Dame en deshabillé d'hyver

A coloured print of a woman, and her page, described as 'Dame en deshabillé d'hyver', inscribed. I.D.St. Iean delin. This print might be a copy of the work of Jean Dieu de Saint-Jean, as there is no address on the print, one of the trademarks of De Saint-Jean’s work.

The woman seems to be wearing a mantua. Her head is veiled with a (lace) cap and black cloth. She also has a muff held to her nose. A muff could contain several pockets for the keeping of necessities and scent, which would explain her gesture, in addition to keeping the hands warm. Her page is wearing a long coat and breeches.

The print is designed by Jean Dieu de Saint-Jean (1654-1695), to whom about 100 prints are attributed from the period 1678-1695. They mostly portray the dress of men and women of high rank, often at the court of France. His father, also named Jean Dieu, was a painter too. When his son was accepted to the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in Paris he changed his name to Jean Dieu de Saint-Jean, after his patron saint, in order to distinguish himself from his father and from other artists named Dieu. Though De Saint-Jean initially was trained as a portrait painter he is mostly known for his fashion-plates.

Further reading
Colas, R., Bibliographie Générale du Costume et de la Mode. Description des suites, recueils, séries, revues et livres Français et étrangers relatifs au costume civil, militaire et religieux, aux modes, aux coiffures et aux divers accessoires de l’habillement, avec une table méthodique et un index alphabétique, Paris 1933, entry 2629.

Reynolds, A., In fine Style. The Art of Tudor and Stuart Fashion, London 2013.

Ribeiro, A., Fashion and Fiction. Dress in Art and Literature in Stuart England, London 2005.

Vaast, C. and J. Dunford, 'Jean Dieu de Saint-Jean (1654-1695). Dessinateur de gravures des modes et peintre d’un portrait de Marin Marais', Musique Images Instruments vol. 10 (2008), pp. 172-181.