The Camicia and Italian Renaissance Art
Italian Renaissance art is often a good resource when looking into the fashion of the period. Portraits of the elite show the elaborate fabric, tailoring, and embellishment that went into a garment at this time. However, this article is looking at the undergarment – the ‘camicia da giorno’ (in English, literally ‘day shirt’). The camicia was an item of clothing worn by both men and women. In essence, it was a linen undershirt, that both protected the outer garment from sweat and dirt on the body, but also made the often heavy and itchy outer garment more comfortable to wear – like the shifts and chemises of later time periods. The undershirt was also much easier to wash than the outer garments and were cleaned far more frequently than the dresses that were layered over them. The women’s camicia was full-length, with voluminous sleeves that emerged from gaps in the clothing. This can be seen in Lorenzo Lotto’s Portrait of a Lady as Lucretia, with the white linen of the camicia peeking out above the neckline and at openings around the elbows.
Lorenzo Lotto, Portrait of a Woman Inspired by Lucretia, c. 1530, The National Gallery, London
As the underclothing was very personal and bespoke to the owner, the production of the camicia was often a household industry, even up to elite families. In Italy, sometimes the needlework was sent out to convents, but elsewhere in Europe, even the most elite were making undershirts for their families. For example, Catherine of Aragon was making Henry VIII’s undershirts up until their divorce.
As well as being an undergarment to protect clothes, the camicia also doubled as a nightdress. Another function of this loose and lightweight garment appeared during the classical revival in the Renaissance. Spectacles and carnivals were organised for the entertainment of the people and sometimes courtesans were employed to act out the role of nymphs, the mythical nature spirits. This garment also was used for the depiction of goddesses and nymphs in theatre and art. The translucent, light material allowed for the body to be seen and resembles the kind of drapery used by the ancients to show the female form without depicting them nude.
The Victory of Samothrace, early 2nd century BC, Louvre, Paris
This use of the camicia to show mythological women can be seen very clearly in the work of Botticelli. One of his most famous works, Primavera, has the Three Graces on the left, and the nymph Chloris on the right, dressed in gorgeous, gauzy, transparent garments, designed to show off the figure underneath.
Another, more elaborate example of the camicia in Botticelli’s art occurs in his painting Venus and Mars. This garment appears more substantial, a thicker fabric, with gold detailing. The layers thin out over Venus’ leg, to reveal her calf and foot. Even her intricate hairstyle weaves into the neckline of the camicia, the two plaits joining at a brooch on her breast.
The Three Graces, detail of Botticelli’s Primavera, c.1482, Uffizi, Florence
Perhaps the richness of Venus’ garment distinguishes her status as a goddess. This may have been based on a real item of clothing, however, Botticelli is known for embellishing his mythological figures – for example, the hairstyle of Venus is fanciful and imagined, the braiding into the neckline in particular. This adornment and exaggeration of an everyday item, such as the camicia could have been Botticelli’s way of classicising the clothing of the day, furthering the fantasy of the pagan goddess of love.
Sandro Botticelli, Venus and Mars, c. 1485, The National Gallery, London
In the Italian Renaissance, artists such as Botticelli took the very mundane garment of the camicia and elevated it to the chosen clothing of the beautiful, and mystical nymphs and goddesses of the ancient past. The light, diaphanous linen of the women’s undershirt became the costume for recreations of deities and nature spirits inspired by the artwork and literature of the worlds of ancient Greece and Rome.
