16C Women reach for their Gloves
Some form of gloves to the hands by encasing each finger in fabric or leather, have been worn for protection and warmth for thousands of years. However, their use as a fashion accessory took hold during the 1500s when famous women, such as Elizabeth I (1533–1603) of England, began wearing elbow-length gloves as a part of their more formal clothing. In the early 1500s, gloves began to appear as a relatively common fashion accessory in illustrations of both men & women. Women sometimes wore gloves with the fingertips cut off. By the early decades, a broad range of decoration existed which transcended all classes. Embellishment could be simple slashing, tabs & ribbons, or the addition of elaborate cuffs, heavily embroidered with the costly threads, pearls, gems, & lace. Accounts of the wardrobe of King Henry VIII mention highly decorated pairs. Queen Elizabeth I apparently was particularly fond of gloves of all lengths, & her wardrobe accounts list many pairs, including knitted & perfumed.
1545-55 William Scrots (fl 1537-1554) Lady in Black with fur ziblellino with gloves with a gauntlet style cuff
1540s Angnolo Bronzino, Agnolo di Cosimo, (Italian Mannerist artist, 1503-1572) Woman with gloves and her Little Boy
1550s Paolo Veronese (Paolo Caliari) (Italian, 1528-1588) Portrait of a Woman Holding Gloves
1599 Lady Agnes Douglas with embroidered gloves by Adrian Vanson
1540s Angnolo Bronzino, Agnolo di Cosimo, (Italian Mannerist artist, 1503-1572) Florentine Noblewoman with gloves
1520s Bernardino Licinio (c 1489–1565) Portrait of a Lady with gloves with a simple slit at the cuff
Bernardino Licinio (c 1489–1565) Portrait of a Woman with gloves
1530s Tintoretto (Jacopo Robusti) (1518-94). Portrait of a Lady with gloves
1552 Margaret, Duchess of Parma with gloves in hand by Anthonis Mor
1557 Alonso Sanchez Coello (1532-1588) Infanta Juana of Spain wearing 1 glove
1560 Elisabeth de Valois wearing 1 glove by Alonso Sánchez Coello (Spanish painter, 1532–1588)
1560s Unknown Lady, formerly identified as Mary Queen of Scots holding gloves by an Unknown Artist
after 1560 Workshop of Angnolo Bronzino, Agnolo di Cosimo, (Italian Mannerist artist, 1503-1572) Eleonora di Toledo wearing only one glove in which she is carrying what appears to be a handkerchief
1595 Unknown Ladyholding gloves attr to William Segar
1596 Joan, 1st wife of Edward Alleyn with great embroidered gloves by an artist of the British School
