#Codepiece italian renaissance full

He thus makes a major contribution both to our understanding of the Italian Renaissance and to our comprehension of the complex relations between culture and society.moreĪt the end of the book Burke helpfully tells us 'I began work on this book, in the late 60s, with the idea of juxtaposing the ideas of Jacob Burckhardt & those of Karl Marx, criticizing and rejecting where criticism and rejection were needed and attempting a synthesis. Developing a distinctive approach, the author is concerned not only with the finished works of Michelangelo, Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci, and others, but also with the social background, patterns of recruitment, and means of subsistence of this cultural elite. He discusses the social and political institutions that existed in Italy during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and he analyzes the ways of thinking and seeing that characterized this period of extraordinary artistic creativity. In this newly revised edition of his widely acclaimed work, Peter Burke presents a social and cultural history of the Italian Renaissance. ‘Even at the age of 16,’ O’Reilly observes, ‘Farnese’s codpiece is very much a symbol of manliness and of adulthood.In this newly revised edition of his widely acclaimed work, Peter Burke presents a social and cultural history of the Italian Renaissance. Over the decades they had grown in volume, and were used to emphasise rather than conceal. ‘If you have a nice little padded cushion then really, you’re fine - you’re not going to run into any embarrassing or painful difficulties.’īy the time this painting was created, codpieces had become symbols of virility and masculinity. ‘It was completely normal in the 16th century for men, particularly noblemen, to walk around with a sword at their hip,’ says the specialist. Designed initially to fill a fabric void between the hose covering the legs and the hemline of a doublet, codpieces offered men protection from the elements - as well as their own weapons. The highlight of Farnese’s outfit, however, is his silk codpiece. ‘So it was important to show that you had really good legs.’ You would be riding, you would be fencing, you would be dancing at court,’ explains O’Reilly. ‘The idea was to show that you were always on your feet. ‘The silhouette that was ideal for gentlemen at this time reflected what people were wearing on the battlefield,’ the specialist says.ĭespite having what look like ‘the legs of a ballerina’, Farnese’s build would have been considered particularly masculine.

#Codepiece italian renaissance full

His full corselet of blue-stained and gilt-steel armour, with crimson piping to indicate his allegiance to the Spanish army, was probably made in Italy a year or so before this picture was painted. ‘Just below his chin you have that ruffled collar, and that’s to give you a nice, clean, crisp edge next to your face,’ O’Reilly explains.

Painted in circa 1561 by Anthonis Mor (1516/20-c.1576) and his collaborator Alonso Sánchez Coello (1531/2-1588), Farnese is the epitome of 16th-century sartorial splendour. O’Reilly’s guide to 16th-century men’s fashion continues with a full-length portrait of a 16-year-old Alessandro Farnese (1545-1592), the great-grandchild of Pope Paul II and nephew of Philip II of Spain, who would one day become the Duke of Parma and Governor of the Spanish Netherlands. The pomander - which might otherwise be a toothpick - was clearly one of John Frederick’s favourites, since he can also be seen wearing it in a portrait also by Cranach the Elder, now in the Louvre. Suspended from a long, gold chain, this example is held between the jaws of a 16th-century interpretation of a dolphin. Around his neck hangs what seems to be a gold pomander - a type of perforated container for spices and perfumes which was designed to bounce on the wearer’s chest when they walked, ‘giving off a nice scent at a time when people probably didn’t smell that good’.