Libro quarto. De rechami per elquale se impara in diuersi modi lordine e il modo de recamare...Opera noua, page 17 (recto)

Art Historical Context

This woodcut page comes Alessandro Paganino’s *Libro quarto*, influential pattern book published in Italy around 1532. Titled *De rechami* (“On Embroidery”), the volume offered practical instructions for creating needlework in diverse styles, making sophisticated designs available to a wider audience of artisans and homemakers during the Renaissance. The page features elegant arrangements of leaves and vines, typical motifs that could be adapted for clothing, linens, or furnishings. As a woodcut printed in a modest book format, this work highlights the growing role of printmaking in spreading ornamental ideas across Europe. Paganino’s publication belonged to a new genre of “model books” that bridged fine art and craft, allowing readers to replicate intricate patterns without needing direct access to an artist’s workshop. Its crisp lines and clear layout reflect both the technical possibilities of early printing and the period’s fascination with natural forms. Today housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection of drawings and prints, the sheet offers a fascinating glimpse into how Renaissance design knowledge traveled from the page into everyday objects.