Page from Ein new kunstlich Modelbuch...(Page 2v) 1544

This page comes from a model book, printed in Cologne by Peter Quentel around the mid-16th century. It’s made with woodcut, a process where a design is carved into a block of wood, and then printed onto paper. Notice how the designs are presented in horizontal bands. This isn't fine art, it's a pattern book, a resource for artisans. Think of the labor involved: a skilled cutter meticulously removes wood to leave the design raised on the block. Then, each impression requires careful inking and pressing. The character of the wood is evident in the crisp, graphic quality of the lines. These patterns were intended to be copied onto textiles, metalwork, and other surfaces, spreading design ideas far and wide. This was the internet of its day, a system for circulating visual ideas in a pre-industrial world. We can see here how modes of production shape aesthetics and how "craft" was fundamental to the rise of visual culture.