The Home Beautiful: A Gingerbread Mould, 1830-70

Gingerbread Mould
1830-70
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Wooden moulds like this one were used to impress patterns on the top surface of pieces of gingerbread.  Such formed gingerbread novelties have been popular for centuries and were often enjoyed at fairs.  Pieces of gingerbread with gold leaf applied on top were sometimes called “fairings” (not to be confused with the porcelain trinkets and prizes which use the same name).  There was, perhaps most famously, a gingerbread stall at St Bartholomew's Fair, held in London every year from 1123 until 1850.

This mould of beech wood, as was typical of English examples, features a picture on each side. On one side of the mould is a horse-drawn coach with a driver. On the other, we see a man in a top hat on a hobby horse--an early bicycle without pedals which was pushed along by the feet (from 1817-1830).

Mastery of Design: The Shepherds and Goats Signet Ring, 200-100 BC

Intaglio Ring
Italy, 200-100 B.C.
The Victoria & Albert Museum

A vertically-positioned oval intaglio of brown-hued carnelian is the centerpiece of this ancient ring which nicely demonstrates the mastery of early Roman gem carving.

It’s thought that this ring was meant to represent a shepherd. The conclusion makes sense since it depicts a young man with a goat which, I’m guessing, represents his flock. It’s hard to carve a whole flock of goats onto a ring. Don’t let the fact that the young man is nude bother you.

Others suggest that since the fellow has no clothes on, he could be the god Mercury. I don’t know if I’d want to be a shepherd with no pants. So, Mercury is a good guess, too, especially since Mercury’s attribute is often a ram and he does tend to be shown wearing the sort of broad-brimmed hat favored by farmers and travelers.

Either way, the goat’s not too happy. Maybe he doesn’t like the pan flute. Goats probably don’t care for pipe music.

The ring was made in Italy circa 200-100 BC. Of course, it ended up in the collection of the Reverend Chauncy Hare Townshend (1798-1868), who preferred collecting jewelry to being a clergyman. I agree with him wholeheartedly.

Gifts of Grandeur: A Fabergé Snail, pre-1896

Nephrite Snail
Carl Faberge
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Carl Fabergé—we know his work: the shimmering eggs, the wee, precious animals. But, what inspired this master? Fabergé amassed a tremendous and important collection of Japanese netsuke (those intricately-carved decorative pendants that were worn on men's kimonos). These jewel-like objects certainly influenced his animal carvings.

Fabergé employed a variety of hardstones to create the miniature menageries which were coveted by his Royal and aristocratic patrons, especially Queen Alexandra and her daughter-in-law, Queen Mary. Queen Alexandra assembled one of the largest collection of Fabergé animals when King Edward VII commissioned models from the Queen's Zoo at Sandringham. At Fabergé's London branch; in addition to the jewels, floral sculptures and other treasures, over 250 models of animals were available for purchase with the most popular being the elephant. 

This nephrite jade carving of a snail, made by Carl Fabergé himself before 1896. It lives at the V&A. I guess there was one that escaped both Alexandra and Mary. Or, maybe they didn’t like snails.

Unfolding Pictures: Queen Victoria's Pastoral Fan, c. 1850

Hand Fan
Presented to Queen Victoria by Prince Albert, circa 1850

Queen Victoria once favored this painted paper fan with carved and gilded mother-of-pearl sticks and guards.

The fan was a gift to the Queen from Prince Albert circa 1850. The obverse boasts a central cartouche which has been hand-painted with a lush scene of a lady with a sewing box. Flanking this are two pastoral scenes and symmetrical ovoid-roundels painted with floral scenes.

The verso is painted with an elegant and delicate depiction of flowers and a butterfly with Rococo tendencies.

The guards terminate in a metal pin set with a diamond paste.

The Home Beautiful: Marie Antoinette's Armchair, c. 1785

Arm Chair
French, c. 1785
This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This chair, surmounted by a monogram of “MA”, was made for a now-unknown palace for Marie-Antoinette, queen to Louis XVI of France. While we’re not sure for which of the French Royal residences this chair was made, it’s notable that a similar suite of chairs was made for the Château de Saint-Cloud. Another two sets of chairs of a corresponding style can be found at Versailles and at the Tuileries. 

One of two carved walnut chairs remaining from the set, this chair (and its pair) were reupholstered with the present silk fabric in 1971. The original upholstery is long, long lost. The restorer took liberties with the silk swags, modeling them after a small wax model of a similar chair which was made about 1780—five years before this chair is thought to have been constructed.

Carved, gilt and painted a gray-white, the armchair features a bowed back and canted sides, above a D-shaped, bow-fronted seat. Turned and tapered legs, the back legs slightly raked and splayed, support the piece. Carved figures of the goddess Diana add drama.

The chair has been attributed to Jean-Baptiste-Claude Sené, (1748-1803) who had been commissioned to create furnishings for a number of the French palaces in the 1780s. 

A newer photo showing the chair, cleaned, with the flounces removed.  

Her Majesty's Furniture: A Chippendale Armchair, 1740-60

Drawing Room Chair of Mahogany
Thomas Chippendale
1740-60
This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Myriad variations of this upholstered drawing-room armchair could have been found in almost any wealthy, mid-18th century household.  This particular mahogany chair is exceptional because it came from the workshop of Thomas Chippendale (1718-1779).  The carver has used stylized dolphin heads as terminals for the chair's feet and the arms.

Chippendale's original design incorporated the whole body of the dolphin - its tail visible at the top of the leg, but the carver has adapted the design, possibly because this chair was likely part of a set which was a special commission.  The scale of the chair and quality of the carving are further  indicators that this chair was part of a commission for a set of seating furniture for a large drawing room. According to the V&A, "At least four other chairs and a footstool of the same carved design are known today."

Thomas Chippendale recommended that tapestry or needlework should be used for drawing-room chairs almost exclusively over other materials. The embroidery on this chair probably dates from the 1740s and may have been cut down from a set of larger wall hangings.

This chair is numbered "IV" of a set of six.  Another from the set lives at the Lady Lever Art Gallery in Liverpool and four others were shown by Messrs. Partridge in their summer exhibition in 1939. 

Mastery of Design: A Ring by Gerda Flöckinger, 1969

The Victoria & Albert Museum

Here's a charmingly peculiar bauble dating to 1969.  It's a ring, the body of which is pierced and intentionally darkened in areas by oxidation. Sections are adorned with irregular scrolls, wires and small balls. The ring is set with a large, pale citrine carved with a floral design and a smaller pink tourmaline. Attached to the ring, below the tourmaline,  a circular gold disc with a small opal set in it, is mounted and from the disc hangs a 'tail'-- a stem of silver decorated with a spiral of gold wire.

The Victoria & Albert Museum

This is the work of Gerda Flöckinger, CBE, one of the pre-eminent artists in the alternative jewelry scene in London. She was born in Innsbruck, Austria, in 1927, and emigrated to Britain in 1938 where she studied fine art at St Martin's School of Art, and jewelry and enamels at the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London. 

In 1956, she made the brave step to work as an independent designer and maker, and, in 1962, established a pioneering course in experimental jewellery at Hornsey School of Art. where much of the next generation of cutting-edge British artist-jewellers were taught.

The encrusted, organic textures of this ring typify Flöckinger's work. In 1969, when this ring was crafted, large, unusual stones - cameos, soft-colored cabochons, veined turquoises and irregular pearls were incorporated to give glowing pools of color amidst, irregular planes and intense contrasts against the swirling, differing metals.

The ring was purchased from the artist from an exhibition of her work held at the V&A in 1971.

The Victoria & Albert Museum

Updated on April 4, 2014:

I had the honor of being contacted directly by Gerda Flöckinger, a Commander of the British Empire.  

She wrote the following to me:

My ring is not pierced in any part of itself. The ring is built up from different sizes of silver wires, with fusion techniques and additional details soldered into position after the completion of the main fusion.

This particular ring may have been typical of my work in 1969 and a period of a few years before and after, however it is not at all typical of my work earlier, so probably not typical until the later ‘sixties to maybe early to mid ’seventies.

I did not discover the possibilities of precious metal fusion until 1963, so all my work before that date is very different. My later work after my solo exhibition at the V&A (which was a landmark show in the sense that it was the first solo show at the V&A of the work of a woman during her lifetime) has also undergone considerable changes throughout my working life. I hope.

I'd like to point out that I'm thrilled to have heard from the artist herself, and, I'm also interested that her personal statement is in direct contrast to the description of the piece which is listed in the online catalog of the V&A as seen here wherein it is stated, "The body of the ring is pierced and deliberately darkened in places by oxidation and decorated with irregular scrolls, wires and small balls."

I'm most grateful to Miss Flöckinger for taking a moment to describe the process by which she created this remarkable piece, to provide an opportunity to correct an error in the online catalog, and for taking the time to write to me.

Gifts of Grandeur: The Pearwood Mirror Back, 1901

Carved Mirror Back of Pearwood
Francis George Wood, 1901
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Mmmm...pearwood.  Speaking of delicious things, we'll be talking a look at this week's "Treat of the Week" tomorrow.  Until then, we'll be looking at lovely Art Nouveau objects like this Pearwood Mirror.

Usually, hand-held mirrors such as this were made as part of a lady’s dressing table set. This one, however, stands alone. It was made as a competition entry for National Competition of Art & Design, held by the Government School of Design in London in 1901. The maker of this decorative back for a mirror won the top honors at the competition. His name was Francis George Wood.

Wood attended the Salford School of Art--one of a network of local art schools that had been established in Britain from the 1850s onwards. Such schools provided training for artists and designers with the intention of finding them employment in manufacturing. The hope was to improve the overall quality and artistry of Britain’s manufactured goods. The idea became quite popular following the Great Exhibition of 1851 when all of Britain’s wares were on display for the world to see. That triumph, spurred by Prince Albert, set the standard for the quality of British manufacture, and it was a standard which trained artists such as Wood hoped to surpass. 

Wood’s work is exquisite. He relies on fashionable themes of the early Twentieth Century, but approaches them with a new energy. Daffodils were a popular decorative motif at this time and Wood plays with the shape of the flowers, creating an ornament of intertwining stems and leaves which shows the influence of the Arts and Crafts designer Walter Crane (1845-1915), as well as continental Art Nouveau. Wood’s triumph with this design brought him to national attention.

Mastery of Design: The Shepherds and Goats Signet Ring, 200-100 BC

Intaglio Ring
Italy, 200-100 B.C.
The Victoria & Albert Museum

A vertically-positioned oval intaglio of brown-hued carnelian is the centerpiece of this ancient ring which nicely demonstrates the mastery of early Roman gem carving.

It’s thought that this ring was meant to represent a shepherd. The conclusion makes sense since it depicts a young man with a goat which, I’m guessing, represents his flock. It’s hard to carve a whole flock of goats onto a ring. Don’t let the fact that the young man is nude bother you.

Others suggest that since the fellow has no clothes on, he could be the god Mercury. I don’t know if I’d want to be a shepherd with no pants. So, Mercury is a good guess, too, especially since Mercury’s attribute is often a ram and he does tend to be shown wearing the sort of broad-brimmed hat favored by farmers and travelers.

Either way, the goat’s not too happy. Maybe he doesn’t like the pan flute. Goats probably don’t care for pipe music.

The ring was made in Italy circa 200-100 BC. Of course, it ended up in the collection of the Reverend Chauncy Hare Townshend (1798-1868), who preferred collecting jewelry to being a clergyman. I agree with him wholeheartedly.

The Home Beautiful: A Cat Stand, 1760-1820

Cat Stand
English, 1760-1820
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Called a “Cat” because it always landed on its legs, this type of stand was composed of six radiating spokes. Three spokes faced down and three faced up. So, if it were dropped in any direction, it would always land in its “feet.” 


Small stands such as this English one were convenient is an much as they were portable. They had many uses. This example, dating to between 1760 and 1820, was used to hold plates. Other examples of “cats” were probably used to support bowls of flowers, keeping them off of easily-marred tabletops, or ladies' work baskets.

The Home Beautiful: A Baby's Cradle, 1810

Bateau Cradle
French with German Ormolu Mounts
Circa 1810
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Cradles that would either swing or rock have been built for over five centuries. Of course, most of those cradles, when rocked or swung a little too hard, would deposit Baby onto the floor. It wasn’t until the Nineteenth Century that the makers of baby cradles began to realize that they could build a mechanism that would keep the cradle from swinging or rocking too far and spilling the child out.

Here’s a handsome example of an early Nineteenth-Century cradle. The boat shape of this French cradle gives it the name “Bateau.” French cradles in this ovoid shape were usually made without elaborate decoration except for some figural carving at the top of the curving pole which was used to hold drapery—in this case a swan. So, with its glittering mounts, this one is quite a rarity. Instead of the usual plain mahogany of most similar cradles, this one is mounted with ormolu adornment. It’s believed, given the unusually elaborate decoration, that though the cradle was decidedly built in France, the ormolu mounts were added later, likely in Germany. 

Mastery of Design: The "Old Mine" Snuffbox, 1750

Click Image to Enlarge

Snuffbox
Germany, c. 1750
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Expertly carved agate forms the body of this asymmetrical snuffbox. Made circa 1750, this box was likely produced in Germany since it displays, on the cover, an incised putto and shell motif which was a favorite of South German artists at the time.

The snuffbox is cartouche-shaped with gold-mounted agate and an asymmetrical bombé body. The true beauty of the piece comes from an applied spray of “old mine” cut diamonds and star-cut diamonds mounted in silver.

Now part of the Gilbert Collection at the V&A, the box shows the mark for gold imported from countries without customs conventions with France, September or October 24, 1864-May 30, 1893. So, it’s a safe bet that’s when it came to England. 

The Art of Play: The Tiller Family Devil, c. 1870

Devil Puppet
The Tiller-Clowes Troupe
1870-1890
The Victoria & Albert Museum

We’ve examined several of the marionettes from the Tiller-Clowes troupe--one of the last Victorian marionette troupes in England. Thirty-five of their original Nineteenth Century marionettes remain and, though they live at the V&A, are sometimes trotted out for shows.

The figures were carved, painted, dressed and performed by members of the company. Here we see the stock character of the Devil. His flashing purple eyes are made from foil paper. This figure would mostly have been used in the harlequinade of a pantomime, or any play requiring such a character—especially marionette versions of Punch & Judy.

The puppet’s face, beard, hands and fingernails are very strongly carved with more detail than is usual for the puppets from this troupe. One horn and his hooves were missing and have been recently reconstructed. Originally, there were strings to the ears and the top of the head, and there is a staple in his head for a head string. There are eyelets to the knees, but the figure is unstrung and hasn’t been used in nearly a century. It was made in between 1870 and 1890.

Unfolding Pictures: Queen Victoria's Pastoral Fan, c. 1850

Hand Fan
Presented to Queen Victoria by Prince Albert, circa 1850

Queen Victoria once favored this painted paper fan with carved and gilded mother-of-pearl sticks and guards.

The fan was a gift to the Queen from Prince Albert circa 1850. The obverse boasts a central cartouche which has been hand-painted with a lush scene of a lady with a sewing box. Flanking this are two pastoral scenes and symmetrical ovoid-roundels painted with floral scenes.

The verso is painted with an elegant and delicate depiction of flowers and a butterfly with Rococo tendencies.

The guards terminate in a metal pin set with a diamond paste.

The Home Beautiful: A Chippendale Mirror, 1762-5

Chippendale Mirror and Girandole, 1762-5
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This exceptional Eighteenth Century mirror was designed to serve double-duty as a girandole or a sconce with three arms to support candles and reflect the candlelight to increase the light in a room.

A work of Chippendale (1718-1779), dating between 1762 and 1765, this mirror boasts an elaborately-carved Rococo frame adorned with flowers, leaves, bull-rushes and birds (probably cranes). The carved pine frame was gilded creating a surface which, when combined with the brass fittings and mirror, also served to reflect light.

Thomas Chippendale (1718-1779) engaged a team of engravers to prepare his designs, so its difficult to say whose specific hand created this piece.  The glass—as with most large sheets of glass at the time—was most surely imported from France.  This complex design incorporates both smaller and larger sections of glass. The smaller sections were crafted from off-cuts from the larger pieces—economically utilizing as much of this expensive material as possible.

Mastery of Design: The Hands and Palm Trees Intaglio, 200 BCE

Intaglio
Rome, c. 200 BCE
The Victoria & Albert Museum

I always wonder who wore these pieces of jewelry, especially these ancient examples whose original owners are typically unknown. This was a jewel which was full of meaning and sentiment. To whom did it belong? How much did it mean to him or her?

Made around 200 BCE, this ring is set with an intaglio which was likely carved in Rome. The intaglio of clasped hands above a branch of palm is carved into translucent orange-red carnelian. The design is a heraldic device known as the “fede.” This image of two hands joined together was a popular symbol for wedding rings, however, such rings were exchanged between friends, and even between captains of armies and nations to show fidelity.

Above and below the hands, the words “Sesichoros” and “Eros” have been inscribed. The setting of the ring is silver which was later gilt, likely in the early Nineteenth Century. It was acquired by the South Kensington Museum (now the V&A) and first exhibited in 1871. 

Gifts of Grandeur: The Townshend Panther Ring, 1800-1869

Amethyst Cameo
The Townshend Collection at
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Here’s another stone from the important collection of gems amassed by the Reverend Chauncy Hare Townshend. As was the case with all of the stones in the reverend’s collection, this one was set in a ring to showcase the gem, not to be worn. Since this example is double-sided, it’s mounted in a clever gold setting which swivels to expose both sides.

The centerpiece is a lovely amethyst which, on one side, features a cameo of a panther. On the other side, it is carved with a portrait of a bacchante. It’s difficult to say when the stone was carved, but it’s thought to have been between 1800 and 1869. This stone was purchased by Townshend from the collection of H.P. “My Diamond is Cursed” Hope.

Gifts of Grandeur: A Fabergé Snail, pre-1896

Nephrite Snail
Carl Faberge
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Carl Fabergé—we know his work: the shimmering eggs, the wee, precious animals. But, what inspired this master? Fabergé amassed a tremendous and important collection of Japanese netsuke (those intricately-carved decorative pendants that were worn on men's kimonos). These jewel-like objects certainly influenced his animal carvings.

Fabergé employed a variety of hardstones to create the miniature menageries which were coveted by his Royal and aristocratic patrons, especially Queen Alexandra and her daughter-in-law, Queen Mary. Queen Alexandra assembled one of the largest collection of Fabergé animals when King Edward VII commissioned models from the Queen's Zoo at Sandringham. At Fabergé's London branch; in addition to the jewels, floral sculptures and other treasures, over 250 models of animals were available for purchase with the most popular being the elephant. 

This nephrite jade carving of a snail, made by Carl Fabergé himself before 1896. It lives at the V&A. I guess there was one that escaped both Alexandra and Mary. Or, maybe they didn’t like snails.

Her Majesty's Furniture: The Stephens Settee, c. 1870

Settee
French, c. 1870
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Part of a sumptuous suite which also contains four matching armchairs, this handsome settee represents the clever reproductions of then-already-antique furnishings which were made in the Nineteenth Century in France. The frame is a fairly accurate facsimile of a settee which was made in the 1770s or 1780s by Jean-Baptiste III Lelarge. Lelarge was the third generation of a monumental dynasty of Parisian chair-makers.

The tapestry with which the seat and back panel are upholstered seems to really date from the Eighteenth Century. They were, perhaps, originally made for a suite by Lelarge or one of his kin. The present frames were made to fit. The frame of beech features lovely carving including floral motifs of forget-me-nots. The name of the maker is now lost, it we believe it was made between 1870-1890.

The suite once belonged to Mrs Lyne Stephens who bequeathed the group to The V&A in 1895. Mrs. Stephens was the principal dancer at the Paris Opera from 1831 to 1837. There, she performed under the stage name of Marie-Louise Duvernay. Later in life, she devoted herself to her husband, as well as to religion, philanthropy and collecting fine French Decorative Arts.