Florentine and Italian Dress

Although my interest in Florentine dress originated with a focus on the first quarter of the 16th century, I have always felt it is also important to understand the full evolution of a particular mode of dress. This can be achieved in part by learning about the fashion trends both before and after your target time frame. This lets you understand where a style came from, and what it developed into.

In this period, the basic structure of the gown remains essentially the same, except for a gradual lowering of the waistline, and an increasingly cone-shaped bodice, which can be traced to an increased Spanish influence after the Battle of Pavia in 1525. The contrasting guards still appear in gowns from time to time, but they are eventually replaced by more elaborate trims and patterned fabrics as the century progresses. The biggest change occurs in the shape of the sleeves, which move from the wide, one-piece styles of the previous period, to a two-piece construction with a full upper-sleeve and tight lower-sleeve. A very early example can be found in a painting by Pontormo in 1516, but most of the two-piece sleeves before the year 1525 tend to appear as a transitional tied-on version with the camicia still showing at the shoulder, as seen in works by del Sarto or Bacchiacca. However, they soon become attached to the bodice, probably by a hidden lacing strip. A great many variations on this basic structure can be seen in Florentine paintings, and this style appears to also be widespread throughout various other Italian regions as well. The large upper-sleeves eventually become smaller and smaller as you approach mid-century, until they become nothing more than a decorative puff at the shoulder. The tight foresleeves also become a favorite place for elaborate decoration, with slashes providing a way to show off lining furs, rich undersleeves, and gold buttons or aglets.

	Jacopo Pontormo: Lady with a Basket of Spindles, 1516 Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
	Domenico Puligo: Portrait of a Woman Dressed as Mary Magdalen, 1525 Pitti Palace, Florence
	Ridolfo Ghirlandaio: Lucrezia Sommaria, 1530-1532 National Gallery of Art, Washington
	Agnolo Bronzino: Portrait of a Lady, 1533 Stadelsches Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt
	Pierfrancesco Foschi: Portrait of a Lady, 1530-1535 Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid
	Agnolo Bronzino: Portrait of a Lady Museo e Gallerie Nazionali di Capodimonte, Napoli
	Agnolo Bronzino: A Daughter of Matteo Sofferoni, 1530-1532 The Royal Collection, Her Magesty the Queen, Elizabeth II
	Unknown: Portrait of a Lady The National Gallery, London
	NEW! Florentine School: Portrait of a Young Lady Unknown location
	Bacchiacca: Portrait of a Woman with a Book of Music , 1540 J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
	Agnolo Bronzino: Bia, The Illegitimate Daughter of Cosimo I de' Medici before 1542 Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
	Agnolo Bronzino: Portrait of Lucrezia Pucci Panciatichi, 1540 Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
	Agnolo Bronzino: Young Woman and Her Little Boy, 1540-1545 National Gallery of Art, Washington
	Sebastiano: A Lady as Saint Agatha, around 1540 The National Gallery, London
	Agnolo Bronzino: Portrait of a Little Girl with a Book, 1545 Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
	Agnolo Bronzino: Portrait de la duchesse Eleonore Galerie Narodni, Prague
	Unknown: Portrait of a Florentine Noblewoman, 1540's San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego
	Unknown: Portrait of a Lady The National Gallery, London
	Agnolo Bronzino: Eleonora of Toledo with her son Giovanni de' Medici, 1550 Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

There seems to be a good deal of crossover between the styles of various Italian regions during this period, as many examples of similar fashions can be seen in other areas, such as Venice, Rome, and Ferrara. (If you are a bit rusty on your geography, like I was, and would like to see a map of Italy during the Renaissance, check this out!) Although there were some regional styles that remained concentrated in one specific city-state, a similar basic solution for gown and sleeve construction can commonly be seen throughout many parts of Italy at this time. But as a disclaimer, the major artists of this time traveled a great deal, as did their patrons, so it is a bit difficult to pin down specific styles to a specific area... but I will try to give as much information as I can find by researching the background of each painting.

	Circle of Dosso Dossi: Laura Pisani, 1525 Ferrara J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
	Bernardino Luini: Portrait of a Lady, 1525 Ferrara National Gallery of Art, Washington
	Giovanni Girolamo Savoldo: Portrait of a Woman, 1525 Venice Pinacoteca Capitolina, Rome
	Giovanni Girolamo Savoldo: Virgin and Child with Two Donors (detail), Venice Collection of Her Magesty, the Queen
	Bartolomeo Veneto: Portrait of a Young Lady, 1520-1530 National Gallery of Canada
	Bartolomeo Veneto: Portrait of a Lady in a Green Dress, 1530 Timken Art Gallery, San Diego
	Paolo Cavazzola: Portrait of a Lady, Dell'accademia Carrara, Bergamo
	Bernardino Licinio: Portrait of a Lady, 1533 Galleria di Stato, Dresden
	Parmigianino: Roman Courtesan, 1530-1535 Rome Museo e Gallerie Nazionali di Capodimonte, Napoli
	Benardino Licinio: Portrait of Arrigo Licinio and his Family (detail), 1535 Venice Galleria Borghese, Rome
	Titian: La Bella, 1535 Urbino Pitti Palace, Florence
	Titian: Portrait of Eleonora Gonzaga della Rovere, 1536-1537 Urbino Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
	Unknown: The Outdoor Concert (detail), Hotel Lallemand, Bourges, France
	Moretto: Portrait of a Young Woman, 1540's Venice Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
	Lorenzo Lotto: Portrait of Laura da Pola, 1544 Treviso, Venice Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan