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Quentel, Peter (d. 1546)

Printer's mark, Peter Quentel. Printer's mark, Peter Quentel.

Peter Quentel (also known as Pierre de Quinty) was a printer from Cologne (Germany) in the early sixteenth century. He was the son of Heinrich Quentel (d. 1501), a printer whose books include a range of Lutheran tracts and treatises. His son, Peter Quentel, printed at least one book on embroidery and lace designs. He is sometimes listed as Pierre de Quinty and described as a French Protestant.

One of the earliest European embroidery and lace pattern books was published by the German printer, Johann Schönsperger the Younger (c. 1480-1543), who lived in Augsburg. He published a book called Ein Neu Modelbuch, in 1524. Some of his patterns were then re-printed in 1525 by Jorg Gastel of Zwickau (Germany), in a new book also called Ein Neu Modelbuch. It is not clear if Schönsperger was involved in the publication of this new book, although it is likely.

In 1527 Peter Quentel was inspired by Schönsperger's publication and printed a book called Musterbuch für Ornamente und Stickmuster, which included many of Schönsperger's designs. The illustrations in Quentel’s book were made or copied by Anton Woensam von Worms.

There were three German editions of Quentel’s book, all printed in 1527 and, in the same year, there was a French edition (published in Cologne). The French edition, with the author's name changed to Pierre de Quinty, was entitled Livre nouveau et subtil touchant d’art et science tant de brouderie fronssures, tapisseries, come autre mestiers quo fait à l’esguille (often shortened to: Livre nouveau et subtil touchant d’art et science; 'New and Subtle Book Respecting the Art and Science of Making Embroidery, Fringes, Tapestries, as well as of Other Crafts Done with the Needle'; there does not appear to be an English edition).

It would appear that in due course Peter Quentel (or Pierre de Quinty) became known as a French Protestant. This (mis)information appears in various forms in later literature.

Sources:

  • DANIELS, Margaret Harrington (1933). 'Early pattern books for lace and embroidery, parts 1 and 2,' Needle and Bobbin Club, vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 2-30. Downloadable here (retrieved 5 June 2016)
  • LOTZ, Arthur (1933). Bibliographie der Modelbücher. Beschreibendes Verzeichnis der Stick- und Spitzmusterbücher des 16. und 17. Jahrhunders, Leipzig: Karl W. Hiersemann.

Digital source (retrieved 12 March 2016).

Digital source of illustration (retrieved 5 June 2016).

GVE

Last modified on Sunday, 16 April 2017 09:36