La Pratique de l'Aiguille, page 14 (recto)
Medium
Woodcut
Dimensions
Overall: 9 1/4 x 7 1/16 in. (23.5 x 18 cm)
Classification
Books|Prints|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1920
Accession Number
20.50.1(17)
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
This woodcut from *La Pratique de l’Aiguille* (“The Practice of the Needle”), published in 1605, served as both a practical pattern book and a celebration of embroidery. Created under the patronage of Marie de’ Medici, Queen of France, the volume offered women detailed designs for floral motifs and ornamental stitching. The page’s delicate arrangement of blossoms and figures reflects the period’s fascination with nature and the refined domestic arts that flourished at court. Printed by Pierre Firens after designs associated with Matthias Mignerak and published by Jean Le Clerc, the woodcut technique allowed these elegant patterns to reach a wide audience of needleworkers. Such books played an important role in transmitting ornamental styles across Europe, blending utility with artistic instruction. Today the sheet offers a charming glimpse into early-seventeenth-century taste, where beauty in everyday objects was cultivated with the same care as grander works of art.
About the Artist
Matthias Mignerak|Pierre Firens|Marie de Medici|Jean Le Clerc (Italian| | |French) · 1575 | | |1641 –1642 | | |1641
Florence 1575–1642 Colgne| | |French, born Paris 1641