Friday, May 9, 2014


Picture Day Friday: Medieval Royalty


Posted on: 5/09/2014 08:25:00 AM

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Copyright 2006–2023 Keira Soleore (keirasoleore.blogspot.com)

2 comments:

Unknown said...

These regal persons seem very tall and slender. Or more likely, for Medieval times, they are of small stature and slender (with exceptions of course!). Anyway - slender has it!
Gluttony did not sit well alongside a God-fearing, devout and vituous life. Even for the well to do in the Middle Ages, food could sometimes be scarce; it was always a valued commodity and left-overs were given as alms to the poor.

Tuesday, May 20, 2014 at 9:15:00 AM PDT
Keira Soleore said...

Mary, thank you for visiting and commenting.

Yes, medieval paintings contrast vividly with the Renaissance paintings in body type. Whereas slenderness was associated with the upper classes in the Middle Ages, the Renaissance prized roundedness, even plumpness among its upper classes.

I had not thought about slenderness in terms of religion, but you are absolutely right! Gluttony was a sin, and the medieval people sincerely tried to live by the tenets of the Bible.

I also wonder if it's the case that the wealthy people could afford to give more and hence the slender look meant they were more generous, more virtuous?

By the Renaissance and in the aftermath of the plague, you showed your wealth in/on your body. If you were rich, you could afford to eat well and hence chubbiness, like expensive clothes, denoted the upper classes.

Wednesday, May 21, 2014 at 4:45:00 PM PDT

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