Schön newes Modelbuch (Page 54r) 1608

This is a page from Schön newes Modelbuch, or Beautiful New Pattern Book, made in the 1600s by Sigismundus Latomus. These pattern books were incredibly popular in Europe at the time, and were a way of circulating design ideas. The images here are woodcuts, a relatively cheap and easy way of reproducing images. Printed on paper, they could be purchased and taken all over Europe, where craftspeople and artisans would adapt them to different materials, like textiles or metalwork. Notice the way the images are laid out in bands: they are essentially templates that can be repeated, expanded, and adjusted. These pattern books also played an important role in the history of art and design. The circulation of images helped to standardize styles and techniques. As a cultural historian, I would be interested in researching the role of the guilds in regulating the production and distribution of these designs. I would also want to know more about the social status of the artisans who used them.