Why did medieval Europeans like to wear white wigs?
According to the research of historians and folklorists, the fashion tradition of wearing wigs in Britain began in 12 century. At that time, it was not just the patent of judges and lawyers. People in the upper class regard wearing wigs as a fashion and a formal dress for formal occasions or salons. Experts pointed out that wigs used by judicial organs are different from ordinary wigs. In England, there are three curls on each side of the judicial wig, but there are only two in the royal family. Whether this represents a subtle metaphorical meaning is unknown. But Scots always quarrel with English people, because in Scotland, the situation is just the opposite, the royal family uses three curly wigs, and the judicial personnel only have two curly wigs. The production cost of wigs lies in labor rather than materials, because it is not difficult to obtain horse hair, and the production of wigs is a delicate work, so it is impossible to mass-produce them by machines or production lines. A skilled craftsman needs about 44 working hours to produce a wig, including weaving and rolling. The finished products generally have four colors: white, golden yellow, light gray and gray. In some old British colonies, such as West Africa and the Caribbean, white is very popular, while in Britain, gold and gray are the most popular. Generally, a judge's wig costs more than 1500 pounds (equivalent to about RMB 18000, wow, it's not cheap), and the most common wig is not less than 300 pounds. Most people would rather put up with lice than change wigs as often as a lady changes her hat. The reason is not that they are unwilling to buy more wigs. It is based on the saying that the longer you wear a wig, the dirtier and darker it becomes, which means the longer you eat legal food. In the judicial field, seniority and age are a treasure, just like old doctors in hospitals are the most popular. In a sense, the older the wig is, the more old-fashioned it is for lawyers to solicit business. The judge's antique wig is a signboard with rich trial experience. After a law student is qualified as a lawyer, the best gift from his family or friends is a wig made by a famous artist. Many craftsmen who make wigs are passed down from their parents' generation, even from their families. Their history of making wigs is even longer than that of some British nobles. Customizing wigs is also a patient process, because many famous craftsmen are hired several years later. Even if you can customize them immediately, your skull needs to be measured with a ruler at least 12 times during the production process. This is not a requirement that craftsmen deliberately toss you, but a requirement of exquisite craftsmanship. Of course, you can also buy a ready-made one, but after all, it's better to kiss your smart head gently, not to mention that buying a wig casually is as rude as wearing jeans to a solemn banquet in the eyes of many legal persons. The British are famous for their conservative spirit, especially in the judicial field. Justice requires accuracy and even rigidity, emphasizes stability and balance, and is not compatible with personalized things. Many wig makers' families keep a record of every wig sold, and the buyers are required to sign the record. Hundreds of years later, many famous people's autographs can be found in these records, because many famous politicians mostly worked as lawyers before they became famous. The storage of wigs is also a meticulous work. Generally, each wig is equipped with a ventilated iron box or wooden box, and some boxes are even another independent work of art, which is far more valuable than the wig itself. At the earliest time, in the days when lice often grew on British people's heads, wigs were sprinkled with some powder to prevent lice when stored. The last question related to China is: for a long time, most of the raw materials used in wigs came from China, which was also an important trade item except tea in Sino-British trade before the Opium War, because the mane of European horses was not easy to weave and easily broken, and it needed to be bleached and cleaned constantly in the production process, and only the mane produced by China horses could stand all kinds of tests. When it comes to British judges or lawyers, gray wigs will naturally come to mind. For people outside the Commonwealth legal tradition, although wigs have become the hallmark of Commonwealth legal persons, this kind of dressing will not produce solemn prestige. On the contrary, it is often a strange feeling, which makes viewers sweat for them from time to time and worry that they will slip away with the elegant bow of the barrister and make a fool of themselves in court. Thomas, the third president of the United States? Jefferson once said, "(the British judge) is like a mouse peeking under cotton wool." The instrument also scared a child to cry when he testified in court, which led to the complete abolition of wigs by the special court specializing in juvenile cases in Britain. Wigs have a long history and are recorded in the documents of ancient Egypt and Roman Empire. However, the popularity of the upper class in Europe is generally considered to be around 1620. Louis XIII wore a wig to cover up his baldness, which caused the nobles who frequented the court to follow suit, and then became popular in Europe, so that even women wore various wigs to attend social occasions. In the 1960s, this fashion was spread to the British Isles by King charles ii. /kloc-The diary of samuel pepys, an Englishman in the 7th century, truly recorded the history of wig popularity in Britain. 1663165438+10 On February 2nd, pepys learned the rumor that both the king and the duke would wear wigs, so he couldn't wait to shave his hair the next day and decided to make wigs. Pepys wrote, "It's still a little sad to say goodbye to my hair, but when it's over, I'll wear a wig." . It can be seen that the popularity of wigs in Britain has played a great role in setting an example.