Essempio di recammi, page 13 (recto)

Art Historical Context

This woodcut from *Essempio di recammi* (1530) by Giovanni Antonio Tagliente represents one of the earliest printed pattern books designed to guide embroidery and needlework. Produced in Venice by the da Sabio brothers, the volume offered practical designs for home and professional use at a time when printed instructional manuals were transforming how decorative arts were taught and shared across Italy. The page features lively animal motifs—roosters, deer, birds, lions, and insects—rendered in crisp black lines typical of woodcut technique. These ornamental patterns reflect the Renaissance fascination with nature and symmetry, allowing embroiderers to transfer elegant compositions onto textiles with relative ease. As part of the Metropolitan Museum’s collection of prints and pattern books, this work highlights how 16th-century publishers like Tagliente democratized artistic knowledge, bridging the gap between professional designers and amateur practitioners.

About the Artist

Giovanni Antonio di Nicolini da Sabio e i fratelli|Giovanni Antonio Tagliente (Italian|Italian) · 1522 |1465 –1545 |1528

Italian, active Venice, ca. 1522–1545|Italian, Venice ca. 1465–1528 Venice