end themselves against the common defamatory assaults that were to be directed at them throughout their career as a courtesan. Much of this education was gained through their day-to-day conversations with the great minds of Italy that they associated themselves with.The courtesans were very like the noblewomen in their dress. Their costumes mimicked the splendor of the attire the noblewomen would wear, although the courtesans were able to model their glorious outfits in the streets and salons of Italy, unlike their noble counterparts who were only able to flaunt their clothes on their walks to church. Often, women of the upper class were confused with them and many foreigners who visited Venice confused courtesans with nobles. Cesare Vecellio’s noted costume book of the period warned unsuspecting visitors to Venice of this and to the fact that they very much resembled married women in their dress. Vecellio warns the men that many times, foreigners think that they are in the company of a “highborn lady” when they are really with a courtesan and, having slept with her, go about bragging about it, ruining the respectability of the true Venetian noblewomen (Rosenthal “Honest”). Because of this, many sumptuary laws came into effect. These laws forbid them to wear gold, silver, silk, necklaces, pearls, or rings anywhere on their body (Masson 152). Unfortunately, these laws were rarely followed. The sumptuary laws were directed specifically against meretrici (prostitutes), so cortigiana (courtesans) were often outside the reach of the law (Rosenthal “Honest”). Their outfits were extremely extravagant. They were made of brocade and silk and were often lined with gold or silver cloth. They wore incredible high-soled shoes, chopines, which not only allowed them to tower over any outsiders that came to visit the city, but also created the need for more fabric in their dress, thus making it even m...
