Portrait de Dona Isabel de Requesens

The Portrait de Dona Isabel de Requenses was created by Raphael Sanzio (Raphael) and was executed by one of Raphael’s pupils, Giulio Romano on the basis of Raphael’s design. The painting which was formerly known as the Portrait of Jeanne d’Aragon was intended as a gift for Francis I, King of France. The oil on canvas painting was created in 1518 and can be viewed on display at the Louvre Museum.

            Raphael Sanzio, more commonly known as Raphael, was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His famous works were admired for his clarity of form.  He achieved the Neoplatonic ideal of human grandeur in many of his paintings. His most popular work, The School of Athens, is in the Vatican. Raphael’s work is held high in status alongside Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. He lived a short life, dying at the age of 37; however his career as an artist has been categorized into three phases. The first phase consisted of his early years in Umbria. Next, his second phase took place between the years of 1504-1508 when he was heavily influenced by the artistic traditions of Florence. Finally, his last phase occurred during the twelve years he spent in Rome working for two Popes and their associates. After his early years in Rome, much of his work was designed by him, but executed by his own workshop (consisting of around 50 pupils) from his drawings. One of his most important pupils was Guilio Romano.

 Isabel de Requenses (1500-cerca 1535), the woman shown in Portrait de Dona Isabel de Requenses, was the Vice-Queen of Naples. She was born in Catalonia to the Admiral of Catalonia, Galceran de Requesens, and his wife Beatriz Enriquez. In 1506, her father died and she inherited his County of Palamos and the great wealth that came with it.  She was made the ward of her cousin, Ramón de Cardona (Duke of Soma), one of the most powerful aristocrats in Catalonia. Isabel married Ramón and moved to Naples once Ramon became Viceroy in 1509. She served as the Vicereine of Naples during her husband’s many absences as Commander of the armies of the Holy League. She was admired by many for her beauty, grace, and support of the arts. It is believed that Isabel was either 18 or 20 years old in the painting by Raphael and Guilio. It is also said that Raphael painted her face and Guilio painted the rest of the portrait.

Isabel grew up during the Renaissance in Italy. With the Renaissance came a lot of changes in women’s dress.  Italian fashion during the 15th and 16th centuries was primarily influenced by the art of the time. Masterpieces by Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael and Botticelli all had a major impact on Italian fashion. Humanism and the idealism of the human body were prevalent during the Renaissance. Clothing was natural in its shape, enabling women to move freely with grace and elegance. Lines were simple and they hugged the figure.  Though the lines were basic, clothing was extravagantly decorated. The elegant richness of dress was highly encouraged. The wealthier you were, the more expensive the fabrics were that were used in your clothing.  Silk, brocade, and velvet were considered prestigious fabrics. Isabel was wealthy, which can be easily seen through the velvet fabric that her dress is made from. 

Dresses gradually lost their long trains, and flowing skirts became increasingly popular. Clothes of servants and farmers (people of lower stature) were a lot shorter than those of the upper classes. In the painting, Isabel’s dress is long, which is also another indication that she is wealthy. Another big change that occurred during the Renaissance was that women began showing their hair again. Women’s headdresses were the most intricate, ever-changing part of women’s fashions during the Renaissance. Women actually spent hours plucking hair from their foreheads and sides of their faces in order to achieve the look of a high forehead. High foreheads were considered fashionable. Women would wear their hair down and their heads would be adorned with coiffures with shimmering veils and jewels. The more jewels your headdress had, the higher your status. In the portrait, Isabel’s hair is shown, and her forehead does appear to be fairly large. This is a definite indication that she was current with the new trends of the time. Her headdress is also adorned with jewels and pearls, yet another indication of her high status.

During the Renaissance, Italy was famous for velvets, laces, brocades, silk, gold and silver cloth, and embroidered fabrics with pearls and jewels (manufactured in Genoa, Milan, Bologna, and Venice). The use of fur for collars, much like the collar on Isabel’s gown, also became popular. The Renaissance brought belts (cinctures) and girdles, earrings, finger rings, and brooches. You can see the belt on Isabel’s gown, enhancing her womanly, natural figure. Handkerchiefs were also introduced. They were made of linen or cambric, richly embroidered, and edged with lace or fringe.

In the early 16^th century, women’s gowns were characterized by a square neckline edged with embroidery or velvet banding.  A long, full skirt was often held up at the sides or fastened at sides/back to display the lining and the under-gown. Sleeves consisted of two sections. The long chemise sleeve could be seen by the material that was puffed out between the two sleeve parts. This technique can be seen in the portrait of Isabel. Over the chemise and under the under-gown, a fitted linen bodice was worn to preserve the slender silhouette.

Color was also very important in clothing during the Italian Renaissance. The color red indicated power, prestige, royalty, and high social status. Isabel wears red in the painting, which is fitting because she was of high social ranking.  Orange was used by many of the peasants and middle class people in attempt to imitate upper class reds. They dyed their clothes with cheaper orange-reds and russet dyes. Green meant love and joy, and also youth. If a woman wore light blue, it meant she was a young, marriageable woman. Grey was considered a color of poverty in the early Renaissance times, while black meant nobility and wealth.

            In conclusion, when studying a portrait, it is very important to understand what was happening during the time period the piece was created. By studying Renaissance costume, and the biographies of Raphael Zanzio and Isabel de Requesens, we are able to gain a better understanding of the costume displayed in Portrait de Dona Isabel de Requesens.

Post by: Erica Dixon

Paper #1 - Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione

             

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

Paper #1- Pierre Cardin's Life

A Peek Into Pierre Cardin’s Life

In Paris, we had an industry appointment at Pierre Cardin, and were able to see first hand at his incredible fashion archive. His collections were all but ordinary, with unique shapes and cuts, and nothing expected. The garments along with the one-of-a-kind furniture were very futuristic, as he is known for his “bold, cosmic, futuristic designs.” All of his designs have much volume and are very dimensional, ignoring the female figure. It was evitable that his architecture degree had much influence in his designs.

French designer, Pierre Cardin was born on July 7, 1922 near Venice, Italy into a wealthy family. At the time, his father was a wine maker and was preparing for Cardin to take over the family trade. But to his parents’ disappointment, he was fascinated by costume design, theatre, and stage design. Starting at the age of 14, he worked, as a tailor’s assistant, learning the techniques construction of fashion design.  In 1939, at the age of 17, Cardin left home and began making suits for women in Vichy. It was in 1945, when he made the move to Paris and started working at the house of Madame Paquin after he had completed his architecture degree. Which is pretty evident in his designs that architecture was a big part of his life. Then he later started working for Marcelle Chaumont, who was Madame Vionnet’s assistant. In a two-year time span from since his move to Paris, he had also worked for Schiaparelli, Jean Cocteau and Christian Bernard. Then in 1947, is when doors really opened up for Cardin, and became head of Christian Dior’s atelier, although he was denied at Balenciaga.

After three years of hardwork and devotion to Dior, he founded his own house in 1950 and began with haute couture in 1953, building up the Maison de Couture. Then the following year, Cardin opened up a women’s boutique called “Eve”, where his bubble dress stole the attention worldwide. And this was when he really took off as a designer, as we still see the bubble dress on runways and magazines and the like. Then a few years after the opening of Eve, in 1957 he opened a men’s boutique, rightly so called “Adam.” Cardin made his first trip to Japan that year and became a professor at Bunka Fukusoi, the Japanese Design College where the birth of the Pierre Cardin award started; which was awarded only to the best student.

After being expelled then reinstated from Chambre Syndicale, for launching a RTW for the Printemps department store, he parted from Chambre Syndicale in 1966 to show his own collections at Espace Cardin in Paris, which was once the Theatre des Ambassadeurs. Not only were his clothing designs presented at Espace, but also all of his artistic talents were promoted, including theatre costumes, musicians, etc. That year of the opening of Espace, Cardin presented a children’s collection, which blew away the U.S., and did very successful there. By now, Pierre Cardin was known worldwide, and not just in Paris. Years following, museums around the world held a Retrospective exhibition of Pierre Cardin’s work. Museums included the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NY, Museum in Tokyo, and etc.

However, Cardin wasn’t only a genius at fashion design, but he also designed jewelry and other items to be sold for the UNESCO benefit, an educational effort to try and prevent a repetition of the nuclear accident in the Ukrainian republic of the Soviet Union in 1986. In 1991, Cardin, along with Witta Pohl, a German actress, were noted as honorary ambassadors to the Chernobly Program. Pierre Cardin’s name started showing up everywhere. As owner of the castle previously occupied by Marquis de Sade in Lacoste, France, he continued to purchase properties in Lacoste, leaving him with 42 buildings in 2009. However he has caused much controversy, leaving people to assume and treat Cardin as if he were some representative of global capitalism.

Yet, Cardin refuses to retire, and says he will die “in harness, working at his fashion.” It’s clear that Pierre Cardin’s passion is in design, whether it be clothing or furniture, and it’s obvious in his works. He continues to live a creative life without the fear of being wrong. His designs are always innovative and one-of-a-kind.

{own photo}

Sources:

1. Passariello, Christina. Wall Street Journal - Eastern Edition, 5/3/2011, Vol. 257 Issue 102, pB1-B8, 2p, 1 Color Photograph

2. Ballingall, Alex. Maclean's, 12/26/2011, Vol. 124 Issue 50, p31-31, 1/4p

By: Daisy O