Research on 16th and 17th century pattern books for embroiderers, lacemakers, and artisans of all kinds
Sun Aug 5, 2018 10:37 AM
Sun Aug 5, 2018 10:37 AM
Morning Modelbuch (4/24/2018)
You may have noticed I like pursuing the strange research rabbit holes these books send me on, more than the actually using them for embroidery. Hence my interest in this plate from Matthias Mignerak’s 1605 _La Practique de L’Auguille_ Trying to figure out what the heck is going on with a woman breastfeeding an old man through bars as a subject for a dainty lace pattern seemed worth a trip down the rabbit hole.
Conveniently, the pattern is titled. “Charity Romaine.” So, I found myself reading the story of Pero and Cimon, told by the Roman historian Valerius Maximum in _Nine Books of Memorable Acts and Sayings of the Ancient Romans_ Pero’s father Cimon was sentenced to death by starvation. She can’t sneak food in, so she nurses him to keep him alive. She’s caught by one of the guards, but the administration is so impressed by her act of filial respect that they let Cimon leave. It became a pretty popular theme for baroque paintings. More than a bit odd for modern American sensibilities, but then so are many of the myths, saints stories, and other things we encounter. So that’s what’s going on in paintings by Peter Paul Rubens. Caravaggio, some ancient Roman frescos and coins, and this lace pattern.
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/354009?rpp=30&pg=1&ft=20.50.1&pos=1&imgno=33&tabname=label
