What's this guy wearing? Renaissance Dutch

Fearghus Macildubh · Post by **Fearghus Macildubh** » Sun Nov 26, 2006 2:36 pm

This is a detail from a Breughel the younger painting called The village Lawyer, ca 1600. What do you think he's wearing? Is it a sleaveless buff coat? Some sort of cassock? It looks like it's being worn over just a shirt, so I was thinking it would be good for summer wear.

T. Finkas · Post by **T. Finkas** » Sun Nov 26, 2006 2:55 pm

My guess would be it's a skirted jerkin worn over a doublet. Wearing a sleeveless jerkin over a sleeved doublet is not an unusual thing to see being portrayed in late 16th century paintings. When the colors match it can be difficult to recgnize that a jerkin is being worn over a doublet,

Since this man is wearing buskins or tall boots, I'm guessing that he is a drover (wagon or cart driver) and that this skirted jerkin is part of his occupational wardrobe. This fits with other Bruegal images of drovers I have seen.

Cheers,
Tim

Alcyoneus · Post by **Alcyoneus** » Sun Nov 26, 2006 3:23 pm

You will find variations on this in The Tudor Tailor. Materials, sleeves, etc can vary, but it is the same basic thing.

Tibbie Croser · Post by **Tibbie Croser** » Tue Nov 28, 2006 4:28 pm

I don't think he's wearing tall boots. It looks to me like he's wearing black ankle boots over two pairs of hose.

This type of garment (the long-skirted jerkin) seems to be common in the work of both the elder and younger Breughels and in other paintings of 16th-century peasants. It's not just on drovers; it's seen on at least one farmer plowing a field in a picture by Breughel the elder.

T. Finkas · Post by **T. Finkas** » Tue Nov 28, 2006 4:37 pm

Looks like leather buskins over red hosen over white hosen to me, but maybe not. You could be right, Flittie.

These skirted jerkins ("based" jerkins?) are always over sleeved doublets not just shirts, if I am remembering correctly.

Cheers,
Tim

Alcyoneus · Post by **Alcyoneus** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 12:55 am

For your amusement, you'll find a similar garment (sleeved) in Piero della Francesca's The Legend of the True Cross: The Battle of Heraclius and Khosrow (shortly after 1452) Look at the guy in red on his knees, center front
[img]http://www.oraculartree.com/Della_Francesca_battle.jpg[/img]

Francesca's Legend of the True Cross: The Adoration of the Sacred Wood and the Meeting of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba
Another guy in red (also sleeved), on the left side of http://www.wga.hu/art/p/piero/francesc/ ... /sheba.jpg

So this particular fashion, with minor differences is good for a hundred years or so.