Mastery of Design: The Wild Jewel, c. 1590

"The Wild Jewel"
Turquoise Cameo of Elizabeth I set in gold with diamonds, rubies and pearls.
1590
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Known as “The Wild Jewel,” this pendant jewel in gold and enamel is set with diamonds and rubies and encloses a turquoise cameo of Queen Elizabeth I.  It is hung with pearls.

The jewel was made circa 1590 in England.  It was lent to the Victoria and Albert Museum for the Special Loan Exhibition of 1862 by James.W. Wild.  Mr. Wild was closely connected to the Museum and was also the architect of the Bethnal Green Museum and of the V&A's Architectural Courts.

According to the tradition in the Wild family, the jewel, along with a lace christening robe, was given by Elizabeth I to a god-daughter of the family.  

Antique Image of the Day: Illustration from 'Beauty and the Beast,’ 1910

She found herself face to face with a stately and beautiful lady…

Scene from Beauty and the Beast
Edmund Dulac, 1910
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This watercolor of a blue fairy drawing back a canopy is signed Edmund Dulac (1882-1953).  Created in 1910, the drawing was intended to accompany text from the story of “Beauty and the Beast”to face page 104 of “The Sleeping Beauty and other fairy tales retold by Sir Arthur Quileer-Couch,” which was published by Messrs. Hodder & Stoughton, London.

The Home Beautiful: A Fairyland Lustre Vase, 1920-41

Fairyland Lustre Vase
1920-1941
The Victoria  & Albert Museum

Made in Etruria, England, between 1920 and 1941, this vase belongs to the genre called “Fairyland Lustre.” 

Daisy Makeig-Jones's, the artist responsible for this vase as well as the majority of the fairyland pieces, long had a fascination with fairies, and was a fan of the work of such illustrators as Arthur Rackham, Edmund Dulac and the Danish artist, Kay Nielsen—all of whom were very popular in the 1920s. Makeig-Jones worked for Wedgwood who famously always produced a huge range of styles to capture different market tastes.  She was encouraged to produce a line of fairytale-themed pieces.  This was the result.

These pieces were targeted to the luxury end of the market and they represent one of Wedgwood's most extraordinary technical achievements in the ceramic industry. The Fairyland Lustre line proved extremely popular throughout the 1920s as expensive collector's pieces.

This Fairyland lustre vase is tall and slim and narrows at shoulders, slightly flaring at neck, and is a perfect example of the species. According to the V&A, “The decoration is based on two Japanese myths. Kuan Yin, a Buddhist deity, poured water of creation over the earth - it fell in a series of bubbles and within each was a baby. The other concerning a Goddess who aided villagers terrorized by a dragon fond of eating children's flesh. Bubbles, fairies, city and figure riding on a boat/bird are depicted.”

Mr. Punch of Belgrave Square will Continue on Monday

I hope you are all enjoying reading Mr. Punch of Belgrave Square as much as I'm enjoying writing it.  When Punch's Cousin reached the point that Mr. Punch/The Duke of Fallbridge were ready to return to England, I knew it was time to leave their adventures in Louisiana behind and start anew as the unconventional family (with Charles, Gerry and Gamilla) went to start a new life in the Duke's palatial Belgrave Square townhouse.

Happily ensconced in the majestic mansion, Mr. Punch and Robert populated their staff with a butler called Speaight, a cook with the humorous name of Mrs. Pepper, an house maid called Vi, a treacherous under-house maid named Hortence, a scullery maid named Ethel, a kitchen maid called Jenny and a few others to help Charles, Gerard and Gamilla (who served as the Duke's valet, the doctor's valet and parlor maid respectively).

Of course, life can't be too easy for Punch and his companion.  An invitation from the palace causes waves of panic.  And, Robert is torn between his love and loyalty for Mr. Punch and his desire to write a book about his experience with the unusual man.  Luckily, the new governess, Ellen Barrett, has proven to be a staunch ally.  Too bad that the creepy maid Hortence has a nasty scheme to expose the Duke as a madman.  She won't let Ellen stand in her way and threatens to reveal the rumor that Ellen was engaged in an affair with her last employer.  Is Hortence's claim true.  We'll soon find out.

And, how will Mr. Punch fare at Buckingham Palace.  Prince Albert was famously known for his lack of a sense of humor.  Will he find this new version of the Duke of Fallbridge as charming as everyone else or will the relationship between the House of Fallbridge and the Crown be forever threatened?

This time around, I decided to add a chapter summary with each link in the Chapter Archive.  That way, you can get a sense of what each chapter covered before you read the full entry.  If you've missed any chapters, this is a great chance to catch up.

We'll be back tomorrow.

Oh, and by the way, just because Punch's Cousin has finished, it doesn't mean that you can't still purchase Punch's Cousin-themed souvenirs and clothes from our online store.  Take a look around.  There's lots of nifty stuff.  And, besides.  I don't think any of us has a complete wardrobe without a "Teck Support" tee-shirt.

Sunday Morning Special: Ub Iwerks "Humpty Dumpty"

Ub Iwerks

Ub Iwerks, born Ubbe Eert Iwerks in Kansas City, Missouri, was a celebrated animator, cartoonist, character designer and inventor who is best known as the creator of Mickey Mouse.  Yes, that’s right.  Ub Iwerks designed Mickey.  Not Walt Disney.  Walt had gone on a rampage and fired most of his staff, retaining Ub who very cleverly saved the day for his employer by creating the plucky rodent who remains the symbol of the…empire.

I have always enjoyed Iwerks works.  Ha!  Over Easter, my parents, Bertie and I watched about seven thousand hours of Iwerks cartoons, among others.  Okay, it was four minutes shy of four hours.  Here’s one.  It’s odd.  Delightfully odd.

Painting of the Day: Head of Sleeping Attendant from Briar Rose, 1881-1886

Study of a Sleeping Attendant from "Sleeping Beauty"
Edward Burne-Jones, c. 1881
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This monochrome study by the famed Pre-Raphaelite painter, Edward Burne-Jones demonstrates his curious ability to draw in detail using only a paintbrush. This head-study is for a female sleeping attendant in one of a series of four paintings on the theme of the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty.

Burne-Jones has frozen the scene at a moment before the princess is awakened by the prince's kiss.  

While the series, at face value, is an innocent exploration on the theme, making a good use of the Pre-Raphaelite sensibilities, art historians suggest that there’s something else lurking beneath.  According to the V&A, “One theory is that the series refers to Burne-Jones's disquiet at the impending marriage of his daughter, Margaret, wishing her to remain untouched for ever. “

Hmmm…a look at the series reveals that the sleeping girls, all of whom share the features of the figure in this study, resemble the artist’s daughter, Margaret, and he gave his daughter a gouache version of the sleeping princess as a wedding present. “Thanks, Dad!  That’s not creepy at all.”

The finished paintings are in the Faringdon Collection at Buscot Park in Berkshire.  These studies live  in the V&A.

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: Elder Mother Tree, 1932

The Elder Mother Tree, 1932
Arthur Rackham
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Artist Arthur Rackham, at an early age, trained at the Lambeth School of Art where he gained favorable attention as an illustrator by working for the “Westminster Budget” and other magazines.

Later, Rackham lent his talents mainly to children's book illustration. From the early twentieth century, he developed a talent for portraying witches and fairies.  His characterizations were so vivid, in fact, many parents feared the images would be too terrifying for their tots.

Here, we see a delicately tinted watercolor illustration for the fairytale “The Elder Mother Tree” (1845) by Hans Christian Anderson (1805-75).  The image depicts the moment when the Elder Mother appears in an elderflower tree which sprouts from a teapot, as one does.  Elder trees have long been associated with fairy mythology, and were thought to protect against evil spirits.