Seven Designs for Hats. 1604 - 1656

Curator: Looking at this drawing, titled “Seven Designs for Hats," what immediately strikes you? The piece, attributed to Baccio del Bianco and dating to the period of 1604 to 1656, presents seven different headwear designs rendered in ink on paper. It resides here at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Editor: My eye is drawn to the kinetic energy of the lines. The rapid strokes capture light and shadow, suggesting form without rigidly defining it. There's a sense of playful extravagance in the hats themselves. Curator: Indeed. Bianco was working at a time when fashion, especially in aristocratic circles, was a potent symbol of social status and political alignment. Think of the elaborate ruffs and powdered wigs. These hat designs reflect that theatricality, wouldn't you say? Editor: Absolutely. The lines that elaborate the shapes suggest depth in an intriguing dance. This kind of ornamentation screams status and an elevated lifestyle that, frankly, few could afford back then. Notice how he uses the negative space, the absence of ink, to further define the plumes and textures of these fantastical hats. Curator: This theatrical flair had practical implications too. Court culture thrived on visual spectacle. A grand entrance, punctuated by an eye-catching hat, was a calculated performance of power. Editor: What do you read in that deliberate gesture in the composition? They don't strike me as working designs in the way we would intend. Curator: This work exists within the rich tapestry of the Baroque period, an era marked by dramatic intensity and ornate detail. Baccio del Bianco, more broadly, moved across a varied landscape within the visual arts: scenography, stage design, architectural drafting. As for function, I imagine that a patron commissioned these for review; ultimately, their appeal is rooted in that playfulness and in the promise of self-fashioning they offer. Editor: It makes you wonder, what's under each hat? Or, perhaps more profoundly, who? Still, observing the artistry—the sheer confidence of the draughtsmanship—reveals an attitude about Baroque portraiture and its subjects. The suggestion is that image means more than substance. Curator: Precisely, this exploration has highlighted not just artistic technique, but also the vibrant culture that breathes behind a "simple" sheet of paper. Editor: Agreed, I appreciate the level of control to express so much with very limited visual cues.