Maidens in tasseled gowns and elaborate headpieces. Jousting knights in armor with swords and breastplates. Young men in flowing robes and wide-brimmed hats, others on horseback with decorative trappings. This superb collection displays a detailed gallery of costumes worn in the eleventh through fifteenth century, with captions translated from the original French of scholar Camille Bonnard and magnificent illustrations by Roman artist and engraver Paul Mercuri. Historically authentic, the images are based on figures from period paintings, frescoes, sculptures, and illuminated manuscripts in museums and churches of Italy's culturally rich cities, including Milan, Florence, and Rome. Reproduced directly from a nineteenth-century edition, this illustrated study includes 120 splendid full-color plates showcasing head-to-toe apparel worn by citizens of all classes: nobility, the bourgeois, soldiers, ecclesiastics, and others. More than a history of fashion, the clothing in this treasury reveals the background of the wearer—from his finances to his social standing. Beautifully rendered, this volume is a glorious resource for historians, illustrators, theatrical designers, and anyone with an interest in the history of fashion. Includes captions and a new introduction.
