Album of designs for embroidery: bodices, gauntlets, caps, bags, page 23 (recto)
Medium
pen and ink; some with wash
Dimensions
18 7/8 x 11 3/8 in.
Classification
Albums|Drawings|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1955
Accession Number
55.583.1(18)
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite page from an anonymous Dutch album of embroidery designs, created between 1615 and 1635, offers a window into the opulent world of 17th-century fashion during the Dutch Golden Age. Tucked within a collection of patterns for bodices, gaunt, caps, and bags, page 23 (recto) showcases intricate motifs of birds, deer, flowers and leaves—hallmarks of the era's love for nature-inspired ornamentation. Such albums served as practical guides for skilled embroiderers, enabling the translation of delicate designs onto luxurious textiles for the prosperous merchant class. Rendered in pen an...