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 famil ...

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 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, rebatos, or portefraise, 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 split 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 and absorbent, and it dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. Lin ...

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 (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...

, the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

, 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 Neckwear