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, or in plate armour, steel.

Feb 4, 2024 · Initially, codpieces were made of steel and added to armour, to help protect knights' fertility on the battlefield. But soon they presented a neat solution for an awkward everyday problem. Until...

Apr 1, 2011 · The codpiece began as a simple piece of fabric that would be tied down, really just an extra piece of linen. However, as time wore on the codpiece became more elaborate and decorative, longer and padded. So instead of helping to conceal the genitals, the codpiece emphasized them.

May 23, 2020 · Early in the eighteenth century, visitors to the Tower of London could gaze upon a painted wooden statue of Henry VIII, the English king who’d died some two hundred years before.

Apr 30, 2015 · From these practical beginnings, the codpiece (‘cod’ was slang for scrotum) became a fashion item in its own right. In the 15th century men’s dress comprised doublet or tunic (worn on the top half of the body), hose (bottom half) with a mantle or cloak (worn over the outfit).

Feb 20, 2025 · codpiece, pouchlike addition to men’s long hose, located at the crotch, popular in Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries. It came into fashion with hose that were like tights and continued to be worn with breeches.

It is basically a flapping cover or any pouch kind of structure that is attached to the front part of the men’s trousers and hence covers the male genitalia. It is attached with the help of string ties, folds, or buttons. The codpiece was a 16th-century fashion accessory that was worn by men.

Aug 16, 2018 · “The codpiece reaches its peak in terms of size and decoration. Designed to cover the gap between the two legs of men’s hose, it is packed and shaped to emphasize rather than disguise the genital area.”

Apr 8, 2020 · To us, a codpiece looks outrageous, over-the-top, rearingly priapic, almost ridiculous in its claims. And yet it was seldom even remarked upon or written about at the time. Things were as they were.

A codpiece is a flap or pouch that attaches to the front of men's trousers, often used in the 15th to 17th centuries. It served to cover and protect the male genitals and was often used as a form of decoration.