Pagano, Matio (1515-1588)

Matio Pagano, woodcut cover of 'Giardineto novo di punti tagliati et gropposi per exercitio & ornamento delle donne' (Venice 1554). Matio Pagano, woodcut cover of 'Giardineto novo di punti tagliati et gropposi per exercitio & ornamento delle donne' (Venice 1554).

Matio (Matteo) Pagano (1515-1588) was a Venetian who published various books with lace and embroidery designs. His book titles were deliberately chosen to promote needlework as an acceptable activity for virtuous women.

His main needlework books (in short) are:

  • L’honesto essempio (1550).
  • Giardineto novo di punti tagliati (1554).
  • Ornamento delle belle et virtuose donne (1554).
  • La gloria et l'honore di ponti tagliati e fogliami (1556).
  • La gloria et Phonore de ponti tagliati e ponti in Aere (1558).

In keeping with his didactic objectives, especially as regards the role of women, his book entitled Ornamento delle belle et virtuose donne, for example, includes an embroidery design in the form of a floral border with a twisted rope (reflecting constraints and virtue), representing the female aspect. This design reappears in various forms in European embroidery until the end of the seventeenth century.

Metropolitan Museum of Art online catalogue (retrieved 1st July 2016).

GVE

Last modified on Tuesday, 02 May 2017 16:19
Published in Authors, scholars and activists
More in this category: « Paganino, Alessandro (16th century) Ruffini, Louis (c. 1760-1804) »
back to top