Portrait of a 16th century man (the work is by Il Parmigianino) wearing a showy "braghetta"
During the 1500s the use of a rather particular and decidedly risque item of underwear (but not too much) became widespread among men, the braghetta, that we can consider the ancestor of the modern jockstrap.
It was a sort of strategically padded and molded inguinal pouch, which exalted the masculine attributes to the maximum, by brazenly highlighting them; conceived in the 1400s for practical purposes, that is to hide what the "separate" socks left uncovered ( see :Https://www.pilloledistoria.it/10701/storia-moderna/moda-maschile-del-400-mutande-a-vista), in the 16th century the braghetta assumed a completely new connotation, that of symbol same as manhood.
For this reason, as we can see from the portraits of the time, it was proudly displayed; for the men of power of the time, sovereigns, politicians and aristocrats, the braghetta became a must indispensable, just think of Henry VIII, controversial and bizarre king of England, who did not fail to show it off without restraint even in official portraits.
Generally speaking, this theoretically intimate garment which, however, had very little underwear, was well framed in the broader context of Renaissance male fashion , of the wealthier classes in particular, far more eccentric and showy than the medieval one, much more sober.