Opera Nova Universali intitulata Corona di racammi, page 13 (recto) 1530

Giovanni Vavassore produced this woodcut, "Opera Nova Universali intitulata Corona di racammi," in Venice, sometime in the mid-16th century. It’s a page from a book of embroidery patterns, reflecting the period's burgeoning interest in design and the domestic arts. These pattern books weren’t simply instructional; they offered a visual language. The motifs, from floral arabesques to human figures, reveal a culture steeped in classical and religious imagery. Venice, a major center of trade and printing, played a crucial role in disseminating these visual styles across Europe. The book itself is an example of the growing culture of print, where knowledge and artistic ideas could be standardized and distributed on a mass scale. Understanding such works involves looking into the economic structures that supported craft production, and the social hierarchies that defined who engaged in these activities. Sources such as inventories, guild records, and contemporary treatises on art provide additional insights into the world of Vavassore and his audience.