Les Secondes Oeuvres, et Subtiles Inventions De Lingerie du Seigneur Federic de Vinciolo Venitien, page 20 (recto) 1603

This is a page from a book, published in Venice around 1600, dedicated to needlework patterns. It’s printed with woodcut, a relief process that allowed the relatively rapid dissemination of images. The design itself is geometric and intricate. As the inscription says, it contains 73 stitches! The pattern has a direct relationship to the labor involved. It’s not just an abstract image; it's a set of instructions. It was meant to be closely followed, stitch by stitch, by the embroiderer. Consider the social context: needlework was primarily the work of women. Books like this one offered inspiration and guidance. In a sense, this print is a tool, enabling the creation of textiles in the domestic sphere. Yet, it also points to a larger economic picture of craft production and consumption in early modern Europe. The pattern here reflects not only an aesthetic, but also the gendered division of labor that was so much a part of early capitalism.