Art Bites, the half-hour mini-lectures the Nevada Museum of Art sponsors in conjunction with ongoing exhibits, are intimate affairs. Usually no more than eight or ten interested art lovers appear in the appropriate gallery for a brief, lunch-hour discussion on some aspect of a current show.

However, much to the delight of Colin Robertson, Curator of Education, who plans the Art Bites, some 140 enthusiastic listeners turned up for our most recent noon-time event, necessitating moving the crowd to the auditorium. The occasion was a fascinating presentation on Renaissance clothing and textiles by Jan Loverin, Curator of The Marjorie Russell Clothing and Textile Research Center at the Nevada State Museum in Carson City.

Inspired by the gown worn by La Velata in the Raphael painting now on display in the E. L. Wiegand Gallery, Jan enchanted the crowd with comments on silks and linens, ancient weaving techniques, and speculation on the artist’s choice of costume for his model.

Did you know that Renaissance women wore three garments? But our lady with the veil has only two -- she is missing her under dress, which was a fairly substantial garment worn over the chemise but beneath the lavish outer dress with its sumptuous sleeves. And have you heard of the sumptuary laws of the time that regulated the minutie of dress for all classes, even the depth of the neckline that could be displayed? No cleavage there, since the chemise could be no lower than two inches below the collar bone. It seems, too, that the lady with the veil is missing the laces that should be clasping the dress over her bosom.

Whether these effects are intended to be erotic, or merely the choice of the artist for the visual effect he sought, we’ll never know. But learning a bit more about her finery from Jan’s talk adds a another layer of mystery to the stunning model in Raphael’s painting.