The 1550s and 1560s
The idea behind this page was to trace the fashion of the 1550s and 1560s in England, especially the development of the ruff.
This portrait is also mentioned in Christie's sale catalogue.
Katherine Hyde, Lady le Strange
1551
Hans Eworth
Suggestions for the identity of the sitter in this portrait have included Lady Margaret Douglas (1515-1578) and Margaret Howard, Lady Arundell, the sister of Queen Katherine Howard, based on provenance.
The portrait was first recorded by George Vertue in 1733 when at Sutton Place, Surrey, the seat of the Weston family as 'a Lady at len. in black. manner Holbein'.
Katherine Brydges, Lady Dudley
The Fitzwilliam Museum Portrait
Called Unknown Lady (Perhaps Lady Jane Grey)
(For my identification of the sitter in this painting as Katherine Brydges, Lady Dudley, please see my The Fitzwilliam Portrait page.)
The fashions of Lady Jane Grey's youth. Notice the squared brim of the French hood and the raised neckline with ruffles.
Bess of Hardwick
1550s
Unknown Woman
1557
Hans Eworth
Blank space
Elizabeth Leyburn, Duchess of Norfolk
c.1560
Attributed to Hans Eworth
Dorothy Wadham (née Petre)
Copy of an Original Portrait in the Egremont Private Collection
(For my identification of the sitter in this painting as Dorothy Wadham (née Petre), please see the discussion of this portrait on my For Reference page, and I believe I have conclusively identified the sitter on my The Pagets page.)
Agnes Keith, Countess of Moray
1562
Hans Eworth
Margaret Audley, Duchess of Norfolk
1562
Hans Eworth
Susan Bertie, Countess of Kent
1567
Katherine de Vere, Baroness Windsor, 24 years old
1567
Master of the Countess of Warwick
Edward Windsor, 3rd Baron Windsor, and his family
1568
Collection of the Marquess of Bute
Tracing the Ruff Yet Further – 1570s and 1610s
Notes:
[1] That must be this portrait: «Indeed, despite her own affinity for things Spanish, Mary was herself depicted wearing a much narrower – and notably free-form and unstarched – Spanish-style ruff only once.2 She more commonly wore the standing-collared partlet seen in so many of the other portraits included in this study. Even in portraits that depict Mary wearing a chemise under her partlet, the collar usually has a loosely flowing and unstarched simple ruffle.» (J. Stephan Edwards, A Queen of a New Invention, p.114) «2 Queen Mary I, Hans Eworth, 1557, oil on wood panel, 8 x 6 1/2 in., private collection.» (J. Stephan Edwards, A Queen of a New Invention, p.115)
Dickinson Private Advisors & Fine Art Dealers does specify that the portrait is oil on panel, measuring 22 x 17.3 cm. (8⅝ x 6¾ in.).
This is almost exactly the exact measurements mentioned by J. Stephan Edwards, but not quite.
Another possibility is that J. Stephan Edwards is referring to the portrait in footnote 2.
These two portraits are almost (but not quite) identical. Mary is dressed in the same outfit, however, and this portrait too is dated to 1557.
[2] Of Crymsen Tissue: The Construction of a Queen. Identity, Legitimacy and the Wardrobe of Mary Tudor
This portrait is almost (but not quite) identical. Mary is dressed in the same outfit, however, and this portrait too is dated to 1557.
[3] This excellent overview over the portraits of Hans Eworth dates both portraits to 1557. It has this portrait as being 8 x 6 ½ inches, while the one that we only have a black and white photograph of as being 9 ⅞ x 7 ½ inches, so presumably it is this one J. Stephan Edwards meant.
Mary Fitzalan, Duchess of Norfolk (1540-1557) Eighteenth Century
1556
English School
Unknown Lady (Perhaps Lady Jane Grey)
Formerly Mary Tudor when Princess
C. 1550-5
Hans Eworth
The Fitzwilliam Museum Portrait
The fashions of Lady Jane Grey's youth. Notice the squared brim of the French hood and the raised neckline with ruffles.
Bess of Hardwick
1550's
Unknown Woman
1557
Hans Eworth
Mary Neville, Lady Dacre; Gregory Fiennes, 10th Baron Dacre
1559
NPG 6855
Hans Eworth
Elizabeth FitzGerald, Countess of Lincoln
1560
Steven van der Meulen
Agecroft Hall, Richmond, Virginia
Elizabeth Leyburn, Duchess of Norfolk
C.1560
Attributed to Hans Eworth
Called Anne Askew
1560
Hans Eworth
Unknown Woman
1560
Follower of Hans Eworth
Agnes Keith, Countess of Moray
1562
Hans Eworth
Margaret Audley, Duchess of Norfolk
1562
Hans Eworth
Susan Bertie, Countess of Kent
1567
Katherine de Vere, Baroness Windsor, 24 years old
1567
Master of the Countess of Warwick
Edward Windsor, 3rd Baron Windsor, and his family
1568
Collection of the Marquess of Bute
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