Campi's the Fruit Seller question

[isabelladangelo]

I know a lot of you on my F-list have looked at this dress before. I just managed to get my hands on a linen that is the exact same color so, I figured I might try to make this dress as well as the other Campi one.

While looking at the dress closely, upon the Web Gallery of Art, I noticed that the dress looks like the right opening flaps slightly over the left. I'm guessing hooks and eyes closure? Any other ideas?

Comments

[sstormwatch.livejournal.com]

That would be my suggestion, unless you want to pin it shut.

And I just noticed that many of those fruits would not be in season at the same time. Artichokes (at least in my area) & cherries are a late spring treat for me. Peaches are just coming into ripeness on my tree, and grapes won't be around until early fall. I wonder why they are all there at once?

[isabelladangelo.livejournal.com]

I remember reading (can't remember where though) about a tapestry done in the late 15th c that showed different plants and flowers. The conservationist realized that a lot of the different flowers that were shown in bloom wouldn't be in bloom at the same time. Some were early spring flowers, others were late summer flowers. My guess is something similar is going on here. All the fruits are available in the region but not necessarily at the same time. I don't recall if there was a reason or if it was just artistic license.

EDIT: Found out it was the Unicorn Tapestry. They mention each plant is shown in it's prime (http://www.metmuseum.org/explore/Unicorn/unicorn_flora.htm) here. My guess is something similar though not necessarily for symbolism.

[sstormwatch.livejournal.com]

Ah, that sorta makes sense. I guess to show the bounty of the harvest in general or something. Thanks for looking up that info on the Unicorn Tapestries.

[estela-dufrayse.livejournal.com]

with this period of painting, alot of the variety has allegorical meaning of man's dominance over nature. This was a period of great inroads into controling horticulture and creating new varieties of the different plants and foodstuffs.

Isabella, I would pin this closed, far more period method of fastening for this class level.

[operafantomet.livejournal.com]

Good question! I have three suggestions:

1. Pin it together, like the others have suggested. Something back in my mind tells me that this was less common in Italy than elsewhere, but it was still done, and will be a most period approach.

2. Put the lacing in the back and let the front be purely decorative, like the crimson Pisa dress. I know side lacing was more common for noble ladies, as it classified them as "immobile" and not breastfeeding. But again, it wasn't uncommon for working class women, as this other Campi painting shows:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/operafantomet/renaissanceportraits/cremona/campocremona1580s3.jpg

3. Make a lacing, either through worked eyelets, or loose rings sewn to the front. This is probably the most Italian approach, appearing both early and late in the 16th century. It appears in a Campi painting:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/operafantomet/renaissanceportraits/cremona/campocremona1508s2.jpg

as well as various Tuscan working class depictions:
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v31/operafantomet/renaissanceportraits/firenze3/zuccari1579villa.jpg

Lacing is easier to deal with in terms of adjusting a dress; in period times important for pregnancies and such, as well as for comfort. It allows you to adjust a dress a size or three, which at least I appreciate if I wear a thicker chemise or the weather is hot. Though, hooks and eyes is, as all the other options, very period, as Eleonora di Toledo's velvet underbodice shows.

[isabelladangelo.livejournal.com]

I've been playing with the idea of doing a mixture -having a inner laced front and the outer part of the dress pinned closed- but I'm not sure. I want to keep the dress looking as close to the painting as possible so I'm guessing that would mean a pinned front. I need to get a bigger photo of the dress to find out!