ABSTRACT
The chapter explores Baldassare Castiglione's Il libro del Cortegiano (The book of the courtier), which sets out the behavioural, educational and aesthetic ideals for men and women at court. While Castiglione acknowledges the importance of personal grooming for women, he cautions against the use of excessive cosmetics, which he believes distorts both nature and truth by turning the face into a lifeless mask. The treatise elaborates on the concept of grazia (grace) as an outward manifestation of inner virtue, attained through sprezzatura —the art of concealing artistry. According to this ideal, beauty becomes a moral and aesthetic category, the result of restraint, balance and apparent effortlessness. Addressing both genders, Il Cortegiano thus formulates a concept of ‘natural artificiality’, whereby aesthetic self-presentation serves as an outward sign of cultivated inner harmony.
