tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16981893.post1855911571538269124..comments2024-03-28T15:16:29.965-05:00Comments on Tudor Q and A: Question from Tom - Symbols of married ladyLarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16630629272030282584noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16981893.post-32061325569678032082007-09-25T21:26:00.000-05:002007-09-25T21:26:00.000-05:00A fascinating question. Queen Elizabeth I was ofte...A fascinating question. Queen Elizabeth I was often depicted wearing a full, even masssive, ruff without ever having been married. Bess of Hardwick is usually shown wearing a full ruff, and she was married several times. I am aware of a half-dozen portraits of Bess, but none with a brooch in her hair. On the other hand, the famous portrait of Arbella Stuart at about age 13 (and unmarried) shows here without a ruff, but with a brooch in her hair ... but it is in the middle of her head! I do know that wedding rings were usually specifically shown on the left hand of married women in portraits from the last half of the sixteenth century, so I suspect that acts as a more reliable indicator of marital status than does ruffs or hair attachments. But I'd have to do further research to be more certain.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com