Sartorial Politics in Early Modern Europe: Fashioning Women

For women at the early modern courts, clothing and jewellery were essential elements in their political arsenal, enabling them to signal their dynastic value, to promote loyalty to their marital court and to advance political agendas. This is the first collection of essays to examine how elite women in early modern Europe marshalled clothing and jewellery for political ends. With essays encompassing women who traversed courts in Denmark, England, France, Germany, Habsburg Austria, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Sweden, the contributions cover a broad range of elite women from different courts and religious backgrounds as well as varying noble ranks.

About the Author

Erin Griffey is Associate Professor of Art History at the University of Auckland and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, London. She is a specialist in early modern visual and material culture and has published widely on the Stuart court. Her book, On Display: Henrietta Maria and the Materials of Magnificence at the Stuart Court , was published by Yale University Press in 2015.