Cap Liner
1630-1650 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Most surviving early 17th century night caps were actually intended to be worn informally during the day. A portrait of an unknown man (once thought to be Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham) in the National Portrait Gallery shows the sitter in one of these decorative night cap, with a linen lining with earflaps, similar to this object. The earflaps and linen ties on this cap liner suggest that it might also have been worn while the wearer was sleeping. There are very few surviving images depicting people in their bed clothes in the 1600s, so it is difficult to know exactly what they wore. Unlike the embroidered caps, this one is made of a rectangle of linen gathered into a circle of fabric at the crown. The cap is very finely hand-sewn to withstand the rigours of laundry done by hand.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Linen fabric and linen tape, handsewn with linen and silk thread |
| Brief description | Linen liner for a man's night cap, British, 1600-1630, with earflaps, monogrammed 'C' |
| Physical description | A plain linen lining for a night cap, made of a rectangular piece of fabric, with turned up edge at bottom and gathered into a small circle at the crown. There are two ear flaps with linen tape ties. A 'C' has been embroidered in white silk close to one ear flap. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | C (embroidered in white silk close to one of the ear flaps.) |
| Object history | This cap liner was acquired from the Chaffyn Grove family, via Kerry Taylor Auctions in association with Sotheby's. In 1686, John Grove married Mary Chaffyn, inheriting Zeals House from her, and their descendants took the name Chaffyn Grove. In the 19th c. a female successor married into the Troyte Bullock family. According to family tradition the cap liner was thought to have belonged to Charles I, but there is no crown with the embroidered 'C' or 'R' & 'I'. Such an attribution without more concrete documentation is dubious and it has been acquired solely for its intrinsic value as fine and rare example of a linen lining for a night cap. The earflaps and ties suggest that it might have also been worn in bed. |
| Summary | Most surviving early 17th century night caps were actually intended to be worn informally during the day. A portrait of an unknown man (once thought to be Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham) in the National Portrait Gallery shows the sitter in one of these decorative night cap, with a linen lining with earflaps, similar to this object. The earflaps and linen ties on this cap liner suggest that it might also have been worn while the wearer was sleeping. There are very few surviving images depicting people in their bed clothes in the 1600s, so it is difficult to know exactly what they wore. Unlike the embroidered caps, this one is made of a rectangle of linen gathered into a circle of fabric at the crown. The cap is very finely hand-sewn to withstand the rigours of laundry done by hand. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.68-2004 |
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| Record created | July 19, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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