ABSTRACT
The chapter examines the role of clothing, and particularly drapery, in enhancing and articulating bodily beauty. Drawing on Giovanni Paolo Lomazzo's Trattato dell'arte della pittura, scoltura et architettura (Treatise on the art of painting, sculpture and architecture, 1584), it compares his thoughts on depicting fabrics on biblical, mythological and historical figures with those of his predecessors, such as Leon Battista Alberti and Leonardo da Vinci. For Lomazzo, drapery should reveal and dignify the well-proportioned body, adhering to its form without obscuring it. At the same time, he regarded the handling of folds as a field in which an artist's maniera—his personal style and creative ingenuity—could most fully manifest itself. Rejecting the use of artificial models covered in plastered cloth, Lomazzo instead calls for a dynamic correspondence between fabric and figure, transforming drapery from a mere covering into a vehicle for artistic expression. According to him, the beauty of the body and the virtuosity of the artist converge in the play of folds.
