Beauty treatments for women during the Renaissance are discussed by Dr Erin Griffey from the University of Auckland during the 2019 Raising the Bar night.

Listen to Dr Erin Griffey on the beauty treatments and regimes undertaken by women in the Renaissance

Looking flawless hundreds of years ago was no easy feat but, for royal women of Tudor and Stuart England, beauty was of extreme significance.

Beauty was closely associated with purity, goodness and even chastity. In a bid to uphold a righteous reputation, queens invested vast amounts of time and money to make themselves look wealthy, virtuous and gorgeous.

Constrictive undergarments, resplendent fabrics and glittering jewels adorned their bodies, while elaborate and sometimes toxic beauty routines were used to complete their look.

These women were constantly on show and keenly aware of the importance of appearances at all times. In this captivating talk Dr Griffey examines the pressure a royal woman endured to prove her superiority, health and wealth to the public eye. Along the way, she reveals how some beauty treatments have changed little over the centuries.

About the speaker

Dr Erin Griffey is an associate professor of Art History at the University of Auckland and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, London. She is a specialist in early modern visual and material culture and has published widely on the Stuart court. Her monograph, On Display: Henrietta Maria and the Materials of Magnificence at the Stuart Court, was published by Yale University Press in 2015. She has appeared on the BBC's Fake or Fortune as well as Charles I's Treasures Reunited. She is also the co-author and editor of Sartorial Politics: Fashioning Women at the Early Modern Court.

Raising the Bar was recorded in association with the University of Auckland

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details