La Pratique de l'Aiguille, page 2 (verso)

This woodcut is page 2 (verso) from Matthias Mignerak's 1605 pattern book *La Pratique de l'Aiguille* — 'The Practice of the Needle' — one of the most important embroidery and lacemaking design manuals of the early seventeenth century. Published in Paris, the book provided needleworkers with intricate templates for producing decorative textile patterns, a genre of printed manual that was enormously popular across Europe during this period. Mignerak, also known as Mathias Mignerac, compiled designs intended for both professional embroiderers and accomplished domestic needlewomen, placing this work squarely within a tradition of craft education aimed at a literate, largely female audience. The Met holds an extensive run of pages from the same volume, reflecting the book's significance as both a practical tool and a work of graphic art in its own right.

As a woodcut, this page demonstrates the remarkable precision that printmakers of the era achieved when translating intricate geometric and floral motifs into carved wood blocks. The resulting printed patterns — likely featuring repeating symmetrical designs of flowers, interlacing vines, or geometric grids — served as direct guides for stitchers to follow on fabric. The small but densely detailed format (roughly 9 by 7 inches) was deliberately portable and practical, meant to sit beside a needlework frame rather than hang on a wall.