Esemplario di Lauori..., page 6 (verso) 1532

This is a woodcut by Giovanni Andrea Vavassore, made in Italy around 1530. It’s a page from a book of model patterns, intended for needlework and lace making. These designs, typical of the Renaissance, reflect the era's fascination with classical motifs and heraldic imagery. Consider the institutional context: pattern books like this played a crucial role in disseminating designs and skills, particularly among women of the artisan and noble classes. The patterns often included symbolic elements, reflecting social status and cultural values. The black-and-white medium also deserves attention. Woodcut prints were relatively inexpensive, making these designs accessible to a wider audience than unique, hand-drawn patterns. Did the mass production and distribution of pattern books like this one democratize design, or did it simply reinforce existing social hierarchies? To understand this image better, we can look at surviving examples of needlework, household inventories, and even conduct archival research into the printmaking trade in Renaissance Italy. This helps us understand how these images played a role in shaping social practices.