First published in 1876, Manners, Customs, and Dress during the Middle Ages and during the Renaissance Period offers a fascinating glimpse into the art and lifestyles of the people of the Middle Ages and Renaissance era. Complete with hundreds of illustrations from wooden engravings and more than a dozen replications of beautifully intricate chromolithographic prints, this resurrected classic is rich with history and retains its ancient appeal.
As articulated in the Preface: "Art must be the faithful expression of a society, since it represents it by its works as it has created them . . . But it must be acknowledged that art is only the consequence of the ideas which is expresses; it is the fruit of civilization, not its origin." This exploration of a cultural movement and the arts and behaviors of its people extends through chapters on the condition of persons and lands; privileges and rights; food and cookery; games and pastimes; commerce; taxes, money, and finance; secret tribunals; punishments; costumes; and more. Within these pages, experience the social and artistic revolution born through the Renaissance and told by a renowned historian of the period.