Opera Nova Universali intitulata Corona di racammi, page 34 (recto) 1530

Giovanni Andrea Vavassore created this woodcut, Opera Nova Universali intitulata Corona di racammi, in Venice during the 16th century. The repeating patterns were designed as templates for embroidery. These pattern books emerged in response to a growing demand for luxury goods as the merchant class expanded. They speak to the rising status of women in the domestic sphere, providing the means to create refined household textiles. Woodcut printing allowed for the wide dissemination of these designs, democratizing access to fashionable ornament. We can compare these patterns to contemporary paintings, domestic inventories, and costume books to reconstruct the visual culture of the time. By studying these artifacts, we gain insight into the social aspirations of Renaissance society. Ultimately, art is a product of its time, reflecting and shaping the values of the culture that produced it.