Gemma pretiosa della virtuose donne, page 29 (recto) 1625

This page, created by Isabella Catanea Parasole around the turn of the 17th century, is an instruction manual for making reticella lace, a needlepoint technique popular at the time. It’s an example of printmaking used for a very specific purpose – not simply to make an image, but to codify the know-how needed for a particular kind of work. The bold, geometric patterns are ideal as templates. They allowed lace makers to produce intricate, symmetrical designs by hand. The title "Gemma pretiosa della virtuose donne" translates to "Precious Gems of Virtuous Women," underscoring how the skill was valued. It was labor-intensive work that could be done in the home, but the resulting textiles were luxurious, and worn by those with social standing. The manual, and the lace itself, occupied a fascinating intersection of craft, class, and gender in early modern Europe. Ultimately, the meaning of this page comes not from its status as “fine art,” but in the way it illuminates a whole world of making.