Album of designs for embroidery: bodices, gauntlets, caps, bags, page 13 (recto)

Art Historical Context

Step into the intricate world of 17th Dutch fashion with this delicate page from an *Album of designs for embroidery (ca. 1615–35), created by an anonymous Dutch artist. Tucked within Metropolitan Museum of Art's and Prints department, this 18 7/8 x 11 3/8-inch sheet showcases patterns for bodices, gaunt, caps, and bagsessentials of the era's elegant attire. Crafted in pen and ink, with washes adding depth and shading, it captures the ornamental flair of the Dutch Golden Age, a time of booming trade and refined craftsmanship. The designs burst with motifs of birds and flowers, symbols of nature's bounty that echoed the Netherlands' prosperity in tulip mania and exotic imports. These precise drawings served as blueprints for embroiderers, translating fluid lines into luxurious textiles worn by the emerging merchant class. Such albums were prized tools, blending utility with artistry in the tradition of ornament and architecture sketches. Housed in The Elisha Whittelsey Collection since 1955, this page offers a window into everyday luxury, highlighting how anonymous hands fueled Europe's textile renaissance. Imagine a velvet bodice alive with embroidered finches amid blooming roses—timeless elegance from a bygone age.