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Falling collar
Unknown - Enlarge image
Falling collar
- Place of origin:
England, Great Britain (probably, made)
- Date:
1620-1630 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Unknown (production)
- Materials and Techniques:
Embroidered linen with cutwork panels
- Museum number:
190-1900
- Gallery location:
In Storage
Cutwork decorates the edges of this falling linen band (collar) of the 1630s. The technique involved cutting holes in the linen to make a design and then finishing the raw edges with buttonhole stitch. Using white embroidery thread on a white fabric is a type of needlework known as whitework.
The band appeared as a new style of neckwear in the 1590s. It was worn informally in place of the ruff, because it used less fabric and was therefore less expensive. A band was also much easier to care for and soon replaced the ruff for all but the most formal occasions. A band was considered to be ‘standing’ or ‘falling’ depending on how it was arranged in relation to the doublet or bodice. A standing band was heavily starched and held perfectly flat by a wire, bone or card support underneath. For more informal occasions, a falling band was worn, lightly starched and allowed to drape over the collar of the garment underneath.
