Leseprobe

28 Snow-white sheets and pillows, dish cloths, handker- chiefs, shirts, collars and cuffs – and, last but not least, white skin – were symbols of a more sophisti- cated culture through which the aristocracy elevated themselves above other social classes. The cultivation of the color white eventually made its way from ostentatious courtly events to clothing in general. A simultaneous image depicting a rustic festivity at the court of Duke Philipp the Good (1396– 1467) showing the various pleasures such as dining, games, dancing and falconry, depicts the entire aris- tocratic society in a series of graceful poses and move- ments dressed completely in white garments. 25 Un- der Emperor Charles V, the Spanish court etiquette elevated white clothing to the highest level alongside black. In keeping with this, the Emperor had himself portrayed by Titian in 1533 dressed in silver, white and gold (ill. 1). 26 Various other rulers followed his example: Philipp II of Spain was portrayed by Titian wearing the crown (c. 1550/51) 27 and dressed in ar- mor (1553). 28 Others who followed this trend included Emperor Maximilian II and his wife Maria of Spain in their family portrait (1553) 29 and Duke Alessandro Farnese in the portrait painted by Alonso Sánchez Coello (c. 1560). 30 Among the items Prince Elector Moritz of Saxony lists in the inventory of his estate are “a white silk shirt with white trousers and stock- ings” as knit silk apparel. 31 Knit white silk stockings, which particularly highlighted the elegance of the leg movement, were an absolute necessity in the world of European royal fashion until well past the 16 th cen- tury. Eleonora of Toledo, who can be considered a female fashion icon of the cinquecento, had herself painted by Agnolo Bronzino in a representative silk velvet dress with gold and black silk ornaments (c. 1545) and by Giulio Clovio wearing an unpreten- tious white silk dress similar to that of the “Lady in White”. 32 If one considers the use of the color white in the clothing in the examples dealt with in order to make a contemporary evaluation of the costume of the “Lady in White”, this appears on a higher level of sig- nificance – especially with the proposed dating of around 1561. The white costume in which the robe, pearls and fan correspond and harmonize with each other bears overlapping significances that make us want to see her as a refined young lady, even a bride, within it. A closer look at the clothing practice and fashion in Venice at the time can broaden our view even further. Let us start with the robe. It is made of a white, slightly shining cloth that is usually thought to be silk satin. However, the gleam is not quite as perfect as in Titian’s depiction of the allegorical figure of sacred love (ill. 3) mentioned above for example. Silk satin (raso) was available in a wide range of qualities; how- ever, we should bear in mind that mixed fabrics in which good silk was used for the warp thread and lower-quality silk, scrap silk, flax or wool used for the weft had become so widely spread among the Vene- tian nobility and citizenry that it ultimately had to be allowed to manufacture them in Venice itself – previ- ously, only the production of luxury products had been permitted in the lagoon city’s silk industry – in order to avoid imports. 33 What we see here could pos- sibly be one of these fabrics; for example, one made of silk and fine wool in a satin weave (rasetto) . How- ever, the folds of fabrics of this type have a less vo- luminous and elegant fall and not as much gleam as can be recognized in the “Lady in White”. The gown is composed of several individual pieces. The close-fitting, slightly stiff, bodice that is tapered towards the waist (busto) has a lace fastening in the front, the silk cord (cordelino ) of which is only sug- gested by Titian. A covered row of holes or eyelets has been sewn in on both sides of the bodice. A stiff- ening bone has probably been inserted into the over- lap to keep the entire construction in the vertical. The rather taut lacing actually produces undesired wrin- kles. The tightly pleated delicate chemise emerges as a ruche above the upper edge of the lacing. The long, slender sleeves (baragoni, brodoni) are slit at the upper arm and puffed with a crinkled very fine silk fabric (buratto) and sewn to the bodice at the armpit. The effect made by the distinctive ornamentation of shoulder rolls (bracciali) , jagged tips and sleeve ruf- fles is increased further with strings of pearls, color- ful gold roses and golden, jeweled wristbands. Ill. 4 Men’s dress 1604, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, Rüstkammer