Spechio di pensieri delle belle et Virtudiose donne, page 3 (recto) 1546

This is a woodcut from a book titled "Mirror of thoughts of beautiful and virtuous women", made in Venice by Matteo Pagano around 1550. It shows patterns designed to be embroidered in counted thread. In 16th-century Europe, Venice was a center of the printing industry, and pattern books such as this one helped to spread Italian fashions throughout Europe. The title tells us something interesting about the gendered division of labor at the time. Needlework was considered a virtue, and women of leisure were expected to spend their time and energy on it. In looking at it we have to consider that this book provides the means for women to perform the expected social roles of their time. Historians of art and culture rely on books such as this to understand the tastes and social conditions of the past. By studying fashion, domestic life, and gender roles, we can get a more complete picture of the Renaissance world.