Mr. Punch of Belgrave Square, Chapter 357

When last we visited No. 65 Belgrave Square, the residents above and below stairs were celebrating the impending nuptials of Gamilla and Gerard Gurney.  The Duke/Mr. Punch and his companion, Dr. Robert Halifax, First Baron Colinshire had organized a little "bachelor party" for Gerard, the doctor's valet.  Meanwhile, The Duke's sister, Lennie, Lady Fallbridge,  had conspired with the female staff to throw a shower for Gamilla.  After the celebrations, with the house quiet, Gerard and Gamilla shared a private dance before parting.  Little did anyone know, but the nursery maid, Ruthy, had been talking with the Duke's enemy, Ulrika Rittenhouse who had been urged by Orpha Polk, mother of a pair of conjoined twins whom Ulrika and Orpha considered a "demon god."  The twins, known by the single name, Marduk, were gravely ill, and Orpha was convinced that the only salvation was a sacrifice.

And so...


Chapter 357
The Wedding Morning


"Good heavens, man."  Robert laughed as he rubbed his eyes, sitting up in bed.  "Don't you know you aren't to be working today?"

Gerard shook his head nervously.  "Couldn't help it, Your Lordship.  Had to do somethin'."

"Gerard..."  Mr. Punch inhaled loudly, rolling over.  He patted Robert on the shoulder.  "Is that Gerard, chum?"

"It is, dear Punch."  Robert smiled.

Punch squinted.  "Don't he know it's 'is weddin' day?"

"I suspect that he does."  Robert yawned.

"Here,"  Punch mumbled to Gerard, "Ain't you meant to be gettin' ready for your weddin', then?"

Gerard couldn't help but chuckle.  "I'm as ready as I can be, Your Grace.  I thought I should carry on with my duties."

"Charles is quite capable of looking after both of us."  Robert stretched.

"I know, Sir.  Only I'll be gone on me weddin' trip for two weeks and I thought I should like to serve you once more before that."  Gerard replied.

Robert smiled.  "Very well.  You can fetch my dressing gown."

"Good, Your Lordship."  Gerard nodded.  "I saw Charles in the 'all just a moment ago.  He'll be up straight away to get your dressed Your Grace while I look after Dr. Halifax."

Punch sighed.  "Lord Colinshire and me are actually able to dress ourselves.  You oughta be downstairs with your friends.  You and Charles both."

"But, Your Grace.  I'm upstairs with my friends."  Gerard replied honestly.

Robert and Punch exchanged pleased glances.

"Thank you, Gerry."  Punch nodded.  "Here, 'ave you had breakfast?"

"Oh, yes."  Gerard smiled.  "Mrs. Pepper filled me up proper, she did."

"Glad of it."  Punch nodded.  "What of Gamilla?  How is she today?"

"Oh, dear Punch..."  Robert shook his head.  "Gerard and Gamilla aren't to see one another until Gamilla is delivered to him at the church."

"I forgot."  Punch nodded.  "Did she eat?"

"Vi brought up a tray.  Ruthy's in the day nursery.  She said Gamilla's not come out of her rooms yet."

"That's strange."  Robert slipped into his dressing gown.  "She's usually the first to get to Colin."

"I s'pect she's packin' and re-packin' 'er things or fussin' over her gown."  Punch grinned.

"Miss Lennie..."  Gerard began, pausing to correct himself, "Lady Fallbridge, that is, was headed up to the nursery as I was comin' in here.  Said she and Vi would help Gamilla get herself ready."

"Coo.  I can't wait to see how beautiful our Gamilla looks in her gown."  Punch replied.

"Nor I, your Grace.  Nor I."  Gerard beamed.

When the men heard the knock on the door, they expected Charles to enter as he did each morning when he and Gerard helped the Duke and Baron Colinshire respectively prepare for the day.

However, they were surprised to see Lennie enter the room.  She looked at the floor.  "Is everyone dressed?"

"Yes, Lennie, dear."  Punch said.  "What brings you in so early?"

"Well...I...I've just been in the nursery suite..."

"How is the bride to be?"  Robert asked.

"I don't know."  Lennie answered quickly.

"All at sixes and sevens?"  Robert smiled.

"No.  Well, maybe.  She's not there."

"Not there?"  Gerard turned quickly.

"No.  Her bed's not been slept in either."

Gerard turned around.  "Your Grace?"

"I'm sure it's nothing."  Robert said quickly.  "She might have popped over to pick up something from one of the shops."

"This early?"  Punch asked.

"Or just gone on a walk to calm her nerves."  Robert continued.

"Gamilla wouldn't leave the 'ouse without askin' permission or at least tellin' Mr. Speaight ot Mrs. Pepper that she left."  Gerard shook his head.

"No, she wouldn't."  Lennie agreed.

Punch's eyes widened.  "That right."  He grabbed his dressing gown and headed for the door.

"Wait."  Robert said.  "I'll come with you."

"So will I."  Gerard spoke up.

"No, no."  Lennie shook her head.  "Why don't you come into the library with me.  It's not good luck to see the bride..."

"But, ain't good luck if she's been taken!"  Gerard snapped.  He blushed.  "I'm sorry, Your Ladyship."

"I understand."  Lennie said softly.  "Just come with me.  Let the Duke and Lord Colinshire investigate.  As he said, there's probably a very reasonable answer."

"There never is, Miss Lennie."  Gerard shook his head.  "There never is."



Did you miss Chapters 1-356 of Mr. Punch of Belgrave Square?  If so, you can read them here.  I will be getting the Chapter Archive up to date this week.  Come back tomorrow for Chapter 358.  

Painting of the Day: Baby's First Outing, c. 1853

Baby's First Outing
c. 1853
Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

The new little prince, along with two loving parents, and, eventually the throne of England, will have access to one of the most important collections of art and jewelry in the world.  Among the items in the Royal Collection is this adorable enamel and porcelain plaque entitled "Baby's First Outing."  I thought that this would be an appropriate object for today and is the first of several "Royal Baby" items I've found today to share with you throughout the rest of the week.

The only good thing about my recent absence (well, aside from being kept at my parents' house where I was provided with three hot meals a day--a rare treat indeed) was that I could lie about and anticipate the arrival of the new Prince.   As a historian whose main focus is the lives of the British monarchs from George III onward, I found this quite fascinating.

I'd like to take this moment to thank everyone for their wishes for a speedy recovery and understanding my sudden disappearance.  No one expects a careless driver to decide that she's going to turn into oncoming traffic.  On Friday, we're going to belatedly celebrate the fourth anniversary of Stalking the Belle Époque with dignified fanfare, some totally undignified goofiness, a tasty "Tale of Two Sundays" treat of the Week, and some Punchinello antics.

However, for now, let's get back to this dear enamel piece.

Created by Carl Meinelt (active 1852-86) between 1853-73, the enamel on porcelain plaque was first recorded at Queen Victoria's summer residence, Osborne House, in 1876.  This was just the sort of object which would have appealed to Victoria who liked babies (but loathed being pregnant).  

The plaque depicts a young woman in full-length standing on a grassy hillside with her new baby cradled in her arms.  Said baby is shielded from the sun by a gauze veil and protected by a striped green shawl.

Welcome to the Newest Member of the House of Windsor

Victoria and Albert would be very proud. Joyous greetings to George Alexander Louis! Three cheers for the future King George VII!

Back in the saddle...so to speak

I'm partially back to normal functionality, so, it's my intention to return to posting tomorrow. Thank you for all of your kind wishes for my recovery and my apologies for my lengthy absence--the first in four years, and hopefully the last for a long time.

Not Pretty

I had big plans for this week, but they all became moot when a careless driver turned, without looking, into oncoming traffic...me. So, I'm stiff and sore and now involved in the ordeals which follow such an event. Yesterday was the fourth anniversary of this site. I'd been planning a big online fete, but that will come next week when life settles down.

Mastery of Design: The Sene and Detalla Snuffbox, 1800

Snuff Box
Sene and Detalla, Geneva
Switzerland
With Original Leather Box
1800
Gold, Diamonds, Enamel
This and all related images:
The Victoria & Albert Museum

We’ve looked at a good many snuffboxes over the last three years, but this one is exceptionally fine. Here, we see an oval gold snuffbox enameled in translucent blue within taille d'épargne (a popular decorative technique of the Eighteenth Century also known as “sparing cut” in which engraved lines in a metal base are filled in with opaque enamel, without any variation in the depth of the lines) borders .

The cover of the snuffbox is set with glittering diamonds depicting a Chinoiserie pavilion which is trimmed with foliage and flowers within an additional border of diamonds with champlevé (The technique of decoration by enameling in which the design was made by lines or cells cut into the metal base by carving, engraving, etching or stamping and filled with powdered enamel of various colors and then fired to fuse the enamels) foliage between. The base of the box is beautifully engine turned and engraved with a temple beside a lake upon which ships float.

The box comes from Geneva, Switzerland and was probably produced for the Ottoman Empire, where there was a keen market for European-made objects in the Chinoiserie style.

Painting of the Day: Portrait of Beatrice Cenci, 1842

Portrait Miniature of Beatrice Cenci
Charles Richard Bone, 1842
After Guido Reni
The Victoria & Albert Museum

The remarkable vibrancy of this painting from 1842 owes to the fact that it was painted in enamel on metal. Enamel, more so than traditional miniature painting (watercolor painted on vellum or ivory) was preferable as a medium in as much as  it does not fade when exposed to light.  However this technique does not allow the freedom that watercolor does.  The V&A describes it best, “The process of painting with enamels is, however, less free than the miniature technique and is fraught with danger. The first colors to be laid on the metal support have to be those needing the highest temperature when firing. More color is added and the enamel re-fired, the process ending with the colors needing the lowest temperature.”  Furthermore, due to the intensive labor associated with the technique, this was a far more expensive option that the usual choices.

This is actually an enamel copy of an earlier portrait by Guido Reni.  Charles Richard Bone, grandson of artist Henry Bone, and son of the celebrated Henry Pierce Bone, has taken great pains to recreate Reni’s portrait of Beatrice Cenci, an Italian noblewoman who was famously at the center of a lurid, Sixteenth-Century Roman murder trial.   

Beatrice Cenci (1577-1599) is said to have murdered her brutal father and was condemned to death by Pope Clement VIII.   The original by the influential Seventeenth-Century Italian painter Guido Reni hangs in the Galleria Barberini, Rome.