La Vera Perfettione del Disegno di varie sorti di recami, page 21 (verso) 1567

This page from Giovanni Ostaus’s pattern book, created around 1600, presents designs for embroidery, brimming with symbols carrying echoes across time. Observe the frieze of dancing putti, figures that descend from classical antiquity, where they were associated with celebrations of love and fertility. Here, they re-emerge, embodying a sense of joy. Note the ever-present Greek key pattern, a motif found on ancient pottery and architecture, symbolizing the labyrinth, the unending, or perhaps the eternal. Consider also the double-headed eagle, a symbol of power and empire, particularly associated with the Holy Roman Empire. How striking that this emblem is juxtaposed with floral arabesques, suggestive of growth and renewal. These symbols transcend mere decoration, engaging our subconscious with primal forces. The image taps into the wellspring of human emotion and collective memory, where gestures and emblems resonate with meanings layered through centuries.