Renaissance clothing and perfumes

THURSDAY JANUARY 12th, 2017 – 6.30 p.m. - Length: 1 ½ hrs

During the Renaissance, appearance and self-care were important aspects of daily life. In the 16th century, bathing became a new form of sociability, reserved for a cultivated and knowledgeable élite and embodying aristocratic lifestyle in Europe. Beauty treatments were used to complement bodily hygiene. Thanks to the printing trade, beauty know-how and secrets became readily accessible. This social vocation justified the presence of ornate accessories crafted with precious materials on the dressing table: mirrors, combs, brushes, toothpicks, ear-picks, powder cases, etc. Costumes, associated with a wide variety of jewelry, were used to offset hygiene accessories and perfume sets: magnificent pomanders in gold or gilded silver can be seen on portraits from the era. The Musée du Parfum Fragonard possesses a fine collection, which participants will discover during the talk.

Michèle Bimbenet-Privat, Chief Curator of the Louvre’s Objets d’Art department, is a specialist in 17th and 18th-century Renaissance jewelry.