Compendium of Florentine Artists

It can be hard to find good source material for historical garbmaking. Since most of us don't have access to the cool costuming books, like Jacqueline Herald's "Dress in Renaissance Italy 1400-1500", or to the cool museums and extant garb, we rely on art history.

Around 1450, a new school of art emerged in Italy called the "Florentine School". It was marked by increased realism, perspective, and a certain secularity. It's around this period that you start seeing a lot more portraits being made, which is good news for us! Artists in the Florentine school did not necessarily paint Florentine fashions, of course. They were sent all over the world by their patrons as a status symbol and as a sort of control measure over other rulers ("Don't tick me off, or I'm calling my pet artist home!").

Here are some artists to keep your eyes open for. Unless noted, they are all of the Florentine school. Be aware that most of these people painted a lot of religious themes -- try to study portrait subjects wearing "normal" clothes and avoid the togas.

• Sandro Botticelli, 1445-1510, one of the Florentine School originators. Famous for "Birth of Venus" (yes, -that- "Birth of Venus"), 1482.
• Domenico del Ghirlandaio, active around 1475-1500. His portraits are not to be missed -- wonderful details to feast upon.
• Leonardo da Vinci, 1452-1519
• Fra Filippo Lippi, 1406-1469
• Benozzo Gozzoli, 1420-1497. Famous for "Cavalcade of the Magi", which is a great resource for men's garb.
• Andrea del Verrocchio, 1435-1488. Born in Florence, died in Venice, but worked mostly in Florence and taught art there.
• Antonio del Pollaiuolo 1431-1498.
• Andrea del Castagno, 1423-1457, also called Andrea di Bartolo. Painted a series called "Illustrious Men".
• Pontormo, aka Jacopo Carucci, 1494-1556.
• Lorenzo Lotto, 1480-1556.
• Alessio Baldovinetti, 1425-1499. Famous for "Portrait of a Lady in Yellow".
• Stefano di Giovanni, called "Sassetta", 1394-1450. He was a Sienese painter famous for perspective paintings. Siena was regarded as a fashion capital, and its painters had some unique ways of doing things. Siene isn't far from Florence, so I'm including a few Sienese painters here.
• Ucello, aka Paolo di Donno, 1397-1475. A stylistic Florentine painter. His work is hard to find, but interesting -- such as the lady's dress in St. George and the Dragon.
• Matteo di Giovanni, 1430-1495. Sienese. Painted mostly religious themes, but a few portraits can be found.
• Cosimo Tura (sometimes called Cosme), 1430-1495. Ferrarese school, which is distinct from Florentine or Venetian (Ferrara is almost exactly halfway between those cities). He helped paint the Palazzo Schifanoia, which is just jam-packed with interesting ideas. Florentine-only garbmakers would do well to make sure they get support for ideas from Florentine sources, but most of it seems applicable.
• Other Ferrarese painters: Francesco del Cossa, 1435-1477; Dosso Dossi, 1490-1542.

Warning:
Be aware that it can be dangerous to rely entirely on a portrait. The general rule is the "rule of three", meaning that if you can find it in three portraits, you can usually rely on it. But even then, artists could be fanciful with things like seam placements, colors, and other details. Don't take portraits as gospel, is all I'm saying.

Places to Hunt for Art
Art Renewal Center, featuring thousands of high-quality paintings.
Artcyclopedia, a huge collection of art and one of the first places I look for things.
The Artchive, another great collection site.
The Web Gallery of Art, which also features historical notes.
CGFA, where you can find historical notes and artist biographies.
Olga's Gallery. I like this site because it also features hand-painted repros and prints for sale.