Kenau Simonsdochter Hasselaer - The Inspiration

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Like most of my projects, this one is a couple of years in the making. And it started with this image.

It first came to my notice when I was planning my blue Trevelyon inspired gown. At the time I was looking for reference of other similar long sleeved gowns or kirtles.

At first I didn't think much of the etching, other than noting that the lady in question looked particularity badass. 

But then I started to come across more and more images of similarly posed women, usually holding a spear and armed with a plethora of other weapons. 

At the time I assumed the imagery was strictly allegorical.

I'm embarrassed to say that it took me quite a while to look into what was actually written on the etchings. If I had I would have discovered that all images are of a single, named woman: Kenau Simonsdochter Hasselaer (1526–1588).

 Portrait of a woman from the Hasselaer family, 16thC. Assumed to be Kenau

As far as I can tell from the English sources, Kenau is a Dutch folk hero who become legendary for her actions during the 1573 siege of Haarlem.  In the years following the siege her (probable) role as one of the citizens maintaining the earthworks expanded to throwing incendiary devices from the battlements and ultimately to that of a soldier leading an army of 300 angry women into battle against the Spanish!

(While the tale is almost certainly embellished, the real Kenau was probably killed by pirates in the late 1580s and so she still remains very badass in my books!)

After looking into the history and expansion of her legend I really wanted to return to the image that first sparked my interest and create an homage to Kenau Simonsdochter Hasselaer. But I wasn't sure if that image could be trusted...

While most of portraits and etching of Kenau mention the year 1573 (the year of the siege) most date to significantly later. Her popularity seems to have peaked around the centenary celebrations in 1673 and so many images date to the middle of the 17th century and later.

One of the earliest images I could find is this painting by an anonymous artist which is currently believed to date from around 1580-1609 (perhaps painted within her lifetime or shortly after her death).  An etching based on this painting dates from 1740-74.

She wears a black, fitted gown and a classic Dutch split-veil. She also appears to be closer to her actual age.

I really like this version of Keanu and it's one I might even return to in the future.

The next earliest image is a fragment of a tapestry that is also dated to the 1580s or 90s.

I have to say I'm significantly less convinced by this image. The coifs seemed to be handled oddly and there's something about the woman on the right's pose with the pistol that feels somewhat 19th c.

The one thing it possibly has going in it's favour is the rendering on the partlet (but more on that later...)

This image also features the classic Kenau stance: three-quarter front pose, hand on hip, holding a spear out to the side.

My guess is that this is based on an already established image of Kenau and therefore dates to significantly later than 1580 (or is based on a lost original from the same period).

Either way, this seems to the archetypical pose and one that is seen again and again.

Another element that later images of Keanu all seem to have in common is the colour pallet. She is almost always is depicted in a red (often rust) kirtle and a black...

What exactly? 

A gown? Partlet?  This is where things get interesting...

What is the black garment Keanu wearing in these later images? 

As far as I call there are three distinct camps:

    1) A black partlet worn over a gown or long sleeved kirtle

    2) A black long sleeved gown, pulled back to show the underskirt or kirtle

    3) A black, long sleeved partlet

Now, I felt that a long sleeved partlet was probably the least likely option, but at the same time it was something appeared (or seemed to appear) in multiple images.

Why was this?

Were 17th c. artists misinterpreting an earlier style: repeating the same mistake over and over again as different artists copied each other (in a sort of visual game of 'telephone').  Or were they projecting a later style backwards?

I really can't say.

It wasn't a style I'd come across in any other 16th century images, but as I broadened my search I did start to see something similar in 17th century ones, most notably in the watercolours of Gestina ter Borch.

(NOTE: I actually ended up re-styling my Kenau outfit after these drawings. Photos of which can be found HERE. )

Now, it should be mentioned that there is still the possibility that these are actually pin on sleeves. However, the way these images are rendered makes me think that they are meant to represent integral sleeves on a sort of short coat or partlet. 

It's also looking more and more likely (to me) that this is a uniquely 17th century garment, especially since I had yet to find anything in earlier sources.

Until I came upon this Bruegel...

...BUT it's not what it seems.

It's not an early to mid 16th c. painting by Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1525-1569) but a later re-working by his son, Jan Brueghel (1568-1625). It dates to about 1600 and is a pastiche of his father's earlier peasant paintings.

So right now I'm working under the theory that there may actually have been been some sort of short Dutch jacket in the early to mid 17th century, and so any images of Keanu supposedly wearing one in the 1570s are likely to be extremely anachronistic.

And yet...

I WANT TO MAKE ONE.

So even though I think a black fitted gown is a much better choice for the historical Keanu, I opt for the more iconic later look. Long sleeved partlet and all…

Now this post has already gotten WAY too long, so I’m going to save the actual Dress Diary for a later post. 

(Which can be found HERE)

EDIT TO ADD:

So after all that deliberation and nearly a YEAR after finishing the gown I came across this image from 1558 which seems to show a short-ish jacket (with matching cuffs and collar)

So now I’m back to not knowing what the heck is going on…