri". 29th International Lace Festival (in Croatian). Retrieved 2025-08-28.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Mlinar, Tanja (2017). "11th Slovenian Bobbin Lace Days combined with the celebration of the 70th anniversary of Alpina and the Alpina Wind Orchestra" (PDF). Žirovske stopinje - Gazette of the Municipality of Žiri.
- ^ a b c "Krstna knjiga / Taufbuch - 04462 | Žiri | Nadškofijski arhiv Ljubljana | Slovenia | Matricula Online". data.matricula-online.eu (in Slovenian). Retrieved 2025-08-28.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "11th Slovenian Bobbin Lace Days in Žiri" (PDF).
- ^ "Poročna knjiga / Trauungsbuch - 04362 | Žiri | Nadškofijski arhiv Ljubljana | Slovenia | Matricula Online". data.matricula-online.eu. Retrieved 2025-08-28.
- ^ "Bobbin Lace in the Žiri Area". Loški muzej Škofja Loka. Retrieved 2025-08-28.
- ^ "Gorenjski glas - Archive | Bobbin Lace "Sash" for Tinca Slabe". arhiv.gorenjskiglas.si. Retrieved 2025-08-30.