I was looking at the painting of Salome (top left, http://www.elizabethancostume.net/farthingale/history.html ) that is generally accepted as one of the earliest forms of farthingale/virtugarde/verdugados. I've heard the "Look, first the hoops were worn on the outside, but very quickly they became an underskirt and hidden" interpretation. I was thinking about the allegorical aspect of religious art.
Salome was supposed to have danced naked before she asked for the head of John the Baptist. Is it possible that the artist depicted Salome in her underwear to hint at this nakedness, and that hoops were never actually worn on the outside? (if that's true, why are hoops also visible on the ladies behind her?) Are there any other depictions, anywhere, of hoops on the outside? Any thoughts? Emma _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list [email protected] http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
