Le Pompe: Opera Nova, page 12 (recto) 1557

Curator: What grabs me immediately about this page from "Le Pompe: Opera Nova" is its intensity. All those interwoven patterns, it almost vibrates on the page. Editor: Well, these patterns are literally pages of resistance. This particular print, created in Venice in 1557 by Giovanni Battista and Marchio Sessa, wasn’t just pretty; it was political! These intricate designs showcased lace patterns. Curator: Lace patterns… for real? I would never imagine. It just seems like an innocent sketchbook page! Editor: And that's exactly the point! Lace-making in the 16th century was overwhelmingly done by women, and this print offered accessible designs that could be easily replicated. Think about the context: powerful merchant families used luxury goods such as handmade lace to communicate not just wealth but dominance and class status in their own societies, at home and internationally. Making one’s own luxury, for non-elites, meant agency. This engraving became a form of resistance, a literal do-it-yourself guide empowering marginalized communities. Curator: Do-it-yourself resistance! That’s amazing. You start thinking about the spaces in which women exchanged lace-making patterns... like a whole economy circulating outside patriarchal structures, which, come to think of it, would give powerful women opportunities to network... and that idea has teeth! I find myself seeing something rebellious in all those looping lines now. Editor: It's really subversive, right? And on a personal level, it's easy to relate: each of these lines can be copied; each of the resulting lace configurations represent countless hours of care, creativity, connection, and focus. There's love imbued in that kind of production, which stands defiant. Curator: Definitely. These lines weren't just ornamentation, they represent social fabric being rewoven. What a testament to the power of design, both visually and culturally! Editor: In the humblest, quietest forms. It's absolutely inspiring!