Ornamento delle belle & virtuose donne, page 2 (recto) 1554

This is plate two from "Ornamento delle belle & virtuose donne" by Matteo Pagano, made using woodcut in the 16th century. Notice the image's grid structure, a series of small compartments arranged in neat rows and columns. Within each cell, geometric forms are rendered, and motifs—squares, diamonds, and crosses—are repeated and varied. The compositions explore the interplay between symmetry and controlled asymmetry, inviting the eye to move across the surface, decoding visual information. This structural framework raises ideas about modularity, an exploration of how simple units can be combined to generate complex patterns. This challenges fixed meanings of beauty, suggesting ornament as a system of signs that can be endlessly reconfigured. By reducing images to their basic geometric elements, Pagano destabilizes conventional notions of representation and invites us to reconsider the very nature of visual language.