Corona delle Nobile et Virtuose Donne, Libro Terzo, page 22 (recto)

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—demonstrates how Renaissance and Baroque printmaking spread fashionable designs across Europe. The combination of natural and mythological elements reflects the period’s taste for classical revival, while the book’s title underscores the era’s view of needlework as a virtuous pursuit for women of refinement. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum’s Department of Drawings and Prints, this page highlights the intersection of art, craft, and social custom in early seventeenth-century Italy.

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