While walking through the Louvre museum, I stumbled upon a painting in the Italian artists wing that featured a costume that very much intrigued me. Created between 1514 and 1515, the Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione is an oil on canvas painting by High Renaissance painter, Raphael. Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, or Raphael, was a High Renaissance painter and architect who was considered one of greatest Italian painters of the time. He is best known for his Madonna paintings as well as his painting, The School of Athens, which is located in Vatican City. Although Raphael has an appreciation for feminine beauty which is visible in a majority of his artwork, the portrait I chose to write about contains a male figure instead.
The man in the painting is Baldassare Castiglione. He was born in Casatico in 1478 and spent most of his life living between Milan and Urbino, where he eventually met his good friend, Raphael. After becoming a diplomat in the court of Urbino, Castiglione, who was also an author, wrote an influential book called The Book of the Courtier that helped shaped the Italian Renaissance and the men of the time. Raphael painted this portrait of him when Castiglione was thirty six years old. Always known for his good manners and extensive knowledge in all things cultural, such as music and arts, Castiglione's book explained to men how to be a “Renaissance Man,” or someone who is well-educated, well-mannered, and has an extensive knowledge in a wide variety of subjects.
In the painting, Baldassare Castiglione is wearing traditional Renaissance fashion from the time period. During this time, men typically wore four main articles of clothing. The first was a chemise, or a linen shirt which was usually white and worn as the first layer of clothing. Depending on your social class, the chemise would be made of different materials. For the upper class, the shirt would be made of fine linen or even silk. The second item was a doublet. This article of clothing was a form fitting jacket that was worn over the linen shirt and could be worn with or without sleeves. Worn over all these pieces was the jacket. The jacket would sometimes feature fake, hanging sleeves that served served no functional purpose. Although not visible in this painting, hose was another key item of clothing for men. During this time hose was attached to the doublet and woven tightly as to remain a smooth appearance.
As a first layer of clothing, Castiglione appears to be wearing a chemise with a high neckline. It looks as though it has some gathering detail at the neckline because of the voluminous, billowing effect it causes on his chest. Baldassare Castiglione is also wearing a doublet on top of his white, linen shirt. His doublet is black with grey accents and a ribbon detail across the chest. Since Castiglione was apart of the Courts, it was said that grey and white squirrel furs were most popular amongst the courtiers. His doublet seems to have a higher neckline with large, puffy sleeves of squirrel fur, which suggests that this painting was done in the colder months of the year. The fur has quite a texture that is almost velvety-looking in the painting. The fur trimming can also be seen across the waist and chest area as well. As a headpiece, Castiglione is wearing a hat that features soft, round lines. It looks like a beret-style hat that features a sort of pleating detail which gives it more angles and structure. In addition, under this beret, Castiglione is wearing a chaperon, or a sort of turban. This was common headgear for upper and middle class people of the time. It is hard to distinguish between both the beret and the turban in part because both headpieces are black.
During the Italian high renaissance, clothing tended to be billowy and layered like those seen in the Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione. Materials used for producing these garments changed depending on your social class, so nobility and the upper class had garments made of the finest silks, linens, furs, and velvets. Baldassare Castiglione's clothing helps to clearly define is status in society. Just by looking at someones clothing, you can determine what time period they lived in, what social class they were in, and what role they played in society during that time. With this man being known for such good manners, proper behavior, and appropriate dress, it is clear to see in this painting that that garments he is wearing clearly shows these facts. His garments are nearly perfect and precise. They are clean, luxurious-looking, and have subtle details, like the ribbon across the fur on his chest, that make him elegant, yet natural and simple. Baldassare Castiglione clearly represents an accomplished and well-rounded Renaissance man.
By: Caitlyn Schultz
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