Christopher Crockett May 2, 2017:

Hélas, Mere Mortality is a burden we must all share, Tony.

Mmmmm... I thought that those pages on Hathitrust could be at least read (though not downloaded) by everyone, even Mere Mortal non-subscribers.

Perhaps proz.com's cutting off the end of the url is the problem.

Here's the essence of the link (after the https://)

babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=njp.32101018209922;view=1up;seq=115

See if that works for you peasants caught up in this Coil.

If not, here's the link to the copy on archive.org

https://archive.org/details/miroirs00bene

But you have to scroll down to plate III (about 2/3 of the way through the book --or do a "search inside" on "Planches").

If you like, you can download the whole book from that site.

Bénéditi is actually a pretty good read --though he does have some phrases which Mere Mortals might find somewhat difficult to translate.

Tony M May 2, 2017:

@ Christopher Sadly, we "mere mortals" cannot access your link. :-(

Christopher Crockett May 2, 2017:

Look at the thing. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=njp.32101018209922;vi...

Yes, "hemispherical skullcap" is redundant --but that's what is written, so you've got to Go with It.

However, it would be quite misleading to think of the [whole] wig as being in the form of a hemispherical skullcap --apparently that is just the top element of it; from this "skullcap" (and the headband) fall the thick braids of equal length.

Bénéditi is simply giving a very detailed description of this type of wig (rather than just saying "A wig with near-shoulder length, straight braids" --perhaps based on larger, more detailed representations or even actual surviving exemplars of suchlike a wig, in addition to what he can see on this small replication on the mirror handle.

I see nothing wrong with your whole translation attempt --couldn't have said it better myself.

Or I would have.

Tony M May 2, 2017:

Skullcap Perhaps it is expressed this way because it isn't literally an actual skullcap, but rather, the top part of the wig which is simple made close-fitting like a skullcap — we've all seen pictures of this sort of thing in Egyptian art, haven't we? Perhaps it would be worth putting "skullcap" in quotes to underline this point?

philgoddard May 1, 2017:

It's more or less redundant, though a skullcap can be less than a hemisphere.

Charles Davis May 1, 2017:

@Angela I don't think you're missing anything; I think it means what it says. Whether it's a tautology I'm not quite sure. In principle you can have a calotte elliptique. But in any case there are certainly quite a few examples of the expression out there. And "hemispherical skullcap" is also found; most examples, it must be said, refer to a song in which the expression occurs.