Dame de la cour vestue á la sultane

A coloured print of a woman, inscribed in ink, 'Dame de la cour vestue à la sultane', by N Bonnart, 1688.

The lady is wearing a mantua, without pinning the skirt back; as would have been the habit with this kind of dress. On her head is a fontange, a high structure of wires, lace and silk, which was named after Mademoiselle de Fontange, who was a mistress of the King and the first to wear this style of headdress. On her face are several patches, fake beauty marks that were made from fabric and could be used to hide deficiencies in the face or as a fashion statement.

Nicolas Bonnart was one of four brothers (Nicolas, Henry, Robert and Jean-Baptiste) who were all engravers and sellers of engravings. They were especially active in the last quarter of the seventeenth century and are mostly known for their production of fashion plates.

British Museum Online Catalogue, inventory number: 1922,0410.167.

Further reading
Colas, R., Bibliographie Generale du Costume et de la Mode. Description des suites, recueils, series, revues et livres Français et etrangers relatifs au costume civil, militaire et religieux, aux modes, aux coiffures et aux divers accessoires de l’habillement, avec une table methodique et un index alphabetique, 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.