Thank you most kindly Lisa! The Book of the Courtier indeed deserves far broader fame than it presently enjoys, especially in the Anglo-Saxon world.
Indeed there are many leaders in said world, and that of the West more broadly, who would benefit greatly from discovering and embracing grace in its noble meaning!
Your exploration of Castiglione's sprezzatura beautifully captures something deeply biblical. That "outward things often give knowledge of those within."
It reminds me of how the elaborate priestly garments in the Old Testament weren't vanity, but sacred function. They reflected the cosmic order and the priest's role. The biblical tradition supports your point that dismissing appearance entirely is an overcorrection (for normal people). Though many see it as spiritual and pure.
We're called to be good stewards of how we present ourselves, not out of pride, but out of respect for the occasions and people we encounter.
What strikes me most is how sprezzatura mirrors the biblical concept of grace itself, making the profound appear natural, and the sacred accessible. The parable of the wedding garment suggests there's a proper way to "dress" for the occasions life presents us, and choosing to ignore this isn't humility but a kind of carelessness toward others and the moment itself.
Wonderfully put sir! It is remarkable into just how many fields the question of grace spills, from words to garments and even bricks and mortar. The ostentation of austerity for austerity's sake, after all, is the sin of pride, and to rebel against grace is to preach the mission of Satan.
It should most certainly be discussed more openly that the impoverishment of vestments is not only bad for the sense of self-worth it transmits, but bad theology, plain and simple.
There are lots of good nuggets here (e.g. "To the aristocratic mind, dress is the stage from which the gentleman performs life." ~"Not substitute for character, but a channel to it.")
But what I'm thinking about now as a problem for our need for civilizational renewal is that we don't have a dress by which we can signify the culture we are trying to build:
"Dress speaks not merely to the man, therefore, but to the culture he admires and wishes to see thrive"
Do we just continue wearing suits to signify that we are "traditional"? LARP while wearing a three piece suit or cosplay as romans or 18th century founding fathers? Or create something new?
Something tells me that we can't really create a new golden age or culture in the West without a new form of dress. Our current dress signifies our decay. And something tells me that form of dress can't just copy the past or be completely new. But I don't know what it should/would be, or if it can be done or how to do it
This is indeed the challenge laid down before us. The discarding of the business suit is absolutely essential if we are serious about turning our backs on this sorry period. The result must be rooted in plurisecular culture if it is avoid tackiness, while varied enough to be appropriate to different occasions.
I think the latter however is key - in order to create dress that works, the occasions to which it is suited need to be created first. In a sense this has already been demonstrated - at the Carnival of Venice men and women happily don 18th century attire, look good doing so, and feel good doing so. I sense this is a model that could be followed and extended!
Tricky business. Choice of material: no plastics except in sports. Cuts: allowing full range of movement without risk of entangling. Must be possible to get rid of quickly and without hassle. Looks: as clean as the circumstances allow, not visibly falling apart, no logos.
I can't always live up to this. A good bathrobe is seldom wrong.
The 1902 translation of Leonard Eckstein Opdycke strikes a good balance between verse and readability. You can access the whole work for free online here:
Lovely essay. I have always admired Castiglione's concept of sprezzatura. I've restacked the whole post as well as several excerpts.
By the way, I couldn't help but think of this quote re yesterday's show-and-tell by Trump of his MAGA hats to Macron and Zelensky:
“The fool adorns himself, and the elegant man gets dressed”
-Honoré de Balzac, Treatise on Elegant Living
Thank you most kindly Lisa! The Book of the Courtier indeed deserves far broader fame than it presently enjoys, especially in the Anglo-Saxon world.
Indeed there are many leaders in said world, and that of the West more broadly, who would benefit greatly from discovering and embracing grace in its noble meaning!
Your exploration of Castiglione's sprezzatura beautifully captures something deeply biblical. That "outward things often give knowledge of those within."
It reminds me of how the elaborate priestly garments in the Old Testament weren't vanity, but sacred function. They reflected the cosmic order and the priest's role. The biblical tradition supports your point that dismissing appearance entirely is an overcorrection (for normal people). Though many see it as spiritual and pure.
We're called to be good stewards of how we present ourselves, not out of pride, but out of respect for the occasions and people we encounter.
What strikes me most is how sprezzatura mirrors the biblical concept of grace itself, making the profound appear natural, and the sacred accessible. The parable of the wedding garment suggests there's a proper way to "dress" for the occasions life presents us, and choosing to ignore this isn't humility but a kind of carelessness toward others and the moment itself.
Wonderfully put sir! It is remarkable into just how many fields the question of grace spills, from words to garments and even bricks and mortar. The ostentation of austerity for austerity's sake, after all, is the sin of pride, and to rebel against grace is to preach the mission of Satan.
It should most certainly be discussed more openly that the impoverishment of vestments is not only bad for the sense of self-worth it transmits, but bad theology, plain and simple.
There are lots of good nuggets here (e.g. "To the aristocratic mind, dress is the stage from which the gentleman performs life." ~"Not substitute for character, but a channel to it.")
But what I'm thinking about now as a problem for our need for civilizational renewal is that we don't have a dress by which we can signify the culture we are trying to build:
"Dress speaks not merely to the man, therefore, but to the culture he admires and wishes to see thrive"
Do we just continue wearing suits to signify that we are "traditional"? LARP while wearing a three piece suit or cosplay as romans or 18th century founding fathers? Or create something new?
Something tells me that we can't really create a new golden age or culture in the West without a new form of dress. Our current dress signifies our decay. And something tells me that form of dress can't just copy the past or be completely new. But I don't know what it should/would be, or if it can be done or how to do it
This is indeed the challenge laid down before us. The discarding of the business suit is absolutely essential if we are serious about turning our backs on this sorry period. The result must be rooted in plurisecular culture if it is avoid tackiness, while varied enough to be appropriate to different occasions.
I think the latter however is key - in order to create dress that works, the occasions to which it is suited need to be created first. In a sense this has already been demonstrated - at the Carnival of Venice men and women happily don 18th century attire, look good doing so, and feel good doing so. I sense this is a model that could be followed and extended!
Tricky business. Choice of material: no plastics except in sports. Cuts: allowing full range of movement without risk of entangling. Must be possible to get rid of quickly and without hassle. Looks: as clean as the circumstances allow, not visibly falling apart, no logos.
I can't always live up to this. A good bathrobe is seldom wrong.
Any recommended translations?
The 1902 translation of Leonard Eckstein Opdycke strikes a good balance between verse and readability. You can access the whole work for free online here:
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/67799/67799-h/67799-h.htm#sec2.26
Thanks, would you know if the penguin classics translation is good?
Yes indeed! There are a few awkward sentences in there, but this was the translation that got me into Castiglione, and is indeed my sole hard copy!
I like historical figures interesting