De re vestiaria. Renaissance discovery of ancient clothing

This contribution represents the first attempt to provide a complete overview of the Renaissance works related to ancient clothing (de re vestiaria) composed between the mid-fifteenth and mid-seventeenth centuries. The structure, approach and method for each treatise are defined in order to demonstrate the evolutionary path of this phenomenon, which was particularly relevant to the cultural life of the time. Two case studies complete the present work, revealing the impact and various ramifications of this knowledge on the development of applied arts. The first concerns an exploration of the influence exerted on theatrical costumes in Italy by antiquarian studies through a comparison between the Poenulus directed by Tomaso Inghirami in Rome in 1513 and the Edipo Tyranno performed by the Accademia Olimpica in Vicenza in 1585. The second concerns an integrated analysis of the relationship between the works on ancient garments and the iconographic patterns of the fresco paintings at Fontainebleau in France, which could shed further light on the identity of iconographers of the Gallery of Francis I.