Renaissance Skin

Evelyn Welch

$530.95 $425.02

Hardback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Manchester University Press
15 July 2025

Renaissance art; Human figures depicted in art

A magnificently illustrated study of skin in Renaissance Europe.

People in the Renaissance saw skin differently from how we do today. The Europe of 1500 to 1700 was a world of humours, and skin – the clothing of the body – was thought to be dangerously porous.

In this landmark book, Evelyn Welch explores Renaissance skin as a bodily surface, as physical matter and as a generator of new knowledge. Ranging across anatomy, surgery and sausage making, she reveals how skin was managed by physicians as well as by glovemakers, butchers and parchment makers. How did people protect their health in a changing global environment, one where the air itself could be pathogenic? How did they see their bodies in a world where there was suddenly a multiplicity of skin colours and decorations?

Addressing these questions and more, Welch show us what happens when you see skin differently, either in the marketplace, where men and women from far-away lands were put on display, or under the microscope. In doing so, she reveals that the past had a distinctive and very different way of understanding bodily experiences. -- .

By: Evelyn Welch
Imprint: Manchester University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 246mm, Width: 189mm, Spine: 30mm
Weight: 1.220kg
ISBN: 9781526196378
ISBN 10: 1526196379
Pages: 400
Publication Date: 15 July 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Part I: Skin as Surface 1 Period Skins 2 Reading Skin 3 Broken Skin 4 Ugly Skin Part II: Skin as Matter 5 Porous Skin 6 Skin & Sweat 7 Skinning Cats & Dogs 8 Kitchen Skins Part III: Skin as Knowledge 9 Skin Dissected 10 Skin Magnified 11 Visible Skin 12 Itchy Skin Bibliography Index -- .

Evelyn Welch is Professor of Renaissance Studies at the University of Bristol. Her book Shopping in the Renaissance: Consumer Cultures in Italy, 1400–1600 was a winner of the 2006 Wolfson History Prize. Her other publications include Making and Marketing Medicine in Renaissance Florence (2011) and Fashioning the Early Modern: Dress, Textiles and Innovation in Europe, 1500–1800 (2017). -- .

Reviews for Renaissance Skin

From the winner of the 2006 Wolfson History Prize. ""This richly detailed and beautifully illustrated book examines and analyses the topic of ‘Renaissance Skin’, defined in the broadest terms. This marvellous book is not only a fascinating read but also makes important contributions to the history of the body, art history, cultural history, the history of medicine, the history of craft and artisanal knowledge, and much more.” - Elaine Leong, UCL -- .