Ein new getruckt model Büchli...Page 25, verso 1529

This is page 25 from “Ein new getruckt model Büchli,” a model book created around 1524 by Johann Schönsperger the Younger. These books were essential resources, filled with patterns for embroiderers and lacemakers. Consider the social and economic context in which this book was made. During the Renaissance, the rise of a merchant class created a demand for elaborate textiles and personal adornment. Embroidery and lacework weren't just crafts; they were visual statements of status and identity. Women, often confined to the domestic sphere, found a creative and economic outlet in these skills. Model books, like this one, democratized access to design, spreading artistic ideas across geographic and social boundaries. While the patterns appear abstract, they speak to a world hungry for ornamentation, and the emotional satisfaction derived from creating beauty with one’s own hands.