Northern Renaissance Image Review-Women

This portrait of Elizabeth I (at this time, Princess of England) exemplifies the female Tudor silhouette--which resembles a very stiff hourglass shape.

The torso is confined into a perfect cylindrical cone through the use of stays (a stiff underbodice that laced for a tight fit. Also know as a pair of bodies, stays would have a large, flat wooden/bone busk center front to flatten & restrict the bustline.) The skirt also hangs cylindrically--supported by a hoop skirt called a vergudale also known as a Spanish Farthingale (the verudgale was constructed by sewing cane, whalebone or steel hoops of graduated sizes into a sturdy petticoat).

The skirt of her gown opens center front to reveal a very decorative petticoat/underskirt. This opening accentuates the cone silhouette of the skirt. Notice, that even the sleeves of her gown take on a triangular cone shape--fitted at the upper arm, and opening into wide funnels at the forearm. Her decorative false sleeves coordinate with her petticoat. They feature some moderate slashing and puffing, allowing her chemise to show. She wears a french hood on her head.

The Holbein portrait of Jane Seymour (above left)--one of Henry VII 's many wives--features many of the attributes seen in Elizabeth's portrait. Notice the black work at the neck edge of her gown. This decorative black embroidery becomes rather popular during the Renaissance. The color black becomes much more prominent during this time. This is a direct result of the newly discovered dyestuff--logwood--which is now finding its way into Europe from the "New World" (modern day Mexico).

The headdress she wears is distinctly English. An evolution from the monster reticulated head attire of the Gothic period, the gabled headdress had a wooden or metal structure that was key in creating the square pedimental shape characteristic of this headdresss. The black fabric seen here, was generally velvet. Retaining the Gothic name fall, this fabric could be tucked up underneath the headdress to hide the hair (as seen on Janeaz) or it could hang down in a fashion similar to Assyrian lappets (as in the Holbein sketch at the above right).

Although this painting was created during the heart of what we label "Elizabethan" (dated 1584) I have chosen to include it amongst the Tudor silhouette for the sake of demonstrating the rigidity of the skirt silhouette.

On this note, I should remind you that the Tudor silhouette does not disappear from style during the Elizabethan period. In fact, the styles that mark Queen Elizabeth's England and France of this time, are characteristic only in the areas considered Northern Europe.

Southern Europe would maintain this silhouette through the close of the 16th Century. This portrait was indeed painted in Spain, during the Elizabethan period.

However, even in England, one might see this silhouette coexisting with the wider Elizabethan styles featured later in this review.

This portrait shows us two other styles that surface during this period.

The first is the ropa. It originates in Spain and functions in a manner similar to a modern coat. Ropas are generally black, and are thought to be a garment symbolic of mourning. The ropa is generally worn fastened above the bustline, and hangs in an A-line silhouette (yes, another cone...just larger) to the floor. It is often depicted with a short puff in the sleeve at the shoulder, although sleeveless versions are possible as well.

The second fashion shown here is the attifet. This headdress takes the form of a jeweled wire mesh (as shown here) or a linen cap. In either form, the silhouette is the same. The dip in the front and the rounded sides are the key identifiers for this cap.

This rather somber portrait of Mary, Queen of Scots portrays her in the linen version of the attifet.

She is also wearing a garment that later finds favor with her cousin and rival--Elizabeth I, Queen of England. Conch is the name given to the sheer, almost transparent, cape-like garment shown here.

Here she is, good Queen Bess (Queen Elizabeth I during the height of her reign) as a walking overstuffed couch. The farthingale is to blame for this exaggeratedly wide silhouette. Instead of constructing her farthingale out of hoops of graduated sizes, Elizabeth I often chose a French Farthingale/Wheel Drum. The hoops here are all the same size, creating a "drum" like effect. A bum roll is worn underneath the wheel drum farthingale in order to provide added support, preventing gravity from doing its job. A lady desiring a much less exaggerated, but nonetheless shelf-like effect (inspired by the wheel drum look, of course) might ditch the farthingale altogether and wear only the bum roll under her skirt.

At any rate, in lands lying in Northern Europe, a widened horizontal silhouette is certainly desired. Hair is piled on top of the head, the tall medici collar/whisk style of ruff gains popularity, and sleeve caps get taller (leg-o'mutton sleeves--tall, gathered and balloon like at the shoulder and tapering below the elbow--become very popular during this time) in an effort to balance the awkward silhouette. The bodice becomes exaggerated as well--creating a very deep V below the waist. This gives the illusion of an abnormally long torso. While on the topic of exaggeration, hanging sleeves should also be mentioned. Looking like wings in this portrait, decorative sleeves were very common.

The result of all of this is a disproportionate, very un-naturual silhouette. All thanks to body modification.

This portrait, painted in 1591, is of a Swedish princess. She shows that there were fashionable women (even in Northern Europe) who didn't fall into the ugly trap of the wheel drum farthingale or the bumroll.

The large size of her cartwheel ruff and the accentuted V at the waist in the construction of her gown are subtle hints that place her in the Elizabethan world.

Ruffs of this width are distinctly Elizabethan; as are the V front waistlines.

The same hints mentioned above are present in this Elizabethan painting of a Spanish queen. Cartwheel ruffs made it into the wardrobe of Southern European ladies, even if the wheel drum farthingale did not. Notice the exaggerated U-shaped dip in the waistline of her bodice. The shape of the busk in her stays would mirror the shape of the bodice.

I should point out to you that it is very possible that she is wearing a separate bodice and skirt. This is very common with the "drum" silhouette, and very possible here as well.

This ensemble is very likely a separate bodice and skirt (notice the VERY prominent shadow line along the waistline). She has on a farthingale variation, giving her gown a silhouette somewhere in between Elizabeth's wheel drum and the Tudor cone. Fashion is not cut and dry--fashion anomalies are par for the course, I believe that we are seeing one of these anomalies here.

She has a very tall, flat, nonpleated ruff called a whisk. This lady is ahead of her time. She foreshadows future evolutions of the ruff. This neck decoration would have a sturdy steel wire running along the seam joining the linen and the lace. This is how she is able to make this collar stand erect. The lace would be heavily starched to continue the flat plane.