Baroque (c. 1600 - 1720)

Marchesa Brigida Spinola Doria, Peter Paul Rubens, 1606  (flickr, picture by kittivanilli)
Marchesa Brigida Spinola Doria, Peter Paul Rubens, 1606 (flickr, picture by kittivanilli)

“Barocco“ (Portugese, English: uneven, odd) describes a pearl of irregular shape and was used derogatively in the 18th century for the time period and style from c. 1600 - 1720. In the baroque, the clear forms and unity of the preceding Renaissance was not wholly abandoned but changed into a more flourishing style. The dominant power that Spain had had in the preceding epochs, especially in the 16th century faded slowly. The Baroque era was a rather troubled one for Europe with The Thirty Year's War, the counter-reformation and rising absolutism.  A very small country, however, began to rise: The Netherlands remained in mostly untouched by the Thirty Years' War and became an economical and commercial power to reckon with Legal changes allowed unmarried women to have financial powers and engage in trade and business. 

Clothing underwent radical changes, beginning in the geometric, sculptural style of the Renaissance and gradually shifting to much softer styles and silhouettes with flowing skirts and draped bodices and sleeves.

Peter Paul Rubens and wife Isabella (flickr, picture by Lisby)
Peter Paul Rubens, self-portrait with wife Isabella, c. 1609 (flickr, picture by Lisby)

1.  The ”Peter Paul Rubens – gown”:

 

Rubens painted himself with his wife Isabella in 1609. She is wearing a distinctive style of dress which is dominated by a certain stiffness. Fashion in the Netherlands (and Spain) was very sombre. The ruff collar, large as a millstone, seems to isolate the head from the torso. In her hair the lady wears more lace, a semi-circle of lace is placed around the back of her head. On the top of her head sits a high and broad-brimmed hat (looks like the one of a man). The bodice, made of black and luxurious floral fabric in gold and silver, is very tight and ends in a shape like a four centred arch turned upside down. This arched part stands proud of the body below the waist to match with the wide red and gold skirt. Isabella's sleeves are long, tight and end in fine linen cuffs. Around each wrist she wears a golden bracelet set with gemstones. Her appearance is undoubtedly rich and impressive, yet stiff when compared to the softer style to come.

 

Henrietta Maria, Queen of Britain and consort of Charles I wearing gorgeous lace. Henrietta was a fashion icon bringing soft colours and less stiff dress cuts from her home country (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0, flickr, picture by Lisby) Baroque dress, gown
Henrietta Maria, Queen of Britain and consort of Charles I wearing gorgeous lace. Henrietta was a fashion icon bringing soft colours and less stiff dress cuts from her home country (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0, flickr, picture by Lisby)

considerable change was the elimination of the hoop-skirts in favour of padding. Consequently, the skirts fell softer and the whole silhouette appeared less geometric and more flowing. Ladies wore a mass of underskirts, made of as fine fabrics as could be afforded. Maria de'Medici had for example underskirts of white atlas, and black ones with golden flowers. Spanish women were reported to have worn twelve underskirts and more in winter, and in the summer still seven or eight which given the summer heat would be no mean feat.

 

The bodice, supported by boning, reached to the lower waist and ended triangular in the front. The neckline was square-cut or baring the shoulders like a Carmen neckline. The ruff collar remained, huge as ever, until it changed to a cape-like collar of fine(st) lace in the 1630s, called Vandyke collars.

 

Henrietta Maria, Anthony van Dyck, 1638 (flickr, picture by Lisby). Baroque dress painting
Henrietta Maria, Anthony van Dyck, 1638 (flickr, picture by Lisby)

The cut of the sleeves widened, so that they could be styled in various ways: A popular method was to tie it with a ribbon at the height of the elbow or at more places. Furthermore, lace or linen cuffs were added to every kind of sleeve. In the 40s of the 17th century, the female fashion was relatively flowing and natural. The skirt was moderately wide and the bodice was short, close-fitting and low-cut. This rather simple and elegant fashion is due to the Dutch burgesses' wives. The Netherlands had no dominating court and other courts in Europe had lost their influence on fashion.

In the early days, colourful cloths were a matter of elegance and taste. Strong colours at first, later pastel shades like pale blue and yellow. Lightly coloured soft silk that glimmered in candlelight was desired. The decolletage was not longer covered with kerchieves, just adorned around the neckline with lace, trimming or ornamental gemstudded clasps.

 

Henrietta Maria of England was an openly Catholic Queen in protestant England. She possessed several large bejewelled crosses and liked to attach them to her attire, as a means of displaying her faith.

 

2. Hieronymus Janssen: "Charles II Dancing at a Ball at Court":

 

This new style has the shape of two triangles that meet at one tip. The upper triangle symbolizes the straight Carmen neckline from shoulder to shoulder and the tip where it meets the lower one is the small waist. The other two tips of the lower triangle are the left and right edge of the skirt's hem.
The low neckline is quite baring as it reveals (when uncovered by a kerchief) a part of the bust raised and pushed by the tightly laced and stiffened stays Usually the bodice is adorned with (golden) braid running from the midst of the neckline and from under the sleeve holes to the pointed hem of the bodice. Normally, the skirt is trimmed, too. The sleeves are made of the same fabric as bodice and skirt and are quite loose-fitting, ending in at the wrist or below the elbow in lace cuffs or linen ruffles. Fashionable was furthermore to wear sleeves cut in the virago style: loose-fitting sleeves held in place by colourful ribbons. The ribbons are tied arm-tight around the broad sleeves and thus give the impression of sleeves consisting of several “fabric balls”. Soft colours and pastel shades were used. Brooches and bodice ornaments were the decoration.

 

Jan Vermeer, Lady with Her Maidservant Holding a Letter, ca. 1667 Baroque fashion, Barock Mode, matinee jacket
Jan Vermeer, Lady with her Maidservant holding a Letter, ca. 1667 -> the Lady is wearing a yellow MATINEE jacket trimmed with ermine fur (flickr, CC 2.0, by Jimmie)

A Dutch invention was the Matinee, a very loose-fitting jacket for home wear. Reaching down to the thighs, these jackets were usually made of colourful fabric and trimmed with fur along the seams. Vermeer painted several pictures showing women with a yellow Matinee.
The simple Dutch fashion was quickly changed to a more elaborate style, after the French court started to dominate fashion issues again (French Queen Anne had long worn mourning). The bodice was expanded with a triangular part in the front. It was laced over this part or closed with clips.

 This new part was called the stomacher. The gown had opened in the front under the waist and the beautiful skirts beneath were visible. The two garments were called Manteau and Jube. The sleeves could not escape a change either; they tightened significantly, reached to the elbow and ended in ruffles of fine lace, called Engageants.

 

Accessories:

Accessories depended on the season: In summer a veil was worn to protect the complexion and a fan was used to cool oneself while in winter a woman would go out with e.g. a fur muff, a hood and a mask. This mask covers the face from the nose to the forehead (probably tied around the head with strings) with holes for the eyes and gives the wearer for our taste today a hint of mystery.

 

Detail from: Interior with Painter, Woman Reading and Maid Sweeping, Pieter Janssens Elinga, c. 1665 - 70, Städel, Frankfurt. The Woman wears red slippers and the maid similar footwear. Photo: Epochs of Fashion
Detail from: Interior with Painter, Woman Reading and Maid Sweeping, Pieter Janssens Elinga, c. 1665 - 70, Städel, Frankfurt. The Woman wears red slippers and the maid similar footwear. Photo: Epochs of Fashion

Shoes:

The heel lost nothing of its popularity – but it wandered slowly towards the middle of the foot. Consequently, the angle that the foot describes with the floor increased – no existing footbed and nearly no anatomic forming lead to an inclination of the whole foot and not just of the heel as today. The toe-caps used to be horribly pointed and walking in them was sure as fate very painful for the wearer. Cut-outs were a popular element and typical for this time.

The shoes were closed with a buckle or tied with a band or were just to slip in. Those who could afford it had the shoes made of fine materials like high-quality leather, velvet or damask. Decorative elements increased the luxurious look even more. Pattens with high plateau heels used to protect the fine footwear from mud and dirt on the streets.

 

Portrait of Donna Maria Moreno y Buenaventura, Mexican, c. 1760. Phoenix Art Museum, AZ, United States. Photo: Epochs of Fashion
Portrait of Donna Maria Moreno y Buenaventura, Mexican, c. 1760. (The dress is Rococo already but the mouche can be observed very well). Phoenix Art Museum, AZ, United States. Photo: Epochs of Fashion

Beauty:

Contrary to common belief, people bathed regularly provided they could afford it, or washed at least. Yet, the overall state of houses and towns without a proper sewage system, as well as the sketchy knowledge in all things medical allowed epidemics to spread. The pox epidemics were particularly merciless, killing numerous people and leaving the survivors with scars. To cover them, decorative little plasters were used. Every shape, even that of a little carriage, existed. Soon, the function was advanced. They became a mean of communication: A black velvet plaster called mouche placed on the chin meant discretion, on the corner of the mouth talkativeness and on the lips delight to kiss.

It is quite a cliché that powdered wigs and faces white with make-up are Baroque. This was by no means the case, powdered wigs would not come up until the Rococo era. Make-up was used by many, no doubt, but more subtly than the pop-cultural stereotype and not in a clownish white face with red cheeks kind of way.

Henrietta Maria, Anthony van Dyck, around 1632/5 (flickr, picture by Lisby) Baroque dress, hairstyle
Henrietta Maria, Anthony van Dyck, around 1632/5 (flickr, picture by Lisby)

Hair:

After the first quarter of the 17th century trendy married women did not longer want to hide their elaborate hairstyles under caps and began wearing their hair uncovered or with a big (black) hat. The hair was usually parted in the middle and fell down in curls on both sides of the head (shoulder-long). Some women had the upper layer of their hair drawn straight to the back of the head into a flat-topped style, there bound with decorative bows, while the rest of the hair fell down to the shoulders in neat small curls. The face was framed by lots of small curls.

 

Towards the middle of the 1600s in Central and Western Europe, the hair is released from the strict hairdos to fall in ringlets around the face. At the Spanish Court, however, hair remained highly sculptural and geometric. In the style which can be best observed in Velazquez' painting of Infanta Maria Theresa, the hair is arranged through false hair, padding and wire to create a semicircular frame to the face. 

 

Jewellery:

Dark fabrics were naturally a great base for elaborate jewellery of gems and precious metals. With the soft pastel shades pearls go very well. Very fashionable were bodice ornaments, called "devant le corsage" in French, large pieces of jewellery which were pinned to the stomacher. The ornaments were made of precious metal, gemmed and studded with pearls, and usually had a symbolic meaning or were gifts from family members. Some pieces were made in a particularly artful way, having flowers or gems sitting on hairsprings fixed to the ornament which then moved and glittered at every motion of the wearer. The techniques of gem-cutting had advanced so that the luster and light refraction was better and the stones glittered more beautiful. Wearing miniature portraits was still very popular, as well, e.g. in lockets.

 

Patterns:

Nehelenia Patterns np800 1660s Gown Pattern

 

- Please note that this list does claim no completeness and does not operate as advertisement. It was merely composed for informative purposes. Furthermore, no valuation of the patterns is implied or intended -

 


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