Follower of Robert Peake the Elder Portrait of a Lady in a lace collar

A supportasse or underpropper is a stiffened support for a

ruff Ruff may refer to: Places *Ruff, Virginia, United States, an unincorporated community *Ruff, Washington, United States, an unincorporated community Other uses *Ruff (bird) (''Calidris pugnax'' or ''Philomachus pugnax''), a bird in the wader fami ...

collar Collar may refer to: Human neckwear *Clerical collar (informally ''dog collar''), a distinctive collar used by the clergy of some Christian religious denominations *Collar (clothing), the part of a garment that fastens around or frames the neck ...

. Essential items of courtly fashion in the late

16th 16 (sixteen) is the natural number following 15 and preceding 17. 16 is a composite number, and a square number, being 42 = 4 × 4. It is the smallest number with exactly five divisors, its proper divisors being , , and . In English speech, ...

and early 17th centuries, supportasses are sometimes called

piccadill A piccadill or pickadill is a large broad collar of cut-work lace that became fashionable in the late 16th century and early 17th century. The term is also used for the stiffened supporter or supportasse used to hold such a collar in place. Th ...

s (picadils, pickadills), whisks, or rebatos, terms used at different times for both the supporters and the various

lace Lace is a delicate fabric made of yarn or thread in an open weblike pattern, made by machine or by hand. Generally, lace is divided into two main categories, needlelace and bobbin lace, although there are other types of lace, such as knitted o ...

linen Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant. Linen is very strong, absorbent, and dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. It also ...

collar styles to which they were attached. Decorative supportasses were often made of wire fashioned in loops and scallops, covered over with colored silk, gold, or silver thread. Supporters stiffened with cardboard or pasteboard and covered in silk or linen were also popular. They were held in place with ties or points fastened through worked holes at the back of the collar. Examples of both types of supportasse survive in the costume collections of the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

, the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

, and the Musée national du Moyen Âge (formerly Musée de Cluny).

Gallery

References

External links

Extant supportasses:
Supportasse, England, 1600-1620. Cardboard, linen, silk, silk and linen thread, Victoria and Albert Museum T.32-1938

Picadil, England, 1600-1615. Silk, pasteboard, silk thread. Victoria and Albert Museum 192-1900

Collar, Italy, 16th century. Bobbin lace with visible wire supporter. Metropolitan Museum of Art 30.135.156
{{Historical clothing 16th-century fashion 17th-century fashion History of clothing (Western fashion) Neckwear