Dame en Falbala à la Promenade

A print of a couple walking, attended by a page, entitled, 'Dame en Falbala à la Promenade', with the verse, 'Allez belle en ces lieux charmans,/ou l'air frais vous invite à finir la journée/ La douce Saison de lannée/ y fait passer d'agreables momens.', and inscribed, 'A Paris Chez Hbonnart, rue St. Jacques, au Coq avec privil'.

The woman wears a mantua, characteristically pinned back, showing her petticoat. Her accessories are gloves, a fan, and a so-called fontange, a structure of wires, lace and silk, named after Mademoiselle de Fontange, the king’s mistress and supposedly the first to wear this type of headdress. The man wears a loose coat and lace cravat and carries a large, plumed hat. The page is dressed in 'oriental' style including a turban. The couple is portrayed outdoors, with a fountain in the background which corresponds to the title, which indicates they are at a promenade.

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.

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.