“Your Companions Will Teach You”: Makers’ knowledge in Renaissance cosmetics recipes

Jill Burke*, Wilson Poon

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

Abstract

Recent research on domestic experimentation has led to a re-evaluation of the role of women in early modern scientific culture. Frequent annotations to cosmetic recipe texts that dispute or confirm efficacy speaks to a culture of trial and error, appropriation and adaptation. Writers were equally aware of the limitations of text: an Italian 1562 book of cosmetic recipes urges women to ask for help from older female companions who have the hands-on knowledge that cannot be transmitted through print alone. Using an anti-wrinkle cream recipe as a case study, we argue that through reconstructing personal care recipes, historians can gain an insight into the sensorial world of the past, a world that is particularly associated with female identity and knowledge.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationEmbodied Experiences of Making in Early Modern Europe
Subtitle of host publicationBodies, Gender, and Material Culture
EditorsSarah Bendall, Serena Dyer
Place of PublicationAmsterdam
PublisherAmsterdam University Press
Chapter5
ISBN (Electronic)9789048557370
ISBN (Print)9789463722698
Publication statusPublished - 13 Dec 2024

Publication series

NameVisual and Material Culture, 1300-1700
PublisherAmsterdam University Press

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

  • history of cosmetics
  • soft matter science
  • early modern women
  • history of chemistry
  • historical reconstruction

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