Woman with a Ruff Collar- Paper Size P20x30- Our images reproduced on high-quality poster paper-Artist: Van Rijn- A ruff is an item of clothing worn in Western Europe from the mid-sixteenth century to the mid-seventeenth century- The ruff which was worn by men, women and children, evolved from the small fabric ruffle at the drawstring neck of the shirt or chemise- They served as changeable pieces of cloth that could themselves be laundered while keeping the wearer's doublet from becoming soiled at the neckline- The discovery of starch allowed ruffs to be made wider without losing their shape- Later ruffs were separate garments that could be washed, starched, and set into elaborate figure-of-eight folds by the use of heated cone-shaped goffering irons- Ruffs were often colored during starching, vegetable dyes were used to give the ruff a yellow, pink or mauve tint- A pale blue color could also be obtained via the use of smalt, though for an unknown reason Elizabeth I took against this color and issued a Royal Prerogative ''Her Majesty's pleasure is that no blue starch shall be used or worn by any of her Majesty's subjects- The discovery of starch allowed ruffs to be made wider without losing their shape- Later ruffs were separate garments that could be washed, starched, and set into elaborate figure-of-eight folds by the use of heated cone-shaped goffering irons- Ruffs were often colored during starching, vegetable dyes were used to give the ruff a yellow, pink or mauve tint- A pale blue color could also be obtained via the use of smalt, though for an unknown reason Elizabeth I took against this color and issued a Royal Prerogative ''Her Majesty's pleasure is that no blue starch shall be used or worn by any of her Majesty's subjects-'' At their most extreme, ruffs were a foot or more wide- Year: 1630 SKU: BUYNL05811
