Women’s Work: the art and science of textile design in early modern Europe

It is easy to see art in opposition to science. We perceive art to be personally expressive and science to be objective fact. Yet, both require close observation, technical mastery and creative thinking about the world. In early modern Europe (c.1400-1800) art and science were both at work in the art of lace making, a labour specific to women of all classes in society. More than just a leisure pursuit, lacework was connected to image making, scientific discovery, social status and morality. This talk explores the world behind lace, the art, science and society. To do this, we look at some of the artist-scientists who made innovations in both textile design and scientific documentation. Special focus will be placed on the work of Isabella Parasole and Maria Sibylla Merian who not only transformed textile design, but made some of the most significant scientific work of the era.