Page from Eyn Newe kunstlich moetdelboech alle kunst (Page 9v) 1532

This is a page from Peter Quentel’s "Newe kunstlich moetdelboech alle kunst", a German book of model patterns, printed around 1540. At the time, pattern books allowed for the wide circulation of design ideas. They were used as guides for creating luxury objects such as, embroidery, lace, or metalwork. The circulation of these designs was facilitated by the growth of the printing press and the expansion of trade routes across Europe. This allowed artisans from different regions to share ideas and techniques, and contributed to the development of a more standardized visual language. The image creates meaning through a combination of visual codes and cultural references. The top two bands display stylized ornamentation, while the lowest seems to show a hunting scene with a deer, dogs and a hunter. The book provides artisans with a range of decorative motifs that could be adapted and combined in different ways. As historians, we can examine pattern books like this one to better understand the role of visual culture in shaping social identities. We can use resources such as period manuscripts, printed books, and surviving examples of decorative arts, to further understand the meaning of these images.