Ornamento delle belle & virtuose donne, page 17 (verso) 1554

Curator: Here we have Matteo Pagano’s “Ornamento delle belle & virtuose donne, page 17 (verso)” from 1554, a drawing and print now held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It’s an engraving showing a geometric pattern. Editor: My immediate impression is of something almost pixelated, yet incredibly intricate. The contrasting blacks and whites create a dizzying, tessellated effect. Curator: Precisely. Pagano wasn’t aiming for pure aesthetics. This print served a very practical purpose: a pattern for lacemakers and embroiderers. Its materiality—the paper, the ink, the very act of reproduction—democratized access to design. Editor: But look at how carefully the lines are constructed. The formal interplay of shapes –squares and twisting knot forms – creates a harmonious balance, guiding the eye through its complexities. We have these dense, dark areas offset by the delicate lattice of lighter squares. Curator: Right. The print’s very existence is bound to the burgeoning textile industry of 16th-century Italy. Consider the labor: the engraver, the printer, the women using these patterns. The consumption it fueled is also part of this history. Editor: It's fascinating how Pagano uses this grid to create the illusion of depth and movement within a purely two-dimensional medium. Curator: And the intended consumer? A “virtuous woman,” skilled in domestic arts. But consider, too, the agency she gained through creating something beautiful and functional. It's more than just decorative; it’s about participation in a larger economic network. Editor: I hadn't considered the socioeconomic context so deeply before. Thanks to your perspective, I now understand it as a confluence of design and craft with women’s labor and agency. Curator: And for me, I’m again reminded how such carefully crafted objects such as this also invite one into a contemplative and rewarding act of close visual reading.