Marguerite de France – 1572

Marguerite of France, the first wife of Henri the IV, wears a charcoal colored dress with a large skirt, with a wheel farthingale. The underdress is purple with nine, bright yellow stripes at the hem. She wears white gloves and her cuffs are white trimmed with white pointed lace. She wears a double strand pearl and pendant necklace and she has three strands of pearls draped across the bodice. The dress has a large, standing white ruff, trimmed in lace.

She wears pearl earrings and a small, three-pronged pearl tiara. One small, white shoe shows from beneath her dress. In the background are two arched columns and a stone ledge, which appears to be a balcony, looking out over greenery and trees. The walls have green, flowered wall paper. This plate is based on a work “Marguerite de Valois,” by Thomas de Leu.

Credit: The Claremont Colleges