This scan is
from Survey of Historic costume: A History
of Western Dress. It is conjectured to be
Venetian and dated to the late 16th century.
The
description reads
"Woman's chemise from the
late 16th century, probably from Venice. The
white linen garment is embroidered with lavender
floss silk and gold thread."
The lines of embroidery decorate
the seams. This is
very similar to the lines of embroidery in the
Vecellio woodcut.
Much
as I would love to happily concur with the Met
Museum's attribution of this camicia and claim
this extant camicia in the name of Venetian
enthusiasts everywhere, I disagree with the
origin if this camicia being Venice for two
reasons: neckline and cuffs.
As we can see in
period portraiture the Venetians loved to show
off lots of skin around the neckline. With a
couple of notable exceptions, only a very little of the
camicia showed from under the dress, and thus
camicia necklines had to be very large - much
larger than this extant garment demonstrates. The
cuffs are likewise not seen in Venetian
portraiture. However, there is a
possibility that this camicia originated in the
provinces of the Veneto, which would make it
technically "Venetian", but not from
Venice itself. This point is more than a mere
technicality, for clothing variations between
those garments found in Venice and in those of
her provinces are discernible. The possibility also exists that
this is a camicia menat to be worn in bed, rather than
under clothing.
|
