Les Singuliers et Nouveaux Portraicts... page 72 (recto) 1588

This is page 72 from "Les Singuliers et Nouveaux Portraicts...", an embroidery pattern book made in France around 1600 by Federico de Vinciolo. This page presents a design representing winter, composed of a grid of squares, each meant to represent a stitch. The image is intriguing because it highlights the intersection of art, craft, and social status in the late 16th century. Embroidery, like other 'domestic' crafts, was often relegated to the realm of women and the household. Pattern books such as this one played a crucial role in the transmission of artistic and cultural values, and in the establishment of certain social hierarchies. The grid structure is reminiscent of architectural plans, connecting the 'feminine' sphere of embroidery to the 'masculine' world of design. It's also worth noting that the printing of pattern books was itself an industry, dependent on technical innovation, trade networks, and a literate, leisured class. To fully understand this image, we need to delve into the history of textile production and consumption, the changing roles of women in early modern Europe, and the rise of print culture.