Fashion in Florence 1540-1580

Cosimo I de’ Medici’s style

The study undertaken with Fashion in Florence 1540-1580. The style of Eleonora di Toledo and her influence (2005) now continues with the men's clothing of the period. Through the papers of the State Archive of Florence the entire wardrobe of Eleonora's husband, Duke Cosimo I de 'Medici, is rebuilt, day by day, since the annotation of his clothes begins to appear in the documents until his death , that is, from 1544 to 1574. It is possible to know the personal tastes of the ruler of Florence, founder of the Grand-ducal dynasty, but also with what care and determination he built his own public and official image. Through the analysis of the items that make up her wardrobe Roberta Orsi Landini follows the evolution of fashion in Florence in that period and determines exactly the moment when new styles are introduced in clothing or when others are abandoned, such as colors, which fabrics , which decorations are chosen. Painting, especially portraiture, offers interesting results. The panorama of the manufacturers and especially of the producers of silk drapes is also meticulously reconstructed. Synoptic tables allow you to follow the changes over the forty years, also constituting a tool for dating the paintings. A chapter is dedicated to the reconstruction of the patterns, made on the study of the funeral clothes of Cosimo himself and his son Don Garçia, comparing them to those, unpublished, of other contemporary Italian leaders. The documentary Appendix reports day by day the annotation of the ready-made clothes, specifying materials and quantities. Presentations by Kirsten Aschengreen Piacenti and Caterina Chiarelli. With a contribution from Thessy Schoenholzer Nichols.


Publisher: Orsi Landini Roberta
Editor: Mauro Pagliai
Published 01/09/2011
Pages 312    
height 310
width 240