Wednesday, October 19, 2016

17th-century Fashion Plates by Jean de Saint-Igny

Jean de Saint-Igny
La Noblesse françoise à l'église
ca. 1629
etching
British Museum

The British Museum possesses two series of etchings published in the 1620s in Paris from designs by Jean de Saint-Igny (ca. 1595-ca. 1649) with plates cut by Abraham Bosse (1604-1676). The first series was called The French Nobility In Church.  Formalized attitudes of prayer and meditation were deployed as virtuous pretexts for the exhibition of Saint-Igny's figures. Their exquisite stylishness informed viewers not only what to wear but how to wear it.

Jean de Saint-Igny
La Noblesse françoise à l'église
ca. 1629
etching
British Museum

Jean de Saint-Igny
La Noblesse françoise à l'église
ca. 1629
etching
British Museum

Jean de Saint-Igny
La Noblesse françoise à l'église
ca. 1629
etching
British Museum

Jean de Saint-Igny
La Noblesse françoise à l'église
ca. 1629
etching
British Museum

Jean de Saint-Igny
La Noblesse françoise à l'église
ca. 1629
etching
British Museum

Jean de Saint-Igny
La Noblesse françoise à l'église
ca. 1629
etching
British Museum

Jean de Saint-Igny
La Noblesse françoise à l'église
ca. 1629
etching
British Museum

Saint-Igny's and Brosse's second series at the British Museum  The Garden of French Nobility  continues in the same vein of propaganda for French fashion, but without the distracting trappings of religion.

Jean de Saint-Igny
Le Jardin de la Noblesse françoise
1629
etching
British Museum

Jean de Saint-Igny
Le Jardin de la Noblesse françoise
1629
etching
British Museum

Jean de Saint-Igny
Le Jardin de la Noblesse françoise
1629
etching
British Museum

Jean de Saint-Igny
Le Jardin de la Noblesse françoise
1629
etching
British Museum

Jean de Saint-Igny
Le Jardin de la Noblesse françoise
1629
etching
British Museum

Jean de Saint-Igny
Le Jardin de la Noblesse françoise
1629
etching
British Museum

I am grateful to the British Museum for making these images available.