Corona delle Nobile et Virtuose Donne, Libro Terzo, page 22 (recto) 1620

This is page 22 from the third book of Cesare Vecellio’s “Corona delle Nobile et Virtuose Donne,” a pattern book printed in Venice, Italy. The book, dedicated to noble and virtuous women, provides a variety of lace-making patterns. The image creates meaning through its symbolic visual codes. The designs, suitable for decorating clothing and household linens, incorporate symbolic figures. The images of women, flora and fauna, reflect the cultural values and historical associations of the time. The inclusion of these patterns in a printed book demonstrates how cultural institutions, like publishing, were democratizing access to design and fashion. This allowed women of different social classes to engage with and emulate the styles of the elite. The printing press made the sharing of cultural knowledge more accessible. By studying historical pattern books and their distribution, we can better understand the social and economic forces that shaped artistic production and consumption in Renaissance Italy.