ABSTRACT
On 24 March 1453, in the seventh year of the pontificate of V. Nicholas, Bessarion, cardinal legate of Bologna, issued a sumptuary edict severely restricting the dress of Bolognese women. Both contemporary and subsequent commentators have noted the enigma of these laws which were frequently enacted, apparently without effect. When evaluating the relevance of sumptuary legislation to everyday life, the contemporary worth of proscribed textiles, clothes, furs and jewellery ought to be related, where possible, to the purchasing power of different sections of society. Only the most luxurious and costly of textiles, clothes and jewellery were prohibited by law. That of 1459 forbade women any new garment of cloth-of-gold or silver, and the use of cloth-of-gold or silver for applique, or silk embroidered with gold or silver. Male relatives, legally responsible for the registration of women's garments, who neglected to pay fines for unmarked items within a month, ran the risk of being temporarily barred from eligibility to office.
