Coifs, 1570
A sketch of London Gentlewomen, drawn in 1570 by Flemish artist Lucas de Heere, is one of the best examples we have of coifs worn during this decade. This picture also illustrates the variety in coif styles and headcoverings to be found in one place and one moment in time.
Although forty years later than the coifs sketched by Holbein, these do have some similarities to the coif worn by Boleyn. The front top rests far back on the crown, while the sides curve far forward along the jawbone. The fronts are obviously wired, which must help them to stay on a lady's head. The profile is much rounder than the square shape of the Tudor coifs shown above, however; and there is another coif or headpiece worn underneath the outer coif, which comes quite far foward along the crown of the head and then curves back in a sillhouette quite similar to that of the late Elizabethan coif. The backs of these coifs are not seen, but one can postulate that it is shaped by a seam running down the back of the head and/or gathered at the base of the neck.
A sketch of London washerwomen created at this time reveals coifs very similar to that worn by the women in the back of Heere's painting. These are close fitting around the sides of the head with the top far back towards the crown where it meets a gathered circle sewn on the back. A band of fabric, or under-cap of some kind, is worn underneath this coif, similar to that worn by the Englishwomen in de Heere's sketch. Whether it is worn as protection for the hair or to give the coif something to be fastened too.
The coifs worn by these washerwomen are somewhat similar to that worn by a vegetable seller in a Flemish painting by Beuckelaer dated to 1573. The woman in the picture also wears a coif consisting of a gathered circle at the back of her head, but it is fastened to a narrow band rather than to two sidepieces coming forward to the jaw, like the London washerwomen were wearing, or to a wired close-fitting coif two side points, like the Englishwoman in de Heere's sketch is wearing. This flemish coif is seated far back on the woman's head; in fact, I don't know how she kept the coif on at all, unless the painter is indulging in a bit of artistic license. You can use a stretchy comb sewn to the inside of the band to keep this kind of coif, which is sometimes referred to as an "Italian coif", secure and in place.
The two details from additional Flemish paintings, to the right, show women wearing something vaguely similar to the italian coif above: a dark brown, slightly puffed circle of fabric is on the back of the woman's head, with a length of hair, wrapped with a ribbon, wound around the base of the "coif" to keep it in place. The second woman is wearing something which, though hard to make out, could also be a small, round coif attached to a band. The bottom of the coif looks rather flat, which suggests that it is cut differently then the white one shown in Beucklayer's painting.
Coifs, 1600