Ferronnière

A ferronnière is a style of headband that encircles the wearer's forehead, usually with a small jewel suspended in the centre. The original form of the headband was worn in late fifteenth-century Italy, and was rechristened a ferronnière at the time of its revival in the second quarter of the nineteenth century for both day and (more frequently) formal and evening wear.

Etymology

The term ferronnière for describing such headbands was probably coined in the early nineteenth century. Merriam-Webster date the earliest use of the term to 1831, and the Oxford English Dictionary notes that their record of the earliest usage of the term is located in a mid-19th-century publication called World of Fashion. Some sources suggest that the term was contemporary to the 1490s.

The ferronnière is often said to be named after a 1490s portrait attributed to the school of Leonardo da Vinci, the La belle ferronnière, where the sitter wears such an ornament. However, this painting's title was assigned in the 18th century, well after it was painted, under the erroneous assumption that it portrayed Madame Le Féron, a reputed mistress of Francis I of France; or another mistress who was allegedly an iron merchant's wife. The literal translation of ferronnière in English is "female ironmonger;" the term was used for the wife or daughter of an ironmonger. In their catalogue, the Louvre suggest that La belle ferronnière was so-called because of her forehead ornament, a theory that is supported by other scholars, but other sources conclude that the ornament was named after the painting, due to the term's specific application apparently not existing prior to the 19th century.

In fashion

The original ornament that later became called a ferronnière was popular in 15th-century Italy, where it could be made from metal or jewels.

The nineteenth-century ferronnière was worn from the late 1820s to the early 1840s, when it was considered to enhance a high forehead, and by the 1850s, it had fallen out of fashion. One contemporary source from 1831 describes the ferronnière as "a small plait of hair, adorned in the centre of the forehead by a large brilliant, from which depends another brilliant of the pear shape." It has been described as one of the most widely worn examples of historicism in early Victorian fashion, worn as a tribute to the Renaissance alongside beaded belts called cordelières inspired by medieval clothing and hairstyles named after historic women such as Agnès Sorel and Blanche of Castile. The ferronnière could be worn for either day or evening. Alternative terms for similar ornaments were the bandelette and the tour de tête.

In art history

The ironworks are often said to be named after a portrait of the 1490s attributed to the school of Leonardo da Vinci, La Belle Ferronnière, in which the sitter wears such an ornament. However, the title of this painting was assigned in the 18th century, long after it was painted, on the mistaken assumption that it depicted Madame Le Féron, a reputed mistress of Francis I, or another mistress who was said to have been the wife of an iron merchant. 

In its catalogue, the Louvre suggests that La belle ferronnière was so called because of its frontal ornament, a theory supported by other scholars, but other sources conclude that the ornament was named after the painting, as the specific application of the term apparently did not exist before the 19th century. Vincent Delieuvin, curator at the Louvre Museum, offers an explanation that seems to resolve certain contradictions.

The confusion does not go back to an inventory error in the Louvre Museum in 1709 by a certain Nicolas Bailly, as is commonly believed. The authentic painting of "La Belle Ferronière", representing the supposed mistress of François I, does exist. It is a minor work long attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, but this attribution now seems to be refuted, since it bears the mention "anonymous author" on the last notice of the museum. This work remained for a long time in the museum's reserves, therefore almost unknown to the public. It represents a lady painted in profile, whose clothing attributes are consistent with the habits of French ladies of this period, while the false Ferronière represents a foreign lady in 3/4 whose clothing, of Spanish inspiration, allows us to connect her to the south of present-day Italy, then under Iberian domination.

In his speech, the curator seems categorical: the Louvre's inventories have always been correct.

The confusion dates back to the beginning of the 19th century. The culprit is said to be the painter Ingres, who reproduced it in an engraving for the purpose of reproduction. He added the words "La belle Ferronière" to this engraving, either by mistake or for convenience, and the print shops subsequently adopted it.

Indeed, this painting was labeled "anonymous portrait" at the Louvre. To promote the dissemination of the engraving, it was more interesting to attribute a name and therefore a story, even if artificially. The myth of La Ferronière, which takes up an episode in French history, having spread throughout Europe, we find in a Polish museum a work on which one of its successive owners added the same mention (in Polish), even though this work has no connection.

At the time, engraving was the common mode of transmission for anyone who wanted a facsimile of a work. The mass distribution of this engraving contributed to spreading the popular myth of "La belle Ferronière", but attached to an erroneous portrait, the denials of the Louvre Museum, historians, concerning this misunderstanding could do nothing, the error spread too widely in European culture, which forced the museum to repeat this error in its exhibition notices since people came to the museum to see the false Ferronière. The strong popularization of this myth is confirmed by various theatrical works, pictorial references within historical paintings, various musical pieces, porcelains... all systematically referring to the false portrait popularized by Ingres. Various engravings from the 19th century attest that a fashion developed, particularly among French women of this time, that of wearing this famous jewel on the forehead.

It should be added that in the 19th century, the Mona Lisa was more or less in the shadows. The great European star was this false beauty Ferronière, who therefore had a radiance comparable to today's Mona Lisa. It was only during the 20th century that the Mona Lisa would take the spotlight and supplant her rival.

This can therefore explain why it was during the 19th century, and not before, that the assimilation of the proper name Ferronière with the simple jewel took place, supporting the idea that the proper name is indeed at the origin of the common name.

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