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Costumes
and Genre Scenes from the Sixteenth Century: Africa and the Americas |
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| In Africa, attire varied greatly across different regions and ethnic groups, but European depictions often emphasised elaborate and vibrant clothing, with intricate beadwork, embroidered fabrics, and brightly coloured garments. African elites, such as royalty and nobles, were frequently portrayed in fine fabrics, jewellery, and headdresses, symbolising power and status. These European representations sometimes blended reality with myth, influenced by the exoticisation of African cultures and the limited understanding of these diverse societies at the time. In the Americas, clothing was typically simple and functional, often made from materials such as cotton, animal hides, and plant fibres. Indigenous peoples’ attire was closely linked to their environment and daily activities, with designs often utilising natural materials and featuring symbolic patterns that reflected their cultural practices. European depictions, however, often romanticised or distorted these garments, presenting them through a lens of exoticism and perceived savagery. The portrayal of indigenous people in the Americas was heavily shaped by European colonial attitudes, where dress and appearance were used to emphasise differences in civilisation and social order. The complex diversity of both African and American cultures was often reduced to oversimplified, stereotypical images in European art, reflecting the biases and misunderstandings of the time. | ||||||||||
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