Luxurious, well-cared for linen was a status symbol and an outward sign of a family's prosperity. So the lady of the house would take good care of her linen. Which is why the linen press occupied a prominent place in many households.
Monday, laundry day
The quality and appearance of household linen contributed to the status of a seventeenth-century family. One of the most important duties of the lady of the house was to take care of her linen and ensure that it was properly stored. No table was complete without a tablecloth. It was a lot of linen to take care of. The laundry was done outdoors. It was bleached on the lawn outside. After it had been starched and ironed, it was carefully folded and pressed. The linen press would form a pretty pattern in the linen.
Seventeenth-century linen press used again
In the linen room and in between the linen press you can see how linen was pressed and stored in the linen room in Rubens's time.
A linen press as a status symbol
In the seventeenth century linen was an important part of a woman's dowry. Luxurious, well-cared for linen was a status symbol and an outward sign of a family's prosperity. So the lady of the house would take good care of her linen. Which is why the linen press occupied a prominent place in many households.
Rare
Linen presses were just as beautifully crafted as wardrobes or tables. Over time, however, as they were used less frequently, a lot of linen presses were lost. Authentic linen presses are very rare.
The antique linen you see in the press and in the linen cabinet of the Rubens family belongs to the collection of the Dutch linen expert, Sanny de Zoete. She treated the linen in the same way as they would have done four hundred years ago. It was quite a job, and was part of the chores of both of Rubens's wives, Isabella and Helena and their household staff