Ein ney Furmbüchlein, Page 15, recto 1520 - 1530

Curator: Well, if that isn’t some serious ink! I find myself unexpectedly drawn in—it’s a whole other universe tucked into these tight, formal patterns. Editor: Absolutely. What we’re looking at here is “Ein ney Furmbüchlein, Page 15, recto,” a woodcut created sometime between 1520 and 1530, and the design is attributed to Johann Schönsperger the Younger. It's an interesting object—more than just decoration. Curator: A little universe trying to communicate! What’s going on in the center band, by the way? Are those mythical creatures tangled up with urns, maybe a nod to abundance? Editor: It’s likely intended for artisans. These pattern books, as they’re often called, served as resources, circulating designs that could then be adapted for use in other media, such as metalwork or textiles. Consider it a form of visual communication driving craft production at the time. Curator: Imagine that impact on makers and patrons then—seeing ideas spread and bloom everywhere. And as someone living today, the effect of these images creates is one that allows me to stop what I'm doing and get drawn in. I’m sort of pulled down into a labyrinth. Are we sure Schönsperger didn’t lace the ink with something special? Editor: Ha! Though Schönsperger himself isn't particularly well-known today, it’s worth thinking about how crucial these kinds of images were in disseminating design principles across Europe. It speaks to how the Metropolitan, as a museum, brings these historical discussions and images into our lives, today. Curator: Absolutely! And it's a credit to the power that design can have—isn’t it? It is very impressive for a black ink on white page to carry that sort of weight. Editor: Definitely something to contemplate as we turn the page on our own patterns today!