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bumblebums
March 3rd, 2012, 08:36 AM
I just watched a PBS/Nova documentary about the authentication of a purported Leonardo Da Vinci drawing:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/tech/mystery-masterpiece.html

It's a portrait of a young woman, in profile, with a bound braid hairstyle known as a coazzone. The hairstyle is a crucial piece of the puzzle, so I thought I'd share.

Here's a link to the drawing itself:

http://img.aktuality.sk/stories/NAJNOVSIE_FOTKY/OSOBNOSTI/KULTURA/UMENIE/bianca_sforza_wikipedia.jpg
SwordWomanRiona
March 3rd, 2012, 09:10 AM
Beautiful hairstyle!! Thanks for sharing :)

I'd love to recreate it! Ribbons I have...Now I need to get a tressure :D
SwordWomanRiona
March 3rd, 2012, 09:12 AM
Unfortunately, I'm unable to watch the video! They say it's restricted in my area! Gah!! :(
bumblebums
March 3rd, 2012, 09:15 AM
Unfortunately, I'm unable to watch the video! They say it's restricted in my area! Gah!! :(

Oh, that's too bad... PBS is being stingy, I guess, and restricting it to US IP addresses.

They do recreate the video and the costume on a real person at some point halfway into the video.

Then, towards the end, as a bonus, there is a woman with a beautiful blonde classic-length braid!
Tisiloves
March 4th, 2012, 12:48 AM
Wow, it's like hair taping without the sewing!
ravenreed
March 4th, 2012, 01:06 AM
That was fascinating, both the hair and the art reproductions.
bumblebums
March 4th, 2012, 07:20 AM
Found this description (from the Greenwood Encyclopedia of Clothing through world history: 1501-1800):

"Typically northern Italian is the coazzone, a thick ponytail wrapped in the veil and decorated by ribbons or precious pearl strands. It was secured on the top of the head with the girello and decorated with a lenza, the thin black silk cord that crossed the forehead with hanging pendants. The coazzone was often used together with a bonnet made with luxurious materials such as gold, silver, or gilt copper."

So what is the mesh doing in that style? I thought the cord (lenza) was holding up the mesh, but seeing this description, I am not sure anymore...
bumblebums
March 4th, 2012, 07:22 AM
Wow, it's like hair taping without the sewing!

Yeah! The only downside is that it's not an updo... your hair is still dangling down. I suppose you could do the wrapping and *then* arrange it around your head, and many hairstyles from that time look to be created that way.
embee
March 4th, 2012, 08:16 AM
I've not seen the video but that picture is beautiful and the flurry when it was attributed to Leonardo was delightful.

Nice thick ponytail she has there, too. (envy envy, mutter mutter... )
Alvrodul
March 4th, 2012, 08:54 AM
Lovely hairstyle, at least. (I am another who didn't get to see the video)
bumblebums
March 4th, 2012, 09:14 AM
If you guys want to watch just the hair part, it starts at about 36 minutes. (If you can't watch it because of restrictions in your area, well, there are ways to get around that... but I'll let you find ways on your own :) )
melusine963
March 4th, 2012, 11:26 AM
I really wish I could see that video! It's a lovely way of wearing your hair, but I think the net part would get a lot of raised eyebrows outside of Ren fairs.
FrozenBritannia
March 4th, 2012, 12:19 PM
Swordwomanriona try the national geographic site, they ran this article in their magazine I am pretty sure.

They do think it was done by LDV, they matched the page exactly to a bridal book done by him, the page had been torn out at some point. Its pretty well a sure thing!
bumblebums
March 4th, 2012, 12:48 PM
They do think it was done by LDV, they matched the page exactly to a bridal book done by him, the page had been torn out at some point. Its pretty well a sure thing!

Wait, I think it is still far from settled. I don't think anyone is certain that Da Vinci had anything to do with La Sforziada, for one...