Unusual Artifacts: A Silk Textile, 1370-1430

The Victoria & Albert Museum

I’m always amazed when textiles survive, but especially when they last almost seven hundred years. Here we see a fragment of a piece of silk textile which is one of a group of silks made in the late Fourteenth or early Fifteenth Century which incorporate animals and birds as motifs. These depictions of fauna are adorned with stylized, luxurious foliage, pomegranates, palmettes and lotus blossoms. An evident Chinese influence dominates the designs. The textiles have been attributed to the work of weavers in Venice which served as an important center for trade in textiles between Europe and the East.

The predominant imagery here is that of the hunt with scenes of swans, ducks, eagles, falcons and dogs. Hunting was the favored leisure activity of the wealthy and elite (actually, in Britain, it still is). A curious detail is that the dog in the scene is wearing a collar.

This silk was reproduced in the Nineteenth Century for St Fagan's Castle from Wardle and Co., New Bond Street in 1884. The reproduction took the form of a cotton velvet, and, it still hangs in St Fagan's Castle.

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: The Fox and Dog Plate, 1753

The Victoria & Albert Museum

This plate of soft-paste porcelain is cleverly painted with enamels and molded in relief with a scene from Aesop's fable of “The Fox, the Dog and the Cock.” Such a dish was made for decorative purposes (or perhaps, remotely as a plate for light desserts or cheese) as opposed to practical use. The fabled scene is shown against an enameled landscape with a river and mountains. The decorative rim is molded with lush design of shell ornament and painted with floral accents.

This was made in Chelsea, England between 1753-1755 and was most likely modeled by Nicholas Sprimont and painted by J.H. O’Neale. These attributions are not entirely certain, but can be deduced by examples of similar ceramics that bear the marks of these celebrated gentlemen.

Another clue is the shape of the plate itself. The plate mirrors the forms of metalwork and silver plates of the era, particularly those of the silversmith Nicholas Sprimont--the proprietor of the Chelsea factory.

Mastery of Design: The Froment-Meurice Coral Bacchus, 1854

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The Victoria & Albert Museum

We've looked at several pieces by the Nineteenth Century French jewelers Froment -Meurice.  This piece in coral, gold, silver, pearls and a shimmering rose-cut diamond is one of the most exceptional. 

 Coral has long been valued, used as a jewel since antiquity and believed to be an amulet which could protect against the evil eye.  For the latter reason, it was was often worn by children or used in rosaries.

Froment-Meurice, like other jewelers of the era, looked back at historical designs.  This piece is a perfect example of that mentality.  This pendant  with a coral cameo depicting Bacchus has a sculpted gold frame decorated with winged mermaids and hung with pearls and diamond sparks.  It was probably one of the last sets of jewelry to be sold by the Paris jeweler François-Désiré Froment-Meurice before his death in 1855 . 

History's Runway: A Velvet Mantle, c. 1840

The Victoria & Albert Museum

The ensemble shown here perfectly demonstrates the fashionable style of about 1840 with a fuller skirt hanging separate from the bodice with its ‘bishop’-style sleeves and off-the-shoulder neckline. This style was inspired by portraiture of the mid to late Seventeenth Century.   The finishing touch for this ensemble and many like  it is an appliquéd velvet mantle embroidered with flowers.

This mantle of a deep wine colored velvet is  demonstrative of the type of cloak fashionable in the 1840s.  A full-length cloak, it is gathered onto a circular yoke, over which hangs a a rounded collar with a deep, dramatic point at the back. Slits allow for the arms and the hem is curved up at each side seam.

The neck is stitched and adorned with a matching cord with taselled ends to fasten at the front. Tassels and rosettes trim the vents at the arm seams and the point of the collar. Each of the edges are bound with pink, wine, white and green satin rouleaux as well as satin stitch embroidery in silk in shades of green, pink and yellow in a rose design. The collar is further adorned with a trail of buds as full roses cascade at the hem and arm slits.  Lined in rose silk, this opulent cloak was made professionally in France.

Painting of the Day: The Oyster Meal

The Victoria & Albert Museum

You may feel that this scene of seduction in which a young woman, seated at a table covered with a Turkish blanket, is familiar. She is offered a meal of oysters and white wine by an older man standing beside her, and she already holds a glass of wine and an oyster, and looks slightly flushed in her fur-trimmed cape and a silk white dress. A curtained bed--the symbol of the man's scheme--is depicted behind them.

This is one of several versions of this scene by Frans van Mieris (1635-1681) who was trained by Abraham Toorenvliet (ca. 1620-1692) and by Gerrit Dou (1613-1675), one of the most eminent Rembrandt's pupils in Leyden. Van Mieris was known for small scale genre painting with exquisite refinement and his skill in representing all sorts of textures: such as the fur-trimmed cape and a white silk dress as well as the sparkles of light reflecting in the jar, the tin plate and the glass.

Her Majesty's Furniture: The Wines and Beers Sideboard, 1859

The Victoria & Albert Museum

The renowned designer William Burges showed this amazing sideboard at the International Exhibition of 1862 (South Kensington, London). The Victoria & Albert Museum purchased it at the 1862 exhibition for the cost of £40.

The sideboard was praised in 1862 for its painted decoration of jolly scenes well-suited for the cabinet's use in storing and serving drinks.  The scene depicts a fanciful  battle between wines and beers, in which Continental wines, represented by Sir Bacchus, fight with British beers, represented by Sir John Barleycorn.  Lady warriors personify Pale Ale, Scotch Ale, Hock and Champagne.

Punch's Cousin, Chapter 432

The tavern on Bourbon Street was thick with smoke and the scent of men. Through the lattice-work screen, Odo could see the white laborers in their tattered clothes, heavy with the stench of the river. Their faces were ruddy from wind and drink and their voices rose into a muddy din of laughter and hidden agony. Odo grinned at the sight of the plump women who milled about, sitting on the men’s laps, tousling their sweaty hair and cooing in their filthy ears.

On the other side of the screen, the scene was more subdued. Odo settled in, groaning against the harsh rough wood of a bench. On his side of the screen, free black men, quadroons, octoroons, and slaves who had managed a morning’s break sat in comparative quiet, talking softly, hunched over flasks and mugs. Women milled around there, too, some dark as night, some deceptively light.


One of them approached him—a girl he knew. She forced a smile, and the effort smoothed the pock marks on her umber-colored face. “Heya, Odo.”


“Amber,” Odo nodded.


“What you doin’ in here this early?” Amber asked. “Ain’t like Mr. Cage to let ya go.”


“He don’t know.” Odo muttered.


“You want some company, love?” The girl asked though she clearly did not want to keep Odo company.


“Sure,” Odo moved further down the bench.


Amber sat next to him, her back clicking as she sat though she did not register any discomfort.


“I saw you lookin’?” Amber teased. “You gotta be careful lookin’ through the screen or you’ll get your eyes poked.”


“Jus’ lookin’.” Odo grunted.


“Lookin’ for someone particular?” Amber asked.


“Maybe.”


“Can I help ya, honey?”


“I’m lookin’ for a man and a woman.”


“What for, honey?” Amber winked.


“None ya.” Odo frowned.


“How am I ‘sposed to help ya, Odo, if I don’t know?”


“Jus’ a man and a woman. An Italian man, but he talks like an Englishman, and an English woman with dark hair. She sometimes wears a piece—a blonde piece.”


“Oh, I know them.”


“You do?”


“They was just in here—on the other side, talkin’ to Big Ollie. They was all bent over somethin’ wrapped in a rag.”


“What was it?”


“Dunno.” Amber shrugged. “Ain’t my business. I know when to keep to myself. It’s somethin’ you should learn, too, little yellow Odo.”


“Shut up.” Odo growled. “When they leave?”


“Dunno, honey. Don’t you worry ‘bout that none. You just let me help ya feel better.”


“You seen the Ogress lately?” Odo said, ignoring her.


“Iolanthe Evangeline?” Amber laughed. “Why she come in here, huh? This ain’t the kind of place for Iolanthe.”


“Not in here—anywhere?”


“Saw her on Royal a couple days ago. Then, on Chartres. Yeah. This mornin’. She was in an awful hurry. All done up in gloves and feathers.”


“Chartres?”


“Yeah, maybe she was goin’ to see Marie Laveau. I done heard they set aside their differences.”


Odo scratched his head nervously. “I gotta go.”


“But, you ain’t even had no drink yet,” Amber cooed.


“Listen, think real hard. When did the Italian man and the lady leave?”


“Maybe half an hour ago.” Amber shrugged.


“Which way they go?”


“I don’t know, Odo,” Amber said with considerable frustration. “I know better than to get my eyes poked. They left with Big Ollie. You want to know more, go find him.”


“I will,” Odo grinned. He grabbed Amber by the shoulders and kissed her. “Thanks.”


Amber slapped his face and spat, “Go on, get out of here!”


Odo scrambled off of the bench and rushed for the door, his face stinging. He didn’t care about the pain. He was off to see Big Ollie and hoped that the giant would not remember the last time they had met.

Did you miss Chapters 1-431?  If so you can read them here.