Embroideries & Patterns from 19th Century Vienna

The recent discovery of the Nowotny collection in Vienna brings us a collection that is unique both in the quantity and quality of the patterns. It is also a comprehensive historical record of some of the most refined and elegant creations of the nineteenth century. This is the first book entirely devoted to the petit-point of Vienna of this era. Rafaella Serena surveys samplers, motifs, and decorative patterns such as garlands, flowers, animals and landscapes. The most significant patterns of the Nowotny collection are integrated with other examples drawn from different sources in order to give a fuller and more complete historical and stylistic account of the period under consideration, that of Biedermeier which was at the peak of its influence in the first half of the nineteenth century. In the history of embroidery the nineteenth century occupies a very special place. Not only does it coincide with the most popular period of this time-honoured art but also happened to be the century in which embroidery gave full expression to the ideal of femininity. In addition to the colour photographs, black and white patterns will enable today's needlework practitioners to copy these historic designs. Rafaella Serena, an expert in and collector of all applied arts, has extensively researched on petit-point and cross-stitch history for more than twenty years. Her interest in the applied arts led her to open the Bottega delle Arti Applicate in Milan where she also holds embroidery classes. She is the author of A Piccoli Punti published by de Agostini in Italy, by Armand Colin in France and by Lacis in the United States. 200 colour & 35 b/w illustarted