Margherita Gonzaga Clothing

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Fabric and dress communicate social-economic status, time period, and location of the siter to the viewer. The artist is able to convey this by accurately painting every detail of her dress and jewels. By analyzing every aspect of this portrait, one can figure out more about the Renaissance period and how royals were depicted. The imperceptible details depicted in the portrait of Margherita Gonzaga, convey that it is the early fifteenth century in Spain and that she is apart of the upper class. By glancing swiftly at the portrait, it is apparent that Margherita is apart of the royal family, due to her ornate tiara and lavish clothing. One can assume that she is part of the royal family, because the sumptuary laws state that only royals can wear crowns. If someone who was not a royal was discerned wearing a crown, it is not an accurate representation. During this time period, jewels and pearls were very expensive; only royals and select upperclassmen tended to wear them. The dress is has a small v-neck, which shows off her double strand of…show more content…
Gonzaga has three ruffs, one around her neck and two around her wrists that were made from lace. It was not common for a lady to wear a ruff, so having three of them shows how affluent she really is. Symmetry was a major fashion trend as well during this time period. Along with both ruffs on her wrists, she is also wearing two gold bracelets with, what look to be sapphires. Both hands are not displayed; however, it would be reasonable to assume that she is also wearing two rings as well. The ruff has a gold tint, which suggests that gold is woven into the ruff which creates the intricate pattern. A ruff alone displays how wealthy she is, but the jewels hanging from the ruff shows how extravagant she is. Gonzaga’s goal is to communicate her wealth and social status through her dress, and she definitely

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