Elisabeth of Austria – 1570

A woman, in the costume of Elisabeth of Austria, wife of King Charles the 9th, wears a white and gold dress. The fabric is patterned to suggest a brocade patterned with flowers, leaves, and grapes. She has a white partlet in a diamond pattern, over which she wears an ornate gold and emerald necklace. The sleeves have very deep fur cuffs, and white undersleeves gathered into narrow cuffs and ornamented with embroidery or small jewels. Her cap is white with two jeweled bands of gold with rubies, emeralds and pearls, and a sheer, white veil hangs down her back. She wears emerald earrings. The neck of her dress is outlined with gold, rubies, pearls, and emeralds.

Strands of pearls, emeralds and rubies also are draped across the bodice with a large central brooch and a pearl pendant. A long chain of gold, emeralds, rubies, and pearls wraps around her waist, and a single jeweled strand hangs almost to the floor. She wears a white ruff. In her left hand is a pair of orange gloves and her right hand rests gently on a table covered in a green and pink cloth, with gold fringe. This is a Tudor court gown based on a painting by Gaignieres.

Credit: The Claremont Colleges