Renaissance Depilatory Practices

One of the most memorable stories in art history is about John Ruskin's plea for an annulment. The art historian said his marriage was never consummated because he had seen so many classical and renaissance sculptures of women that he was horrified to see his wife naked--he was shocked and disgusted by her pubic hair. This begs the question did women of antiquity and the Renaissance remove their hair? Recently, there was a talk given at the Renaissance Society of America conference on this topic. Now, there is also an article in the Smithsonian Magazine using the speaker, Jill Burke's, research.

A quote:

Boil together a solution of one pint of arsenic and eighth of a pint of quicklime. Go to a baths or a hot room and smear medicine over the area to be depilated. When the skin feels hot, wash quickly with hot water so the flesh doesn’t come off.