Fiori di Ricami Nuovamente Posti in Luce, page 9 (recto) 1591

This is a page from "Fiori di Ricami Nuovamente Posti in Luce," or "Embroidered Flowers Newly Placed in the Light," made by Matteo Florimi around the turn of the 17th century. It's an instruction manual, essentially, rendered using the relatively new technology of the printing press. Now, consider the implications of this. It suggests a rising class of consumers eager to adorn their clothing and domestic spaces with fashionable needlework. And, more than that, it implies that these consumers were not necessarily the original makers of the lace. The designs could be outsourced, executed by skilled, often female, laborers. The regularity and precision of the printed image makes this clear. It is a design intended for mechanical reproduction. The very title of the book, "placed in the light," suggests a democratization of access. With these patterns, anyone could participate in the fashion of the day, contributing to a new economy of making. What had been a unique skill, was now available to the masses.