Ornamental drawings (recto) blank (verso) 1500 - 1560

This ornamental drawing was made with pen and brown ink on paper, by an anonymous artist. The relatively simple materials belie the complex system of labor and production that this design would have eventually become a part of. The drawing shows a highly stylized vertical arrangement of leaves and flowers, and would have been used as a pattern for a range of luxury objects. From textiles to metalwork, this precise rendering would have been translated into a variety of materials through specialized, highly skilled labor. The drawing may not be considered ‘high art,’ but without it, there would be no pattern, and no end product. It is the generative starting point of everything that follows. Consider the drawing as a tangible link to the many artisans who would have employed it, and the wider context of labor, trade, and consumption that gave rise to it. When we look at the bigger picture, we can see beyond traditional distinctions between art and craft, design and production.