Archive for March 5th, 2006
This masterpiece of neoclassical design and workmanship is signed and dated by the foremost mosaicist in Rome, Giacomo Raffaelli, in 1804. The figures on the clock are of great virtuosity and may have been made in Raffaelli’s workshop in the Via S Sebastianello.
The maker of the clock movement was Abraham-Louis Breguet, a genius in the history of European horology. Sent by his stepfather to study watchmaking at the College Mazarin in Versailles when he was fifteen, he displayed an extraordinary talent that brought him to the attention of royal clients. By 1775, he had opened his own shop in Paris at quai d’Horlogue, where he dedicated himself to perfecting complex and costly instruments like the self-winding watch, a speciality that earned him international renown and many patrons.
The clock was among the gifts chosen by Antonio Canova (1757-1822) to be taken to Paris by Pius VII, who had been asked to preside over Napoleon Bonaparte’s consecration and coronation as Emperor. The clock later found its way to Malmaison, one of the luxurious residences the Emperor had acquired for Josephine before their marriage was dissolved. It is listed in her death inventory of 1814.
March 5th, 2006
The word howdah is an Anglo-Indian term for the seat used for riding an elephant. Symbols of status in the princely courts, they were ridden in hunts, battles, and ceremonial processions.
The profuse detailing of this howdah recalls the opulence manifested in the princely courts after Queen Victoria was proclaimed empress of India in 1877. The Indian rajas, formerly heads of independent Indian states, became vassals of the British empire. Prevented from exercising any real power, they could only demonstrate their strength through lavish displays of pomp and ceremony. Their impressive appearance at official British governmental functions ironically lent greater authority to the British control of India.
The ornamentation of this howdah provides evidence of the great influence exerted by European taste upon decorative objects made for the Indian courts in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The work was probably carried out by Indian artisans who proved quite adept at copying and altering Victorian designs. Some of the decorative motifs are clearly hybrid forms. For instance, the motif of the fish spewing either a horse or a winged female combines elements found independently in Indian and European art. The floral and border decorations are also alterations and recombinations of motifs from these different traditions.
The motifs embossed on the front, sides, and back of the howdah are not genuine coats of arms but pseudo-heraldic decorations inspired by the English (sides and back) and Scottish (front) royal arms. While these have been deliberately altered - most noticeably in the substitution of a rayed pattern for the central shield - certain details, such as the scrolling foliage beneath the shields and supporters, suggest that the chaser was working from an engraved source, such as that reproduced in contemporary editions of Burke’s Peerage and Baronetage. The appropriation of these emblems as major decorative elements and the appearance of two Indian attendants dressed in European military costumes on the front suggest a conscious effort to display regal authority in European terms.
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March 5th, 2006
You want to improve your home look? Under the Lexington banner you’ll discover a broad array of home furnishings and upholstered and leather seating—each with its own personality. Express yourself through transitional styles that update the past with finishes and features for modern living. Historical designs that complement your treasured antiques. Relaxed cottage pieces for laid back living wherever you are. Practical home entertainment and home office furnishings.
March 5th, 2006
This oval snuffbox is made from chrysoprase, a green variety of quartz that was used extensively in Europe until the middle of the last century. The box and cover are carved from single pieces of chrysoprase and are set with diamond, gold and hardstone scrolls, vines and flowers. The diamonds are set over pink, green and yellow foil. The sides and the base are similarly applied with relief hardstones and gems. Chrysoprase was a particular favourite of Frederick II, the Great of Prussia. It used to be mined in Silesia, then a part of Prussia, but fell out of favour once the Silesian deposits were exhausted. Today, most of the world’s supply of chrysoprase comes from Australia.
It is recorded that Frederick owned eight chrysoprase snuffboxes and that this one was presented by Frederick to his brother Augustus Wilhelm. The design is probably by Jean Guillaume George Kruger, a London-trained designer who moved to Berlin in 1753 and designed a series of snuffboxes in the Prussian royal collection. This particular box dates from around 1755.
March 5th, 2006
Inspired by straw mats, these jewels feature organic gold bars that slide fluidly on two parallel gold chains. Diane von Furstenberg is a sophisticated woman who create luxurious clothes and jewelry for every women’s style. She understend the shapes and the taste of lux, the mystery of beeing women. That’s why she created the line Filamets.
March 5th, 2006
Open your eyes and take it in! The princess dressed in her white wedding dress, the Copacabana Palace Hotel of Rio de Janeiro Brazil is spectacular as you emerge from the salty waves, a fresh breeze tickling your body with goose bumps at the very centre of Copacabana beach! You will be impressed with the majestic facade giving a glimpse of the past imperialism of Europe.
Staying at the Copacabana palace hotel, you can consider yourself among one of the royalties who has guested the luxurious and famous hotel in Rio de Janeiro Brazil since it’s opening in 1923. This silent monument has had the glory to house kings, emperors, princes, presidents of Brazil and other countries, maharajahs of India, intellectuals, scientists, artists of the whole world and respected figures of the most diverse categories.
The Copacabana palace hotel consists of three parts; the Copacabana palace main building with 147 suites and bedrooms, tower wing annex with 78 suites and the executive floor with 26 rooms and 7 penthouse suites. The price range goes from $240-$1250 per night depending on what room you choose and what season.
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March 5th, 2006
