Ornamento nobile...Fatta da Lucretia Romana (Libro V of the Corona), page 2 (recto)

Art Historical Context

This woodcut from 1620 belongs to *Libro V of the Corona*, a pattern book devoted to noble ornaments. Created by Alessandro de’ Vecchi and Cesare Vecellio, the page presents an elegant decorative design credited to Lucretia Romana. Printed on a sheet measuring roughly 12 by 8 inches, the work exemplifies the kind of printed pattern that circulated among artists, embroiderers, and architects throughout seventeenth-century Europe. Woodcut was ideally suited to such volumes: its bold, repeatable lines allowed intricate motifs to be reproduced affordably and shared widely. Books like the *Corona* series functioned as visual encyclopedias, offering models for lace, textiles, furniture, and architectural detail. By publishing these designs, Vecellio and his collaborators helped standardize ornamental vocabulary across regions and workshops. Today the sheet offers a vivid glimpse into the collaborative world of early modern printmaking, where named female designers such as Lucretia Romana could contribute patterns that shaped the visual culture of their time.

About the Artist

Alessandro de' Vecchi|Cesare Vecellio (Italian|Italian) · 1570 |1521 –1629 |1601

Italian, active Venice, 1570–1629|Italian, Pieve di Cadore 1521–1601 Venice