Coif
1575-1625 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This is a more luxurious version of coif, embroidered in coloured silks, embellished with precious metal threads and freshwater pearls. The repeated motif of a snake with a rose and floral sprigs may have been inspired by the visual images in popular emblem books.
Until the end of the 17th century the coif was informal headwear for women. Plain linen versions were worn by the working-class. Middle-class and aristocratic women wore elaborately decorated coifs. It would have been worn by itself indoors, or with a hat on top in public. In Western Europe it was customary for both men and women to cover their heads in public up until the 1960s. A hat was an essential part of respectable dress and, from a health perspective, head coverings were considered necessary to protect against chills and disease.
Until the end of the 17th century the coif was informal headwear for women. Plain linen versions were worn by the working-class. Middle-class and aristocratic women wore elaborately decorated coifs. It would have been worn by itself indoors, or with a hat on top in public. In Western Europe it was customary for both men and women to cover their heads in public up until the 1960s. A hat was an essential part of respectable dress and, from a health perspective, head coverings were considered necessary to protect against chills and disease.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Embroidered linen in silk, silver and silver-gilt threads, spangles, freshwater pearls, bobbin lace, muslin, hand-sewn and hand-embroidered |
| Brief description | Woman's coif of embroidered linen in silk, silver and silver-gilt threads, England, 1575-1625 |
| Physical description | Woman's linen coif embroidered with coloured silks, silver and silver-gilt threads in satin, chain, detached buttonhole stitch and plaited braid stitch, and with silver-gilt spangles and freshwater pearls in a repeating pattern of flowers and a snake. Along the front edge are remnants of silver-gilt bobbin lace. Later conservation work includes re-backing the coif on cotton and re-stitching the top seam. Lined with muslin. |
| Dimensions |
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| Styles | |
| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Bequeathed by Frank Ward |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This is a more luxurious version of coif, embroidered in coloured silks, embellished with precious metal threads and freshwater pearls. The repeated motif of a snake with a rose and floral sprigs may have been inspired by the visual images in popular emblem books. Until the end of the 17th century the coif was informal headwear for women. Plain linen versions were worn by the working-class. Middle-class and aristocratic women wore elaborately decorated coifs. It would have been worn by itself indoors, or with a hat on top in public. In Western Europe it was customary for both men and women to cover their heads in public up until the 1960s. A hat was an essential part of respectable dress and, from a health perspective, head coverings were considered necessary to protect against chills and disease. |
| Bibliographic reference | Illustrated catalogue of the loan exhibition of English decorative art at Lansdowne House: February 17th-28th, 1929, London: "The Collector", 1929, p. 35 (n. 208), Plate XLII |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.239-1960 |
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| Record created | June 23, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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