Studio delle virtuose Dame, page 27 (recto) 1597

This woodcut, “Studio delle virtuose Dame, page 27 (recto),” is a page from a book of patterns for embroidery and needlepoint by Isabella Catanea Parasole, a celebrated Italian artist, who published the book in 1597. The pattern on this page is of a repeating geometric design featuring a four-pointed star within a larger, diamond-shaped framework. The design was created to be used in home-based artistic endeavors popular among Italian women of the time. The print, now part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection, reflects the aesthetic and cultural trends of late Renaissance Italy, demonstrating the meticulous work that went into pattern design for embroidery.