BADA Antiques and Fine Art Fair 18-24 March 2015

BADA Antiques and Fine Art Fair 18-24 March 2015

Oh I am so looking forward to the rest of this week and the weekend, as the BADA Antiques & Fine Art Fair is taking place in beautiful Chelsea!  We will get to enjoy the remarkable collections of Members of the British Antique Dealers’ Association and the art and antiques for sale range from 16th century works of art to contemporary furniture.

It all takes place in the beautiful Duke of York Square, just a hop and a skip away from The Saatchi Gallery, Cadogan Concert Hall and of course all the glorious shops on the King’s Road!  I hope to see you there dear!

BADA Antiques & Fine Art Fair 

18-24 March 2015, Duke of York Square, London SW3

A Travelling Tiara from the 1830s

Early 19th century tiara at Richard Ogden

This is a ca 200 year old tiara that I found while rummaging through in the secret cabinet at Richard Ogden.  Robert Ogden told me the story behind it and also why it is referred to as a “Travelling Tiara”:

Antique 19th century tiara at Richard Ogden

The wealthy ladies in the 18th and 19th century didn’t want to bring their diamond-set jewellery along on long horse drawn carriage-journeys, so they had the workshops design identical pieces in paste (glass) that they could safely carry along on their travels.  This tiara is a wonderful piece of history, which has stayed in such great condition, despite having almost 200 years on its shoulders:

Travelling Tiara ca 1830s at Richard Ogden in the Burlington Arcade

In the 1700s Bohemian glassmakers’ designs were the most sought after in Europe, and they had just surpassed the once unrivalled Venetian glassmakers in skill and design.  Their designs were like works pieces of art, mirroring precious stones so perfectly (1) and it became common practice for all the great jewellers to sell paste jewellery alongside their precious pieces.  Even royalty – for example Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scots, Queen Anne, the wife of James I, the first Duchess of Marlborough and Henri IV of France – owned paste jewellery (2).

In 1869 the following statement could be found in Queen magazine:

“If the profession or career of the husband requires that his wife should go much into society on a small income, she would be perfectly justified in wearing imitations to save money… it cannot be wrong for a lady who cannot afford and has not inherited them to wear a moderate amount of paste.”  

The article added that she should not give the impression that her “jewels” were of any value.

Antique 19th century tiara at Richard Ogden

The designs were very clever, which we can see in this little beauty: it can be taken apart and turned into a brooch and a smaller tiara/headpiece.  You can see the mechanism at the back in the photos above and below here:

The tiara comes apart and splits into various other pieces

… it can be worn as a lovely brooch… 

… and as a smaller tiara!  A girl can never have too many tiaras, right?

Eventually, in the mid-2oth century costume jewellery was made popular on its own, by various designers, and high as well as low priced brands would become renowned names in costume jewellery; Crown Trifari, Dior, Chanel, Miriam Haskell and Monet.  I am pleased to say that we have had the pleasure of encountering designs from quite a few of these previously on the blog!

Sources:

(1) The Legend of Bohemian Glass: A Thousand Years of Glassmaking in the Heart,
by Antonín Langhamer

(2) How to spend it – the real appeal of paste jewellery 

Welcome 2015!

 

Hello my dearest, I hope you had a wonderful holiday season!  I sure did, with a proper winter and -11 degrees in Sweden, a fabulous New Year celebration, and such a lovely 2015 to look forward to.  So many people seem to have had a bit of a questionable 2014, so the spirits for this new year are raised!

FrockMe! Vintage Fashion Fair, Chelsea Old Town Hall

Just to get us started – there is a Frock Me! Vintage Fashion Fair coming up at Chelsea Old Town Hall on 1 February.  The advance tickets are a mere £4 so definitely something to take a closer look at.

From the Catherine Southon Auction on 19th November 2014

The next Catherine Southon Auction (you might remember her from the previous post Catherine Southon – Auction coming up on 19th November 2014) will be 25th March – and it will be attended by BBC Bargain Hunt!

The Third Imperial Fabergé Easter Egg at Wartski in Mayfair

Wartski (we visited them in the blog post Found! The Third Imperial Fabergé Easter Egg) will be celebrating their 150th anniversary and Geoffrey Munn’s book on the history of Wartski will be published in May.

And as for Decades of Elegance – I will keep bringing you the most beautiful pieces of antique jewellery that London, Sweden and South Africa have to offer!  I will also keep inspiring you with lovely vintage finds – everything from handbags to dresses!  And if there is anything that you would like to share with us here on the blog, please feel free to send a photo to me on:

info@decadesofelegance.com

… and I will share it with all the other lovely readers here!

Hatton Garden – London’s Jewellery Quarter

A cheeky visit to Hatten Garden last week – obviously wearing the vintage snake necklace!

When I first started writing this blog almost 2,5 years ago, one of the first things that I did was visit Hatton Garden, since I had heard that it was the centre of the UK diamond trade and the heart of London’s antique jewellery world.  The other week I popped by there for work, which obviously was a great excuse to take some photos for you:

Hatton Garden, Jewellery Centre of London

What I didn’t know the first time that I visited, was that the area surrounding Hatton Garden has been the centre of London’s jewellery trade since medieval times! (1)  In fact, the old City of London used to have specific quarters dedicated to various types of businesses, and the area around Hatton Garden sure hit the jackpot in my eyes, when it became a centre for jewellers and jewellery.  Hatton Garden is located very close to Chancery Lane, and you can also get there on foot from Holborn tube station.

Diamonds, diamonds everywhere!

The history of Hatton Garden dates back to the 15th century, when the Bishops of Ely in London lived in Ely Place in Holborn.  One of Queen Elizabeth I’s favourite courtiers, Sir Christopher Hatton, built Holdenby Palace, one of the largest palaces in the Tudor period (1485-1603), in 1583 as an honour to the Queen.  She was mighty delighted about this and told the Bishop of Ely that he simply must rent a portion of his land to Hatton – although some say that the Queen actually granted Hatton the Bishop’s house, much to the Bishop’s displeasure!  Hatton went on to (in a very humble way..!) renaming the Garden in the area after himself, and so Hatton Garden was born! (2)

Hatton Garden

Clerkenwell was at the time well known for watches and jewellery, but once the roads improved around Hatton Garden, craftsmen from Clerkenwell started populating this part of town as well.  Gold and platinum were trades of the street and Hatton Garden became known as a cutting centre for Indian diamonds; and once the Kimberley Diamond Rush of South Africa took place in the late 19th century, South African diamonds also found their way to Hatton Garden. (2)

Who knows, maybe some of these diamonds were cut a long time ago in Hatton Garden?  These beauties are from the exquisite collection of Moira Jewels at Richard Ogden in the Burlington Arcade

These days you can visit jewellery shops that specialise in traditional as well as contemporary designs in Hatton Garden, and it is definitely worth a visit as you can stroll down the streets and admire the most sparkling pieces of jewellery in the windows!

Sources:

1) Wikipedia – Hatton Garden

(2) Sterling Diamonds 

 

Wakelin & Linfield Antiques at LAPADA 2014

So LAPADA Art & Antiques Fair took place the other week, and filled Berkeley Square with the most exquisite pieces of antique furniture and jewellery.  I first visited Michael Wakelin & Helen Linfield’s fine antique furniture for town and country, where these very unusual Chinese paintings of fish were adorning their wall:

Most unusual Chinese paintings

We found out that it is highly unusual to find these rice paper pictures with fish as the subject – usually you will see them with all other types of animals, so it was quite a treat for us to be able to admire these ones.  I did however love the following paintings very much, and wouldn’t mind having a few in my house one day:

Wakelin & Linfield Chinese Paintings

I also fell in love with the 19th century Italian oak table below, which had such a remarkable top!  The description for it read:

A fine 19th century high renaissance styled oak table with a fine trompe l’oeil Pietra Dura specimen marble top  

Italy c 1850  £19,500

Since Trompe l’œil as well as Pietra Dura are both new expressions to us, I thought that we could take a closer look:

 19th century oak table with a fine trompe l’oeil marble top – Italy ca 1850, £19,500

I would love to have this beautiful table in a large hallway, with a lovely flower arrangement in top!

You can see in the photos above that the pattern on the table promotes a 3D effect.  This is the result of the art technique Trompe l’œil (French for deceive the eye), which creates the optical illusion that the object is three dimensional.

The Trompe l’œil art form has its roots in antiquity and legend has it that the painter Zeuxis in ancient Greece painted such realistic grapes that birds descended upon them for a nibble!  His fellow artist Parrhasius was so impressed and inspired by his work, that he invited Zeuxis over to judge one of his paintings a few weeks later.  He showed Zeuxis into his study and urged him to take a look at the painting, which was residing behind a curtain.  Zeuxis was so eager to see the painting that he immediately tried to move the curtains aside, only to find out that the curtains were in fact the painting – making Parrhasius the winner!

This beautiful 19th century high renaissance styled oak table featuring fine trompe l’oeil as well as Pietra Dura

Pietra Dura on the other hand is a term for the inlay technique of creating images by using cut and fitted, highly polished colored stones.  Marbles were used a lot, like on our table here – but different coloured stones along with semiprecious and even precious stones were also often used.  This decorative art form has its roots in Rome in the 16th century, and it eventually reached its full maturity in Florence.

 Late 18th century occasional table – England c. 1780 £4950

I also have a thing for really elegant tables, and this one was just so beautiful that I had to show it to you – the description reading:

An exceptionally fine model of a late 18th century occasional table (formerly a work table – bag now missing) the oval top, shelf and frieze in burr yew and cross banded in zebrawood.  The elegantly drawn legs with ebony inlay and carved ebony roundels to the feet.  England c. 1780 £4950

I just love the zebrawood details… 

Another closeup of this stunning table

So if you want to see more from the Wakelin & Linfield collection you can find them just 4 miles from Petworth, just make sure that you make an appointment before you visit.  You can find more information on their Wakelin & Linfield website.

LAPADA Art and Antiques Fair in Berkeley Square 24-28 Sept 2014

 

My desk this morning: an invitation to LAPADA Art & Antique Fair in Berkeley Square, a few silver rings and of course the beautiful Marilyn Monroe in the book Marilyn Monroe – Icons of Our Time.  Copyright: Getty Images

Good morning my dear!  This week is a fabulous one in London’s antique jewellery world, as LAPADA opens up its gates and treats us to the most beautiful displays of jewellery in Berkeley Square.  Last year I went with a friend and wrote a few blog posts about it:  LAPADA on Decades of Elegance.

LAPADA Art and Antiques Fair Berkeley Square 24-28th September 2014

Just to refresh our memory from last year; LAPADA is the UK’s largest Association of professional dealers in antiques and works of art, and between them members cover everything from jewellery and silver to paintings, furniture, carpets, clocks and ceramics.  When you visit the fair you will find that all the items are just exquisite, and they keep the standards this high by letting a committee of specialists vet all the items to ensure authenticity and quality.

Entrance is £15 per person and opening hours are:

Wednesday 24th September 11am – 5.30pm
Thursday 25th September 11am – 9pm
Friday 26th September 11am – 7pm
Saturday 27th September 11am – 7pm
Sunday 28th September 11am – 5pm

I hope to see you there – and if you see me running around with my camera do make sure that you come over and say hello!

Review of the new ‘Antiques Roadshow’ Magazine

The other day I received a copy of the very first issue of the Antiques Roadshow magazine in the post.  Now, you might already be familiar with the BBC Antiques Roadshow, which has taken us on the most exciting journeys ever since 1977, unravelling fascinating stories and solving mysteries surrounding everything from dear old family heirlooms to car boot sale finds.  Well, we now also have a monthly magazine to look forward to, so let’s dive right in to see what it looks like:

The new Antiques Roadshow Magazine has landed!

So I wasn’t quite sure what to expect; would it be an extension of the TV program, with lots of photos from the various episodes and further details about all the antique pieces?  The short answer is no – it is so much more, and it will grab your interest and keep you reading for hours, at least that is what happened to me!

A dress by William Travilla, who created gowns for Marilyn Monroe during her most glorious years in Hollywood

First I came across this article where a lovely lady bought a vintage dress online, and once she started doing some research it soon came to light that it was designed by William Travilla, who used to create gowns for Marilyn Monroe!  He designed Marilyn’s famous white halter-neck dress in the movie The Seven Year Itch for example, which is of course considered an icon in film history.  Can you imagine finding out that you have a dress related to a treasure like this in your wardrobe?!  I would have been beyond thrilled!!

Interior decoration articles for inspiration

Oh I just love this article about a stunning cottage in the Costwolds

I was then engulfed by an article where we visit a beautiful Victorian cottage in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds.  Not only do we get some great ideas for interior decor – including antiques, contemporary English style, Gustavian and rural Italian and French – we also learn about the history of the house and the fascinating lives of people that used to live there.

Wedding Dresses 1775-2014 Exhibition at the V&A

One of my favourite articles in this issue was of course the one about the upcoming exhibition at the V&A: Wedding Dresses 1775-2014.  How I could possibly have missed that this glorious exhibition starts shortly is beyond me, but now I just can’t wait to go – and I will of course tell you all about it, so that you can plan a visit to London to see it for yourself!

Wedding Dresses 1775-2014 Exhibition at the V&A

This article takes us on a journey through the history of wedding dress fashion: we learn about white becoming the popular colour in dresses, how the hemlines rose during the 50’s and the 60’s, and the choices between hats and veils, just to mention a few.  And then there are two whole pages filled with photos of wedding dresses through history…

Wedding Dresses 1775-2014 Exhibition at the V&A

So in conclusion I am just so pleased to see what a refreshing look into the world of antiques the magazine offers.  It obviously contains lots more than what we have looked at above; the history of the Roadshow, top tips for collecting and displaying glass (brilliant article!), a visit to an auction house… so if you are interested in interior decoration, antiques or just beautiful things in general, I would warmly recommend that you go and pick up your own copy!

Here is their website: BBC Antiques Roadshow Magazine where you can find out more about how to subscribe etc.  Enjoy – and happy antiquing my dear!

Russian Art Nouveau at Shapiro & Co

One of the first stands that I visited at the Chelsea Antiques Fair was Shapiro & Co – who usually resides at our favourite Grays Antique Market in Mayfair.  They showed me the most exquisite pieces of antique jewellery:

Shapiro & Co, Russian Gold, Amethyst and Green Garnet Pendant 1908 – 17, £3750

Shapiro & Co, Russian Gold, Amethyst and Green Garnet Pendant 1908 – 17, £3750

We have previously found out that the finest amethysts were historically found in Russia: February Amethyst Allure.  This pendant comes from Russia’s  and was made sometime in between 1908-17, during the exciting Art Nouveau (“New Art”) period.  In Russia designers took inspiration from folk tales and history during the Art Nouveau era, and Moscow and St. Petersburg were the two centres for this “Stil’ Modern”.  The appearance of St. Petersburg today was very much shaped by the Art Nouveau movement and you will find whole suburbs built in the distinctive style (1).

Antique Citrine Cocktail Ring, Shapiro & Co

We also adore large cocktail rings here on the blog, so this stunning citrine ring simply had to be featured in the blog.  Ladies, how would you wear it?  As you know we have a similar ring in the Decades of Elegance collection and one of our models wore it with a blouse and pencil skirt when we took this photo a couple of summers ago:

Styling ideas for a citrine cocktail ring: a dressy blouse and a pencil skirt – and those perfectly painted nails!

You can visit Shapiro & Co at Grays Antique Market where they specialise in jewellery, silver, objects d’art, British arts and crafts and imperial Russian works of art, including Faberge pieces.  Shapiro & Co Stand 380, Gray’s Antiques Market, 58 Davies Street, London, W1K 5LP.

Sources:

(1) Art Nouveau Around the World

Demitri Chiparus (1886 – 1947) sculpture at the Chelsea Antiques fair

Demitri Chiparus (1886 – 1947)

At the Chelsea Antiques fair on Saturday I was just delighted to see this beautiful sculpture on display, as it is a Demitri Chiparus – my favourite artist of all time.  You might remember a blog post that I wrote about an antique shop in Wynberg, Cape Town last year:  Eclectica Antique Shop in Wynberg, Cape Town – chapter II ?  A great deal of focus in that post is on Chiparus’ sculptures, so do pop back over to refresh your memory – I am pretty sure that you will immediately be able to identify his specific style.

Demitri Chiparus (1886 – 1947)

I just find the way that he captures mid-dance movements to be extraordinary.  It is as if this lady will dance out of the photo any moment and continue her dance in front of us.  Just look at the graceful movement in the photo above, and the amazing design work in the picture below, where the details of the dress are so intricate and delicate (I would wear that outfit any day!!!)

Demitri Chiparus (1886 – 1947) 

The lady who had this sculpture on display runs a blog about extraordinary things that happen in the world, which you can find here: Eluxe TV.

Oh I do wish I had taken a photo of what she was wearing, as it was just fabulous – and something that so many young ladies who love vintage clothes strive to achieve these days!  A pair of oversized earrings, that most likely date back to the 60s, looked just right with her outfit that included pinks and reds – two colours that can sometimes clash terribly, unless you have that impeccable sense of style and know how to make it look haute couture instead, which she most certainly did.  We had a wonderful chat about antiques and life, and I do hope to run into her again at another antique fair – maybe I will be able to get a photo for you guys then instead!

Demitri Chiparus (1886 – 1947)

It really has been such a wonderful whirlwind of emotions and exciting things happening here on the blog this week, so thanks for popping by and I will see you again on Monday – have a lovely weekend!

Sue Norman – Blue and White Antique China

When walking around the Chelsea Antiques Fair on Saturday I soon came to Sue Norman’s stand, where the beautiful combination of blues and whites immediately captured my Finnish heart:

Sue Norman Blue and White China

It all looked so inviting with these beautiful tulips…

I really loved the presentation of the pieces, with delicate tulips bringing us the promise of spring and sunshine, and fresh lemons giving and idea of how we can put these beauties to use at home.

… and why not keep some lemons in these lovely bowls?  It is easy to keep special pieces on a shelf to be looked at – but it makes it all the more special to actually put them to use!

Some of the plates carry scenic pictures from the 1800s, which means that they were made 200 years ago, and have remained in the most beautiful condition.  I loved reading the most fascinating descriptions on the labels:

‘Dinner Plate, Ridgway “Eastern Port” Circa 1815′

‘Egg Cup, Rustic Scene, ca 1820’s’

‘Two handled pot. Mason’s Ironstone. circa 1815’ …

The collection includes everything from plates and platters to flower holders and bathroom items – and if any of these lovelies take your fancy then do pop over to Sue Norman’s website to find out more!

A lovely postcard that Sue sends out every year, and apparently some of her followers love them so much that they collect the cards!