Our History
Costumi d’Arte was born with different denomination, on the 1815, from an initiative of Angelo Pignotti, an old Napoleonic soldier, who started his small activity in Florence as a small antique dealer.
Among his merchandise he had dresses (garments o gowns) from the end of the sixteenth century and even more from the eighteenth century. These dresses (garments or gowns) weren’t real antique objects, however with the radical change of the way of dressing, especially after the French Revolution, they took on a documentary interest of a nearby age, but far from the new way of life.
Following the requests of many painters who used these authentic garments for the models in their paintings, Pignotti decided not to limit themselves to simply politely lend them out but instead to arrange a real rental business.In the middle of the century, Egisto Peruzzi, who had married the daughter of Pignotti, inherited the activity and changed the business name in CASA D’ARTE – Firenze – not just to rent authentic clothes but to start making new ones under requests and customized for painters and theatre actors. Even parties in mask, very much in vogue at the time, greatly increased the making and rental business. The company grew more and more with Ruggero, Egisto’s son, himself an actor actor as well, whom did not just start preparing costumes to the philo-dramatic companies in Tuscany, but traveling to Italy, even to the companies of prose. The son of Ruggero, Giuseppe, turned his attention to the genre of the greatest spectacle of the time: Opera Lirica. We are around 1920 and the company is constantly growing, through these shows, building a substantial stock.
Thanks to its geographical position the rise of cinema establishments in Tirrenia facilitated the involvement of Casa d’Arte – Firenze – into new cinema productions.
Among his merchandise he had dresses (garments o gowns) from the end of the sixteenth century and even more from the eighteenth century. These dresses (garments or gowns) weren’t real antique objects, however with the radical change of the way of dressing, especially after the French Revolution, they took on a documentary interest of a nearby age, but far from the new way of life.
Following the requests of many painters who used these authentic garments for the models in their paintings, Pignotti decided not to limit themselves to simply politely lend them out but instead to arrange a real rental business.In the middle of the century, Egisto Peruzzi, who had married the daughter of Pignotti, inherited the activity and changed the business name in CASA D’ARTE – Firenze – not just to rent authentic clothes but to start making new ones under requests and customized for painters and theatre actors. Even parties in mask, very much in vogue at the time, greatly increased the making and rental business. The company grew more and more with Ruggero, Egisto’s son, himself an actor actor as well, whom did not just start preparing costumes to the philo-dramatic companies in Tuscany, but traveling to Italy, even to the companies of prose. The son of Ruggero, Giuseppe, turned his attention to the genre of the greatest spectacle of the time: Opera Lirica. We are around 1920 and the company is constantly growing, through these shows, building a substantial stock.
Thanks to its geographical position the rise of cinema establishments in Tirrenia facilitated the involvement of Casa d’Arte – Firenze – into new cinema productions.
Since then the beginning of the company’s ongoing activity in cinema will never stop.
With the expansion and modification of costume production, in 1947 Giuseppe Peruzzi decided to open a branch in Rome with warehouses and a laboratory.
Giuseppe’s son Ruggero, who took over his father, changed the old business name into the current COSTUMI D’ARTE, and expanded the activity so much to absorb other tailoring, among which S.A.F.A.S. the popular theatre tailoring of Mrs. Giuditta Maggioni Roux, to whom Luchino Visconti has entrusted the realization of most of the costumes for his theater and film projects.
With the expansion and modification of costume production, in 1947 Giuseppe Peruzzi decided to open a branch in Rome with warehouses and a laboratory.
Giuseppe’s son Ruggero, who took over his father, changed the old business name into the current COSTUMI D’ARTE, and expanded the activity so much to absorb other tailoring, among which S.A.F.A.S. the popular theatre tailoring of Mrs. Giuditta Maggioni Roux, to whom Luchino Visconti has entrusted the realization of most of the costumes for his theater and film projects.
Since 1995 the current owner, Giuseppe Peruzzi, continues the activity of his predecessors, both in theater and in cinema, with a family tradition and experience that, as seen above, is more than a century long. For this reason, Costumi d’Arte can count its presence in many international and national film productions.
