Noblewomen of Medieval France, Set of Three Antique Prints, circa 1882

This is a set of three original antique hand-colored wood engravings, sold together as one lot, from Augustin Challamel's La France et les Francais a travers les siecles, Paris, circa 1882. The sheets are, in order: Noble Lady and Marguerite de Provence; Two Noblewomen of the Reign of Charles VI; Chatelaine of 1498 and Noble Lady of 1395. Two standing women side by side, a noble lady of about 1380 under Charles the Sixth in a close gown with a jeweled belt, and Marguerite de Provence, queen of Saint Louis, in a mantle lined with vair over a long surcote. A noblewoman of 1386 and a chatelaine of 1395, both of the reign of Charles the Sixth, standing in long trained gowns with high waists and wide fur collars, one in rose and one in green over a patterned underskirt. A chatelaine of 1498 in the reign of Charles the Eighth beside a noble lady of 1395 from the reign of Charles the Sixth, one in a square necked gown with a hood, the other in a high waisted trained robe with a fur collar.

This sheet was issued at Paris about 1882 by F. Roy, editeur, in Augustin Challamel's history of France and the French through the centuries, a work crowned by the Academie francaise. Challamel was also the author of a history of fashion in France, and the costume plates are the part of the book he cared about most. They are wood engravings, and the color has been applied by hand over the printed line, which is why the washes sit slightly across the engraved outline in places. This is a wood engraving finished by hand in watercolor. The coloring is bold rather than subtle, which suits the flat decorative drawing, and the strong yellows, reds and blues of the suite are what make these sheets work so well in a group on a wall rather than only as reference illustrations.

Pairing a queen of the thirteenth century with a court lady of the fourteenth on one sheet shows exactly how far female dress moved in a hundred years, which is the editorial point of the whole series made in a single image. The last two decades of the fourteenth century are when the trained houppelande reached its most extravagant, and these two figures, nine years apart, are the clearest illustration of that moment in the series. They are three original sheets sold together, and the set is never split. A matched group like this is easier to place than a single sheet, because it fills a wall on its own, and the common ground and plate size mean the frames can be identical.

Noticeable uneven toning on some sheets. Marked handling soiling along the edges of all three sheets. Scattered foxing in the margins of all three sheets. Slight wear at the corners of all three sheets.

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