To studier til fjerklædt hat og nogle penneprøver 1604 - 1656

This study for feathered hats by Baccio del Bianco resides at the Statens Museum for Kunst. The feathers here, symbols of status and elegance in 17th-century fashion, evoke the same primal allure that once adorned ancient deities. Think of the feathered headdresses of Mesoamerican gods, or the wings of Hermes, a symbol of divine swiftness. In Bianco's drawing, the feathers, rendered with delicate precision, embody a similar aspiration – a yearning for transcendence, for rising above the mundane. The image, though a mere sketch, holds a potent emotional charge, appealing to our collective memory of feathers as emblems of power, freedom, and the sublime. This isn't merely a hat; it's a vestige of our cultural psyche, continually resurfacing.