Step 2 of 6

Painted pomander

Fig. 1. Gower, George, _Portrait of Mary Denton_, Oil of Panel, 1573, (York Art Gallery). https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:George_Gower_portrait_of_Mary_Denton.png — Fig. 1. Gower, George, *Portrait of Mary Denton*, Oil of Panel, 1573, (York Art Gallery). https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:George_Gower_portrait_of_Mary_Denton.png

"Many women of the time are pictured holding the pomander near their nose…”Drew D. Johnson, Sara and Tom Pendergast. Fashion, costume, and culture : clothing, headwear, body decorations, and footwear through the ages, 2nd edition (Detroit, 2013).. This painting displays how pomanders were integrated in fashion and aesthetic trends. The pomander in the painting is about the same size as our object, and was created in a similar time frame and location. Nevertheless, it is exponentially and intrinsically more valuable, a sign that it is meant to show off the wealth and prosperity of her family - a clear status symbol.

The pomander, therefore, becomes both a fashion statement and an indispensable part of aristocratic recollection and representation, showing one’s status. Now time to look closer at the materiality of the pomander itself.