updated: 12/03/2005
This sub-section covers the late medieval period: broadly, the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. However, establishing the end of the medieval era is a fairly arbitary process and will vary from historian to historian and from country to country: for Italy the fifteenth century is usually regarded at post-medieval; for Britain the coming of the Tudors in 1485 is a convenient point to end the Middle Ages; for Germany the dating may be as late as 1517.
Medieval Europe wasn’t big on the use of makeup but there were some features, eg the shaved hairlines, that were fashionable in part of the period (for some classes) that help to date-stamp an actresse’s appearance as a medieval character.
Some years ago BBC showed a short Christmas entertainment by John Wells featuring Alison Steadman as a character from a famous medieval portrait but I can’t remember the title and it’s not included in her IMDb filmography: if anyone has any information or images please email me.
Plucked, Shaved and Braided: Medieval and Renaissance Beauty and Grooming Practices 1000–1600 (Daniela Turudich & Laurie J Welch) is described as a ‘hilarious romp through the medieval and Renaissance fashion world’ but I’m not sure if it ever reached the bookshops.