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A partlet or partlett was a 16th century fashion accessory. The partlet was a sleeveless garment worn over the neck and shoulders, either worn over a dress or worn to fill in a low neckline.
The earliest partlets appeared in late 15th century fashion. They were made of
File:Domenico Ghirlandaio Portrait of a Lady Larger.jpg, Italian partlet,
File:Hans Holbein d.J. - Bildnis einer englischen Dame (ca.1540-43).jpg, Tudor partlet,
File:Bronzino - Eleonora di Toledo col figlio Giovanni - Google Art Project (cropped).jpg, Lattice-work partlet worn by Eleanor of Toledo
File:Pieter Pourbus Portret2.jpg, Netherlandish partlet
File:M. v. Heemskerck-Musée des Bx-Arts Strasbourg-Donatrice.jpg, Netherlandish partlet,
File:Joachim Beuckelaer - The Four Elements- Fire - Google Art Project (cropped).jpg, Linen partlet with ties
File:Elizabeth1.jpg, The " Pelican Portrait",
File:English School, circa 1560s, Elizabeth I of England.jpg, Elizabeth I with a partlet embroidered with pearls
File:François Quesnel Portrait of a Lady in a Black Robe.jpg, French open partlet with attached collar and ruffle
A partlet or partlett was a 16th century fashion accessory. The partlet was a sleeveless garment worn over the neck and shoulders, either worn over a dress or worn to fill in a low neckline.
The earliest partlets appeared in late 15th century fashion. They were made of silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the ...
or linen
Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant.
Linen is very strong, absorbent, and dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. It also ...
, and were worn to fill in the low necklines of both men's and women's Burgundian dress. Men continued to wear partlets, usually of rich materials, with the low-cut doublets of the early 16th century.
Early 16th century women's partlets were made in a variety of fabrics and colors, although black was most popular. Black partlets worn over the gown, usually of velvet
Weave details visible on a purple-colored velvet fabric
Velvet is a type of woven tufted fabric in which the cut threads are evenly distributed, with a short pile, giving it a distinctive soft feel. By extension, the word ''velvety'' means ...
or satin
A satin weave is a type of fabric weave that produces a characteristically glossy, smooth or lustrous material, typically with a glossy top surface and a dull back. It is one of three fundamental types of textile weaves alongside plain wea ...
for the upper classes, are an earlier style. A wardrobe warrant of June 1538 ordered black velvet for a "French partlet" for Princess Mary.Hayward (2007), p. 166 These black partlets may be seen in a number of portraits of Tudor court ladies by Hans Holbein the Younger, as well as in Dutch paintings of market women throughout the 16th century.
Fine partlets made of linen lawn
A lawn is an area of soil-covered land planted with grasses and other durable plants such as clover which are maintained at a short height with a lawnmower (or sometimes grazing animals) and used for aesthetic and recreational purposes. ...
, with small standing collars and ruffles, could be worn directly over a low-necked smock, or over the kirtle. The " Pelican Portrait" of Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen".
Eli ...
shows the Elizabethan fashion for matching partlet and sleeves worked with blackwork
Blackwork, sometimes historically termed Spanish blackwork, is a form of embroidery generally worked in black thread, although other colours are also used on occasion, as in scarletwork, where the embroidery is worked in red thread. Originating ...
embroidery. Such sets of partlet and sleeves were common New Year's gifts to the queen. In 1562, Lady Cobham gifted the queen "a partelett and a peire of sleeves of sypers wrought with silver and black silke".
Elaborate lattice-work partlets were decorated with gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile ...
and jewels or pearl
A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is composed of calcium ca ...
s, such as that worn by Eleanor of Toledo
Eleanor of Toledo (Italian: ''Eleonora di Toledo'', 11 January 1522 – 17 December 1562), born Doña Leonor Álvarez de Toledo y Osorio, was a Spanish noblewoman and Duchess of Florence as the first wife of Cosimo I de' Medici. A keen busines ...
in the portrait by Bronzino. This was called "Caulle fashion" in England.Hayward (2007), p. 167 In 1563 Elizabeth's silkwoman Alice Montague employed a woman "altering and translating" the queen's partlets. 1568 Elizabeth I set her "Mistress Launder" to work to "translate" her partlets with 520 pearls costing a penny each.Elizabeth Goldring and others, eds, ''John Nichols’s The Progresses and Public Processions of Queen Elizabeth I: A New Edition of the Early Modern Sources'', vol. 5 (Oxford, 2014), Appendix 16, Account of the Queen’s Purse, 1559-1569, ed. by Jayne Elisabeth Archer and trans. by Sarah Knight, p. 252.
The origin of the term 'partlet' (attested from 1515) is uncertain, but it may derive from 'Dame Partlet', a traditional name for a hen, perhaps in reference to the ruffle of feathers on some hens' necks.
Gallery
See also
*Guimpe
The guimpe (from the French ''guimpe)'' was a garment which developed in medieval Western Europe. It was a silk or linen kerchief, sometimes sheer, sometimes starched, which covered the neck and shoulders of the wearer, sometimes the entire chest ...
* Chemisette
A chemisette (from French, "little chemise") is an article of women's clothing worn to fill in the front and neckline of any garment. Chemisettes give the appearance of a blouse or shirt worn under the outer garment without adding bulk at the ...
References
{{Historical clothing 16th-century fashion Fashion accessories Neckwear