Les Secondes Oeuvres, et Subtiles Inventions De Lingerie du Seigneur Federic de Vinciolo Venitien, page 42 (recto) 1603

This is a page from "Les Secondes Oeuvres," a manual of needlework patterns, printed in Venice around 1600 by Federico de Vinciolo. It’s made from paper, with a design created by a woodcut process. Think about what it would have meant to produce something like this. These patterns are based on a grid, which then translate into stitches – a series of small, repetitive gestures. The patterns are not abstract. They are pure instruction. We often think of the history of art as separate from the history of craft, and especially from the history of domestic labor. But in early modern Europe, needlework was a central accomplishment, and it was also a way to participate in a larger visual culture. Books like this one democratized design, making intricate geometric schemes widely available. The beauty of this page is that it reminds us how designs circulate in society and that printed images can guide the work of human hands. This was a forerunner of today's design and craft movements.