Ciao Tutti! Welcome to the first workshop I’m hosting for translating the recipes of Caterina Sforza’s Gli Experimenti. First, let’s learn who she was, what the book is, and talk about the foundations laid by other researchers who have studied her work. The Author Caterina Sforza led a controversial and dramatic life, leaving us with … More Caterina Sforza Gli Experimenti Workshop I
Dipping my toe into the waters of 18th-century beauty manuals and to no surprise books of secrets are still being printed. One book that I find in many of my research digs is the English translation of Toilette de Flore by Pierre-Joseph Buc’hoz. When I searched for information on Buc’hoz there was very little information … More 18th-century Beauty: Toilet of Flora
I’ve posted a video on how I perfumed a pair of leather gloves based on Margaret Baker’s recipe which can be found in her still room book (f98). In here book Margaret gives us insight on secrets for beauty that range from face powder to hair growth treatments. Learn more about her book at the … More Perfumed Leather Gloves
In 1555 Dei Secreti del Reverendo Don Alessio Piemontese was published in Bologna. In 1558 an English translation of that Italian book of secrets was published (and is now available online in digitized form). This book was wildly popular, translated into several language in the first few years of existence and then published in more … More Oglio Imperiale – Imperial Oil from Alexis of Piedmont’s Book of Secrets
There are many recipes from Italian ‘books of secrets’ (e.g. Isabella Cortese, Alessio Piemontese, Notandissimi Profumi) and from still room manuals that require acqua rosa or rosewater. If you want to make this at home there are two methods that I have tried and will share with you in this post. Of course, you could … More Make Rosewater or Acqua Rosa at Home
There were many cures for impotency in the pharmacopoeia of the Italian Peninsula during the Renaissance. All manner of elixirs and compounds could be made to restore or enhance the vigor of an aging or infirm nobleman or prince like Duke Vincenzo Gonzaga of Mantua. Using the Galenic theory of signatures, foods that resembled the … More The Puzzlement of Potency
Queste sono cose che le donne e gli uomini del trecento usavanno quotadianamente per igiene e cosmetici. Prima, per pulire il viso, utilizzare questo. – Crema Galeni (2 ° / 12 c) – olio d’oliva, cera d’Api, acqua di rose, aceto bianco infuso con rose. (Da Hildegard Bingen et al). Poi per sbiancare il volto, … More Cosmetics and Hygiene Information from De Ornatu Mulierum – Cosmetici e Igiene da Trotula di Salerno
I’ve been experimenting with some of the recipes in the Trotula, a manuscript on women’s medicine that originates from the 12th century, but was copied and used the following centuries. It contains recipes for beauty, hygiene and health. My favorite is recipe #248: “When she combs her hair, let her have this … More 12th-Century Hair Cleanser from Salerno
THL Elska á Fjárfelli has put together some WONDERFUL research on period soapmaking. Read her entire blog post here. Below I’ve pasted some of the basic information from her blog post that pertains to pre 17th-century Italian Peninsula. What is Soap? First things first. To undertake soap making one should be familiar with what soap … More 16th Century Soap Recipes
TAKE A POUND OF WHITE [Venetian] SOAP, THE OLDER THE BETTER. CUT VERY fine, put in a basin and splash with rosewater. Mix and incorporate well. Then set in the sun, steeped in the rosewater for two weeks, and mix every day. Ten days in the sun will suffice in July or August. Mix and … More 16th Century Italian Soap Recipe
La Bella Donna 