Back to business...slowly

A Mad Dog in a Coffee House
Thomas Rowlandson, 1809
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Click image to enlarge.

Well, wasn't THAT an unusually long absence on my part?  Sorry for not having posted the last few days.  

At any rate, I'm easing back into our regular schedule.  

We'll pick up with A Recipe for Punch in coming days, and get back to the usual order of things.  If you'd like to catch up with the story, you can access all posted chapters in the Chapter Archive.

More "stuff" coming soon.

Gifts of Grandeur: The Dudley Box, 1579

This pretty little box was made in England in 1579 to hold sweetmeats.  Gifts of sweetmeats, sugared fruits and candies were traditional presents at New Year in the Royal Court.  Sometimes these were presented in special, and often precious, containers such as this one.   

The crest of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester (died 1588) is inlaid im silver in the lid. Dudley was the favorite of Queen Elizabeth I, and was, therefore, a very important fella about the court.  No doubt, this box must have been made especially for Dudley as a New Year's gift.

Curiously, after the box had been donated to the V&A, it was untouched for many years.  In fact, it was not opened until 1968 when the crest of Dudley and inscribed date  was discovered for the first time.

The box is decorated in the technique known as damascening, a process, especially popular in the Sixteenth Century, in which gold and silver ribbon is forced into a cross hatched surface of iron using a copper tool. The base iron was darkened with heat and chemicals so that it would develop a blue or black hue which would contrast with the gold and silver ornament.  

Object of the Day: Buy Peoria Stoves

She’s looking to her right with an expression that says, “Isn’t my costume a bit…well…Seventeenth Century.” 

She pauses and breaks her gaze.

"What?"  The artist asks.

"Well...it's just that this...collar.  It's rather...out-moded."

“No, no…” The artist must have said. “It’s fine.”

“What’s this drawing for?” She asked.

“I dunno, canned meat…or…I dunno. Kettles or something.”

“Should I smile?”

“Not a lot.” The artist replies.

“Are you sure I’m not over-dressed for kettles?”

“Maybe it’s stoves. I dunno.” The artist replied. “Now, stay still.”

“Oh, if it’s stoves. Then, this is perfect. The hat’s my own. Do you like it?”

“Stay still!”

"Georges?  Why is it you always get to sit in the shade while I have to stand in the sun?" 

"Don't move the mouth."  He replies.

Oh...hold on.  I slipped into Sondheim-mode.  Let's refocus.

Above this decidedly over-dressed woman, we see the words:

Buy PEORIA STOVES.

MANUFACTURED BY

CULTER & PROCTOR STOVE CO.

Peoria, Ills.

And, on the reverse, we see…

THE PEORIA OAK

FOR SOFT COAL AND WOOD,

IS THE

PEERLESS LEADER

OF ITS CLASS

     The fire pot for coal is double and heavy. Single Fire
Pot and separate Wood Grate for wood.
     Fire Pot is LOW DOWN, retaining and radiating the heat
near the floor, where it is needed.
     The base Section is ornamental and ventilated, distributing
heat from its entire surface.
     Large deep Ash Pan in base rendering stove cleanly and
convenient in service.
     Mounted with extra heavy, best quality Boiler Iron Drum.
     Every joint made gas and air tight—preventing leakage.
     Check Draft Registers in doors and collar, giving perfect
control over fire.
     Grate shakes from outside, with solid center pull dump.
     Spun nickel and Bronze Urn.
     Full Nickel Trimmed.      Polished Edges.



I do worry about having a solid center pull dump. 

Ah, the days when cooking was truly, truly dangerous.

Mastery of Design: An Eye Miniature, 19th C.

Miniature of watercolor on ivory
Nineteenth Century
The Victoria & Albert Museum

We’ve looked at quite a few of these jewel-framed miniature portraits of eyes. Eye miniatures were a curious but brief anomaly in miniature painting that enjoyed a short turn in fashion at the end of the 18th century.


These sentimental paintings were given as tokens of affection from a woman to a man, typically, in an attempt to capture “the window of the soul” and offer an into the subject’s most intimate thoughts and feelings.

This one was made in the early Nineteenth Century. As usual, the painting is watercolor on ivory. We’re not sure who created it, who the subject is or to whom it was given. The shape of the piece is unusual, elevating the subject into a new elegance. The pearls set into the gold frame indicate that this was meant as an important gift.

Unfolding Pictures: The Reading Fan, 1870

The Reading Fan
Front
England, 1870
Presented to Queen Alexandra when Princess of Wales
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection 
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Made in England in 1870, this attractive fan features a paper leaf with mother-of-pearl sticks and guards and a chased gold loop. This fan, from the Royal Collection, was once owned by Queen Alexandra (“Bertie, I can’t hear you”), Consort of fuzzy man-about-town King Edward VII.

The fan was presented to Alexandra (1844-1925) while she was still the Princess of Wales. She was, in fact, the Princess of Wales for a really long time since her mother-in-law, Queen Victoria, lived almost forever and Edward didn’t ascend the throne until 1901. The Mayor and Corporation of Reading presented the fan to the Princess of Wales one hundred forty-two years and one day ago on July 1, 1870, on the occasion of the laying of the foundation stone of Reading School by the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII). The date is inscribed on the verso.

The new school at Reading was designed by Alfred Waterhouse (1830-1905). The structure replaced one that had been founded by Henry VII. Along with the presentation of the fan to the Princess to commemorate the occasion was to be an address by the Reading Mayor. However, much to the Princess’ relief—since she probably couldn’t have heard a word of it anyway—the address was not read aloud, but rather presented in a novel way.

The speech had been reduced by photography (a technology which very much fascinated Alexandra, a known shutterbug), and was mounted in a delicately carved mother-of-pearl and gold frame. This was tied by a ribbon terminating in a gold and blue enamel “A,” to the gold fan loop along with a solid gold vinaigrette adorned on one side with the coronet and monogram of the Princess, and, on the other an inscription commemorating the date.

The fan leaf, inscribed MARCUS WARD DELT. and HOWELL JAMES & CO. is painted, in the center with two intertwined letters—“A”—surmounted by the Prince of Wales’s coronet. Flanking this are views of Reading School and Reading Abbey, with the arms of Reading and of the Princess of Wales. All of this, as well as a miniature version of the fan—was presented in a fitted box. Sadly, only the large fan remains—the vinaigrette, frame, ribbon and miniature fan having since been divorced from the original set and, consequently, lost. I would guess they’re somewhere in Sandringham in a drawer along with a bunch of other things which Alexandra—when Queen—squirreled away. 

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

Sculpture of the Day: A Wax Bust of Queen Victoria, c. 1837

The Victoria & Albert Museum

Wax has been a favorite medium for centuries due to its ease of use and versatility. Portraits in wax portraits became quite fashionable in the Eighteenth Century in Britain. As opposed to the life-sized wax figures seen at waxworks such as Madame Tussaud’s, miniature figures and busts were often created as keepsakes. The tradition continued well into the Nineteenth Century, especially before the advent of photography.


These miniature figures were modeled from the life. The waxes were not only quite portable, but due to the nature of the medium, they had an attractive, naturalistic look which was warmer than figures in stone or metal. Often, these waxes were tinted and embellished with textiles, seed pearls or colored glass eyes, to augment the life-like appearance of the portrayal. Best of all, for a more permanent figure, a mould could be made from this initial model, from which further copies could be cast in bronze or spelter.

Here, we see a wax bust depicting Queen Victoria who is shown turned to the right wearing a V-necked dress with sleeves decorated with ribbons and a sash. This figure was created in 1837 upon Victoria’s accession by sculptor William Le Grand. Not much is known of Le Grand and it’s unclear if he not only sculpted by published copies of such waxes.

Painting of the Day: A Miniature of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, 1902

Miniature
Watercolor on Ivory Set in Gold with
Pearls and Diamonds
Meant to be worn as a Garter Badge
1902
The Royal Collection
Crown Copyright
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty
Queen Elizabeth II

Created in watercolor on ivory in 1902 to commemorate for the Coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, this miniature by Johannes Zehngraf (1857-1908) is set in a pendant brooch with an intricate pearl and diamond Maltese cross border. The miniature was set this way so that it could be used as Queen Alexandra’s Family Order. It hangs from a red and white ribbon.

The miniature was first recorded in the Royal Collection during the brief reign of King Edward VIII who had a lot in common with his grandfather (Edward VII) as far as outlook and lifestyle were concerned (not as far as having a desire to serve his country is concerned). You can actually see the resmblence of the one-time Edward VIII to his grandmother, Prince Alexandra as she is depicted in profile on this miniature.