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The exhibition is an important opportunity to showcase the primacy of Milan couture in the production of luxury goods in the sixteenth century.
Giovanni Battista Moroni. The image of the sixteenth-century gentleman
Fashion and the primacy of Milan couture in the sixteenth century through a masterpiece by Moroni
“Cavaliere in nero” (Knight in black) is a masterpiece by Giovanni Battista Moroni, a leading portrait painter in Lombardy in the sixteenth century. The painting, recently purchased by the Museo Poldi Pezzoli, is a grand full-length portrait of extraordinary pictorial quality, and is also valuable as a refined expression of fashion in the late Renaissance. Inspired by this painting and the figure portrayed, this publication (which is the catalogue to the exhibition in Milan) documents the excellence of luxury sixteenth-century couture in Milan which created precious fabrics and clothes – unique pieces that were sought-after all over Europe.
The expression of the sitter is determined and intense. The dark, elegant and sophisticated outfit is made of velvet.
This mysterious figure with his enigmatic smile is the protagonist of the exhibition, “Il cavaliere in nero” which is being held at the Museo Poldi Pezzoli between 2 October 2005 and 15 January 2006.
The show springs from a significant testamentary bequest by Annibale Scotti Casanova to the Milan museum-house in 2002: “Il Cavaliere in nero”, masterpiece by Giovanni Battista Moroni, a leading portrait painter in Lombardy in the sixteenth century.
The cavalier in black is an impressive full-length figure of great pictorial quality and also provides invaluable details on fashion in the late Renaissance.The plumed cap, the velvet-striped cape and the sword are an eloquent expression of the sophisticated tailoring of the time.
The exhibition is an important opportunity to showcase the primacy of Milan couture in the production of luxury goods in the sixteenth century: the creation of precious fabrics and the making of clothes.Indeed, throughout the sixteenth century, Milan tailors enjoyed a high reputation for quality: the rulers of European courts used them to create valuable, sophisticated one-off pieces which were an expression of taste and a tradition which saw the city become a sector leader throughout Europe. This high standard of excellence has not, in the past, had its deserved recognition. Moreover, tailors and fabric producers were included among artisans, which restricted their art and skills to the limited field of manual production of expensive objects. In reality what they created are masterpieces that brought together technical ability and artistic, compositional and ideational invention, creating the image of the gentleman.
Further evidence of this excellence in Milan couture arrives from London, with the celebrated painting “Il Sarto” (The Tailor), also known as “Il tagliapanni” (The cloth cutter). This is another extraordinary work by Moroni and is one of the great masterpieces of the National Gallery in London; it comes to Italy for the first time since 1862 for this exhibition at the Poldi Pezzoli museum.The exhibition will also showcase the “Tailor’s handbook” which is held at the Querini Stampalia Foundation in Venice and which belonged to the sixteenth-century Milan tailor Gian Giacomo del Conte. In addition, visitors will be able to admire, among many other works, a model which is very close to the outfit in Moroni’s “Cavaliere in nero”.
Exhibition in Milan, Museo Poldi Pezzoli
2 October 2005 – 15 January 2006
