Corona delle Nobile et Virtuose Donne, Libro Terzo, page 22 (recto)
Medium
Woodcut
Dimensions
Overall: 5 1/2 x 7 11/16 in. (14 x 19.5 cm)
Classification
Books|Prints|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of the Guild of Book Workers, 1960
Accession Number
60.718.1(23)
Tags
Art Historical Context
This woodcut comes from *Corona delle Nobile et Virtuose Donne, Libro Terzo*, a 1620 pattern book published in Italy and designed to guide noblewomen in embroidery and lace-making. Created by artists Alessandro de’ Vecchi and Cesare Vecellio, the page presents an intricate ornamental design featuring intertwined birds, serpents, and male and female nudes. Such books served as practical manuals, allowing women to copy motifs onto fabric for household linens, clothing, and decorative arts. Printed in the bold, linear style typical of woodcuts, the small sheet—measuring just 5½ by 7⅝ inches—demo...
About the Artist
Alessandro de' Vecchi|Cesare Vecellio (Italian|Italian) · 1570 |1521 –1629 |1601
Italian, active Venice, 1570–1629|Italian, Pieve di Cadore 1521–1601 Venice