Giardineto novo di punti tagliati et gropposi per exercitio & ornamento delle donne (Venice 1554), page 5 (verso) 1554

This page from Matteo Pagano’s *Giardineto novo di punti tagliati et gropposi per exercitio & ornamento delle donne* (New Garden of Cut and Knotted Stitches for the Exercise and Ornament of Women) is a printed pattern book for needlework. This page, which was originally printed in Venice in 1554, shows designs for a variety of different stitches, all arranged in a grid format. It is likely that this was intended to teach women different embroidery and needlework techniques. The book was published for women, and served as a guide to help them master complex patterns for embroidery work. The book is an example of the 16th century Italian Renaissance, and helped to define the form and style of pattern books for a variety of crafts.