Il Monte. Opera Nova di Recami, page 8 (recto) 1557 - 1570

Editor: Here we have "Il Monte. Opera Nova di Recami, page 8 (recto)" created sometime between 1557 and 1570. It's a print, an engraving to be exact, by Giovanni Antonio Bindoni. I’m struck by the intricate linework. It feels both decorative and somehow quite precise. What do you see in this piece? Curator: The meticulousness with which this image has been produced speaks volumes. Let's consider the labor involved in creating the original design and then transferring it to a printing plate. The repetitive nature of ornamental prints highlights the increasing mechanization influencing artistic production at this time, making these designs widely available. How might its purpose as an instructional manual shape your understanding? Editor: An instructional manual! I hadn't considered the ‘how-to’ aspect of it. Knowing that it was a guide for embroidery impacts my understanding; the choice of the material would've been decided before. How might the constraints of embroidery materials have influenced Bindoni's design choices, or vice versa? Curator: Precisely! The limitations, but also the potential, of thread and fabric directly impact the visual language here. Note the bold, clean lines – essential for clarity when translated into stitched form. And it shows how 'low' art is elevated by high art techniques. The print serves a practical function and challenges these hierarchies in the art world. What’s your take on its modern context, viewed as art today? Editor: I guess it shows that art is as much about function and use as about pure aesthetics. By looking at its original material purpose, it offers a new way of looking at these printed images and expands art, rather than just defining it. Curator: Exactly! The beauty lies not only in the image but in the labor, production, and the democratization of art making it made possible.