View in 3/4 of a Design for a Headpiece Decorated with a Shell and Large Plume 1652 - 1725

Giovanni Battista Foggini created this design for a headpiece decorated with a shell and large plume in pen and brown ink with gray wash on paper. He worked in Florence during the late Baroque period, a time where art often celebrated power, wealth, and the elaborate theatricality of court life. This drawing gives us an interesting glimpse into the fashion and cultural values of the time. The extravagant headpiece, with its seashell and towering plume, speaks volumes about the wearer’s status and identity, particularly concerning gender and class. What does it mean to adorn oneself in such a way? It challenges us to consider how personal identity is intentionally constructed through fashion. In a time of rigid social hierarchies, fashion became a signifier of one's position in society, yet it also served as a means to perform or negotiate those boundaries. The drawing also hints at the performative aspect of identity, inviting the viewer to reflect on the emotional and personal investment one makes in their public image.