Paulus Fürst's Embroidery Model Book

Frontispiece of Paulus Fürst's embroidery model book, with five women in a domestic scene with two men spying upon them. Frontispiece of Paulus Fürst's embroidery model book, with five women in a domestic scene with two men spying upon them. Library, Textile Research Centre Leiden, acc. no. TRC 2.8.4 54S.

The library of the Textile Research Centre in Leiden holds an original copy of a 17th century embroidery pattern book published in Nuremberg, Germany, in 1666, by Paulus Fürst.

The title of the booklet is: Neues Modelbuch / Von unterschiedlicher Art der Blumen / und anderer genehten Mödel / nach jziger Manier / allen Liebhaberinnen dieser Kunst zum besten / vorgestellt (‘New Model Book: Of different kinds of flowers and other sewn patterns in a modern manner for all lovers of this art most clearly represented’). The book is the first in a series of four. The books were published especially for female embroiderers, and the frontispiece of the booklet also has a distinctly feminine touch. 

One of the charts in Paulus Fürst's embroidery model book (1666), showing a design suited for needlelace and/or reticellaThe booklet contains fifty charts with examples of floral motifs, multiple repeat patterns, and charts suitable for needlelace  and reticella embroidery. The booklets were printed by  Paulus Fürst, the son of a weaver and the father of Rosina Helena Fürst (1642-1709), who is mentioned as the designer of all the charts in the four volumes.

See a TRC blog by Karin Winkel: A 17th century embroidery pattern book added to the TRC Library, 4 December 2021.

WV, 23 March 2022.

 

Illustration:  One of the charts in Paulus Fürst's embroidery model book (1666), showing a design suitable for needlelace and/or reticella embroidery.

Last modified on Wednesday, 23 March 2022 20:02
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