Home Embroidery in the Sixteenth-Century On a Pattern Book at the Bibliothèque de l’Arsenal

In the sixteenth century, needlework was recommended for highborn women. Yet these amateur embroiderers have attracted little interest from researchers. The study of pattern books, some of which bear marks denoting ownership, offers a practical way of approaching these domestic activities. This article focuses on the book of Jeanne de la Font kept at the Bibliothèque de l’Arsenal, contextualizing it and examining the models available to the embroiderer and the means through which they were acquired.