Tights in Art

Thanks to Kaj for supplying the portraits of Swedish kings and for providing details of the artists. I am looking forward to more contributions from Kaj soon.

Geraden

will post a few up 4 u - pleased to see it's taken off this side of the Atlantic.

Hi Geraden and Llandudno,

More art! Five new portraits or constume images on the historical section. I am collecting images of modern and contemporary tights related works of art. Buy we'll see what to do about them.

Kaj

Hi Kaj, Llandudno

Thank you for your support! We are getting some great pictures. What we are lacking so far is pictures of ordinary men in tights - there must be some in 'detail' views of larger compositions - for instance Nativity scenes.

Keep the pictures coming in!

Geraden

Hi Geraden,

It is not an easy task to find works of art depicting ‘ordinary men’ in tights. During the Renaissance era the nobles and the clergymen were the only group to be portrayed. And in the 17th century when the so-called ‘genre painting’ with themes from everyday life and common people became popular the fashion had changed and all the tights had disappeared from the scene.

Still, important sources could be found among the works by the members of Historical painting dating from the 19th century and among the Pre-Raphaelites and the Symbolists from the same century. Of course they are later reconstructions of a distant past, not primary sources of a thing or event that someone have virtually experienced.

Hi Kaj

I take your point. That is why I was thinking of religious paintings, where details sometimes show ordinary folk. I have an idea of what I have seen (probably in the Dutch School) but I cannot lay my hands on it right now.

I agree that 19th century paintings are only secondary sources, depicting what an artist imagined to have been the fashion in an idealised earier age. Still, such paintings make the point that to the 'Victorians' in that context (at least) it was acceptable for men to wear tights. Considering that the mid 19th century was a very puritanical age, that is an important point.

Geraden

And more.... I had forgotten all the ecclesiastical images! Here some examples by the Flemish Dirk Bouts and the German Hans Memling, both working in the 15th century. This heavy stuff belongs to the category 'horror tights'; saints featured but also 'ordinary people' (or ordinary executioners).

Thanks for these, Kaj. Verging on the gruesome, they are. Perhaps we can balance them with more pleasant scenes like the 'adoration of the shepherds'!

It also occurred to me that another source of art works depicting men wearing tights would be illuminated manuscripts - that might take the evidence back another few centuries.

Does anyone know whether the Bayeux Tapestry contains any examples? It conatins plenty of men in chain mail, but what about fabric tights?

Geraden

Yes, I found some balancing images, some of them are from manuscripts.

The shepherds wore probably wool tights.

Note! Ordinary people in the newest images :)

New picture added, thanks to Cedric, who posted a link to it on LAUF. It is William Larkin's portrait of George Villiers, First Duke of Buckingham. About 1610, unless anyone has more exact information.

Added a contemporary promotional illustration for 'The Pirate King' by Gilbert and Sullivan. The Pirate King wears tights, but male skirt lovers will also appreciate this one. Ask yourself, is this the picture of an effeminate man?

Hi Geraden,

Some pics (John Everett Millais' paintings ) for your collection: http://www.likera.com/blog/wp/archives/436

Cheers, LR

I like the approach to the topic Nylons and Pantyhose. I have never seen it that way! Keep up the good work!

Can anyone help me, since this is link to tights I am searching for a painting in which a person most probably a king sitting on a white horse wearing hat with feather, wearing tights. Another man holding the belt of the horse, wearing grayish tights and a short jacket with embroidery. Few other men surrounding the horse with these two. The man holding the horse belt have long golden hair upto shoulder with beautiful greenish blue eyes. Man sitting on the horse having small beard. I believe it was some king's marriage. But I dont know the painting. Please help me out as I am searching for this painting for many years and saw it when i was only a kid. Many thanks kind regards

Hi Imran

Thanks for your enquiry. There are a lot of paintings of royals and nobles dressed in their finery, including tights (no doubt made of silk) and this one obviously made a deep I impression on you. Unfortunately I can't identify this particular painting, but your description of long hair and a beard suggests the first half of the 17th century. Have you any more exact idea of a date for the painting? You do not mention any females depicted there - what makes you think that a marriage was the occasion? Were the any clues about the nationality of the king?

Regards

Geraden

I am not sure whether it is strictly 'art' but I have just posted a hand coloured black and white photograph of the famous 19th century acrobat Jules Léotard. Not only is he wearing tights, he is also wearing the body suit which now bears his name - leotard.