Jacques le Moyne and La Clef des Champs

Watercolor of Strawberries and Emperor Moth by Le Moyne

I'm taking a break to celebrate my twins' 6th birthday, so not much of anything got done today. I did run across another book to add to my 16th century embroidery book obsession though. Most of the modelbuch don't really have more than a page or two of the animals and plants that we so often find in the extant pieces of embroideries. The animals, plants, and other pictorial scenes seem to come from other sources.  It was actually the other sources that lead me to the modelbuch in the  first place.

I got sucked into my fascination with the origins of 16th century patterns by reading Margaret Swain's The Needlework of Mary Queen of Scots and then Michael Bath's Emblems for a Queen, the Needlework of Mary Queen of Scots. Many of the animals came from natural history illustrations. I got Gessner's Historiae Animalium and spent a great deal of time investigating the various emblem books that are part of the English Emblem Book Project. All of these are used as sources for embroidered pieces.  The book I ran across earlier this week seems to fill in a bit of the hole between these books published for other purposes and the ones published for embroidery. It is Jacques le Moyne's La Clef des Champs (The Key to the Meadow.) Published in 1586 in Blackfriar's in London. It is full of woodcuts of animals, flowers, and fruits, set out specifically for use as a pattern book. That makes it a bit different than Gessner and the emblem books since they were used and not intended for that specific purpose. Le Moyne specifically published his as a pattern book. The dedication to his patron,Lady Mary Sidney, puts forward the book to be of use to artists and craftspeople including goldsmiths, embroiderers, and tapestry makers.

Via

It was certainly used for that. The deer here looks awful familiar. As does one of the monkeys and squirrel. Both the British Museum's copies are both pricked for embroidering. Wingfield Digby discusses Le Moyne in Elizabethan Embroidery on page 41.  I ran across the book because of a mention in "English Domestic Embroidery Patterns of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries" by J.L. Nevinson. The only complete edition is in the Oak Spring Garden Library in Upperville,Virginia but as mentioned, the British Museum has 2 copies and they published a facsimile back in the 1970's.

Via

Le Moyne himself was an interesting person and has become a much more well known and important artist in the 20th Century as some of his watercolors were discovered in the 1960's. He was a French Huguenot. He was the cartographer sent by the Charles IX of France as part of an expedition to Florida in 1564-65. The drawings he made were burned during a Spanish attack of Fort Caroline and he redrew many from memory later. They include some of the first depictions of Florida Natives giving him a place in history for that. It is the beauty and detail of the watercolors that really give him his importance, however. He is one of the earliest and best botanical artists of the Sixteenth century. If you want revel in the delicacy and beauty of some of his watercolor, search Jacques Le Moyne at the Victoria and Albert Museum. The same search at the British Museum will turn up the woodcuts for La Clef des Champs as well as many of the woodcuts of the French expedition in Florida. I certainly enjoyed both.

Lazy S pattern for the camicia

Plate from Vavassore "Corona di Racammi" originally published in 1530

I love the 100 or so books published in the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries jam packed full of embroidery patterns. After spending a couple of years collecting links and hard copies of them it is always exciting to have a project to use them for.  I considered just selecting a random pattern from one of the modelbuch published before 1545 to embroider on the cuffs and neckline of my camicia. I was seriously tempted by several from Engelnuff. (Yes, I do have a favorite modelbuchlein. Yes, I realize that says something about me.) After taking the excuse to browse through modelbuch for a few hours, however,  I went back to what was depicted the portrait. I was actually a bit disappointed by that. Here's a reason to utilize all this other data and I'm just squinting at the portrait?

The camicia has a simple scroll pattern of Ss on their side. There are quite a few lazy S and simple scroll patterns in the earlier books and I had originally pulled 5 or 6 to look at with various levels of simplicity, including a couple that added a flower or a heart and a few that omitted the acanthus style flourish. After looking at them a time or two I decided not to use them. This one from Vavassore is pretty much a dead ringer for the portrait and once I'd decided to do the S style, it only seemed right to do the exact pattern. But you have to admit, being able to find the exact pattern is at least sort of a good use of far too much research, right?

Closeup from Anea's site

The biggest reason for settling on the lazy S was balance. The pattern is actually rather plain and compared to the hundreds of other choices. It is just an s on its side with a tiny amount of flourish. I think with the overblown presence of the dress fabric, that's probably a necessity visually. If the embroidery was polychrome or more figural like several of the borders I was tempted to do are, it would get lost against the dress. The camicia is a contrast to the scrollwork and texture of the dress. It is simple. The sleeves aren't even gathered at the cuff. I was surprised to notice them coming out of the bottom of the sleeve floppy and a bit rumpled looking with no cuff or gathered frill.  I think the counter balance of the organized pattern and the informal finish helps sell the dress. it's also refreshing to see in all the uptightness of the mannerist portrait and I like that.

The best view I can get of the top edge of the camicia is from the Detroit Institute of Art portrait, There are two versions of the double portrait, one in Uffizi Gallery in Florence, one in Detroit. There is also a third portrait of just Eleonora in the dress painted posthumously. It is in the Wallace Collection in London. The Detroit portrait isn't quite as finely done as the Uffizi. If you are interested in finding out more about the differences between the two double portraits and seeing how the workshop of Bronzino was more involved in the Detroit version, there's an interesting article from the Journal of the American Institute of Conservation authored by Serena Urry comparing the two portraits and pointing out paint burs that show how the background was done and the faces left for the master. It also points out mistakes in the pattern of the dress fabric as well as looking at the simplification of the embroidery so it looks less three dimensional as compared to the Uffizi portrait. The Detroit loses the acanthus flourish and is a great deal more boxy. The extant published modelbuch, Furm-oder Modelbuchlein by Schonsperger published in 1523 has a pattern very similar. (Top one of the 3, although the bottom is a nice lazy S as well.

I like the Uffizi version via Vavassone a  bit more I think. What I don't like nearly as much is that either way, the cuffs and top edge are my least favorite blackwork type-- counted and reversible. I rather detest counted blackwork and have sworn off it. The cuff is turned up with a fully visible pattern showing in all 3 portraits, however. It is most definitely reversible. Sigh. I guess getting the correct look for things is why I embroider in the first place.

A better organized list of Modelbuchs

I figure the easiest way to do this was to use Lotz' list and include links to digital versions as I find them. He somewhat separates the sections of the list by country in which the were printed, beginning with the German ones. That doesn't mean that the publisher was from that country, just that the book was published there. For instance Vecellio (an Italian) is found in the German section. This mixes of the dates a bit as the later German books will thus have lower numbers than the early Italian books. For example, 63 is a German book from the late 17th century, 64 is an Italian book published in 1527.  Lotz has most of these further subdivided with multiple editions (1a, 1b etc.) As I have not included each edition and they were often published in different cities, I have not included the city of publication. The only dates listed are those of the first edition. Most of these were published repeatedly throughout the period. As an example, #2 was published in 1524, 1525, 1526, 1527,  and 1529 by Schonsberger. That doesn't include the number of times his plates were sold and re-used or re-cut by other publishers.

In some cases the name the book is tagged by in the link does not match what I have listed here. I have put these exactly as Lotz designated, Some names are slightly different in different editions. With the long rambling titles that some of these books have, I am not surprised that different people call them different things.


German

1) Schonsperger, Furm oder Modelbuchlein (1523) Link to my Pinterest board with links to individual images at Bilindex

2) Schonsperger, Ein new Modelbuch (1524) Link is to my Pinterest board with links to individual images at Bildindex

3) Quentel, Eyn new kunstlich Boich  (1527)

4) Vorsterman, Ce est vng tractat de la noble art de leguille (1527) The Met's copy. This is almost an exact crib of Quentel's Eyn new kunstlich Boich (#3)

5) Schonsperger, Ein ney Furmbuchlein  (1529) Link is to my Pinterest board with links to the individual images at Bildindex

6) Quentel, Eyn newe kunstlich Moetdelboech (1529)

7) Steyner, Model Biechlein (1533)

8) Egenolff, Modelbuch aller Art Nehewercks vnd Stickens (1533)

9) Swartzenberger, Ain new Formbuchlein (1534) Link is to my Pinterest board with links to individual pages at Bildindex of the Kunstbibliothek copy. This one is available as a reprint from Lacis titled Patterns Book of Embroidery:1534

10) Swartzenberger, Ain schons nutzlich newes Formbuchlin (1534)

11) Steyner, Ein new Modelbuch (1534)

12) Schwartzenberger, Ain schons nutzlich newes Formbuchlein (1535)

13) Egenolff, Modelbuch aller Art Nehens vu Stickens (1535) University of Arizona scan of the 1888 republication

14) Egenolff, Modelbuch von erhabener vnnd flacher Arbait

15) Egenolff. Modelbuch welscher, ober vfi niderlandischer Arbait

16) Quentel, Ein new kunstlich Modelbuch, dair yn meir dan sechhundert Figured (1541)

17) Quentel, Eyn new kunstlich Modelbuech, darynn vill schoner staelen begriffen (1544)

18) Hofer,Hans. Ain new Formbuech 'len der weyssen Arbeyt (1545)

19) Gulfferich, Herman Ein newkunstlich Modelbuch (1545)  #23.40(1-78) At the Met

20) Egenolff, Modelbuch aller Art Nehwens vnd Stickens (1564)

21) Egenolff, Modelbuch welscher, ober vnd niderlandischer Arbait (1555)

22) Hoffmann, New Modelbuch (1556)

23) R. M. Nuw Modelbuch, allerly Gattungen Dantelschnur (1561) Entirely bobbin lace patterns written by a woman. REpublished in 1986 as "Fascinating Bobbin Lace" by Claire Burkhard with prickings for the patterns.

24) HAN und RAB, Modelbuch neuw aller Art Nehens vu Stickens (1562)

25) Bassee, New Modelbuch (1568)

26          Modelbuch vonn mancherley schonen kunstlichen Modeln (1570)

27 Jobin, Neu kunstlichs Modelbuch (1579)

28 Vecellio, Corona delle nobili et virtuose donne (1592) The link is to the Smithsonian's copy of the 1891 publication of the 1691 edition

29 Straub, New Model Buch (1593)

30 Konig, New Modelbuch (1596)

31 Lux, Model Buchel (1596)

32 Sibmacher, Schon neues Modelbuch (1597) First link is to a scan at the Hathitrust. This is also available cleaned up in a pdf at Flowers of the Needle

33 Martin, Schon neues Modelbuch (1599)

34 Konig, Schon neues Modelbuch (1599)

35 Konig, Fewrnew Modelbuch (1599)

36 Guiaghi,Isabeau de.  Les nouveaux et singuliers pourtraicts mis en lumiere, de toutes facons d'ouvrages de lingerie et tapestries (1600)

37 Bassee. New vnd vollkomlich Modelbuch (1599)

38 Sibmacher. Newes Modelbuch in Kupffer gemacht (1601) Published by Dover as "Baroque Charted Designs for Needlework"

39 Becker. Schon newes Modelbuch (1601)

40 Beatus und Bitsch. Schon neies Modelbuch (1601)

41 Spiess. Modelbuch von 500, allerhend kunstlichen Modelyn/jetzund zum erstenmal in Drucj geben (1601)

42 Hoffmann. Newes vollkommenes Modelbuch von 400 (1604)

43 Latomus. Schon newes Modelbuch von 180 (1605)

44 Gross, New kunstlich Modelbuch (1606)

45 Latomus. Schon newes Modelbuch von 500 (1606)

46 Latomus Schon newes Modelbuch von 600 (1607)

47 Carolus. Newkunstlichs Modelbuch (1607)

48 Hoffmann. Gantz new Modelbuch kunstlicher vnd lustiger Visirung (1607)

49 Hoffmann, Wilhelm. Modelbuch von vielen new erfundene Modeln zu nehen (1610)

50 Raidel. Folge: Stickmuster (1613)

51 Faber. Schon newes Model vnd Spitzenbuch (1617)

52 Meyer. Zierat Buch von allerhandt Hutschnur (1618)

53 Honervogt. Folge: Stickmuster (1619)

54 Honervogt, Folge: Stickmuster (1619) No, this isn't a typo. 53 and 54 have the same title and publisher

55 Bretschneider. New Modelbuch (1619)

56 Herman. Ein new kunstlich Modelbuch (1625)

57 Raidel. Newes seidenstickherisches Groteschgen- vnnd Blumen Buechlen (1626)

58 Kahr. New Modelbuch (1626)

59 Furst Modelbuch. Teil 1. (1660) These were scanned from a copy with all 4 together, so it is the same link repeated.

60 Furst. Modelbuch Teil 2. (1666) Includes the other 3 books of the series

61 Furst Model Buch. Teil 3. (1676) These are also available to purchase from Lacis as Alle Meine Blumen

62 Furst Model-Buch. Teil 4. (1676)

63 H.N.D.C. Winter- und Sommer- Gartlein (1691)

Italian and French

64 Tagliente. Essampio di recammi (1527)

65 Zoppino. Esemplario di lavori (1529)

66 Vavassore. Corona di racammi (1530)

67 Vavassore Esempalrio di lavori (1530)

68 Zoppino. Convivio delle belle donne (1531)

69 Celle. Ce livre est plaisant et utile (1531) Publisher's name become Sera in later French editions

70 Paganino. Raccolta de tutti i ritratti & disegni di richami (1532)

71 Paganino. Libro de rechami (1532)

72 Paganino. Burato (1532) Scan of the 1909 reprint

73 Paganino. Libro scelto de rechami p elquale se impara in diversi modi fordine e il modo de recamare (1532)

74 Zoppino. Gli universali di tutti e bei dissegni, raccami, e moderni lavori (1532)

75 Nourry. La fleur des patrons de lingerie (1532) Author's/publisher's name changes to Pierre de Saincte Lucie for some later editions.

76 Nourry. Livre nouveau diet patrons de lingerie (1532) Again, the publisher/author's name changes

77 Troveon. Patrons de diverses manieres (1533)

78 Belin. Sensuyvent les patrons de messire Antoine Belin

79 Zoppino. Gli universali de i belli recami (1537)

80 Pagano. Giardinetto nuovo di punto tagliati (1542) Scan of the Hoepli/Pearson Education facsimilie edition from 1921

81 Pagano. Ornamento de la belle et virtudiose done (1543)

82 Pagano. Il spechio di pensieri delle belle et virtudiose donne (1544)

83 Pelliciolo. Fontata de gli essampli (1545)

84 Pelliciolo. Fior de gli essempi (1545)

85 Pagano. Lhonesto essempio (1553) Here is the 19th century reprint. There are a few different images.

86 Pagano Specchio di virtu (1554)

87 Pagano La Gloria e l'honore de ponti tagliati et ponti in aere (1554)

88 Ruelle, Iehan. Patrons pour brodeure (1554)

89 Hieronimo da Cividal di Frioli. Treiomphe di lavori a fogliami (1555)

90 Bindoni. Il monte (1557)

91 Bindoni. Ricchezze (1557)

92 Bindoni. Ricchezze, libro secondo (1559)

93 Foresto. Splendore delle virtuose giovani (1557)

94 Foresto. Lucidario di recami (1557)

95 Sessa. Le pompe (1557)

96 Ostaus. La vera perfettione del disegno (1557) Elsa Ricci 1909 reprint

97 Foresto. Bellezze de recami (1558)

98 Pagano. Trionfo di virtu (1559)

99 Bindoni. Il monte, libro secondo

100 Sessa. Le pompe. Libro secondo (1560)

101 Sessa. I frutti (1564)

102 Franceschi. Regina de recami (1564)

103 Franceschi. Serena, opera nova di recami (1564)

104 Franceschi. Speranza (1564)

105 Franceschi. Fede, opera nova intitolata la fede dei recami (1564)

106  Le Maistre et Voulant. Recueil de plusiers pieces de pourtraitture (1565)

107 Corte. Coronna de la mostre (1566)

108 Valvassori, Giovanni Andrea. Ornamento delle belle et virtuose donne (1567) This is a scan of the Organia 1878 facsimile  reprint

109 Rigaud. Les tresor des patrons (1585)

110 Vinciolo. Les singuliers et nouveaux pourtraicts (1587) There are about 14 editions of this one published in Paris be Jean Le Clere. The Vinciolo books are all basically the same, there are just multiple editions by different publishers. At most they change the frontspiece.

111 Vinciolo. Les singuliers et nouveaux pourtaicts (1589) Three editions of this one published by Eleazaro Thomysi

112 Vinciolo Les singuliers er nouveaux pourtraicts (1592) Two editions of this one published by Leonard Odet

113 Vinciolo New Modelbuch (1592) Three editions by Bernhart Jobin

114 Vinciolo Les singuliers et nouveaux pourtraits (1599) Published by Ludwig Konig

115 Vinciolo Auberleben Modelbuch (1599) Published by Jacob Follet

116 Vecellio. Corona delle nobili et virtuose donne (1591) There are 17 editions of this.

117 Vecellio. Corona delle nobili et virtuose donne. Libro secondo (1591) 14 editions of this. Link is to the Met's copy containing all 4 volumes

118 Vecellio. Corona delle nobili et virtuose donne Libro terzo (1591) 12 editions of this

119 Vecellio Gioiello della corona per le nobili, e virtuose donne Libro quarto (1593) 12 editions of this one

120 Vecellio, Corona delle nobili et virtuose donne Libro quinto (1596)

121 Ciotti, Giovan Battista, Prima parte de'fiori (1591) Link to download the ebook

122 Pasini. Fiori di ricami (1591)

123 Florimi. Fiori di ricami (1591)

124 Passarotti. Libro di lavorieri (1591)

125. Passarotti Libro di lavorieri

126 Bazachi. Nova scielta de'piu belli lavori, et ricami (1592)

127 Florimi. Gioiello della corona (1594)

128 Vinciolo. Les secondes oeuvre et subtiles inventions de lingerie (1594)

129 Parasole. Specchio delle virtuose donne (1595)

130 Tozzi. Libro novissimo de recchami (1596) The embroidery patterns are used as frames for calligraphy

131 Franco Nuova inventione de diverse mostre (1596)

132 Parasole. Studio delle virtuose dame (1597)

133 Glen, Jean de. Du debvoir des filles (1597) Lace patterns in an instruction book for young ladies on morality. Link is to my Pinterest board of archived images from the Beinecke Library's exhibition "My Gracious Silence."

134 Glen, Jean de. Les singuliers et nouveaux pourtrait pour toutes sortes de lingerie (1597)

135 Parasole. Pretiosa gemma delle virtuose donne (1598)

136 Gargano Secondo libro della pretiosa gemma delle virtuose donne (1601) This is a continuation of # 135 but was not published under Parasole's name

137 Foillet Nouveaux pourtraicts de point coupe (1598) Was also published under the title New Modelbuch

138 Foillet Muster von Kloppelspitzen (1600)

139 Tozzi. Ghirlanda di sei vaghi fiori Primo libro (1604)

140 Mignerak. La pratique de l'aiguille industrieuse (1605)

141 Rizzardi. Giatdino nel quale si dimostra varij disegni per far ricami (1607)

142 Pasquardi. Raccolta di vaghi ricami (1607)

143 Parasole. Fiori d'ogni virtu (1610) later published as Teatro delle nobili et virtuose donne Here is the
second section.

144 Danieli. Fiore pretioso d'ogni virtu (1610)

145 Crivelari. Nova scielta di varii fiori di mostre da ago (1612)

146 Parasole. Gemma pretiosa delle virtuose donne (1615)

147 Vinciolo. Les excellente eschantillons, patrons et modelles (1623)

148 Danieli. Libro di diversi disegni (1630)

149 Danieli. Vari disegni di merletti (1639)

150 Danieli. Vari disegni di merletti (1641)

151 Danieli. Folge: Spitzenmuster (1641)

152 Fortunato. Le pompe di Minerva (1642)

English

153 Poyntz. New and singular patterns and workes of linnen (1591)

154 Barley. A booke of curious and strange inventions, called the first part of needleworkes (1596)

155 Shorleyker. A schole-house, for the needle (1624)

156 Boler. The needles excellency (1634) This is the date of the 10th edition (More usually attributed to Taylor.)


Lotz doesn't include a particular type of modelbook in his list. They are moresques/moorish ornament. As his is the major book on the subject of modelbooks, that may disqualify them, but I find them interesting. Usually designed for goldsmiths, the title pages do sometimes mention embroiderers.

Pellegrin, Francisque. La Fleur de la science de pourtraicture: patrons de broderie (1530) Link to download ebook of 1908 facsimile edition.

Geminus. Thomas.  Morysse a Damashin renewed and increase, very profitable for Goldsmythes and Embroiderars   (1548) PDF download at the University of Munster

Flotner, Peter. Kunstbuch (1549)