Les Secondes Oeuvres, et Subtiles Inventions De Lingerie du Seigneur Federic de Vinciolo Venitien, page 67 (recto)

Art Historical Context

This woodcut print comes from *Les Secondes Oeuvres, et Subtiles Inventions De Lingerie* (1603), a pattern book by the Venetian designer Federico de Vinciolo. Published in France with the involvement of printer Jean Le Clerc and linked to Catherine de Bourbon, the volume offered intricate designs for lace and linen work. Page 67 recto exemplifies the ornamental patterns that helped spread fashionable textile motifs across Europe at the turn of the seventeenth century. Woodcuts like this one played a vital role in the early modern period by making detailed designs widely available to artisans and noble households alike. The crisp black lines and repeating geometric and floral motifs typical of such pages guided the creation of delicate lace collars, cuffs, and household linens prized in courtly circles. Today the sheet resides in the Metropolitan Museum’s collection of prints and ornament books, where it illustrates how printed pattern books bridged Italian design traditions with French court culture. Its survival reminds us of the quiet influence these practical yet beautiful volumes exerted on fashion and decorative arts of the era.

About the Artist

Federico de Vinciolo|Jean Le Clerc|Catherine de Bourbon (Italian| |French) · 1582 | |1558 –1599 | |1604

Italian, active Paris, ca. 1587–99| |French, 1558–1604