It must be obvious when I'm working on a paper, because that's when I
start peppering the list with questions (rather than writing long
treatises to answer other people!). As usual, this is about something
that's rather removed from my own area -- so I don't know much about it.
In my paper (which relates to an aspect of late 14th c. English
middle-class dress), I'm making a passing reference to partlets,
specifically to say that they don't show up till well past the period
I'm focusing on. However, I'd like to be able to say something a little
more concrete, specifically how much later it is that partlets do show
up, and in what places.
It's obvious that partlets in a variety of styles are all over the place
in the late 16th century, but I'm having a harder time nailing down when
they first appear. (It doesn't help that my reference library is very
spotty after the late 1400s.)
Along with getting dates for first appearances, I'm especially
interested in finding clear images of partlets worn outside the dress
(tied under the arms). White is best, but I'd be happy to find others as
well. I particularly need examples that have collars, as I'm comparing
collar styles among different garments over time.
So far the earliest partlets I've located for England are some
suggestions in Holbein's drawings, around the 1530s, but these are very
sketchy (literally) so I'm not sure of them, and I can't use the images
because they're not clear enough. So I still need a good early start
date and/or example from England.
I found a picture of a woman with a white partlet, worn on the outside
and tied under the arms, in Flanders, 1563 (specifically in a painting
by Beuckelaer reproduced in Drea's book on Flemish workingwomen's
clothing). I don't know how much earlier they show up.
For France, I found a fancy beaded partlet of something transparent,
worn over a dress, also from 1563, in a portrait of Claude de Beaune
from the studio of Francois Clouet, now at the Louvre (Fig. 328 in
Payne). That also feels rather late.
I have nothing on the early side for Italy, Germany, or Spain; my
library is too slim for these regions.
Can anyone point me toward an earlier appearance for any of these
countries, and/or toward images of the partlets worn with the ties visible?
To underscore my need here: This is a passing reference in a paper on
another topic, and I just want to be sure I get the right ballpark for
first appearances. This is NOT a paper on partlets, and I'm not
interested in doing extensive research on partlets. (Not this time.)
Thus my hope that someone else who has already been down this road will
be able to toss me a date or an image!
Thanks,
Robin
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