Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Men's Fashions by Francesco

Men's Fashions by Francesco


Book Review: "The People of Bronze"

Posted: 29 Sep 2009 04:43 PM PDT

This is the third article that I have translated from the book, the People of Bronze (il Popolo di bronzo in Italian), which marvelously describes the styles of the Nuraghic men, who lived more than 4,000 years ago in Sardinia. For more information on the author, please refer to Part I and Part II:

Armored Archer from Usellus

This little statuette represents the magnificent level attained by the Nuraghic artists in their sculptural work of descriptive reproductions and shows the evolution of warrior armament right to the minimal details.

Unfortunately the little statue had been already disappeared by the time Giovanni Lilliu described it in his beautiful book, Sculptures of Nuraghic Sardegna, 1966.

The clothing worn by this archer recalls that of the Chinese warriors of the Emperor Qin Shi, 3rd century BC (Xi An, China), depicted in the famous "terracotta army," as well as the fabulous armament of the Japanese samurai. The helmet is a conical type, presenting a very high and elaborate rim with a lower part of spiral work and an upper part that is bound to metal studs. In back, the head armor presents a decoration of herringbone, while the braids fall in front.

The peculiarity of this helmet is the small fox or weasel head, which is placed in front just under the plume. The statuesque figure represents the type of animal force that is incarnated in a warrior: the fox representing astuteness and the weasel—speed. It not merely recalls the depiction of the Egyptian god Anubis but moreover the description of the archer Dolon, a character of the Iliad (Book X), who wears "a helmet of a weasel"!

Ours is wearing a long overcoat that covers the body, almost down to the knees; the upper part seems to be elaborated with reinforced metal plates, which shield also as short sleeves. He is wearing a large defensive plate that hangs from a Y-shape harness, similar to that of No. 38, which is finely decorated and extends to the rear where it supports a cone-like case, a quiver, and launching cane.

The legs are protected from knee to ankle by finely made shin guards, which are composed of a reinforced tibial finishing with tassels on the top and a snug-fitting structure that seems to be made of strips of intertwined leather.

In back, ligatures create extra space to alleviate the complex structure and allow for easy bending of the limbs. The feet are bare. His right hand is clenching an object, which has disappeared but could be a weapon—perhaps a javelin?

As for the left arm, it is protected by a wonderful example of an armored glove (similar to those of the samurai), which, on the back of the hand, bears protective metal washers. The rest of the limb shows a reinforced splint and a long elbow guard, both of which are connected to the sleeve of his jacket with leather straps. The weapon that he is clenching is a long, simple bow.

Particularly curious is the object that is strapped across the shoulder, which can be seen in part from under the arm. They look like two tubes of equal length with some metal fittings. What could it be?

Given the position that allows a rapid extraction, maybe it was a quiver with a reserve of arrows... or it could be a tool disassembled into two pieces to reassemble when the need arises, such as with a javelin or a spear? Unfortunately, one can only dream since the precious and unique figurine has disappeared. It would be useful, given its immense historical value, to inquire into its whereabouts.

Photos & text Copyright Angela Demontis 2005, used with permission.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Men's Fashions by Francesco

Men's Fashions by Francesco


Book Review: "The People of Bronze"

Posted: 28 Sep 2009 04:24 PM PDT

This is a second article that I have translated from the book, the People of Bronze (il Popolo di bronzo in Italian), which describes in great length the fashion of the Nuraghic men, who lived more than 4,000 years ago in Sardinia. For more information on the author, please refer to Part I:

Man with Jacket and Hood

The character represented here is wearing his hair in two short braids, which, starting from the very top, fall down in front of his ears. In back, the hair is kept short.

He is wearing a garment of clothing, which I would dare to define incredibly "modern." It consists of a jacket that is closed in front with long sleeves and a hood. The shortest section of the coat is decorated with a triple band that ends in a frill with long fringes. In front, on the lapels, one can see the buttons that close it. Underneath it, the hem of a simple tunic hangs out.

In addition, this man of Serri is wearing a pair of long pants that have a crease in front and in the back. The feet are bare. He is carrying a plate of food for offering.

Of important note, the custom of men wearing braids has persisted in Sardinia until about 1800. In fact, numerous noble Sardinians used to wear such a hairdo with pride, as cited in the dictionary Angius-Casalis and in the stories of Grazia Deledda.

Photos & text Copyright Angela Demontis 2005, used with permission.

Monday, September 28, 2009

Men's Fashions by Francesco

Men's Fashions by Francesco


Book Review: "The People of Bronze"

Posted: 27 Sep 2009 01:32 PM PDT

When I was travelling through Sardinia earlier this month, I picked up a fascinating book entitled the People of Bronze (il Popolo di bronzo in Italian), which describes to minute detail the styles and fashion of the Nuraghic men, who lived more than 4,000 years ago.

In a previous article, Nuraghic Men Rocked the Styles!, I posted a design and gleaned much information from the book, which deeply impressed me. I am amazed at the author's keen insights into the styles of her Sardinian ancestors and, in turn, I was equally struck by their sense of fashion.

The author, Angela Demontis, is an artist and designer, who for many years contributed to the Naturalistic Museum Sa Corono Arruba as scientific designer. Angela has been fascinated with the bronze statuettes called bronzetti, which she describes to great length in her book.

For the next several articles, I have obtained permission from the author to post the English translation of three designs, which represent the Nuraghic fashion scene. The following article is entitled A Man with a Bag from Aidomaggiore:

This bronzetto, unfortunately very destroyed, represents a man who is carrying some very important objects on his shoulder. On his head rests a simple cap and he has short hair.

It seems that he is wearing a tunic with one flap crossing the other, as seen with models no. 70, 72, 80; but they could also be a Cossack and a skirt, which is tied at the sides. The shoulders are covered with a rectangle mantle, not very long, with a turned-up collar, which is closed with double latches and a button.

This person from Aidomaggiore holds in his fist a double rod, which, resting on his shoulder is bent probably due to the weight of the objects at both extremities. In front, exactly under the hand, we see an object, which, although difficult to interpret, I have rendered as seen in the design.

Extreme corrosion and particularly the fact that it was not kept in a museum make the analysis of the object difficult. Hanging from the rod in the back, we see a cylindrical object whose surface is divided into six sections.

Although corroded, one can see clearly the little handles, strap, and hinges of the symmetrical enclosures placed at both ends of the container. It consists of a handbag with two caps (in the design at the bottom), which probably served as a case for musical instruments like the benas and launeddas ('triple flutes of cane').

Containers like this are still used by the "old" maestros exactly for carrying such cane instruments. One cannot exclude other uses, too, such as for carrying various tools and other.

Photos & text Copyright Angela Demontis 2005, used with permission.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Men's Fashions by Francesco

Men's Fashions by Francesco


Advertisements—Italian Style!

Posted: 26 Sep 2009 09:05 AM PDT

Dolce & Gabbana...you gotta love them, at least for the ads!

At the start of my trip back to Italy, I was walking through the airport of Milan where I saw this advertisement! As a swimmer myself, I had to jump in and join the excitement!

Well, with this ad, I conclude my trip and documentary on the history of menswear in the Mediterranean. I hope you have enjoyed it!
Until we travel again...grazie a tutti!

Photo Copyright Men's Fashion by Francesco.
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