Trionfo Di Virtu. Libro Novo..., page 20 (recto) 1563

This is a page from ‘Trionfo Di Virtu. Libro Novo…’, a book of needlework patterns made in Venice by Matteo Pagano, sometime in the latter half of the 16th century. The book provides a set of templates for the creation of lace and embroidery. Its designs were intended for the adornment of domestic textiles and clothing. Printed pattern books like this one helped spread Italian fashions across Europe. Such books are invaluable resources for social historians. They give us insight into the gendered division of labour in the early modern period. Needlework was a highly valued skill for women of the Renaissance. It signified their social standing and moral virtue. Today, historians rely on surviving textiles, along with visual sources such as paintings and prints to understand the material culture of the past. They demonstrate the circulation of designs and techniques across different social classes and geographical regions. The study of these objects offers a window into the daily lives and aesthetic values of people long gone.