'Seven women will take hold of one man'. The fight for the hose and Baccio del Bianco's case

Abstract

Fight for the trousers or for the hose is a recurring title in North-Europe's chalcographic production, but it indicates two different subjects. One of them shows quarrel between a married couple for a pair of trousers, the other one, which is the topic of this article, is more rare and has as main characters some women fighting for the ownership of the same garment.

According to Aby Warbug this iconography originates from Isaiah's Biblical passage 4, 1, which shows a prophecy to punish Jerusalem's women with their huge overpopulation compared to men’s poor population. This interpretation finds a new support in a letter from princess Elisabeth Charlotte of Bavaria. However the meaning of this subject has changed over the centuries: from warning for unmarried women to erotic facetiousness.

In Italy the presence of these kind of subjects is very rare, so it is surprising that Baccio del Bianco (1604-1656) did an oil painting with this iconography that today finds its place in a private collection. Del Bianco had a versatile personality and was a very keen interpreter of Nordic topics, as his Uffizi's drawings of horned men show.