It's summer! The Curiosity
Cabinet has been on holiday but we thought we would send some exotic, faraway
inspiration your way. While we're currently enjoying sizzling beaches and
golden sands, we're still looking to the past for inspiration and the great
voyages of the Enlightenment came to mind. When exotic birds and unknown flora
& fauna were first discovered and documented by artists and explorers in
17th and 18th centuries, a lush language of printed imagery evolved. Our pick of antique natural history prints below,
are testament to the rich visual history that recorded and brought the natural
world to life in European homes hundreds of years ago.
Inspired by Art Nouveau design, the Parisian entomologist and designer Eugène
Séguy created lurid illustrations inspired by antique natural history
prints which were later transformed into textile designs. His
scientifically accurate drawings of butterflies and insects are
magnified into spectacular creations. While they represent the sublime
beauty of nature, they are rendered as such that they become abstract
patterns of bold colours and forms.
The Curiosity Cabinet
is very excited that Masterpiece opens tonight! Here's a little sneak peak from
Apter Fredericks of just one fascinating object we'll be eyeing up at
London's best art, antiques and design fair. Our top five picks of the fair on
Art Wednesday are to follow....
A Regency Gilt & Patinated Bronze & Cut Glass Spirit Cask Celebrating Nelson’s Victory at the Nile. Numerous pieces of furniture, silver and
other forms of decorative art were made at this time to commemorate
Nelson’s victory at the Battle of the Nile. This example bears the
crocodile so closely linked with Nelson; his captains were referred to
as the ‘Crocodile
Club’, and along with the numerous nautical motifs, the armorial plates
and the quality of this cask, it is tempting to believe it might have
been made for the Crocodile Club or perhaps Horatio Nelson himself.
Christie's Interiors sales are a brilliant way to
decorate an interior with a unique piece at an affordable price.
You never know what curiosity or treasure might surface at
auction. The lots for sale range from quality antique furniture
and decorative objects to Old Master
paintings, contemporary prints and Asian and Islamic art and
design. At more affordable prices than specialised sales, you may just bag yourself a bargain while finding a truly
special piece.
These late 19th century gilt and
patinated bronze three-light wall-appliques are fantastic
things. In empire style, the dull black patination of the
snakes is at contrast with the bright, shiny eagles heads in
gilt - providing a depth of field which would not be present
should the whole piece be gilded. The sinew of a serpents head
and tail moulds together three candleholders
cast with scales in seamless formation.
The pair are amongst
the higher quality and
priced pieces from the Interiors sales and sold
at auction in March this year for £5,625 including buyer's
premium, against an estimate of £1,500-2,000
(Sale 8524, lot 182).
The clean design is typical of the French Empire
style, popular in the
late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Empire
style employed the Directoire movement's early 19th centuryNeo-classical simplicity. Taking the virtues of balance
and harmony from the Roman Empire, which had been rediscovered a hundred
years earlier, the ostentation of Rococo was left behind. As
Rococo came to be associated with monarchical excess, the
Empire style became the style of the people: an aesthetic liberated from ornamentation found harmony and
sobriety is its designs.
Reflecting the political shift in 19th century
France from Monarchical rule to a Republic,
this style of simple classicism took its name from the rule of
Napoleon I in the First French Empire.
Another pair of Empire style
wall-appliques that sold in a Christie's
Interiors auction are the lovely duo pictured
above. Again a patinated serpent is the central feature.
This time the snakes entwine a slender
stem, spiralling upward to greet a pineapple finial from
which twin garlands unfurl. Such a lovely pair of lighting
were a steal at £625 in May last year (sale 6027).
For the same price, a fabulous twin-light wall
applique, also early 20th century and Empire style, sold at
the European Furniture, Works of Arts, Tapestries and Carpets
sale at Christie's South Kensington in September 2006. A
precursor to the Interiors auction
model, these sales included some very nice objects without the pictures, Asian art and contextualised interiorsale view. We
would do anything to get our hands on a gilt peacock such as
this beauty (sale 4960). With proud feathers, shimmering gold
and fine modelling she was well worth the £600 paid for her. We'll
be keeping our eye on the South Kensington sales
this year. Christie's hold around
10 a year so hopefully a peacock
or serpent will strut and shimmy their way
into through the glass doors of the Curiosity Cabinet.
Japanese armour is compositionally complex in its intricate combining of metal and rope to create movable parts. These two materials were knotted and threaded together to form flexible articulations that provided the protective layer for Samurai going into battle. The armour was required to be strong enough to protect a body from sharp weapons yet supple enough to retain the sort of elasticity required for movement in battle. The joining of these perfectly measured components is a complicated balance that required technical craftsmanship of the most highly skilled. One of the most profound schools of armour makers, the Myochin school, also applied their metalworking expertise to bronze and iron figures.
Since the middle of the Edo Period (1600-1868), representational sculptures of animals and insects were made to inhabit the interior alcove where works of art were to be displayed - the tokonoma. Most exceptional of these representational animals are the jizai or articulated figures of animals. Perfected at the Myochin school, jizai are realistically shaped figures
of animals made from iron, copper, shibuichi (copper and silver alloy)
and shakudo (copper and gold alloy). They move like real animals, as their bodies and limbs are composed of metallic articulations. Their lithe and flexible bodies emulate the movement of actual animals and they are commonly found as birds, fish, snakes, lobsters, crabs, insects and dragons.
If you've ever wondered what it might feel like to hold a writhing, slithering snake in your own hands then these animals may very well come close to the actual experience. Their movement is so naturalistic it makes the material composition of metal almost implausible. Our favourite of these incredible figures are the impressive snakes below.
An Articulated Iron Snake, Myochin School, Edo Period (1750-1800), Victoria & Albert Museum
A Myochin-School Iron Articulated Model of a Snake, signed Muneyoshi, Meiji Period (late 19th century), lot 248, Sale 2596, Christie's South Kensington, 09 November 2011
This figures long, fully articulated body is made of russet iron and constructed of numerous hammered
plates joined inside the body. Its head is carved with naturalistic scales and a fitted hinged jaw, inside which is a movable tongue in gilt.
Sold for an impressive £21,875 against an auction estimate of £1,500 - 2,000 proves
these objects remain competitive finds amongst collectors. Similar examples sold in Christie's New
York 18th September 2007, Lot 188, and 23rd March 1999, Lot 133 (as below).
The Curiosity Cabinet's daily dose of inspiration for the aesthetically inclined...
Imagine, if cost wasn’t an issue and you could afford for your favourite artist to hand paint the interior of your house. If only dreams could come true! Well, then, I would commission a painter to painstakingly replicate Chinese silks or Japanese textiles behind my bed head and golden bamboo across my bathroom wall.
If this is a dream you share, I'd like you to meet de Gournay. The exquisite interiors company who hand paint wallpaper using traditional artisan methods. They call themselves ‘artistes’ and their work is certainly impeccable: ‘Our artisans are artists. Our wallpapers, our mirrors, our dinner plates are works of art’.De Gournay, who specialise in pictorial wallpaper design, have in my opinion the most exceptional wallpapers I have seen. The brand originated in Paris (surprise, surprise) and they create intricate wallpapers as if they are embroidered textiles or oil painting perfections. Wallpaper is a fabulous way to enliven a wall space, create a feature wall or decorate an interior which needs a creative addition. Getting the balance right between beautifully decorative and simply too busy is fine line to navigate. De Gournay are willing to collaborate with you and tailor your concerns to fit your environment. I am delighted to share with you a selection of my favourite de Gournay designs.
‘Bamboo’ design in Golden design colours on Blue Green dyed silk with Matt glaze. Balfour Castle, Scotland.
Bamboo’ design in Malachite design colours on Pitch painted silk. Photography by Anthony Parkinson.
Abbotsford’ design in standard design colours on Ice Blue India Tea Paper. Photography by Natasha Polskaya.
Askew’ design in full custom design colours on Emerald Green India Tea Paper.
‘Coutts' design in standard design colours on 22 Carat Gold Gilded silk. Bergdorf Goodman Restaurant, New York. Interior design by Kelly Wearstler.
‘Earlham’ design in full custom design colours on Verdigris India Tea Paper.
‘Portobello’ design in a special colourway on 22 Carat Gold gilded silk.
‘Windswept Blossom’ design in Noir design colours on 12 Carat White Gold gilded paper.
‘Windswept Blossom’ design in full custom design colours on 12 Carat White Gold gilded paper. de Gournay for Mezzanine show.
Wisteria’ design in Original design colours on Lead grey dyed silk. ‘Wisteria’ design in Original design colours on Lead grey Organza fabric. ‘Wisteria’ design in Original design colours on Lead grey Heavy Duchess Satin fabric. Interior design by Candy & Candy.
Set your scene with a fabulous screen. Whether you wish conceal or
reveal, add a little partition to your life with these scene stealers.
Prepare to divide and conquer...
A six-fold paper screen painted in ink and colour on a gold ground with ajisai (hydrangea)
Japan, Edo period,18th century
Hello Saturday! What a perfect day for
Curiosity Shop shopping. First stop, Gregg Baker Asian Art on Kensington Church St. They carry the largest stock of Japanese screens in Europe so if I'm to find the sumptuous, gold screen to sling my silk robe over then this is the place to be!
Screens
have historically evoked mystery. They can be used practically to
divide a large space or to conceal their owner while dressing
or undressing. Folding screens in Japan functioned both as a type of
furnishing and as decoration. Screens served to divide large open spaces
into more intimate and private areas, often for the purposes of
dressing or sleeping. The glimmering gold-leaf surfaces
characteristic of folding screens reflected ambient light and enlivened
the space with the pictorial scenes upon them. In outdoor settings,
screens could be arranged to function like portable walls, demarcating
space and shielding revelers from prying eyes.
James McNeill Whistler, La Princesse du Pays La Porcelaine, -
In
the eighteenth century screens came to Europe from the East, becoming a
glamorous status symbol indicating the vogue for an
Eastern aesthetic at this time. Only the upper echelons of society possessed these
dramatic space dividers.
James Tissot, Young Women Looking at Japanese Objects, c.1869-1870
In the nineteenth century, Japonisme, or a love of all things Japanese, was influencing aesthetic design from painters to furniture makers. Screens became more attainable from possessions of just the very rich, to objects for the aspiring middle classes.
This beautiful Japanese screen depicts morning glory flowers bursting across a gold-leaf surface. They rise and fall over the background as if suspended by nothing - denying any sense of space or a natural context from which they may have grown. This combination of naturalism and abstraction often appears in Japanese screens of this period and in this screen, the contrast is particularly marked.
A pair of six-fold paper screens, Japan, Edo Period (18th century)
Gregg Baker Asian Art
This pair of screens depict shkikishi or poem slips depicitng Sanjūrokusen (thirty six Immortal poets) and calligraphy above morning glory and clematis blossoms.
The occurence of the thirty six poets as a painting is based on an anthology of selected poems by Hujiwara no Kintō (996-1041). Here, each line of poem forms a patterned sequence of geometric strips which reverberate rhythmically across the surface.
A two-fold paper screen painted in ink on a gold ground withShochikubai (Three Friends of Winter), signed Bunchō hitsu; sealed Ga gakusai
Japan, Edo period (19th century)
Gregg Baker Asian Art
Shochikubai, the Three Friends of Winter is a motif of Chinese origin combining pine, bamboo and plum to symbolise winter and long life. The monochromatic black in this image emphasises winters bleakness in colour while the tonal variance of this one shade accentuates this visual coldness, contributing to the seasonal theme.
A six-fold paper screen painted in ink and colour on a gold ground with six individual botan(peony)
Japan, Edo period (18th century)
Gregg Baker Asian Art
My favourite of all flowers depicted in Japanese art, the peony incites a heady Eastern romanticism with its full petals and sweet scent.
A six-fold paper screen painted in ink and colour on a gold ground with summer flowers including botan (peony) in full bloom, satsuki (azalea) and fuji (wisteria) hanging from a bamboo trellis on the banks of a river amongst golden clouds. Japan, Edo period(18th century)
Gregg Baker Asian Art
Painted with
delicate precision on Edo period paper, a landscape of flowers provides a setting for opium dreams. Follow the silk road down a peony edged river toward golden clouds: you couldn't find a better scene than this to evoke the screens role of mystery and romance.
A six-panel Japanese screen, painted on paper of gold and silver mountain with clouds above. JAN Fine Art
In many layers of gold, an abstracted landscape demonstrates the very interesting combination of figuration and stylisation at play on Japanese screens.
A pair of two-fold paper screens painted in ink on a buff ground with abstract calligraphy which loosely translates as, 'From Morning to Evening (let your spirit) Soar'
Sealed Teruko
Japan, Meiji period (19th - 20th century)
Gregg Baker Asian Art
A Six-Fold Screen, Heisei Period (1990-1993) Lot 127, sale 7316, 07 November 2012, Christie's, South Kensington
This very large and dramatic modern screen sold at Christie's in November last year for £7,500. Considering its size (212cm x 380.5cm) and hence the quantity of gold-leaf, the price was surprisingly low. It is a multi-functional piece, acting as both functional furniture and contemporary art.
The bold contrast of contemporary calligraphy scribbled and splashed across a bright gold background enables this screen to become a striking and dramatic piece of art. Such drama brings an element of magic to an interior space. A screens
ability to divide and change a space becomes a theatrical act. It sets a scene that is dramatic and intriguing for both the screens role in a room and in the subject matter it may depict. This heady aura of mystery and intrigue allows fiction to overtake reality: who or what might reside behind the screen. As opium dreams seep in and jasmine nights take over, the voyeur steps in to play.
“In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars.” F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
Evoking old world glamour,
decadent garden parties and beautiful creatures shimmering like moths at
dusk, F. Scott Fitzgerald really knew how to pen the style of an era
the whose popularity has never waned. Through the swish of their damask,
the softness
of their velvet and the sparkle of their beaded gowns, the style of the
Jazz Age is deliciously imagined in the description of his characters
in The Great Gatsby. His novels call to mind the fashions of the Art
Deco era - motor cars, the Charleston, the Manhattan,
flappers and the geometric precision of Art Deco design - capturing the
very spirit of the era. In this hedonistic post-war period it felt,
especially in America, as if anything were possible.
If Gatsby’s words were to be illustrated, the Art Deco fashion
illustrations of this epoch would be fitting. More than just a sketch
for clothing, they transport you to the dazzling Jazz Age where
fashionable women take centre stage. These detailed drawings
of the latest fashions are contextualized in gardens and interiors
where the likes of Jay Gatsby himself might be found. The decadent and
flamboyant atmosphere of this time is magically construed by the use of
symbolic elements in the picture landscape. By
including interior objects, tassled lamps, statues, splendid gardens,
intricate bird cages, exotic birds, handsome men to dance with and women
lounging nonchalantly on chaise longues, to name a few, they become
portraits of an age as well as illustrations
for the famous fashion designers such as Poiret.
The colours and composition draw your attention to the central focus –
women’s dress. Turbans, long strings of sparkling beads, fabulous
patterns, and backless couture are intricately drawn within a flat, two
dimensional space. Outlined in black and peppered
with Eastern images, the taste for Asia is present in the imagery as
well implied by the outlines and the two dimensional style reminiscent
of 19th century Japanese woodblock prints.
Two of the most skilled illustrators of the era, Georges Lepape and George Barbier, produced the beautiful creations below.
Let these Parisian artists seduce you into the 1920s and decade preceding with champagne, garden parties and twinkling stars...
“So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”
Illustration by Georges Lepape, circa 1910, of a Paul Poiret design
Illustration for Nijinsky’s Scheherazade, by Georges Lepape, 1910
Fashion plate from Journal des Dames et des Modes (1912-1914). No. 46
