Genuine fashion fans with some knowledge of history know that paintings are a great way to discover exquisite tailoring and dressmaking skills, expand one's knowledge about certain textiles and fabrics and, why not, get the occasional style tip.
Portraits of key figures living in the courts are particularly inspiring as they can act as perfect introductions to luxurious garments and accessories, while conveying specific messages about the social position, status and religion of the portrayed characters, highlighting also the changes in style and fashion attire. These are the main aims behind the exhibition "In Fine Style: The Art of Tudor and Stuart Fashion" at the Queen's Gallery, Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh (on until today).
Exploring the style of the rich and famous, the event focuses on the 16th and 17th centuries and includes several paintings, drawings, and jewellery pieces selected from the Royal Collection, and rare examples of clothing and accessories borrowed from other institutions including The Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle; the Fashion Museum, Bath and North East Somerset Council; The Glove Collection Trust and Grimsthorpe and Drummond Castle Trust.
Personal appearance was extremely important for the Tudor and Stuart elite, deciding one's political and professional success, as the courtiers reflected the glory of the monarch through their own attires. Social advance was achieved for most people through the medium of dress, and clothing was therefore fundamental to the making and managing of the social self.
Laws that related to apparel proved the importance of clothing: the first statute appeared in 1337, followed by a 1363 act that indicated social estates and occupations and prohibited specific textiles.
More statutes were issued during the reign of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I: the former enforced five regulatory orders (and was personally responsible for portions of the second 1515 law); the latter introduced twelve, proving that apparel was a key matter for the legislative assembly and the crown as well.
As excess of apparel was deemed a public offence, the orders stated which fabrics, colours and types of garment could be worn at each level of society: "Cloth of gold" (incorporating gold-wrapped thread), crimson-dyed fabrics and certain types of fur were for example reserved to people of the highest status.
Important events such as marriage or elevation to a knightly order meant new costumes and commissioned paintings and, believe it or not, what the sitter wore was often more expensive than the painting itself: in 1632 Charles I paid Sir Anthony van Dyck £100 for a portrait of the royal family, but spent £5,000 a year on clothes. Garments were indeed particularly expensive since it took a long time to make the fabrics and decorate them; rare materials such as pure gold and silver were also incorporated in the clothes.
Specific paintings like a 16th portrait of Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII's Spanish consort, introduce visitors to exquisite techniques like blackwork, that created geometric or naturalistic designs in black silk on white linen.
But there is plenty to discover about menswear as well: the basic articles of male dress in the 16th and 17th century were the doublet, hose and cloak and, in 1666, Charles II introduced the vest, coat and breeches ensemble, ushering in a new trend that spread pretty quickly and that also introduced the precursor of the modern three-piece suit.
Little happened to the basic construction of the components of the woman's wardrobe - bodice, skirt and gown - over the 16th and 17th centuries.
Miniatures and paintings in the exhibition allow to look at elaborate ruffs characterised by complex layers and pleats, ample skirts and long-fingered gloves (they indicated that the wearer wasn't doing any physical or pratical work). Major changes arrived around the 1670s with the development of the mantua, a one-piece gown that replaced the separate bodice and skirt.
The exhibition also boasts rare accessories like a purse in the shape of a frog and jewellery pieces full of symbolism and set with stones thought to hold magical properties.
The rarest piece remains the Darnley or Lennox Jewel, a gold heart-shaped locket set with rubies, emeralds and diamonds probably commissioned in the late 16th century by Lady Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox, in memory of her husband the Earl of Lennox and Regent of Scotland. Allegorical symbols inside the jewel - such as a phoenix rising - allude to the Countess's hopes for the legacy of her family, perhaps through her grandson, born to Lord Darnley and Mary, Queen of Scots, who later became James VI and I.
There is plenty to see in the exhibition when it comes to paintings and rare pieces that will make people think about the changes in the configuration of the body, the way certain designs affected the spaces where the wearer moved and the interaction between people.
Transgression and cross-dressing in the 16th and 17th century aren't really tackled, which is a shame, but there are hints at gender fluidity in a few paintings, considering also that Anne of Denmark and Catherine of Braganza were known for their occasional manly styles, even though they mainly donned adaptation of clothes cut for females with alterations that allowed them to resemble male attire.
One point is missing, though: being very expensive assets, clothes were passed through many hands, from the riches to the poor, eventually turning into rags and, as poet John Taylor suggested in "The Praise of Hemp Seed" (1630), some ended up being processed and recycled and eventually turned to paper, so, there will perhaps be plenty to explore in a future exhibition that may look at clothes "from riches to rags".
As a whole "In Fine Style" is the sort of art and fashion exhibit that could be read at different levels as a history of art, power, beauty, wealth and, above all, the gentility of disciplined physicality.
Image credits for this post
1. Attributed to Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger, "Anne of Denmark", 1614. The Royal Collection Trust/ (C) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, 2013.
2. Joos van Cleve, "Henry VIII", c. 1530-35. The Royal Collection Trust/ (C) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, 2013.
3. British School, "James V of Scotland", c.1540. The Royal Collection Trust / (C) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, 2014.
4. Nicholas Hilliard, "James VI and I", c.1609. The Royal Collection Trust / (C) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, 2014.
5. Hans Holbein the Younger, "William Parr, later Marquess of Northhampton", c.1538-42. The Royal Collection Trust/ (C) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, 2013.
6. Nicholas Hilliard, 'Elizabeth I', c.1595-1600. Royal Collection Trust/ (C) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, 2013.
7 – 8. Nicholas Hilliard, Pendant (c. 1600) with Miniature of Queen Elizabeth I (c. 1585). The Royal Collection Trust/ (C) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, 2013.
9. Embroidered gloves, c.1595-1605. Courtesy The Glove Collection Trust.
10. Gold thread and yellow taffeta purse in the shape of a frog, 17th century. The Royal Collection Trust/ (C) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, 2013.
11. The Darnley or Lennox Jewel, c.1571-8. The Royal Collection Trust/ (C) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, 2013.
12. Simon Verelst, Mary of Modena, c.1675. The Royal Collection Trust / (C) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, 2014.
13. Woman's embroidered waistcoat (1610-20). The Fashion Museum, Bath and North East Somerset Council.
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