La Dame du Grand Air

A coloured print of a woman described as 'La Dame du Grand Air' (literally : open air woman), inscribed, Bonnart. del et sc., with the address 'chez N Bonnart, rue St Iacques, à l'aigle, Cris de Paris, dated 1677.

The woman seems to be wearing a mantua and a cape trimmed with fur. She has her hands in a muff (a garment to keep the hands warm). Inside the muff there could be small pockets for keeping necessities or scent.

Nicolas Bonnart (1637-1718), the designer and engraver of the print, was one of four brothers (Nicolas, Henry, Robert and Jean-Baptiste) who were all engravers and sellers of engravings. They were especially active in the last quarter of the seventeenth century and are mostly known for their production of fashion plates. Nicolas Bonnart was mainly active from 1675 until 1715.

Further reading
Colas, R., Bibliographie Générale du Costume et de la Mode. Description des suites, recueils, séries, revues et livres Français et étrangers relatifs au costume civil, militaire et religieux, aux modes, aux coiffures et aux divers accessoires de l’habillement, avec une table méthodique et un index alphabétique, Paris 1933, entry 2629.

Reynolds, A., In fine Style. The Art of Tudor and Stuart Fashion, London 2013.

Ribeiro, A., Fashion and Fiction. Dress in Art and Literature in Stuart England, London 2005.