Jump to content

Balzo headdress

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by InternetArchiveBot (talk | contribs) at 07:51, 26 June 2020 (Rescuing 1 sources and tagging 0 as dead.) #IABot (v2.0.1). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

This portrait of an unknown Italian noblewoman has mistakenly been called the Turkish Slave because her headdress was considered a turban for centuries.[1]

The Balzo was a headdress worn by noblewomen of Italy in the 1530s. It was donut-shaped but appeared turban-like from the front, though it was generally worn further back from the forehead exposing the hair, unlike a period turban.

The headdress was a throwback to a larger rounded headdress from the 15th century in Italy that covered the hair of the wearer.[2] Then the hairline was often plucked. Though mostly known as a woman's headdress, there is evidence that men also wore a form of the balzo.

References

  1. ^ 20,000 Years of Fashion, page 219-220
  2. ^ Balzo Archived 2016-09-07 at the Wayback Machine on clothing website