Corona delle Nobili et Virtuose Donne: Libro I-IV, page 115 (recto) 1601

Cesare Vecellio created this page in pen and ink for his "Crown of Noble and Virtuous Women," published in Venice. This pattern book reflects the increasing availability of printed materials and the rising expectations for women's education and accomplishments in 16th-century Italy. Lace patterns such as this were not merely decorative; they represented a form of social currency and a display of status. Lace making was a skill taught to women of the upper classes and convents, who could use their knowledge of design and needlework to generate income. The geometric patterns, carefully delineated, provided artisans with the templates to create elaborate borders. Vecellio’s book is a cultural document that shows how the labor and creativity of women came to be captured and codified within a commercialized system. To understand fully the role of pattern books like this, we can look to archival records, fashion history, and studies of gender and labor.