Men's Cloaks in 15th Century Florence

by Vangelista di Antonio Dellaluna

Cloaks have not received much attention in costuming, with reason: There are few extant examples, and even portraiture, which generally depicts people in indoor settings, does not depict them often. But for re-creationists, having that extra layer of warmth at outdoor events is important.

Men's Cloaks: Men's cloaks appear to be big, baggy, draping affairs, sometimes with loose sleeves and loose hoods. They generally reach to the calves. They don't look very heavy to me, and do not appear to be lined all the time.

Sassetta, St. Anthony Distributing His Wealth to the Poor, 1440

Sassetta, St. Anthony Distributing His Wealth to the Poor, detail, 1440. Sienese painter.

This detail shows an older gentleman walking a dog. You will note that his cloak is quite thin and reaches about to his calves. It clasps at his throat. There is no hood.

Sandro Botticelli, Saint Ambrogio Alterpiece, detail, 1470. Florentine school.

I put this here because I liked the ecclesiastical cloaks. They are smooth at the shoulders, falling into pleats in the back. They are slit down the sides. Naturally, they're bright flaming red, a prestigious color indeed. I also like the allegorical cloaks on the women, but they're not the point of main interest here.

Click here for a larger version of the thumbnail.

Sandro Botticelli, Adoration of the Magi, detail, 1476. Florentine school.

This is thought to be Botticelli's self-portrait. He's dressed in a humble sort of coat with very flappy sleeves. It goes to almost his ankles. It does not appear to have a closure in front or even a collar -- it is also fairly thin. Note its rather dull golden-brown color. This would almost certainly be made of wool.

Ghirlandaio, Zachariah in the Temple, detail, 1490. Florentine school.

This is splendid. These four men show us all sides of cloaks. All the cloaks are fairly similar, with shaped shoulders (not pleated, like other European period cloaks are, slit sides, shawl or short standing collars, and a distinct lack of ornamentation. It is possible they are edged at the bottom with pale-colored fabric (or, more likely, fur), but that could be a peculiarity of the photo. The important things to notice here is the length (just past thigh-length, it looks like), the side slits visible on the leftmost figure, and shaped tops. These are probably cut in shapes similar to triangles, as a modern cloak pattern might have it. They are very full at the bottom. You'll note that three of them are red -- the frontmost figure is a very bright red, while the other two red garments are a more subdued shade. The remaining cloak could be either a different shade of red, or a shade of purple.

Click here for a larger version of the thumbnail.

Women's Cloaks

This page last updated: July 10, 2009

All text copyright Vangelista di Antonio Dellaluna, except where otherwise noted. All portraits are understood to be copyright- free and are presented as research aids only.