Habit of Queen Elizabeth in 1559, Hand Colored Jefferys Costume Plate, 1757

This is an original antique copper engraving with hand coloring, lettered in script "Habit of Queen Elizabeth, in 1559." The queen stands facing us framed by a great fan shaped collar of lace, with a jeweled ornament rising from her hair. Ropes of pearls and a pendant hang over her bodice, and a long chain falls to her knees. Her golden gown is patterned with interlaced red rings and spreads into a very wide skirt, with matching hanging sleeves edged in pearls. She holds a folded fan in her right hand and raises her left hand to her breast.

The French caption below reads "La Reine Elizabeth.", meaning Queen Elizabeth. The plate number 201 is engraved faintly at lower right, and no artist or engraver is named.

This is a plate from Volume II of A Collection of the Dresses of Different Nations, Antient and Modern, issued in London in 1757 by Thomas Jefferys, Geographer to his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, from his premises in the Strand. Its title page credits the designs to Holbein, Vandyke, Hollar and others, and a French title page, Recueil des Habillements de Différentes Nations, accompanies the English one, so each figure is captioned in both languages. Elizabeth I succeeded her half sister Mary in November 1558 and was crowned in January 1559, the year given in the caption. She reigned until 1603.

The figure stands alone on the sheet with ample margins, so it frames easily and sits comfortably beside other costume plates.

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