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De gli habiti antichi et moderni di diversi parti del mondo, libri due ...

1590

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Metropolitan Museum of Art
New York City, United States

Cesare Vecellio, who joined the workshop of his famous cousin Titian before 1548, was active as a publisher by 1570. This book contains 420 illustrations of costumes (exotic and domestic) by the woodcutter Christoph Krieger and marks the culmination of a trend that began in the mid-sixteenth century with a series of costume engravings by Enea Vico. The first section of his book covers European dress, including Ottoman Turkey, while the short section on Africa and Asia includes the costume of Persians, Moors, and Arabs. Here the book is open to Vecellio's engraving of La favorita del Turco. The elegantly dressed woman is probably meant to be Roxelane, a beautiful concubine who became the favorite wife and confidant of the Ottoman sultan Süleyman the Magnificent (r. 1520–66).

412 full page woodcuts surrounded by woodcut borders, 5 full page views of Venice. First edition. Red Morocco leather binding with gold stamping.
Publisher:Damiano Zenaro (active Venice, 1563–ca. 1604) , Venice

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  • Title: De gli habiti antichi et moderni di diversi parti del mondo, libri due ...
  • Creator: Cesare Vecellio
  • Date Created: 1590
  • Location Created: Venice, Italy
  • Physical Dimensions: Overall: 6 9/16 x 4 15/16 x 2 1/16 in. (16.7 x 12.5 x 5.2 cm)
  • Type: Book Ornament & Architecture
  • Original Source: Vecellio’s ambitions to map the diversity of dress across the globe mirrored contemporary cartographers’ efforts to create world atlases. His popular book marks the culmination of a trend that began in the mid-sixteenth century with Enea Vico’s series of costume engravings, which were made into woodcuts and used in François Desprez’s 1562 Treatise on Costume (see cat. 95). It contains 420 illustrations of costumes; the first section covers European dress, including that of Ottoman Turkey, and the short section on Africa and Asia includes the apparel of Persians, Moors, and Arabs. This opening shows the dress of two noble Venetian brides, one after her wedding and the other at the Feast of the Ascension.
  • External Link: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Collection Online, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Collection Online
  • Culture: Italian
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1906, transferred from the Library
  • Creator Death Date: 1601
  • Creator Birth Date: 1521
  • Accession Number: 21.36.146
The Metropolitan Museum of Art

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