Schön newes Modelbuch (Page 40r) 1608

This page of the "Schön newes Modelbuch," or "Beautiful New Pattern Book," was created around the early 17th century by Sigismundus Latomus, using woodcut on paper. The image shows a series of patterns, made with the same repeating modular unit. The black ink sits slightly raised on the page, a testament to the printing process. These weren’t fine artworks in the traditional sense, but rather functional objects, intended to be used as guides for embroidery and needlework. These books were luxury goods, purchased by upper-class women, who would have then translated the designs into textiles. Each stitch would have required time and skill, often done in the domestic sphere. Consider how the industrial process of printing, typically associated with mass production, served here to enable a highly personalized, hand-made craft tradition. It suggests a more complex relationship between industrialization, labor, and artistic expression. It proves that the supposed divide between fine art and craft becomes blurred when we look closely at the materials, making, and social context.