Precious Time: The Lilies Lantern Clock, 1650

Lantern Clock of Silver
David Bouquet, 1650
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Lantern clocks such as the one pictured here were first developed in England in the 1620s. The name “lantern” is thought to have come from the word “laton” - meaning brass - as most of these timepieces featured brass cases.

These clocks were always driven by weights and were made to stand on a bracket or to hang on the wall.

This clock is exceptional in that it is the only known lantern clock with a silver, and not brass, case. The dial plate, chapter ring, alarm disc, side doors and pierced silver gallery are all comprised  of silver. Because of the unusual medium, we can only assume that this clock was a special commission for a wealthy patron from David Bouquet, a French immigrant who was admitted to the Blacksmiths' Company in 1628.  Bouquet joined the Clockmakers' Company as a founding member in 1632.  He was known for his fine engraving—work which we can see nicely here.  The front of the clock is engraved with pinks, tulips, lilies and other flowers.  Meanwhile,  above, an openwork gallery is surmounted by pierced floral crestings with vases at the corners.

The clock dates to about 1650.

Painting of the Day: A Garland of Flowers Surrounding a Cartouche

Still Life
Jan Pauwel Gillemans
Flanders (Stupid Flanders)
Mid-Seventeenth Century
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This lush painting is the work of the rather mysterious painter Jan Pauwel Gillemans the Elder (1618-1675). We don’t know too much about this son of a goldsmith who spent his entire life in his native Antwerp. Beyond those few sketchy details, we only can guess about his life based on his work and that of his son, Jan Pauwel Gillemans the Younger (1651-1704) who was also a still-life painter.

Gillemans the Elder was of the “Flemish Stuff on a Table” school of still-life painting. He excelled at depictions of fruit and flowers and used these as a way of hinting at Biblical subject matter. For instance, in the piece pictured above, the fruits and flowers that he has selected allude to the Passion of Christ and have overtones of the Eucharist. The blooms surround a cartouche containing a representation of an angel, and, an eagle sits above the entire composition.

Let’s see if we can read Gillemans’ message. He’s allowed the lower portion of the composition to be overtaken by spiky plants and those with thorns—roses, thistles, hawthorn, blackthorn, rose-hips and raspberries, all of which signify the Crown of Thorns. Above this, we have grapes, wheat stalks, corn, poppies, cornflowers and narcissus—bountiful symbols which work in conjunction with the chalice. The eagle, of course, is a representation of the Resurrection. The butterflies signify the same.

I’m not sure about the parrots. I think they’re just there because they’re groovy.

Besides, those Flemish…they’d put a bird on a table whenever they got a chance. I’m just happy to see these parrots are alive and not in a state of decay like most of the birds in Flemish paintings.

Precious Time: The Lilies Lantern Clock, 1650

Lantern Clock of Silver
David Bouquet, 1650
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Lantern clocks such as the one pictured here were first developed in England in the 1620s. The name “lantern” is thought to have come from the word “laton” - meaning brass - as most of these timepieces featured brass cases.

These clocks were always driven by weights and were made to stand on a bracket or to hang on the wall.

This clock is exceptional in that it is the only known lantern clock with a silver, and not brass, case. The dial plate, chapter ring, alarm disc, side doors and pierced silver gallery are all comprised  of silver. Because of the unusual medium, we can only assume that this clock was a special commission for a wealthy patron from David Bouquet, a French immigrant who was admitted to the Blacksmiths' Company in 1628.  Bouquet joined the Clockmakers' Company as a founding member in 1632.  He was known for his fine engraving—work which we can see nicely here.  The front of the clock is engraved with pinks, tulips, lilies and other flowers.  Meanwhile,  above, an openwork gallery is surmounted by pierced floral crestings with vases at the corners.

The clock dates to about 1650.

Mastery of Design: A Cartier Bangle, 1937

Bangle
Cartier, 1937
This and all related images from
The British Museum

Cartier’s London branch created this sumptuous bangle in a wholly Indian style. The floral piece is a brilliant marriage of platinum, gold, diamonds, and rubies. The central motif looks back to Nineteenth-Century Indian Jaipur work with a very post-Deco sensibility.

Diamonds (baguettes and brilliants) and a double row of cabochon rubies glitter in an asymmetrical platinum setting. Meanwhile, the central floral theme is set in gold around an egg-shaped cabochon. The reverse is enameled with flowers in the Kundan style.

Painting of the Day: A Watercolor by LeMoyne, 1575

Botanical Watercolor
Jacques LeMoyne de Morgues, 1575
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Huguenot artist, Jacques LeMoyne de Morgues (1533-1588) created this drawing as part of his album of 59 botanical watercolors in 1575. This leaf from the folio shows an iris stem terminating in two blossoms.

For centuries, LeMoyne was thought of only as a basic artist who provided images for simple woodcuts, the rediscovery of this album in the early Twentieth Century altered this perception. Now, he’s been given his due as one of the most important and prolific botanical painters in history. 

Saturday Sparkle: The New York Flower Basket Brooch, 1930

Brooch
Cartier, New York
1930
The Victoria & Albert Museum

By 1930, traditional themes in art had become stylized into geometric patterns of cool-tones and shine. The floral jewels of the Nineteenth Century gave way to icy sprays and baskets of diamonds, rock crystal and platinum. 

Take, for example, this floral basket brooch made by Cartier New York in 1930. With its Eastern and geometric influence, the blooms are stylized, and the base of the basket is emphasized by baguette-cut diamonds. Cartier has combined rock crystal with diamonds and platinum to create a study in shades of white which is brought to life from icy splendor by brilliant-cut diamonds.

Drawing of the Day: The Corn Rose, 1680

Page from the Florilegium of Alexander Marshal
c. 1680
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

The delicate drawing, dating to 1680, is the work of Alexander Marshal (c. 1620-82). Marshal was part of a league of “gentlemen gardeners” living in London in the Seventeenth Century. These gents looked to the cultivation of rare and exotic plants to learn about the workings of the natural world. They reveled, especially, in those plants which had been imported from the Near East and America at the start of the Seventeenth Century.

Marshal spent thirty years compiling a “florilegium” (flower book) which, in the end, contained 154 folios recording interesting and rare plants growing in the English gardens of his friends. Curiously, Marshal didn’t consider himself an artist, but his talent is evident. His florilegium is the only English flower book from the Seventeenth Century that survives. He never intended the folios to be sold or published, but rather, produced the book for the enjoyment and education of his friends.

King George IV was presented with the florilegium by an unknown party in the 1820s.

This leaf from the book features watercolors of three plants including: the Red Poppy (or Corn Rose), the Cockle and a Jacob's Ladder. The flowers are identified on the reverse.

Reverse
Alexander Marshal, 1680
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Gifts of Grandeur: The Coker Brooch, 1816-1840

Biscuit Porcelain Brooch
George Coker
Derby, 1816-1840
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Made in Derby, this attractive and delicate plaque dates between 1816 and 1840. The floral plaque of biscuit porcelain was made by Derby’s George Coker. Coker has been an apprentice at the Nottingham Road factory in Derby, leaving in 1817 to open his own porcelain business in Friar Gate, Derby. There, he produced porcelain figures and plaques such as this one.

Floral designs of this era were more than just pretty objects, they had meaning and socially-understood symbolism. Lilies of the valley, like the ones here, signified a “return to happiness” while the convolvulus which forms the centerpiece of the plaque represented “the bonds of love.”  Also included in the spray are "Forget-Me-Nots."

The plaque is set in a plain gold slip and, on the reverse, is marked with the symbols of Coker and his wife.

Object of the Day: Forget Me Not

 Click on image to forget.  Or not.

Hmmm...where to begin? This isn't a trade card per se. It's not a calling card or even a visiting card. It's simply a pretty little chromolithograph printed on card stock. Now, I do believe that this could have been used as a trade card. It looks like the sort which were available for over-printing or reverse printing through catalogs. But, this just wasn't a run-of-the-mill stock card. This one is beautifully embossed. This would have made printing on the reverse rather awkward, but that never stopped them.

This was the preferred Victorian image-- Cupid or some random putto (or perhaps just a winged baby, who can tell?) surrounded by a variety of symbolic flowers (none of which, oddly enough, is a forget-me-not), sitting on a quasi-funereal plinth, wistfully carving some sweet message into a tabula rassa with one of his arrows. On the plinth below him is inscribed "Forget me Not."

Regardless if this unused card was made as a blank trade card or as a never-used affectionate greeting, it is gorgeously printed. These bright, rich colors are, to me, the epitome of Victorian printing. Furthermore, the embossing is exceptional. A chromolithograph in relief of this quality doesn't seem to be the work of late Nineteenth-Century American printers. I'd say this was European.

Mastery of Design: A Diamond Spray Ornament, 1850

Spray Ornament
Diamonds, Silver, Gold
1830-1850
English
The Victoria & Albert Museum

With the rise of the Romantic Movement in the Nineteenth Century, Naturalistic jewelry with motifs of fruit, insects and easily-recognizable flowers became quite the fashion. These pieces often took the form of pins and brooches and by the middle of the Nineteenth Century had become quite large and ornate.


This spray ornament made in England in 1830 features hundreds of European Cut and several Rose Cut diamonds set in silver which has been backed in gold. The original ornament consisted of the three uppermost leaves. The blooms—roses and carnations--were added sometime before 1850. In addition to the flowers, the jeweler has added “tremblers.” Here, some of the flowers are mounted on springs so that as the lady moved, the jewels would “tremble” and catch the light.

This ornament was designed to wear on a bodice, but could also be worn in the hair. While the maker is unknown, a similar piece was displayed at the Great Exhibition in 1851. Also featuring “tremblers” and various diamond blooms, the exhibited brooch was created by Hunt & Roskell. 

Mastery of Design: The Dreyfous Rose, Circa 1900

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
via The Royal Collection Trust
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Click on image to enlarge.

Created by Dreyfous, a London jeweler once located at 128 Mount Street, this glittering masterpiece came into the Royal Collection by now unknown means.  Given their collecting habits and tastes, it's a safe bet that this figure of a lilac-pink rose was acquired by either Queen Mary, consort of King George V,  or her mother-in-law Queen Alexandra. 

The piece, made around 1900, depicts a three-dimensional rose and bud in yellow gold, and opaque enamels in graduated pinks, greens and yellows.  The enameled leaves are set with rose-cut diamond dew drops and the bloom is permanently presented in a handsome rock crystal vase.

Painting of the Day: A Garland of Flowers Surrounding a Cartouche

Still Life
Jan Pauwel Gillemans
Flanders (Stupid Flanders)
Mid-Seventeenth Century
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This lush painting is the work of the rather mysterious painter Jan Pauwel Gillemans the Elder (1618-1675). We don’t know too much about this son of a goldsmith who spent his entire life in his native Antwerp. Beyond those few sketchy details, we only can guess about his life based on his work and that of his son, Jan Pauwel Gillemans the Younger (1651-1704) who was also a still-life painter.

Gillemans the Elder was of the “Flemish Stuff on a Table” school of still-life painting. He excelled at depictions of fruit and flowers and used these as a way of hinting at Biblical subject matter. For instance, in the piece pictured above, the fruits and flowers that he has selected allude to the Passion of Christ and have overtones of the Eucharist. The blooms surround a cartouche containing a representation of an angel, and, an eagle sits above the entire composition.

Let’s see if we can read Gillemans’ message. He’s allowed the lower portion of the composition to be overtaken by spiky plants and those with thorns—roses, thistles, hawthorn, blackthorn, rose-hips and raspberries, all of which signify the Crown of Thorns. Above this, we have grapes, wheat stalks, corn, poppies, cornflowers and narcissus—bountiful symbols which work in conjunction with the chalice. The eagle, of course, is a representation of the Resurrection. The butterflies signify the same.

I’m not sure about the parrots. I think they’re just there because they’re groovy.

Besides, those Flemish…they’d put a bird on a table whenever they got a chance. I’m just happy to see these parrots are alive and not in a state of decay like most of the birds in Flemish paintings.

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: Tulips, Camellias and Hyacinths, 1864

Tulips Camillias and Hyacinths
Henri Fantin-Latour, 1864
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This intriguing still life of delicate flowers (tulips, camellias and hyacinths) is the work of Henri Fantin-Latour (1836-1904). Fantin-Latour was born in Grenoble where he trained with his father, the celrbated Jean-Théodore Fantin-Latour (1805-75). Later, the promising young painter would study with Horace Lecocq de Boisbaudran at the Petite Ecole de Dessin in Paris from 1850 to 1856. 

After continually ompressing his tutors, Fantin-Latoure joined Gustave Courbet's studio as a pupil, working mostly on portraiture. However, portraits weren’t the artist’s passion and Fantin-Latour soon began to focus on floral paintings and the still lifes for which he is now most recognized.

British collectors were especially attracted to the painter’s floral scenes. Fantin-Latour exhibited at the Royal Academy in London starting in 1862 onwards, and enjoyed the patronage of James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903), whom he met in 1858.

This painting from 1864 is the perfect example of Fantin-Latour's early floral work. Throughout his life, Fantin-Latour created over five hundred floral compositions, many showing unusual combinations of flowers as evidenced by this bouquet of tulips, camellias, hyacinths, holly hocks and assorted wild flowers. The artist’s work is defined by his attention-getting combination of rich textures and tones which are set against a plain dark background. His paintings are categorized as examples of “new naturalism”—a style which developed in French art in the second half of the Nineteenth Century. New naturalism would prove to be the precursor of Impressionism.

Gifts of Grandeur: Queen Mary's Fabergé Bleeding Heart, 1900

Bleeding Heart
circa 1900
Acquired by Queen Mary in 1934
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection 
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Another of Queen Mary’s important collection of works by the House of Fabergé, this little sculpture of rock crystal, gold, nephrite, rhodonite, and quartzite was made around 1900 and is considered one of the finest of the Fabergé treasures in The Royal Collection. 

Queen Mary acquired this study of “bleeding hearts” (a flowering plant which produces elegant arching sprays of heart-shaped red and/or white blooms) in 1934. The sculpture shows a double spray of the flowers, carved in rhodonite and quartzite. Three sets of delicately-carved nephrite leaves spring from green quartzite stalks. A vase of rock crystal serves as the base. To emulate the true nature of the flowers, the blooms are suspended on gold stems, articulated en tremblant so that they can move when the piece is touched, as if they were blown by the wind.

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

History's Runway: The Cooke Silk Gown, 1770-1779

Sack-Back Gown
England, 1770-1779
This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This green and white satin sack-back gown demonstrates the fashion of 1770-1779 which relied on grounds of subtle colors as a means of showcasing expensive trimmings. Let’s look at the stripes of this gown. While rendered in muted colors, they’re actually quite complex in their creation with darker stripes of olive and brown giving depth to the wider, lighter pattern.

The bodice and sleeves are adorned with some exceptional floral passementerie. Rosettes have been added to the fly fringe (braid). These buds are made of coils of floss silk in shades of white, pink, scarlet, and maroon. The flowers are wired so that they can stand out from the gown. Meanwhile, the fringe is composed of knots of white and light green silk over a cover of deep emerald—creating an overall effect of a vine and stems from which the flowers have sprouted.

Further adornment comes in the form of embroidery of individual sprays of pansies, morning glories, auriculas, carnations, bluebells and roses. The embroidery has been created in chenille thread in order to echo the texture of the floral fly fringe. The stomacher (in this case the fabric front panel between the waist and bosom) is trimmed with a bow and a braid as well as hand-worked eyelets. While the gown was made in Britain between 1770 and 1779, the garment is marked with a tag which reads “Cooke 1786.” 

Object of the Day: A Merry Christmas from Sellen & Co.

Click on image to enlarge.

Sellen & Co. of 92 and 94 Pine Street in Williamsport, Pennsylvania wants to wish us a Merry Christmas…from the past.

To do this, they’ve employed the image of a young lass with rosy cheeks. That’s not atypical for trade cards and greetings cards of the mid to late Nineteenth Century. But, there’s something slightly…off…about the scene. She appears to be frantically picking flowers. The urgency of the scene is heightened by the fleeing hare who, with a look of sheer alarm on his face, seems to be running off to tell the “powers that be” that their flowers are in danger.

To be fair, this card is obviously not meant to be a Christmas card. It’s the usual Victorian trade card. Someone from Sellen & Co. has stamped the card with the Christmas greeting. I just wonder why…why this particular scene? Did they run out of snow scenes? Were there no more pictures of candles or praying hands? All the Santas were gone? 

We’ll never know. 

But, I like to think that the Sellen Stamper would be pleased to know that his or her choice was appreciated and that the message was still being shared over a century later.

And, hopefully, since this is preserved in my collection of ephemera, it'll last for quite a lot longer.

The Home Beautiful: The “Flora's Train” Tiles, 1900-1901

Set of Six Tiles called "Flora's Train"
Walter Crane, 1900-1902
This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Circa 1900, Victorian artist and illustrator, Walter Crane (1845-1915) designed this set of six tiles which, while similar to the style he used for book illustrations, also shows the influence of the rising Art Nouveau. The tiles have been molded so that the outlines of the patterns are raised in relief. Obviously, the design for the tiles was created before they were fired, allowing this relief to have been made. Each pale blue tile depicts a female figure.

On each tile, the gown worn by the woman depicted has been colored to match the flower with which she has been posed. The flowers depicted are: cornflower, blue-bell, columbine, anemone, poppy and daffodil

Made in Clifton Junction, (near Manchester) England at Pilkington's Tile and Pottery Company, the set of earthenware tiles was called "Flora's Train.”

Painting of the Day: The Singkwa Towel Gourd, c. 1830

Click image to enlarge.
The Singkwa Towel Gourd
China, 1800-1830
The Victoria & Albert Museum  

This is a Singkwa towel gourd. I must confess that I don’t know what that is, but apparently, it’s a common garden flower in China. The British of the Nineteenth Century seemed to have a keen interest in exotic plants and animals. And, it wasn’t just botanists. Watercolors and prints of Asian flora and fauna were quite fashionable in home décor from the 1820s well into the Edwardian era and beyond. Furthermore, tourists reveled in bringing plants and fruits from foreign lands to put into their gardens in those lovely pre-customs days.

The work of an unknown artist from Guangzhou, China, this watercolor painting of the towel gourd dates to 1800 and 1830 and shows the growing British passion for exotic flora. While we can’t be sure, it’s a safe bet that this painting on Chinese rice paper was brought back from Asia by a wealthy tourist with an eye for beauty. 

Mastery of Design: Anne Hull Grundy's Morning Glory Brooch

Brooch of Diamonds, White Gold, Nephrite, Chalcedony
The British Museum

Click on image for larger size.  

Made in Germany circa 1930, this handsome brooch of white gold, nephrite, diamonds and stained chalcedony still is matched with its original invoice for £400, as purchased by Anne Hull Grundy.  Taking the form of a brilliant morning glory, the brooch is an interesting combination of Art Deco design ideals and the romantic naturalism favored in the late Nineteenth Century.

Obviously, this is part of the important Hull-Grundy Gift of hundreds of unusual jewels which was bequeathed to The British Museum.

Mastery of Design: The Chambers Rose Brooch, 1820-40

The Chambers Rose Brooch
The Victoria & Albert Museum

According to the V&A, “The diamonds in this brooch were said to have been taken from the turban of Tipu Sultan after his death at the battle of Seringapatam in 1799.” Well, that’s pretty snazzy.

Tipu Sultan was the ruler of the south Indian state of Mysore. He fought against the British as they extended their control in southern India. After the defeat of Tipu Sultan, Captain Cochrane, one of the British officers, it is said, divided the sultan’s turban jewels and had them set in pieces of jewelry which he gave to his daughters.

The brooch of gold, set with diamonds and turquoises, features a floral design of a rose, forget-me-not, an oakleaf and acorn motifs. In the “Language of Flowers” which was prominent at the time, the rose motif symbolizes love while the oak would signified strength and longevity.

Art historians believe this piece was originally made as a pendant. A strand of hair in a locket at the reverse, suggests that, at one point, the brooch was intended as a wedding gift. The gems are set in six rosettes each with a diamond in the centre and six turquoises surrounding it. The rosettes are placed on an openwork background of oak leaves and acorns, surrounding a circular plaque with a relief pattern of a rose and oak leaf. The piece is marked with a ram’s head in relief which indicates the warranty mark for Paris, 1819-38.

The diamonds, rumored to have been those from the turban ornament of Tipu Sultan, have been thoroughly examined and scrutinized. The V&A tells us: 

“The diamonds have been examined and are Golconda diamonds. They are relatively small at approximately 0.2 carats and are all roughly polished into rose-cut forms. One has a large red inclusion, probably a garnet, visible under magnification. Red inclusions are considered unlucky in traditional Indian gemology…” 

When the brooch was given to the V&A in 1968, it came with a letter dated Feb 18th 1878 which says: 

"My dear Agnes The accompanying brooch I herewith give you as a keepsake not only for its intrinsic value, but of its history - Coming to me as a Legacy through the Honble Mrs Cochrane, whose daughter was my charge for some years, & whose father the Honble Capt Cochrane an officer in the memorable battle of Seringapatam shared the jewels all of first class taken in the Turban of Tippo Said [sic] - Capt Cochrane had 3 valuable necklaces & 3 brooches made of the same, In India, for his three daughters! --The Brooch accompanying this, represents the Rose the Shamrock & the Thistle. The Brilliants being of the very first water. -- I should advise care in wearing the same the pin not being I consider safe. 

Should you at some future time be inclined to part with it, I would like you to consider it as a Heirloom to your eldest daughter. In such a fulfilment of my wish you have the power in future circumstances to decide . 

It pains me to use my hands with this attack of Rheumatism for which I make excuse in not writing all I wish. 

Your ever affecte Aunt 

E A Steinchcomb 

For Mrs Agnes Chambers, Norwood Park, Southwell, Notts."