An 18th c. French lady could take literally hours dressing for an important ball. Just like modern celebrities preparing for the red carpet, a Parisian court beauty required a team of experts to dress and powder her hair, apply her make-up and patches, fasten jewels around her throat and wrists, lace her into her stays, and pin and her into her gown.
But even this carefully crafted magnificence might need a touch-up or two in the course of the evening, and a lady had to be prepared. This little gold box, left, contained a looking glass, a tiny brush, rouge, patches - those black velvet faux beauty marks so well-loved in the 17th-18th centuries.
Above left: Box for Rouge and Patches, French (Paris), 1783-84, Varicolored gold. Metropolitan Museum of Art, Bequest of Kate Read Blacque. Photos copyright Susan Holloway Scott.
Lower right: Les Adieux, engraving, Jean-Michel Moreau le Jeune, 1777.
One of us -- 
3 comments:
TOO MANY TIMES I GET CAUGHT BY MY HUSBAND'S MUSING THAT I TAKE 20 MINUTES OR MORE TO GET READY TO GO TO OUR OUTING FOR THE DAY, CHURCH OR TO THE BIG CITY JACKSON. THEN READING THE LIFE OF A PARISIAN COURT LADY, WOODEN BOX WITH COSMETIC BRUSHES, HER HAIR (WIG)PREPARED BY ASSISTANTS, A MIRROR (MUST BE A LARGE ONE FOR AN OLD LADY SHE CANNOT SEE ANY LONGER AT A SMALLER MIRROR).
MY SISTER IN YOUNGER TIMES OF HER LIFE TOOK ONE HOUR AND WE WERE ALWAYS LATE FOR A SCHEDULE VISIT OR LECTURE.
I AM NOW BUYING NEW MAKE UP BRUSHES, AND NEW TYPE OF FOUNDATIONS FOR THE RURAL LIFE HERE, ONE KEEPS VERY CLEAN, PRESSED CLOTHES TO WEAR OUTSIDE OF THE FARM HOUSE, BUT MAKE UP THIS IS NEW AGAIN. TOO MANY YEARS AWAY FROM LIFE OUT OF A RURAL TOWN IN THE SOUTH USA. THANKS NEEDED THIS GOOD REVIEW ON PARISIAN COURT LADY AND HER COSMETIC AND HAIR REQUIREMENTS. ATK
I might have thought that the clothes, jewellery, makeup and hairdo would have been the expensive elements, not the "hidden" treasures. But if the gold boxes were from master goldsmiths, they were going to be VERY expensive. Could a woman keep her little box outside her dress/handbag, so that everyone could see the goldwork?
White gold was not invented until the 19th century and wasn't commercially available until just before World War I. If that box is indeed from the 18th century, it does not contain white gold. Most likely, it's silver.
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