Projects per year
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 language | English |
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Title of host publication | Embodied Experiences of Making in Early Modern Europe |
Subtitle of host publication | Bodies, Gender, and Material Culture |
Editors | Sarah Bendall, Serena Dyer |
Place of Publication | Amsterdam |
Publisher | Amsterdam University Press |
Chapter | 5 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9789048557370 |
ISBN (Print) | 9789463722698 |
Publication status | Published - 13 Dec 2024 |
Publication series
Name | Visual and Material Culture, 1300-1700 |
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Publisher | Amsterdam 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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Dive into the research topics of '“Your Companions Will Teach You”: Makers’ knowledge in Renaissance cosmetics recipes'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Projects
- 1 Finished
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Renaissance Goo: Historic Personal Care Recipes and Soft Matter Science
1/09/21 → 31/12/23
Project: Research