Mastery of Design: The Ostertag Brooch, 1927-1940

Brooch
Ostertag, Paris
The Victoria & Albert Museum

A  brilliant work of platinum, white gold, baguette and brilliant-cut diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds, this handsome brooch is the work of Parisian jeweler Ostertag and dates between 1927-1940.

This is part of a suite of gems donated to the Victoria & Albert Museum in the last century. We have examined many of them already. They’re all related in their clever use of platinum and diamonds to contrast with bright, colored gemstones in dramatic patterns. 

Antique Image of the Day: Henry Neville as Bob Brierly in The Ticket of Leave Man, 1863

Henry Neville
London, 1863
From the Collection of Guy Tristram Little at
The Victoria & Albert Museum

This 1863 photograph shows Victorian actor Henry Neville in the role of “Bob Brierly” in the Olympic Theatre’s production of “The Ticket of Leave Man.” When this photo was taken, photography was still a novelty. Actors such as Mr. Neville were pleased to have the additional publicity that photographs afforded them and happily sat for promotional stills. Such images were highly collectible by Victorian Society. Many amassed collections of these “cartes de visite,” and the cabinet cards which followed. Cartes de visite received their name from their size—just about the dimensions of a formal calling or visiting card while cabinet cards were larger. These collectible photos depicted almost anything from fashionable individuals to exotic landscapes. Introduced in 1854, these photos, by 1860, were wildly popular.

This photograph of Henry Neville comes from a large collection of cartes de visite and cabinet cards which were removed from their backings and mounted in albums by Guy Tristram Little (d.1953) who bequeathed them to the V&A. Little’s famous theatrical collection formed the basis of the Theatre Collections at the museum.

Gifts of Grandeur: A Theatrical Miniature, 1837

Scene from Goethe's Torquato Tasso:
The Meeting of Tasso and Leonora d'Este
Wilhelm Hensel, 1837
Oil on Card, Gold Frame
Presented by the artist to Prince Albert, 1843
The Royal Collection

Prince Albert and Queen Victoria both enjoyed the theater. Victoria particularly favored “foreign” productions—a trait for which she was often criticized by those who thought she should be more visibly supportive of English theater.


Among the many objects they collected, Victoria and Albert often obtained images which reminded them of their love of the theatrical. Prince Albert acquired this miniature painting in 1843. Painted in 1837, the painting depicts a crucial scene from Goethe’s Torquato Tasso—a drama about the life of one of Italy’s most important Renaissance poets.

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

Print of the Day: Theatrical Leap Frog, 1804

Theatrical Leap Frog
Print, hand-colored, 1804
The Victoria  & Albert Museum

This hand-colored engraving entitled "Theatrical Leap Frog" is a caricature of the child actor Master Betty leaping over John Philip Kemble--a famed English actor of the late Eighteenth and early Nineteenth Centuries.  It was published in London by Rudolph Ackerman (1765-1834).

It represents the growing popularity of novelty acts as they surpassed legitimate drama in fashion.  The original was drawn by Thomas Rowlandson.

Mr. Punch of Belgrave Square will Continue on Monday

Last week, the drama continued at No. 65 Belgrave Square.  While Mr. Punch rested in the library of his opulent home, his sister and Gamilla had gone to a dressmaker to have the wedding gown that Fern ruined replaced with a new one.  The shopping trip gave Lennie and Gamilla a chance to bond and the two shared stories about their past.

The walk home was halted when Lennie and Gamilla spotted Ulrika Rittenhouse, holding Marduk and Giovanni Ianstosca in front of Hamish House.  Wishing to avoid the dangerous trio, Lennie and Gamilla decided to go around through the mews, but they were stopped by the Baron Lensdown, newly returned to London.  

The baron mocked Gamilla and Lennie and Lennie had had enough.  She told the baron that Orpha was his sister and they the product of their incestuous union was an infant with two heads.  The baron accused Lennie of Slander and when Lennie challenged him to go look at the baby, he became incensed and grabbed Gamilla's arm, threatening to kill her if Lennie said any more.

Lennie, fed up with being bullied, struck the baron, knocking him to the ground.  A crowd formed and a gentleman asked if he could escort Lennie and Gamilla home.  The man, the Earl of Cleaversworth, seemed taken with Lennie and tried to protect her as they passed Ulrika and Giovanni.  Lennie, however, paused to inform Ulrika that the baron was back in London.  Ulrika sent Giovanni to fetch him so that father and two-headed child could be introduced.

After the Earl asked Lennie if he could call again, Lennie went inside while Gamilla hurried to Gerry.  Ulrika had informed them that Gerard had cut off Orpha's hand and Gamilla wanted to make sure her husband-to-be was unharmed.

Lennie went in search of her brother and Robert and found Punch under the library table... unconscious!

This week, you'll be treated to some more surprises as we find out what has happened to Punch and why.  Furthermore, we'll get to have a closer look at Ulrika's wacky world and the reunion of father and son.  You won't want to miss a chapter.  However, if you do, you can catch up in the Chapter Archive.

Thanks for reading!

Painting of the Day: “A Performance of Macbeth, Windsor Castle,” 1853

A Performance of Macbeth, Windsor Castle
Louis Haghe, 1853
The Royal Collection

Public outrage at the actions of our leaders is nothing new. Sometimes, a leader will not be aware of the message that she’s sending when she does something that is innocent enough. Such was the case with Queen Victoria who very much enjoyed viewing Italian, French and German operas and theatricals. The English people were upset, wondering why the queen wasn’t as interested in native theatre as she was in foreign productions.


So, in order to quiet the public, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert instituted an annual tradition of inviting the British company of actor Charles Kean into their home to perform works of English origin. This 1853 watercolor by Louis Haghe shows one of these performances. Here, we see the royal family seated in the “Rubens”’ room of Windsor Castle, enjoying a performance of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. You can see the queen and prince seated on the left, with their children on the floor. Victoria was so impressed with the performance that she attended the London production of the show many times.

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

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: Henry V Trying on the Crown, 1847

Henry V Trying on the Crown
Staffordshire, 1847
The Victoria  Albert Museum

"Flatbacks," as they are known for the shape of their backs, and Earthenware figurines for mantelpiece decoration by Staffordshire became popular in the mid-1830s. We’ve looked at the earliest datable figures by Staffordshire—those of Queen Victoria—and we’ve seen that until about 1905 many figures were produced of popular people and scenes representing a wide variety of subjects. 

This figure dates to 1847 and depicts Henry V trying on the crown. This, obviously, is meant to mimic a scene of Henry V from the play which bears his name. According to the V&A, “Although the play Henry V was staged in the early 19th century, by Macready in 1819 and Kean in 1830 and 1839, who both starred as the King, we do not know if this figurine represents any specific actor.”

Clearly, however, the figure is modeled on an engraving which itself was based on a painting that had been displayed at the Westminster Hall in 1847. The painting was John Calcott Horsley's painting Henry V and showed the moment when the Prince of Wales, believing the King to be Dead, takes the crown from the cushion and places it on his head.

Of course, much drama ensued. However, this quiet figurine exists simply to look lovely and does a fine job of it.