Les Singuliers et Nouveaux Portraicts... page 17 (recto) 1588

This is a page from 'Les Singuliers et Nouveaux Portraicts…', an illustrated book of lace-making patterns, made in France in the late 16th century. It was designed by Federico de Vinciolo, an Italian pattern designer working for the French court. The image provides a template for ‘point coupé’ lace, then highly fashionable across Europe. Lace making was a skilled and valuable craft, often practiced by women, and pattern books like this played an important role in disseminating new styles and techniques. The designs themselves combine geometric motifs with allegorical figures – we can see what looks like a sun, and perhaps Cupid – reflecting the fashion for classical imagery popular at the time. The book is a product of its time, reflecting the economic prosperity and artistic patronage of the French court, but it also speaks to the wider social and economic changes taking place as lace production became increasingly commercialized. By studying pattern books, we gain insight into the tastes, skills, and economic activities of people from the past.