Mastery of Design: The Aurora Goddess of Dawn Bracelet, 1870

Bracelet
Rome, c. 1870
This and all related images from:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

With a shape inspired by then-recent finds of ancient jewelry, this bracelet is adorned, not with a scene from antiquity, but rather with a micromosaic scene based on a Renaissance painting by Guido Reni (1575-1642). Aurora, Goddess of the Dawn, is shown in much the same stance—with her chariot and assistants—that she takes in Reni’s fresco at the Pallavicini-Rospigliosi Palace in Rome.

Now part of the collection of Sir Arthur and Rosalinde Gilbert at the V&A, the oval mosaic and gold bracelet fastens with locking hinges. It was made in Rome, c. 1870.  Clearly, it was meant as a souvenir of Rome--as indicated by the giant ROMA on the reverse.  

Unfolding Pictures: The Jacobite Fan, c. 1715

Fan
Paper Leaf, Ivory Sticks
1715-1730
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Folding fans with paper or fabric leaves originated in Japan and weren’t introduced to Europe until the second half of the Sixteenth Century as European makers adopted the technique of the Japanese while introducing their own style of adornment.

This simple folding fan dates beween 1715 and 17230 and was made in England with plain, un-carved ivory sticks, and a paper leaf painted with gouache (opaque watercolor), with accents of gold paint.


The painted leaf symbolizes Jacobite support for the Stuart Royal Family after George I, Elector of Hanover, succeeded to the British throne in 1714. Depicted on the left is Charles II who is shown hiding in a tree after his defeat by Cromwell at the Battle of Worcester in 1651.

He is joined by Queen Anne who is depicted as ascending to heaven after her death in 1714, while beside her a lady mourns the loss of the crown. On the right of the leaf, we see the Stuart arms, with a white rose and two rosebuds below. The rose, a symbol of the House of Stuart, is notable in that it represents the son of James II, James Francis Edward ('James III' or the 'Old Pretender'). The two buds are his sons, Charles Edward and Henry Benedict.

The leaf, overall, is painted in a dark-toned gouache, with a brown and green ground, and is edged with a formal, gilt, scalloped border filled with floral decoration. The reverse of the fan is adorned with a stiffly naturalistic floral spray on a silver ground. The initials “L” and “I” are written in ink on the top left border.

Sunday Morning Special: Poor Cinderella, 1934

Made in 1934 by Max Fleischer, this retelling of the “Cinderella” story is the only color Betty Boop short made during the characters tenure with Fleischer. The film was made with a two-color process. You see, everyone’s favorite, scheming uncle, Walt Disney, had secured the exclusive animation rights to Technicolor’s three-color process, so Fleischer was forced to use a weaker two-color method.

That’s the reason Betty has red hair, by the way. It’s the only time she does, but Fleischer wanted to make the best of the limited color palette available through the two-color process. 

Unusual Artifacts: The St. Cloud Cane Handle, 1730-1740

Click on image to enlarge.
Cane Handle
Saint-Cloud Porcelain Factory
c. 1730
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This unusual cane handle is made of porcelain and takes the form of a man wearing a rather Punchinello-like cap. He is, in fact, quite like Mr. Punch in appearance.

The work of the Saint-Cloud Porcelain Factory, the handle is painted in enamels. It was made in France between 1730 and 1740 and is one of several similar cane handles in the collection of the V&A. All of them have lost their canes. 

Mr. Punch of Belgrave Square will Continue on Monday

As Robert labored to save Gerard's life, the Duke of Fallbridge had collapsed to the floor upon learning that not only had Mrs. North been murdered at the Servants' Ball, but the Countess Hamish had as well.

Of course, Robert knew that such moments of unconsciousness usually signaled a switch in personalities.  Yet, he also knew that Gerard's life hung in the balance if the footman's wound wasn't sutured.  So, Robert left Charles to watch both the Duke and the baby while he tended to Gerard.

Charles wasn't aware of the battle that was going on within the Duke's body.  Inside, Punch found himself again at odds with another of the personalities, Mr. Scaramouche.  While "Guignol" offered support for the Duke, and, Julian--who appeared to have faded considerably--did as well, Scaramouche insisted that Punch had made a mess of the Duke's life and should be destroyed.  Scaramouche wasn't going to back down and, much to the surprise of Punch, Guignol and Julian, unleashed a new--unknown--personality...Kasperl.

When the Duke's eyes fluttered, Charles leapt to attention and knew at once that the person who was controlling the Duke's body was unknown to him.  Kasperl made it quite clear to Charles that he wanted no part of Punch's life and that his main goal was to destroy the Duke's body.  Unsure of what to do, and without the aid of the doctor, Charles struck the Duke--knocking him, again, unconscious.

Hearing the crash, Robert came in and was shocked to see what had happened.  He listened to Charles' explanation, and, though upset, said he understood.  Alone with the seemingly lifeless body of his companion, Robert spoke aloud and told Kasperl that he had a fight on his hands.

Meanwhile, downstairs, as the party guests were shown to their rooms, Lady Constance managed to get Baron Lensdown alone.  Lensdown again accused Lady Constance of killing her mother, but she denied it.  Constance insisted that Victor listen to her and he showed no interest until she revealed that she knew who Ellen really was, and, worse about the Baron's affair with Finlay.  Constance further shocked the baron by telling him that she knew all about the "accident" on the tower which had occurred when they were all younger.  She informed the man that the boy who fell from the tower wasn't dead at all--that he'd gone mad, and, yes, that he was Ellen's brother.

This week promises to be explosive.  You will want to come back every day to see what will happen next.  If you do miss a chapter, remember you can catch up in the Chapter Archive.  

Thanks for reading!

Painting of the Day: A Study of Clouds by John Constable, 1823

Click on image for original size.
A Study of Clouds
John Constable, RA
September 5, 1822
The Victoria & Albert Museum

The famed artist John Constable (1776-1837) wrote in 1822 that he had finished: “about 50 careful studies of skies tolerably large.” Here we see one of them—dating to September 5, 1822. 

The reverse of this work of oil paint on paper is inscribed: “Looking S.E. noon. Wind very brisk. & effect bright & fresh. Clouds. moving very fast. With occasional very bright openings to the blue.”

Object of the Day: A Trade Card for Acme Soap

Click on the image to be uplifted.

I would, personally, be very upset if—while showering or, even, washing dishes or clothes—whatever soap I had employed became so frothy and lathery that it lifted me up off of the ground. I think it would be terrifying and upsetting.

This little fellow, however, seems delighted by it. But, that’s okay because, it appears that he has fallen down a well. Not a dry well, either—a well full of water. So, in this instance, I suppose that being elevated by soap would be preferable to drowning.

Conveniently, the well’s cranky-thing says, “Use Acme.” I guess that’s what gave the girl the idea to toss her brother the bar of Acme Soap to save his life—as opposed to, say, a rope or something. Thankfully, she either had some soap or the well’s owner leaves a convenient basket of it outside. Still, oddly enough, she seems surprised that her plan worked.

She asks, “Why is the foam bringing him up?” Well, Honey, why’d you toss him a bar of soap?

She also doesn’t seem to notice that the words, “The Best Bar Soap Made” float ominously near her head.

Though I joke, I think this is actually a beautiful card. It has all the things that I like about trade cards—the fine printing, the charming images, the brilliant, very-Victorian colors, and, yes, a little weirdness.

What sets this trade card apart from the others in my collection is that on the reverse, there’s not the usual florid ad copy, but a space to use the card as a receipt. Acme Soap provided these cards to retailers who would employ the cards to keep a tally of a customers’ purchases.

This one says:

USE 

LAUTZ BRO’S & CO’S 

ACME SOAP. 

CUT FULL POUNDS. 

THE BEST BAR SOAP MADE. 

And, on the bottom…

The very best materials are used in the
manufacture of this soap. 

Apparently, this card was going to be used to record the purchases of “Edna” who, it seems bought nothing.