Two dummy boards

Two so-called dummie boards made at the end of the 17th century. These flat, wooden figures, in this case of young girls, are painted in oil on pine wood. This dummy boards were used as decoration from the 17th century onwards, often in an unused fireplace, and were popular because of their illusionistic trompe-l'oeil painting style. The girls wear clothing from that period and have a hairstyle known as a fontange, a tall and elaborate hairstyle that was fashionable among the European elite around 1680–1720 and named after Mademoiselle de Fontanges, the mistress of Louis XIV. During a hunting party, her hairstyle comes loose and she secure it high up with a ribbon. This hairstyle subsequently became popular not only in France, but also in much of Europe. Around 1815, the elaborate, high hairstyle went out of fashion again.

Literature:

Clare Graham,. Dummy boards and chimney boards. Shire Publications Ltd: 1988. Leontine Kuijvenhoven-Groeneweg,. ‘A la mode. Wigs and hairstyles.’ In: Communications from the Jacob Campo Weyerman Foundation. Volume 42, 2019.