Studio delle virtuose Dame, page 9 (recto) 1597

This is a page from "Studio delle virtuose Dame," a book of lace-making patterns created around 1600 by Isabella Catanea Parasole, an Italian woodcut artist and printmaker. Woodcut, a relief printing process, involves carving an image into a block of wood, inking the surface, and then pressing it onto paper. The bold graphic quality of this print speaks to the nature of the technique. The black background throws into sharp relief the intricate, scrolling designs, which would have been used as guides for embroidery. Note the emphasis on flowing lines and stylized floral and fruit motifs. Parasole’s volume offered designs to women, who would then laboriously create handmade lace. While the finished textiles were prized luxury goods, the pattern books themselves were relatively inexpensive. The artist's decision to embrace printmaking made these designs accessible to a wider audience, thus democratizing the production of beautiful objects. This page represents a fascinating intersection of artistic skill, craft production, and gendered labor in early modern Europe.