Florence Files
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Research
and Recreations by La Signora Onorata Katerina da Brescia
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Documenation
can be found in Florentine painting from the 16th century of
pocket
looking pouches that are tied around the waist. The saccoccia appears to be worn on top
of the underskirt, hanging from the
waist, under the sottana and could be accessed via the slits in
the skirt of the sottana.
Left are two examples of the saccoccia found
in Moda a Firenze.The first
is A
Woman at her Toilet.
1575-78, (p 138) and the second is from Birth of the Virgin
(p 82). Both portraits are by Allessandro
Allori and can be documented as being used in Florence.
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Other
examples of saccoccia, in portraiture, can be seen in various frescoes
and paintings in the Medici Palazza in Florence.
On the far left is part of the fresco, by Allori (1588) on the cieling
of the Arcade vault in the Pitti Palace (Pitti Palace: all the Museums, p
75). This show 6 women in thier toilette and washing linens. Left
is an earlier example of saccoccia found in |
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Eleanora's
apartments: Cieling of the Sala of Penope, by Giovanni Stradano
(1551-62). (Moda a Firenze, p
21). This is close to the time of Eleanora's burial gown (1562) and is
of a different shape to later saccoccia.
Another
example can be seen below, with what appears to be buttons (not seen on
any other examples
I have found as yet). |
(Pitti
Palace: all the Museums, p 74, and Patterns of Fashion 4, p 16).
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Left
are some more examples from the 3rd quarter of the 16th century, in a
drawing/engraving: Preparing the
Eggs of Silkworm by Giovanni Stradano (Italian Renaissance Interiors, Fig
376) According to Peter Thornton's book, this probably shows a
Florentine interior.
Note, both of these saccoccia are squarer in shape. These appear to be
worn over the dress, in this home situation. |
Extant Examples:
There
are not many extant examples of 16th century pockets, or saccoccia as
termed in Moda a Firenze.
The Victoria and Albert Museum website has good information on
'pockets'. Though information is based on extant examples after 1700,
they look very similar to the portraits above and one of the examples
below.
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The
first example is found in the Museo del Traje which 'promotes the... ethnological heritage
representing the cultures of the peoples of Spain'.
Though not specifically stated on the site, it can therefore be
inferred that the 'pocket' is of Spanish origin. However, it is of the
same timeline and style of the saccoccia found in the Florentine
paintings above. It is made of silk
with gold and silver and is embroidered. It is dated at 1575-1600. INVENTORY:
MT00790
The second is from Moda alla corte
dei Medici,
page 56, Figure 26. This photo shows the proposed position of a pocket
(hanging below the imbusto waistline on the right side), found to be
with Eleanora d'Toledo's burial dress, dating this exmaple at 1562. It
is made of yellow silk. This appears to be a different shape to the
portraits from 1575-78.
Recreations and Diaries:
- Kat's First Saccaccia (far right)
- pale Saccoccia (below left)
- Silk embroidered saccoccia, based on pattern (above
right) in Preparing the Eggs
of Silkworm by Giovanni Stradano
- Silk embroidered saccoccia based on pattern (above
left) Preparing the Eggs of Silkworm by Giovanni Stradano -
gifted to Countess Mathilde.
- Red saccoccia with couched cording, similar to that
in Moda a Firenze- the second is from Birth of the Virgin
(p 82)
- black linen
pouch set with fleur-di-lis goldwork
  
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Glossary
sottana: petticoat dress
saccoccia - pocket pouch
Bibliography
- Arnold, Janet Patterns
of Fashion 4, MacMillan, London, 2008. ISBN: 978-0-333-57082-1
- Chiarini, Marco (ed). The Official Guide: Pitti Palace -
all the museums, all the works. Sillabe s.r.l, Livorno. 2001. ISBN:
88-8347-047-9
- Orsi Landini, Roberta & Niccoli, Bruna. La Moda a Firenze 1540-1580.
Pagliai Polistampa, Firenze, 2005. ISBN: 88-8304-867-9
- Moda alla Corte dei
Medici, gli albiti restauranti di Cosimo, Eleanora e don Garzia, Firenze
: Centro Di, 1993. Description: 107 p. : ISBN: 8870382389 (available
via interlibrary loan).
- Museo del Traje.
http://museodeltraje.mcu.es/index.jsp?id=48&ruta=4,17,48&referencia=MT00790
(8/07)
- Thorton, Peter. The Italian Renaissance Interior
1400-1600. Harry N. Adams INc, NY. 1991. ISBN: 0-8109-3459-0
- V&A - Pockets.
http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/fashion/pockets/collections/index.html
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