La Pratique de l'Aiguille, page 53 (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(56)
Tags
Art Historical Context
This woodcut comes from *La Pratique de l’Aiguille* (“The Practice of the Needle”), a 1605 instructional book on embroidery and needlework published in France. Created by designer Matthias Mignerak and printed by Pierre Firens and Jean Le Clerc, the volume was dedicated to Queen Marie de’ Medici, reflecting the era’s courtly interest in refined domestic arts. Page 53 (recto) displays an ornamental design featuring grapes and acorns, typical of the decorative motifs offered to readers as patterns for stitching. As a woodcut, the image was carved into a wooden block and printed on paper, a tech...
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