Displays of Wealth

Sumptuary laws were put in place for many reasons. They separated social classes by making rules about who could wear what. They also stopped displays of conspicuous consumption. Portraits allowed men to circumvent these laws. In some cities women were allowed to wear more jewelry and lavish materials within the first year of marriage. Historians argue that men would have portraits of their new brides painted as a way to continually show wealth, even after sumptuary laws limited what their wives could wear.

Portrait of Eleanor of Toledo and Her son. 1545. Oil on Panel. Uffizi. Florence, Italy