History's Runway: An Enamel and Ruby Bow, circa 1600

Bow
Enamel, Rubies, Pearl, Gold
1600-1660
The Victoria and Albert Museum

Little is known about this beautiful little bow. It was made somewhere in Europe between 1600 and 1660. A masterpiece of enamel work, the bow is beautiful from both sides. The front of the piece is set with sparking rubies in gold mounts while the reverse is hand-painted with enamel flowers.

Throughout its life the bow has been worn as both a pendant and a brooch. The dangling pearl at the bottom may be a later addition. 

Masterpiece of the Week: Judith Slaying Holofernes by Artemisia Gentileschi, 1620

Judith Slaying Holofernes
Artemisia Gentileschi, 1620
Uffizi Gallery

The Biblical figure of Judith has often been used to represent Judaism itself. A Jewish widow, Judith was a noblewoman in the town of Bethulia which was under siege by an Assyrian army led by a tyrant called Holofernes. One night, Judith enchanted Holofernes with her great beauty as she and her maid, Abra, got the man intoxicated with wine. When Holofernes, passed out, Judith seized the opportunity to murder him so that she could protect her people. With Abra’s help, Judith used a sword to decapitate Holofernes—bringing his head as a trophy to Bethulia. Her people, so encouraged by the display, battled the Assyrians and won.


The story of Judith was a favorite of Artemisia Gentileschi who painted the subject twice. She was intrigued by the idea of a powerful woman. The first version, painted in Naples, is an excellent painting. However, her 1620 version, painted in Florence, is a superior work. Artemisia portrayed Judith in her trademark Artemisia gold—a symbol of strength. The strength of the women seems to reflect Artemisia’s personal fortitude.

Indicative of her quest for realism, Judith shows the veins and muscles of the dying man as he struggles—his legs tangled in his blood-red bed clothes—against the sword at his throat. Blood spurts from his wound onto the two women. Judith’s determination is readily apparent in her face and the tension in her arms as she wields the heavy sword is palpable.

This work is indicative of the power of Artemisia’s painting. Seeing this scene makes her historic induction as the first woman in the Academia seem very fitting indeed. Her talent knew no gender.

Masterpiece of the Week: The Birds and Ferns Potpourri Vase, 1820

The Victoria & Albert Museum

Made purely for the sake of satisfying the senses, this cylindrical vase of square form, features a tapering neck, spreading foot and gilded handles in the form of grotesque animal heads. The central section of the vase is painted with a tree on which sits an exotic bird and a parrot above an abundance of roses and other flowers in blue, yellow, brown, orange, pink and black enamels. The background, in its entirety, undulates with an abstracted painted fern pattern in mauve.

The base is pierced with three circular holes and the lid—which is surmounted by the figure of a gilt, seated greyhound--is pierced with eight circular holes. These openings allowed scent to escape from the potpourri with which this vessel was filled.

These beautiful container was made in Longport, England, c. 1820 by Davenport & Co. who specialized in bone china which was gilt and painted in brilliant enamel colors. It is marked “DAVENPORT, LONGPORT.”

Masterpiece of the Week: Bannalist and Pandour, 'Freikorps Trenck', 1748

Bannalist and Pandour
David Morier, 1748
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection 
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Created by David Morier (1705?-1770), this work of oil on canvas was commissioned by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland (1721-1765). David Morier was a celebrated Swiss painter, known for his military and sporting scenes. 

Morier had a long association with the Duke of Cumberland, starting in 1747, when he painted a group of canvases of the troops under the Duke’s command. Until 1764, Morier was employed as “limner” (or painter) to the Duke of Cumberland on an annual salary of £100. The painting depicts two soldiers facing the viewer. They are posed in front of a flat, open landscape, holding rifles in their right hands. The one on the right is wearing a scarlet uniform, while the one on the left is clad in blue with red boots. 

Mastery of Design: The Queen Mother’s Ruby Necklace, 1907

Necklace
Boucheron, 1907
Rubies, Diamonds, Gold
The Royal Collection

A close friend of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, and King George VI, the Honorable Mrs. Ronald Greville was known for her beauty, style and impeccable taste. Mrs. Greville was a keen collector of jewels, and during her life amassed an unprecedented assortment of diamond and gemstone pieces.


Upon her death in 1942, Mrs. Greville bequeathed her amazing collection to Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. The Queen Mother presented her daughter (now Queen Elizabeth II) with many of the pieces from Mrs. Greville’s collection on the day of her wedding in 1947.

This magnificent necklace was among those jewels given to Her Majesty on her wedding day. Created specifically for Mrs. Greville by Boucheron in Paris in 1907, the necklace of diamonds and bold red rubies is the epitome of Edwardian style with its floral pattern and dense settings.

The only change to the necklace since being presented to the Queen in 1947 is that it has been shortened by the two smallest, uppermost, flower clusters.

Masterpiece of the Week: The Codman Judy, 1860

Judy Puppet
Circa 1860
The Museum of Liverpool

She may not be as old as Mr. Punch, and she may not have always been called “Judy” (she began in Britain as a character named “Joan”), but Judy is as much a part of the history of world culture as her illustrious husband.


This long-suffering, wooden-headed lady, can’t be considered the world’s best mother. She did marry Mr. Punch, after all, and leaves her baby in the care of her irresponsible mate, but she’s fiercely protective of her offspring and becomes quite enraged when her child is made into sausage—as one does.

This lovely puppet is one of the original pieces from the Codman Family. Codman’s is a family-operated theatre which has been a part of Liverpool, England culture since the 1860’s.

Still in excellent condition, this Judy is no worse for wear after thousands of beatings. With her pinched face and slight snarl, she’s still a formidable force after over a century.

Masterpiece of the Week: Children Playing with a Lamb, 1840

Children Playing with a LambSwiss, 1840
The Victoria & Albert Museum

The painter Barthélemy Menn (1815-1893) was born in Geneva where he studied with some of the greatest Swiss and French painters of the Nineteenth Century.  Menn later studied with the famed Ingres and followed him in Rome where he produced portraits and landscapes similar in style to those of the school of Barbizon.

This 1840 painting, “Children Playing with a Lamb,” is a great example of Menn's transitional style when he ceased historical painting in favor of a freer approach based on natural themes. 

The genre scene depicts two women and two children playing with a lamb, which may be understood as a symbolic representation of the traditional image of Mary and Anne with the Infants Jesus and St John the Baptist.

It’s very Easter-y.  So, there you are.  

This painting was part of the collection of Rev. Chauncey Hare Townshend whom we know largely for his important collection of jewels.  The work was listed in the 1868 post-mortem register of the contents of his villa in Lausanne as “Oil on millboard. Children playing with a Lamb. By B. Menn. In frame. Signed. Swiss. Present century.”  It was bequeathed by Townshend to the V&A in 1868.

Masterpiece of the Week: The Birds and Ferns Potpourri Vase, 1820

The Victoria & Albert Museum

Made purely for the sake of satisfying the senses, this cylindrical vase of square form, features a tapering neck, spreading foot and gilded handles in the form of grotesque animal heads. The central section of the vase is painted with a tree on which sits an exotic bird and a parrot above an abundance of roses and other flowers in blue, yellow, brown, orange, pink and black enamels. The background, in its entirety, undulates with an abstracted painted fern pattern in mauve.

The base is pierced with three circular holes and the lid—which is surmounted by the figure of a gilt, seated greyhound--is pierced with eight circular holes. These openings allowed scent to escape from the potpourri with which this vessel was filled.

These beautiful container was made in Longport, England, c. 1820 by Davenport & Co. who specialized in bone china which was gilt and painted in brilliant enamel colors. It is marked “DAVENPORT, LONGPORT.”

Precious Time: A Magnificent Watch by Markwick and Markham, 1750-75

Clock-Watch
Markwick and Markham
1750-1775
The Victoria & Albert Museum

From the Eighteenth-Century makers of luxury “clock-watches,” Markwick & Markham, we see this glorious specimen with quarter-repeating movement, verge escapement and and enamel dial. It features gilt-metal cases, with an embossed outer case, adorned with chased gold and decorated with gold piqué work on leather

Signed Markwick-Markham, London, it is is numbered 14103. James Markwick and Robert Markham created elegant clocks and watches for the Turkish market, as well as formed a partnership under their joint names to operate a London shop-front from about 1725 to 1805.

The specific term, “Clock-Watch” refers to the oversized watches which were in vogue at the time. Not only could they be carried on a person, but they could be displayed in a room on a hook (usually from a necessaire) and employed as a clock while traveling. This model, made for export, is fitted with Turkish gradations and strikes the hours and quarters on a silver bell. This beautiful watch uses three cases: a gilt-metal case which is pierced and engraved with foliage, another outer case which is similarly decorated, and an extra outer case which is pierced in openwork with Rococo scrolls and foliage and with panels of shagreen (leather of rough, un-tanned skin) decorated with piqué in gold.

Masterpiece of the Week: Victoria and Albert’s Magnificent Piano, 1856

Piano, 1856
Gilt Mahogany, Ormolu, Paint, Satinwood, Pine
S. & P. Erard
Presented to Queen Victoria
The Royal Collection

Ever-united, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were aficionados of fine music and both, by all accounts, played the piano beautifully. They enjoyed playing together as well as taking turns accompanying while the other sang. For them, the piano was the centerpiece of the home.

In 1856, this magnificent gilt piano was presented to the queen by its makers, S. and P. Erard. The piano is largely composed of gilt, painted and varnished mahogany with ormolu adornments and an interior of satinwood and pine. Queen Victoria selected the ornaments and painted scenes herself.

The piano has recently been restored. Would you like to hear it played? Here are some selections performed by Howard Shelley and Hilary MacNamara on the restored piano. 

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

Click image to enlarge.

Mastery of Design: The Thirteen Miniatures Gold Box, 1850-61

God Box with Thirteen Miniatures
Commissioned by Queen Victoria
The Royal Collection

This glorious gold presentation box was set with thirteen miniature paintings by William Charles Bell (1831-1904), William Essex (1784-1869) between 1850 and 1861.
The miniatures show: Queen Victoria; Princess Victoria (×2); Prince Albert Edward; Princess Alice; Prince Alfred; Princess Helena (×2); Princess Louise (×2); Prince Arthur; Princess Beatrice; and Prince William of Prussia

Each is rendered in enamel. They are mounted on a rounded rectangular gold box with hinged lid. The whole of the box is covered with etched tendrils and Tudor roses on a trellis.

Each enamel miniature was given as a gift by Queen Victoria to Prince Albert in commemoration of their wedding anniversary, 10 February 1859. They were mounted on the box after the Prince Consort’s death in 1861.

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

Click on image to enlarge.

Masterpiece of the Week: The Libyan Sybil, 1651

The Libyan Sybil
Guercino, 1651
The Royal Collection

King George III was one of the most prolific art collectors of the Royal Family. Later, Queen Victoria would add to his collection as well as continue to purchase paintings by Baroque Italian painters.


This work by the Italian Painter Guercino (known as “The Squinter” for the way in which he studied his compositions through clenched eyes) was painted in 1651 for Ippolito Cattani of Bologna from whose estate King George later purchased the piece. It depicts the Libyan Sybil—the woman who prophesied the coming of the Messiah to the Gentiles. Guercino was known for his paintings of the twelve sybils. This Sybil was painted later in his life. By this point in his career, he had cast aside his usual Baroque tendencies of heavy chiaroscuro and instead, shown us a figure painted in half-shadow in regal, rich colors. The artist has also broken tradition by identifying the Sybil by a simple inscription in the book she’s reading as opposed to her usual artistic attribute of a lighted lamp.

For many centuries, the more Pagan symbol of the Sybil was used as a stand-in for Old Testament prophets. This device of communication was often employed in Italian art by Renaissance and Baroque artists. George III was fascinated by this sort of metaphor and eagerly added such paintings to his collection. 

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

Masterpiece of the Week: A Mosaic of Nicholas I, Czar of Russia, 1828

Tsar Nicholas I
Glass Mosaic, c. 1828
Michelangelo Barberi
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Composed of glass tesserae, this bust portrait depicts Nicholas I, Czar of Russia in military uniform.  This mosaic was made in the traditional Italian style in Rome around 1828 by Michelangelo Barberi (1787-1867).  

Masterpiece of the Week: Sir Edwin Landseer’s “Princess Victoire of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha,” 1839

Princess Victoire of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha
Sir Edwin Landseer, 1839
The Royal Collection

This unusual portrait from the private collection of Queen Victoria is the work of the magnificent Edwin Landseer from whose skilled hand came some of the most beautiful portraits, landscapes and animal scenes produced by any British painter.


The sitter is Queen Victoria’s cousin, Princess Victoire of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Victoire was the daughter of Queen Victoria’s mother’s elder brother, Duke Ferdinand of Saxe-Gotha. She is painted from the back as she gazes out into the horizon. Landseer included Victoire’s black cocker spaniel in the piece. It’s hard to say if this was because of a particular attachment Victoire had to the dog or because Edwin Landseer really enjoyed painting dogs—something for which he is remembered to this day.

Landseer considered this highly detailed work to be “just a sketch” as indicated in the notation on the reverse of the canvas. It is thought that the “sketch” was drawn without Victoire’s knowledge. Viewers of the work found it odd and enchanting. The painting was given as a gift to Queen Victoria from one Baroness Lehzen on September 10, 1839. The Baroness described the work as “a lovely sketch in oils Landseer has done of Victoire’s back, as a surprise for me; it is so like, - such a treasure — just the figure of that Angel.”

Landseer shows us that a figure that is drawn properly is recognizable as a particular person even from behind. This strange pose at once reminds us of his talent as a painter and the quiet beauty of Princess Victoire of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. 

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

Gifts of Grandeur: A Pair of Boucheron Earclips, 1963

The Victoria & Albert Museum



In 1963, the famed jewelers at Boucheron created these earclips of gold, platinum, turquoises and diamonds. An elegant, timeless design, they could have fit in with any outfit of almost any time period, but they are clearly inspired by the jewels of the 1820s.

The Home Beautiful: A Mother-of-Pearl Spectacle Case and Spectacles, 1685-1688

Spectacle Case
The Victoria & Albert Museum

I think this is very pretty, and I’d never have guessed that it is as old as it is. Here, we see a French spectacle case of painted and gilded mother-of-pearl. The case was donated to the V&A still containing a pair of folding spectacles, of tortoise-shell and silver. The spectacles were actually made later in the Eighteenth Century.

The case itself was made in the shape of a pair of spectacles with a high, arched bridge. It is crafted of two sheets of mother-of-pearl, joined by a narrow, molded, strip of silver around the sides and base of the case. One surface of the mother-of-pearl is painted in red, green and yellow with a floral design springing from a trellised flower pot centered on each lens.

This case may have belonged to James II. The painted mother-of-pearl case is of the very highest quality and would have only been available to someone of Royal or noble birth. A letter that accompanied the spectacles, from the Eighteenth Century, describes how the case passed from James's son, the Old Pretender, through several hands, until it came into the possession of a Mr. Walker in 1770.

Masterpiece of the Week: Charlotte, Princess Royal and Prince William, later Duke of Clarence

Charlotte, Princess Royal and Prince William
Johann Zoffany, circa 1770
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection 
Image Courtesy of Queen Elizabeth II

Painted for King George III and his Consort, Queen Charlotte, this painting is the work of Johan Zoffany (1733-1810) and depicts Charlotte, the Princess Royal and Prince William (later, the Duke of Clarence and later King William IV)—two of their children.

This portrait is one of a pair depicting the four eldest children of George III. The other depicts Prince George (later King George IV) and Prince Frederick. The paintings were clearly created to be viewed from a low point-of-view, looking up. They were once displayed above twin doorways in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace in 1841. According to the Royal Collection, “prior to this however they seemed to have moved around, without an obvious home.” So, it’s hard to say for where they were originally intended. 

Zoffany has created a scene with his usual sense of humor wherein the children and their dog seem to have climbed into a theatrical architectural setting. Their mischievous expression belies the grandeur of the setting and the seriousness of the drapery and floral arrangement.

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: Marie, Queen of Hanover, 1861

Marie, Queen of Hanover
German School, 1861
Portrait: Watercolor on Ivory
Frame: Gold, Enamel, Diamonds
The Royal Collection

I just think this is very pretty. This watercolor on ivory miniature painting of Marie, Queen of Hanover is set into a gorgeous blue enamel frame with diamond flower-head spandrels.


The painting by an unknown German artist was presented to Marie by Queen Victoria as a souvenir. The piece was then given to Princess Mary Adelaide who was also the Duchess of Teck. As often happened, the little portrait ended up in the hands of—you guessed it—Queen Mary (of Teck) who managed to get hold of everything.

Painting of the Day: Portrait of a Baby, possibly Prince Edward (1767-1820), later Duke of Kent

Portrait of a Baby, Possibly Prince Edward
c. 1769
Francis Cotes
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Painted by Francis Cotes (1726-70), circa 1768-1769, this work of oil on canvas was first recorded in the Royal Collection during the reign of Queen Victoria.  

The identity of the infant sitter has long been something of a mystery, however, most believe that the child is Prince Edward since his 1767 birth coincides with the creation of the painting.  Furthermore, Eighteenth Century inventories of the palaces at Kensington and Kew refer to portraits of Prince Edward by "Coates."

Regardless of his identity, the baby is a cheeky boy, impersonating Cupid--complete with faux wings, a quiver of arrows and a theatrical floral garland.  During this period, artists such as Reynolds were employing this sort of "mock-mythology" in portraits of young ladies, but, if the attributed date of the painting is to be trusted, we can see that Cotes was among the first to adopt the idea in the representation of infants.