Giardineto novo di punti tagliati et gropposi per exercitio & ornamento delle donne (Venice 1554), page 14 (verso) 1554

Editor: Here we have a page from "Giardineto novo di punti tagliati et gropposi per exercitio & ornamento delle donne", created in Venice in 1554 by Matteo Pagano. It’s a drawing, or rather a print, from a book showing patterns. What strikes me is the almost mathematical quality of the whole thing. What do you make of it? Curator: It’s like stumbling upon a secret language, isn’t it? I love the thought of a 16th-century Instagram feed devoted to embroidery patterns! I mean, imagine the conversations sparked by these tiny squares. These aren't just patterns; they are cultural blueprints, domestic technologies transferred from eye, to mind, to skillful hands. How does it make you feel imagining this page in the hands of someone back then? Editor: That's fascinating! It really puts it in perspective. So, these patterns were literally instructing women how to create these intricate embroideries? Curator: Precisely. And "instructing" feels a little too sterile. Consider that act of recreation through stitching. Each stitch tells a story, a personal rebellion from the strictures of life. Did they always stick to the pattern? Perhaps these printed pages served as invitations for a departure from structure! What happens if you start seeing each square like a little stage for personal storytelling? Editor: That's beautiful – seeing it as an invitation, not an instruction. So, by looking at this page, we can access something beyond just the geometry; we get a glimpse into the creative lives of these women? Curator: Exactly. I feel like I am looking into a mirror that lets me peek into another’s imaginative sphere through touch, texture, artistry...and math, of course! Editor: Well, I’ll never look at a grid the same way again! It has all these hidden personal stories. Curator: That's the magic of art, isn't it? A simple grid transformed into a boundless canvas for expression.