Habit of Queen Elizabeth from Holbein in 1551, Jefferys Costume Plate, 1757

This is an original antique copper engraving with hand coloring, lettered in script "Habit of Queen Elizabeth from Holbein. in 1551". A young woman stands in a pale green gown with a full gathered overskirt, open over a lavender underskirt finished with a gold fringe. A standing lace collar rises behind her head, a feather and a row of jeweled pins decorate her hair, and red bows are tied at her shoulder and bodice. A small bird perches on her right hand at her breast, and she raises her left hand to her chin.

The French caption beneath reads "La Reine Elizabeth d'apres Holbein.", meaning Queen Elizabeth after Holbein. Holbein is named in both captions as the source of the design. The plate number 202 is engraved at lower right; no engraver is named.

Thomas Jefferys, Geographer to his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, published A Collection of the Dresses of Different Nations, Antient and Modern in London in 1757, and this plate comes from the second volume. The title page names Holbein, Vandyke, Hollar and others as the sources of the designs, and the book also bears a French title, Recueil des Habillements de Différentes Nations, matching the French captions engraved beneath each English title. In 1551 Elizabeth was a princess during the reign of her brother Edward VI; the lettering calls her by the title she held from 1558.

With its clear single figure and wide margins, the plate is easy to mount and frame, alone or as part of a small group.

This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed.