# Codpiece > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Codpiece > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Codpiece.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codpiece > Source revision: 1317013279 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Flap or pouch that covers the crotch of men's trousers Codpiece and dog belonging to [Guidobaldo II della Rovere, Duke of Urbino](/source/Guidobaldo_II_della_Rovere%2C_Duke_of_Urbino), portrait by [Angelo Bronzino](/source/Angelo_Bronzino), 1531–32 A codpiece was commonly worn during the [Renaissance](/source/Renaissance); oil on oak painting by [Pieter Brueghel the Younger](/source/Pieter_Brueghel_the_Younger) A **codpiece** (from [Middle English](/source/Middle_English_language) **[cod](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cod#Middle_English)** '[scrotum](/source/Scrotum)') is a triangular piece that attached to the front of men's [hose](/source/Hose_(clothing)), covering the [fly](/source/Fly_(clothing)). It may be held in place by ties or buttons. It was an important fashion item of European clothing during the 15th–16th centuries, in the 16th century becoming a firm upwards-pointing projection based on a stiff material such as [boiled leather](/source/Boiled_leather), or in [plate armour](/source/Plate_armour), steel. In the modern era, similar clothing pieces are worn in the [leather subculture](/source/Leather_subculture), and in performance costumes, such as for rock and metal musicians. A similar device with rigid construction, an [athletic cup](/source/Athletic_cup), is used as protective gear for male athletes. ## In European fashion From the ancient world there are extant depictions of articles of clothing designed to cover just the male genitalia; for example, archaeological recovery at [Minoan](/source/Minoan_civilization) [Knossos](/source/Knossos) on [Crete](/source/Crete) has yielded [figurines](/source/Figurine), some of whom wear only a garment covering the male genitalia.[1] However, the codpiece, *per se*, appeared in everyday European fashion for men only many centuries later, associated with hose and trousers. 1511 codpiece with buttons[2] In 14th century European fashions, men's [hose](/source/Hose_(clothing)) were two separate legs worn over linen [drawers](/source/Undergarment), leaving a man's genitals covered only by a layer of the linen drawers. As the century wore on and men's [hemline](/source/Hemline) fashion rose, the hose became longer and joined at the centre back, there rising to the waist, but remaining open at the centre front. Further shortening of the cote or [doublet](/source/Doublet_(clothing)) fashion resulted in more prominence of the genitals; this area would then be covered with a triangular material called a codpiece.[3] Most of what is known about the cut, fit, and materials used for Renaissance codpieces is through portraits, clothing inventories, receipts for payments and tailor cutting guides. As time passed, codpieces became shaped and padded to emphasize rather than to conceal the [penis](/source/Penis). Such excessive codpieces became an object of derision showered on outlandish fashions. The [Renaissance](/source/Renaissance) author [François Rabelais](/source/Fran%C3%A7ois_Rabelais) refers satirically to a book entitled *On the Dignity of Codpieces* in the foreword to his 1532 book *The Histories of [Gargantua and Pantagruel](/source/Gargantua_and_Pantagruel)*.[4] This fashion reached its peak of size and decoration in the 1540s before falling out of use by the 1590s. Metal codpieces, 16th century[5] Suits of [armor](/source/Armour) of the 16th century followed civilian fashion, and for a time, codpieces were a prominent addition to the full suits of armor. A few examples of full suits of armor with codpieces are on display in museums today. The [Metropolitan Museum of Art](/source/Metropolitan_Museum_of_Art) in [New York City](/source/New_York_City) has one. The Higgins Armory[6] in [Worcester, Massachusetts](/source/Worcester%2C_Massachusetts), also had an example on display until its close. The armor of [Henry VIII](/source/Henry_VIII_of_England) displayed in the [Tower of London](/source/Tower_of_London) has a codpiece as well.[7] Examples of metal parts of such armor are depicted by [Wendelin Boeheim](/source/Wendelin_Boeheim) in his 1890 publication on the history of weapons, *Handbuch der Waffenkunde*, which was published in Leipzig, Germany.[5] ## Gallery - Portrait of Antonio Navagero (1565) with an accentuated codpiece, oil on canvas by [Giovanni Battista Moroni](/source/Giovanni_Battista_Moroni), Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan - [Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor](/source/Charles_V%2C_Holy_Roman_Emperor), by [Titian](/source/Titian), 1533, shown wearing a codpiece with short doublet, [Museo del Prado](/source/Museo_del_Prado) - [Armor of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor](/source/Armor_of_Ferdinand_I%2C_Holy_Roman_Emperor) (1549), [Metropolitan Museum of Art](/source/Metropolitan_Museum_of_Art) ## See also - [Jockstrap](/source/Jockstrap) - [Koteka](/source/Koteka), penis sheath used in Papua New Guinea - [Kynodesme](/source/Kynodesme) - [Willy warmer](/source/Willy_warmer) - [1500–1550 in fashion](/source/1500%E2%80%931550_in_fashion) - [1550–1600 in fashion](/source/1550%E2%80%931600_in_fashion) ## References **Notes** 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Hogan, C. Michael (22 December 2007). ["Knossos Fieldnotes"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160409225800/http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/site/10854/knossos.html#fieldnotes). *The Modern Antiquatarian*. Archived from [the original](http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/site/10854/knossos.html) on 9 April 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2018. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** The Yorck Project (2002) 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei (DVD-ROM), distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [3936122202](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/3936122202). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Ridley, Jasper Godwin (1996). [*Tudor age*](http://archive.org/details/tudorage00jasp). Woodstock: Overlook. p. 163. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-87951-684-0](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-87951-684-0) – via Internet Archive.{{[cite book](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_book)}}: CS1 maint: publisher location ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_publisher_location)) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Worlds of the Renaissance 2000 - Dina McArdle Project"](https://web.archive.org/web/20040121071315/http://www.albertrabil.com/projects2000/mcardle/PROLOGUE.html). Albertrabil.com. Archived from [the original](http://www.albertrabil.com/projects2000/mcardle/PROLOGUE.html) on 2004-01-21. Retrieved 2012-01-19. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-auto_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-auto_5-1) Boeheim, Wendelin, *Handbuch der Waffenkunde. Das Waffenwesen in seiner historischen Entwickelung vom Beginn des Mittelalters bis zum Ende des 18. Jahrhunderts*. Seemanns kunstgewerbliche Handbücher. Vol. 7, ZDB-ID 53757-3. Seemann, Leipzig 1890. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** John Grabenstein, ["Archived copy"](https://web.archive.org/web/20161012145403/http://www.higgins.org/). Archived from [the original](http://www.higgins.org) on 2016-10-12. Retrieved 2005-09-17.{{[cite web](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_web)}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_archived_copy_as_title)). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Paddock, John Miles; Edge, David (1995). *Arms & armor of the medieval knight: an illustrated history of weaponry in the Middle Ages* (reprinted ed.). New York: Crescent Books. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0517103197](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0517103197). **Further reading** - Ashelford, Jane: *The Art of Dress: Clothing and Society 1500–1914*, Abrams, 1996. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-8109-6317-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-8109-6317-5). - Ashelford, Jane. *The Visual History of Costume: The Sixteenth Century*. 1983 edition ([ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-89676-076-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-89676-076-6)), 1994 reprint ([ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-7134-6828-9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-7134-6828-9)). - Edge, David: *Arms and Armor of Medieval Knights: An Illustrated History of Weaponry in the Middle Ages*. - [Hearn, Karen](/source/Karen_Hearn), ed. *Dynasties: Painting in Tudor and Jacobean England 1530–1630*. New York: Rizzoli, 1995. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-8478-1940-X](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-8478-1940-X). - Bodemer, Brett: "[Pantagruel's Seventh Chapter:The Title as Suspect Codpiece](http://works.bepress.com/bbodemer/1/) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20110629195032/http://works.bepress.com/bbodemer/1/) 2011-06-29 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine)." ## External links - Media related to [Codpieces](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Codpieces) at Wikimedia Commons - [Codpieces in art from The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/aug/28/top-10-codpieces-in-art) - [New York Times interview with a codpiece maker](https://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/14/fashion/prop-maker-doug-wright-and-tom-cruises-codpiece.html) v t e Historical clothing Clothing generally not worn today, except in historical settings Body-length Abolla Banyan Brunswick Court dress (Empire of Japan) Chiton Frock Frock coat Hanfu Justacorps Paenula Peplos Stola Toga Tunic Xout lao Tops Basque Bedgown Bodice Doublet Peascod belly Poet shirt Sbai Suea pat Trousers Braccae Breeches Sompot Chong Kben Culottes Harem Knickerbockers Zaragüelles Skirts Hobble Poodle Safeguard Sompot Sinh Train Dresses Bliaut Close-bodied gown Debutante Gown Kirtle Mantua Polonaise Robe de cour Sack-back gown Sailor Tea gown Zaju chuishao fu Outerwear Capote Car coat Caraco Cardinal cloak Chamail Chlamys Cloak Kinsale cloak Dolman Doublet Duster Ependytes Exomis Greatcoat Himation Houppelande Inverness cape Jerkin Kandys Mackinaw jacket Nadiri Norfolk jacket Overfrock Pañuelo Palla Pallium Pelisse Poncho Shadbelly Shawl Galway shawl Kullu Smock-frock Spencer Surcoat Surtout Ulster coat Visite Witzchoura Underwear Basque Bustle Chausses Chemise Codpiece Corselette Corset Waist cincher Dickey Garter Hoop skirt Crinoline Farthingale Pannier Hose Liberty bodice Loincloth Open drawers Pantalettes Petticoat Peignoir Pettipants Union suit Yếm Headwear Anthony Eden Apex Arakhchin Attifet Aviator Ba tầm Bergère Blessed hat Bonnet Calath crown (headdress) Capotain Caubeen Cavalier Coif Coonskin Cornette Dunce Fillet French hood Fontange Futou Gable hood Hennin Jeongjagwan Jewish Kausia Khat (apparel) Kokoshnik Llawt'u Malahai Matron's badge Miner's Mob Modius Monmouth Mooskappe Motoring hood Mounteere Nemes Nightcap Ochipok Pahlavi Petasos Phrygian Pileus Printer's Pudding Qeleshe Qing Salakot Snood Smoking Stephane (headdress) Tainia Taranga Welsh hat Welsh Wig Wimple Footwear Buskins Calcei Caligae Carbatina Chinese styles Chopines Duckbills Episcopal sandals Hessian Lotus shoes Manchu platform shoes Pampooties Pattens Pigaches Poulaines Socci Tiger-head shoes Turnshoes Accessories Ascot tie Belt hook Cointoise Cravat (early) Hairpin Hatpin Jabot Lavallière Muff Oes Partlet Perfumed gloves Ruff Shoe buckle Visard Clothing portal v t e Components of medieval European armour Head Armet Barbute Bascinet Burgonet Cervelliere Enclosed helmet Close helmet Great helm Frog mouth Hounskull Lobster tail pot Mail coif Morion Nasal helmet Sallet Spangenhelm Kettle hat Face Visor Falling buffe Neck Aventail Bevor Gorget Pizaine Torso Breastplate Brigandine Cuirass Culet Pauncer Plackart Fauld Hauberk Codpiece Lance rest Coat of plates Jack of plate Arms Ailette Besagew Couter Gauntlet Pauldron Rerebrace Spaulder Vambrace Legs Bases Chausses Cuisses Greave Poleyn Sabaton Schynbald Tasset Pieces Gousset Lame Rondel Arming points v t e Men's undergarments Upper body Male bra Sleeveless shirt (A-shirt / singlet / tank top) T-shirt Henley shirt Undershirt Telnyashka Lower body Boxer briefs Boxer shorts Briefs (slip / Y-fronts) Compression shorts Fundoshi Jockstrap (athletic supporter) Pantyhose for men Swim trunks Thong (G-string) Willy warmer Full body Long underwear (long johns) Nightshirt Union suit Hosiery Compression stockings Leggings Pantyhose Sock Stocking Tabi Historical Breechcloth Chausses Codpiece Doublet Garter Hose Loincloth Nightshirt Union suit Brands 2(X)IST 2wink Abercrombie & Fitch Adidas Allbirds AllSaints American Apparel American Eagle Andrew Christian Arc'teryx aussieBum BIKE Björn Borg Boden Bombas Bonds Bonobos Burberry BVD Calvin Klein Comme des Garçons Desigual Diesel DKNY Dolce & Gabbana Dsquared² Duluth Trading Company Emporio Armani Everlane Finisterre Fleur du Mal Fruit of the Loom Gap Gunze H&M Hanes Hanro House of Holland Hugo Boss J.Crew Jockey International Joe Boxer John Lewis John Smedley's Kenneth Cole Kotn Lacoste Levi's Louis Vuitton Lululemon Marks & Spencer Michael Kors Moschino Munsingwear Nasty Pig Nike Nordstrom Orlebar Brown Patagonia Paul Smith Paul Stuart Pringle of Scotland Puma Ralph Lauren River Island Roberto Cavalli Rufskin Schiesser Smartwool Spanx Stanfield's Sunspel Superdry Supreme Three Gun Todd Snyder Tom Ford Tommy Hilfiger (company) Topman Under Armour Uniqlo Versace Volcom XTG --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Codpiece](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codpiece) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codpiece?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.