Culture and Society
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Renaissance paintings have a few traits characteristic of them. That’s why we can recognize the perfect Renaissance composition in modern-day moments (who could forget that festive scene in Manchester a few years back?). Those traits include realism, symbolism, and – in a few hair-raising portraits – really big foreheads.
The cultural revolution that was the Renaissance brought with it a fresh appreciation for art, music, and beauty. It’s hardly surprising, then, that some women were willing to go to extremes in order to meet the beauty ideals of the time. What is surprising, however, is that doing so involved putting toxic levels of lead on their faces.
Venetian Ceruse
The makeup came in many names: Venetian ceruse or Venetian white (because the best stuff came from Venice), and Spirits of Saturn. It acted a bit like concealer for people with pale skin.
They were trying to achieve the “fair and serene” aesthetic promoted by works such as Italian writer and poet Agnolo Firenzuola’s On the Beauty of Women. It was thought to perpetuate youthfulness and high social class, but it was an aesthetic they paid a pretty price for.
You see, Venetian ceruse was the most toxic makeup ever to see regular use. Its main ingredient was a mineral called cerussite that contains an ore made up of white lead, and as we know, humans don’t mix well with lead. Shame, then, that it became the fashion to combine it with vinegar and slather it all over your face.
Why is lead-based makeup so dangerous?
Lead is a neurotoxin, dangerous at almost any level. There is abundant evidence that it can reduce lifetime IQ scores in those exposed as children. It has also been associated with lower impulse control and increased violence, symptoms that are thought to have affected entire generations.
The symptoms of lead poisoning can depend on the route and quantity of exposure, but Venetian ceruse may have caused one of the most visible side effects: hair loss. Could it be that all along that “high-class” hairline was simply lead poisoning?
Did Queen Elizabeth I die of lead poisoning?
Other symptoms of lead poisoning include nausea, fatigue, and cognitive decline. So, you can imagine a lifetime of exposure might come at a price.
One royal thought to have fallen folly to this fashion trend was Queen Elizabeth I of England. As seen in the above "Ermine Portrait" painted by William Segar in 1585, she too was rocking the pale skin and large forehead look. It's rumored she may have used Venetian ceruse to hide scars from when she had smallpox, and towards the end of her life, she had lost almost all of her teeth (another symptom of lead exposure).
To this day, we don’t know what she died of, but some have suggested it could have been blood poisoning as a result of the constant exposure to toxic makeup. According to Royal Museums Greenwich, Venetian ceruse was classified as a poison 31 years after her death.
So, just a reminder before you go jumping on any trends you see on TikTok: fashions may come and go, but lead poisoning? That can be forever.
