Either a Borgia, or Nothing: 16th Century Fashion During the Borgia Papacy

Stacy and Clinton have made their way from New York City to the ancient city of Rome. Stepping through time, they arrive in the bastion of power, the Vatican.

The Italian peninsula birthed the Renaissance in many regards. Today, Italy is a singular state governed by a democratic legislature. But in the sixteenth century, Italy was carved up like a Christmas ham. The Italian Wars (1494–1559) became a tug-of-war challenge between the mighty kingdoms of France and Spain for control of the peninsula.

[Giorgio Vasari. The Battle of Scannagallo (1554), Palazzo Vecchio, Florence]

It began with Charles VIII’s invasion of Naples in 1494, but an alliance between the Holy Roman Emperor, the pope, and the king of Naples expelled the French invasion. In the power vacuum, the Italian city-states slobbered at their mouths as they sunk their teeth into Naples. Venice occupied several ports in the region, and through negotiations with the new French king, Louis XII (r. 1498–1515), acquired more territory. This was not the only power vacuum. In 1494, the de facto rulers of Florence – the Medici – were expelled by the zealous monk Savonarola. When he was executed, an oligarchy was created by the authority of gonfaloniere Soderini (r. 1498–1512). As this happened, Cesare Borgia, the commander of the papal army, began to consolidate the city-states of the Romagna to create a Borgia-ruled secular state. At the zenith of his career, Cesare fell dangerously ill, his father – Pope Alexander VI – dying from the illness. Thwarted, Cesare never recovered as his father’s enemy Pope Julius II (r. 1503–13) seized hold of the Romagna.

It is in the Borgia papacy, in the bloodbath that is the Romagna, that the first Renaissance fashion industry arises. Decadence, simony, symbolism: All of these defined the Borgia papacy. Pope Alexander VI, Rodrigo Borgia (r. 1492–1503) comes to power as Christopher Columbus sails to find the New World. Of Spanish blood, Alexander and his children – Cesare, Juan, Lucrezia, and Jofré – are shrouded in rumor, corruption, and imperialism. They played politics with the Spanish, the French, the Ottoman Turks, and other Italian city-states.

[Right: Bernardino Pinturicchio. The Resurrection (1454 - 1513), Borgia Apartments, Vatican City]

These alliances allowed for various European cultures to bleed into Italian fashion. Many of these trends were set by the aristocracy and upper echelons of city-state society. Courts sometimes employed private clothiers to dress the ruling family.[1] Though photography did not exist, and Stacy and Clinton were centuries from rising to fame, portraiture and commissioned art provides historians with incredible imagery the likes of which Vogue has never seen.

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Men's Fashion –

[Andrea Mantegna. The Court of Gonzaga (c. 1465), Ducal Palace, Mantua]

Take a look at this wall fresco by Andrea Mantegna of Ludovico Gonzaga and his court in Mantua. The marquis sits at right, dressed in a rose-colored robe.[2] Late-fifteenth century and early-sixteenth century Italian fashion was colorful. Red, blue, gold, pink, and green sweep across the various garments in the fresco. Most of the men sport red caps, something easily spotted in a crowded plaza. Hemlines of tunics ended above the knee, flashing the two-tone hoses popular during this period.

See the courtiers with their white and red stockings and red caps before Gonzaga’s seat? It is a symbol of employment, marking them as servants in Gonzaga’s household. Colors allowed other citizens and diplomats to understand who was loyal to whom in the court. It served as a clear visual marker, promoting tonal unity when abroad. Colored dyes were also expensive and difficult to come by. Garments with colors other than earth tones indicated a person’s wealth.

As the sixteenth century progressed though, men’s fashion became darker, influenced by Spanish dominance. Courtiers should appear “neat and refined…observe a certain modest elegance…he should avoid being effeminate or foppish’” according to the writings of Baldassare Castiglione in his etiquette book.[3] Tunics, jackets, and stockings transitioned into black and brown velvets and silks. Flashes of color, badges, and other livery were used to indicate allegiance to certain families.

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Women's Fashion –

[Domenico Ghirlandaio. Portrait of Giovanna Tornabuoni (1489 – 1490), Museo Thyssen - Bornemisza, Madrid]

Take a look at this portrait of a Florentine lady completed by Domenico Ghirlandaio. Her husband commissioned the painting after her death in 1488, specified on the slip of paper in the background.[4] Lady Giovanna sits with a right-facing profile, hands clasping a handkerchief. She wears a gonna, or gown, of red silk patterned with white flowers and the avian badge of the Tornabuoni family. A white silk smock pocks through the slashed fabric, puffing out around the knotted seams. A gold brocade giornea, or over-gown, usually made of velvet or silk rests over the red gonna. A necklace with pearls, gold, and red gemstones dangles down her front.

A wealthy Renaissance woman wore at least three or four complete layers of clothing in public. The exterior gown was the most expensive and ostentatious, with volumes of fabric spilling out from her body. Lady Giovanna wears many layers as the wife of a Florentine banker, but Lucrezia Borgia, as the daughter of the pope and a duchess, would have worn more clothing with more jewels. Though it became an outward expression of wealth, the Renaissance woman was expected to maintain a sense of decorum. A popular handbook for aristocratic women urged young ladies to place their hands so “[her] right hand must always rest upon [her] left, in front of [her], on the level of [her] girdle”.[5] It is a dignified gesture, one that maintains a sense of decorum and feminine piety. Lady Giovanna does the same in her portrait, a virtuous expression on her face, her eyes downcast to avoid the painter, and subsequently, the viewer. Women were expected to be mistresses of the house, subservient to their husbands. Some highborn women enjoyed more power, but overall, Italy remained a patriarchal society.

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The Borgias Fashion –

Clearly virtue and modesty became markers of Italian fashion during the Borgia papacy. The Borgia Black Legend would paint the family in a darker, more debasing color of vice and sin. Gabriella Pescucci, the costume designer for Showtime’s The Borgias (2011–13) was influenced by existing Italian portraiture from the period. She used historically accurate materials and fabrics, but she admits that she sexed up the outfits for the series.[6] For example, she used corsets on the men as well as the women to accentuate figures. While she used portraits as inspiration, she had to guess at much of her work as few tangible articles existed.

Alexander, played by Jeremy Irons, wears the papacy and splendor of God in his robes. White silk brocade, precious stones, and fur-lined cloaks billow around him as he sashays through the Vatican. White is pure, white is holy, and white remains white when the pope never has to lift a finger in his life. He is above the simple work of commoners. He is God's prince on Earth. Gold accents splash across the white, especially during his coronation.[7] These colors would have cost a fortune, something only a pope could afford. The garments are similar to Pinturicchio’s depiction of the historic pope in the Vatican. In fact, the papal garments have remained the same for centuries.

[Right: Alexander IV at his coronation (Showtime, 2011)]

Borgia red splashes across the screen as well, coloring Lucrezia’s dresses and the pope’s cloaks. Juan’s entire wardrobe appears to be dyed Borgia red.[8] Bloody, regal, and easily noticed, red is associated with the papacy, with Rome, and with conquest. These serve as clear marks of the Borgia household, of the Church, and of wealth. All of the cardinals in the Vatican wore it (as they still do today). Red dye was also expensive, so anyone wearing red clearly had the means to pay for it.

[Right: Juan Borgia with Djem (Showtime, 2011)]

Cesare wears rich purple as an archbishop and bright red as a cardinal. The silks are patterned, dramatically long, flaring from behind him like a villain’s cape. When he abandons the ecclesiastical life, he dons black and nothing else, either in tight-fitted doublets, studded brigandines, or gold-accented armor.[9] It serves as an outward expression of the changes happening to his character. Juan was captain of the papal army before Cesare and wore his armor less than Cesare. Clearly, the costuming department wanted audiences to see Cesare become the conqueror and prince he was destined to be. The only color he wears is around Lucrezia, when the two often match, indicating their “relationship”. Otherwise, darkness shrouds Cesare.

In contrast, Lucrezia’s second husband, Alfonso of Naples, dresses in somber, moody colors. Plums, dark red and green, blues, and blacks, all of which are associated with sadness. He becomes increasingly drunk and volatile after he learns of Lucrezia and Cesare’s sinful relationship.[10] His outfits are similar to Cesare’s in cuts, styles, and fitting.

[Clockwise from Left: Cesare the cardinal (Showtime, 2012); Cesare at Forlí (Showtime, 2013); Lucrezia at Naples (Showtime, 2013)]

[Sandro Botticelli. Portrait of a Youth (c. 1482/1485), National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.]

While they appear to be historically accurate, the tightness and often revealing aspects of the clothing would not have been. As seen in the portrait of a Florentine youth by Botticelli, the loose doublet and red cap remained important staples in Renaissance fashion. The leather trousers and corseted doublets of Pescucci’s vision were hardly accurate.

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Conclusion –

Pescucci and The Borgias is a costume drama in regard to historiography. The costumes look like many in the portraits included in this examination, but the billowy breeches, stuffy clothing, and tight hose are set aside for trousers, form-fitting cuts, and sex appeal. Lucrezia nearly bursts out of her gowns, and the same can be said for the pope’s mistresses, Vanozza and Guilia Farnese. Despite this, the clothing is more accurate than that in the preceding series, The Tudors. It does recreate the decadence and prestige of the Borgia papacy. Clothing became important expressions of intentions, social class, and authority. While historic Italian fashion in the sixteenth century lent itself to virtuous expression, Showtime splashes a sinful color across their iteration of Borgia fashion.

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Notes:

[1] Lane Eagles, “‘Beauty Adorns Virtue’: Italian Renaissance Fashion.” Fashion History Timeline.

[2] Ludovico III Gonzaga of Mantua (r. 1444 – 1478), the marquis of Mantua, was a patron of the Renaissance arts. Lane Eagles, “‘Beauty Adorns Virtue’: Italian Renaissance Fashion.” [3] Castiglione, The Book of the Courtier (pub. 1528) as referenced in Eagles, “‘Beauty Adorns Virtue’: Italian Renaissance Fashion.”

[4] The inscription reads “Art, would that you could represent character and mind! There would be no more beautiful painting on earth 1488”. It refers to Giovanna’s virtue and the skill of the painter. [5] The Décor Puellarum was printed in Venice in 1469. Eagles, “‘Beauty Adorns Virtue’: Italian Renaissance Fashion.”

[6] Interview between Karyn Monget of WWD and Gabriella Pescucci in 2012. “Costume Designers Behind The Borgias, Game of Thrones, and Boardwalk Empire.” WWD. July 30, 2012. https://wwd.com/business-news/media/costume-designers-behind-the-borgias-game-of-thrones-and-boardwalk-empire-6121950/

[7] The Borgias. “Tears of Blood.” Directed by David Leland. Written by Neil Jordan. Showtime, June 2, 2013.

[8] The Borgias. “The Moor.” Directed by Simon Cellan Jones. Written by Neil Jordan. Showtime, April 10, 2011.

[9] The Borgias. “The Prince.” Directed by Neil Jordan. Written by Neil Jordan. Showtime, June 16, 2013.

[10] Alfonso is upset with Cesare’s accusations concerning the former’s loyalty. When he refuses to consummate his marriage with Lucrezia, she visits Cesare’s bedchamber. The two engage in incest. The Borgias. “The Siblings.” Directed by Jon Amiel. Written by Guy Burt. Showtime, April 28, 2013.