Page from Ein new kunstlich Modelbuch...(Page 9r) 1544

Editor: Here we have a page from *Ein new kunstlich Modelbuch…(Page 9r)* created in 1544 by Peter Quentel. It's a woodcut print, so ink on paper. The geometric patterns are very striking. I immediately think of cross-stitch samplers. What is your take? Curator: Indeed, it does spark that very sensation. These pattern books were all the rage during the Renaissance; people just couldn't get enough of them. What’s fascinating to me is how functional art used to be. This wasn't necessarily meant to be hung on a wall, contemplating meaning. Imagine women, especially, pouring over these designs. The geometric and repeating motif's a language unto themselves, like pixelated poetry. What feelings does that spark in you? Editor: It makes me think about accessibility. Before mass production, something like this democratized design in a way. It provided a guide for those who couldn’t necessarily afford fancy textiles, but could create them. Curator: Precisely! And it underscores something essential: Creativity isn't the sole province of the wealthy or the elite. These patterns would filter down to countless embroidery works and tapestries. Isn’t it fabulous to think of those patterns spreading, changing, and becoming a living thing beyond the printed page? Editor: Absolutely! So, it's not just art for art's sake, it's art *for life's* sake. Curator: Precisely. Next time I look at my grandmother's doilies, I think I’ll look at them with new eyes.