The word filigree comes from the latin filum, which means “thread”, and “, so a filigree is literally a granulated thread. However it is in fact two twisted threads, and not just one.
The art of filigree is very ancient. We have archaeological remains of this kind of jewelry from over 3,000 years ago: this technique was actually practiced by Egyptian, Phoenician and Greek cultures, who brought it into Spain.
The procedure is made with two threads of a different thickness: The thicker one is used to carve the outline of the piece and the thinner to create the details that are so distintive of this art. The metalsmith has to use a kind of tweezerds in order to make the filler and cover all the holes among threads and it’s in this part of the artwork when you can see how good he is with his hands. His skills are spectacular. The solder must be very light to avoid leaving a mark.
Once the piece has been totally filled it’s placed over a platform of vegetal coal. Then it’s sprinkled with solder powder and welded using an alcohol blowlamp. Now that the solder has been finished, the metalsmith will wait until it gets cold to polish and shine the piece.
The result is a delicate and light piece of jewel that reminds us of a soft and fine lace. An unique and unrepeatable piece.
Still today there are artisans who use ancient techniques and a huge dose of patience to create pieces that will have you in awe.
Filigree is with no doubt one of the most beautiful techniques on jewelry.
I guess you’ve never heard of her before but let me give you a few spots, show you some of her photos and you’ll soon realize you did know her work. You’ll feel you do know her.
Sarah Moon is the photographer who was behind the Anais-Anais from Cacharel launch campaign. Do you remember those romantic images that appeared together with the parfum? Those images that quickly became an icon back in the 80s? Well, all of them were shot by her.
She, Sarah, is an artist with a very special personality and her photos are unmistakable. She’s got international fame thanks to her rich, refined, smart and unique style.
The use of Polaroid films and the personal treatment she stamps over the negatives end in pictures that seem to be withdrawn from the past: black and white shots without actual white to dress all kind of scenerios and techniques like vignettes, out-of-focus photos, close eyes, blurry faces and rooms but overall, elegance, a bunch of elegance.
“Very often I envy those who know how to take shots of the life. I refuse it. I start from nothing, don’t testify about nothing. I make up a story that don’t tell about. I imagine a situation that doesn’t exist. I create a place and remove other. I move the light, unmake and then, try again…” Sarah Moon.
And now that you already know a bit more about Sarah Moon, let me tell you my story with her and her work over the past month.
I fall in love with her work from the very first second I knew about it, with all her photos. Then I started gathering in a folder those I wanted to reproduce, but that folder was getting heavier and heavier… I realized I needed a model, someone that let me catch Sarah’s essence, the beauty of her images, her serenity and hypersensitivity. So I called my friend Monica Gianninni. I told her my plan and she didn’t hesitate. She just accepted.
I was excited and truly nervous I have to admit. I went to her place with all my stuff: fabrics, head-dresses, powder compacts, scarves… The session took us over four hours out in her balcony. Monica is not only very pretty in the outside, as you can see in the photos, but also is very sensible and a has a special way to express and show beauty. That helped me a lot and made my work much easier.
Every time we meet we laugh out of loud but that evening we were very tired. According to Monica, the work of a model is very hard, and she is right. She got the essence of any of the roles she had to perform and played it brilliantly. A thousand thanks to Monica. Without her this project would not have been this good.
I shot the second half of the photos with Carola at home: I just needed a white sheet, a little spotlight at the background and my flash. I loved this session for the delicate style. Sarah Moon did this work for the Vogue magazine a few years ago.
Then, I spent many hours editing with my Friends of adventures. The group in Facebook has been very active over the last weeks. Everyone wants to recommend something, suggest beautiful ideas… The work that my colleagues have done is just breathtaking. I’m talking here from my heart, don’t miss the photos of the rest of the group because they’re really worth it.
Special thanks to Mima Molina who taught be about Sarah Moon. She is her photographer but unfortunately Mima couldn’t take part this month in our project for a personal reason.
Also thank you very much to each of you that follow this exciting project every day.
Nominated for 2 Oscars in 1953: Best Actress in a Supporting Role and Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture.
Golden Globe in 1953 to Donald O’Connor as Best Motion Picture Actor in a Musical/Comedy.
The movie also won many other awards that you can check in the IDBM website.
Curiosities:
Gene Kelly insulted Debbie Reynolds because, according to his criteria, she apparently didn’t know how to dance. Fred Astaire found her crying in the study and tried to help her.
The mytic scene from Singin’ In The Rain took a whole day to get it ready. Despite Gene Kelly had temperatura, the sequence was taken in just one shot, which is exactly what you can see in the film.
After performing the scene “Makeemlaugh”, Donald O´Connor was hospitalized because of exhaustion. He used to smoke 4 packs of cigarettes per day.
Donald O´Connor recognized he didn’t like to work together with Gene Kelly, since he found him very tyrant.
After the “Good Morning” show, Debbie Reynolds had to be taken to her dressing room with blood in her feet. However, Gene Kelly forced her to repeat the tap dancing sounds.
Debbie Reynolds was only 19 years old, living still with her parents. She used to woke up at 4 am to go to the study after a long way (she had to take 3 buses). Sometimes she even prefered to stay in the study overnight.
The original film was burnt in a fire.
Cyd Charisse has to learn how to smoke to act in the scene together with Gene Kelly.
This movie is the fith in the Rank of best films of the History, according to The American Film Institute, and in the 10th position according to Entertainment Weekly. However both companies agree that it is the best musical ever.
The Directors actually thought first of Judy Garland, June Allyson and Ann Miller for the role of Kathy Selden, buta ll of them were too old. They also thought in Jane Powell and Leslie Caron.
Debbie Reynolds had to use onion in the last scene whe she had to cry.
It’s the best musical comedy of all times. Period. Gene Kelly is sensational. He was perfectionist and demanding both with himself and the rest of the crew. That way he reached the highest level on the cast performance.
He also was much more atlethic than Fred Astaire, and his scenes are just spectacular. It’s also worth the mention of the amazing cast that joined Gene Kelly: Donald O’Connor makes an excellent performance making us laugh out of loud and the very young Debbie Reynolds perfectly knew how to accomplish the hard role she had to perform.
Some musical scenes you can’t miss: “Makeemlaugh”, “Mosessupposses”, “GoodMorning”, the spectacular legs of Cyd Charisse and of course, the show star in the movie: “Singin’ in the rain”.
Marlon Brando’s debut couldn’t have been been better. The actor is colossal in his role of a lower-class brute and arrogant chauvinist. He also is challenging, disobedient and his only motivation is to be recognized by his strength and sexual appealing.
His strong personality has been marked by alcohol. To be honest, I started hating this man after a few minutes. His slight for his wife and sister in law’s fragility and vulnerability is totally merciless.
Marlon fights Vivien Leigh, an unstable, weak, fragile and liar woman. Her performance is shocking. She plays the role of a southern lady who lives in a happy past and looks around all the time in need of friendlinss, admiring the beauty of life. The fear in her eyes every time Marlon Brando walks near her seems to be so real that you’ll only feel an inmense pity for her all the movie long.
The battle between the two of them becomes in an interpretative duel covered in a non-comparable magnetism. This way Vivian Leigh is the perfect half for Brando. They both make an impressive couple.
A Streetcar Named Desire is hard, very hard… The two-hours film won’t let you remain indifferent.
It’s imposible to actually see it without feeling a lump in your throat.
Curiosities:
Vivien Leigh who suffered in real life from a bipolar disorder had problems trying to distinguish her real life of her character’s.
During the film Kowalski appartment is getting more and more tiny, just to enphasize Blanche’s claustrophobia.
Censorship removed 68 sentences and then the Legion of Christ will add some more cuts related to homosexuality and a rape.
Blanche’s role was first offered to Jessica Tandy and Olivia of Havilland.
The phrase “I have always depended on the kindness of strangers” is in the 75 position in the Top of best movie phrases. By the way, the movie is the 47th best one in the history.
Marlon Brando hated his character.
Vivien Leigh only was 36 years old.
The film was shot in just 36 working days.
William Wyler would’ve preferred to do the film with Bette Davis as main character.
Awards:
The movie won 4 Oscars:
Best Actress in a Leading Role (Vivien Leigh)
Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Karl Malden)
Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Kim Hunter)
Best Art Direction – Set Decoration, Black and White
It also won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress (Kim Hunter)
The film was nominated and actually won many others awards that you can check in Wikipedia.
The vitreous enamel is a material made in powdered glass mixed with metalic oxides in order to give the piece an immense variety of colors and tones. All materials must fuse at a very high temperature, which gives it more longevity and an endless beauty.
There are many types of enamel, although I’ll focus in those more used by jewellers: Champlevé:
With this technique what we’ll do is to carve, etch, die struck or cas tinto the surface of a metal objet, creating different forms and drawings. Then we’ll fill the holes with vitreous enamel. It’s crucial for the success that the area to fill is well prepared to let the enamel stick to it in a homogeneous way.
The enamel will stay then like “locked” within the metal. Then, like in the rest of the techniques, you’ll have to polish and glaze it.
Cloisone:
This technique works by soldering or adhering metal wires or thin strips placed on the edge of the piece. The holes in between will be filled with enamel in beautiful colors. Afterwards, it’s up to the artisan whether to sand deeply or just a little the piece, in order to equal the levels.
Plique-à-jour:
This is the most complicated technique, the most beautiful and delicate out of them though. The enamel here is applied in cells with no backing so light can shine through it. It has a stained-glass like appearance. Jewellers use this technique over the rest and the pieces get a spectaular beauty. It requires a high level of expertise though.
Let me show you a few images with samples of the different types of enamel.
Nominated for one Oscar in 1952: Best Music, Original Song.
Curiosities:
The scene where Fred Astair dances in a room it was shot by placing the camera and operator in a 10 metres long rotatory container.
According to an interview, Fred Astair tried to dance with more than 30 coat stands before the Productor made one just for him, at a cost of around 4000 dollars (nowadays). The coat stand disappeared not long after the release day.
Both Fred Astair and Jane Powell sing together the longest song title in a Hollywood film: How Could You Believe Me When I Said I Love You When You Know I’ve Been a Liar All My Life
June Allyson and Judy Garland were candidates to play the main role.
In England the title was changed to Wedding Bells just to avoid a confusion with the recent Royal Wedding of Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II)
The store Harridge´s is a mix between Harrod’s and Claridge’s, both very well-known shopping mall and 5-star Hotel in London, respectively.
The scene dancing over the roof seems to have been taken in just one shot. However if you pay closer attention there are three, maybe up to four very sutile cuts.
The plot reminds a bit what really happend to Fred Astaire’s sister Adele, who got married to Lord Charles Cavendish, son of the Duke of Devonshire.
In my opinion it’s a classic music with an impressive production.
It’s probably the movie that pushed Fred Astaire up in fame worldwide. He was claimed as the best dancer ever in Hollywood. Actually there was people who even believed he was able to fly.
The scene I’m referring to it’s the mitic momento when Fred Astaire, who starts dancing down in the floor ends walking through the ceiling like a magician. The whole scene was perfectly developed and edited, specially taking into account the moment it was shot, when visual effects were not easy at all.
Fred Astaire convinced everyone that cinema from the mid 20th century is the kind of spectacle everyone wants to enjoy in a film. He also shows again he has a special skill for dancing with an exquisite elegance. He did so not only in the famouse scene we’ve been talking about but in the boat addressing England. Or, why not? That scene where Fred Astaire dances with the famous coat stand, almost as famous as the rotating room.
If you like musicals and dance, those three scenes are really worth it so is the movie itself.
In this video I’ve found for you it’s easier to understand the way they shot the scene in the rotating room.
Nominated to 4 Oscars in 1947 for Best Director, Best Writing, Best Film Editing and Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture. The film didn’t get any of these awards.
It did win the Edgar Allan Poe Award to Best Motion Picture in 1947
In 1946 won the Prize of the National Board of Review in the USA to the Top Ten Films.
The film also won the award from the National Film Preservation Board in the US.
Curiosities:
It was the first movie of a very young Burt Lancaster who had been an acrobat for a circus until then.
Burt Lancaster had to train for two months with a Boxing Champion to act in the scenes with boxing. Those scenes were shot with a real boxer joining Burt Lancaster. He happened to do it really well.
The film is a Hemingway’s short novel adaptation.
The high quality film work is unquestionable, that’s probably why It’s considered by many like the best film within the “black movies” of all times. The 10 first minutes of the tape, when the plot is told are specially good.
The Director uses flashbacks to take us from the past to the present showing us the thread of the story. I love how the movie is directed. I like suspense and crime films and The Killers is one of the best I’ve ever seen.
If I should take out a scene, I’d choose the Burt Lancaster’s face the moment he sees the celestial and beautiful Ava Gardner. She is a Venus. This was the movie where she started building the character of a “femme fatale” that always was her most famous cinema feature.
Burt Lancaster is superb in his role as a boxer and a “white glove thief”. By the way, he was even more handsome than I could remember.
It’s not fair we only can admire the beauty in women in classic cinema… Sometimes actors are better in attraction!
If you like black movies, based on crime novels this film will be one of you favourite. I’m pretty sure!
At Huertas Street number 13 stands the imposing Santoña MasterPalace. Today the Foundation hosts the Chamber of Commerce , but not always served this function.
In the sixteenth century there was in this area a palace, occupied in 1593 by the ” black prince ” Muley Xeque then named Felipe Africa, but it was more or less a mansion when it was purchased in 1731 the Marquis de Goyeneche, Philip V and Elizabeth Farnese banker, and his choice for remodelling was Pedro de Ribera, architect of the imposing building of brick and white stone from Colmenar de Oreja currently admire.
Palace Santoña met its splendor under the duke of the same name, which was, at the time Don Juan Manuel González Manzanedo, humble Indian family who amassed a fortune in Cuba, and to Alfonso XII who created the title because of its great skill in finance, and its contribution to Madrid improvement.
The duke lived in Cuba with his daughter Josefa, born of his relationship with Luisa Serra Intentes who did not get married. Once was alone there because his daughter moved to Paris he decided to marry María Del Carmen Hernández Espinosa de los Monteros, and returns to Spain. After living in Cadiz arrives in Madrid, where he acquired as gift for his wife GoyenechePalace. From that moment becomes the epicenter of social life in nineteenth-century Madrid aristocracy, they adapted to the tastes of the time, exotic décor with oriental influences, Party Hall, Pompeian Hall with its famous rotunda. This was due, among other things to the dedication of the duchess, who was called familiarly the ” Señá Mariquita Hernández”
The Duchess of Santoña was godly woman. Deeply moved by the situation of children’s medicine , prompted the construction of the Hospital del Niño Jesus, to this effect was responsible for organizing a raffle with the intention of raising funds , calling it National Raffle Child , which ranks as the first step was given for the current draw of the Lottery Child.
At death, the Duke, his daughter, inherited the bulk of his father’s vast fortune, valued at more than 2 billion regales at the time, strikes up a long legal battle in getting his stepmother strip of property that she had received, including the palace, which widow Duchess is in utter destitution, host to charity until his death on October 14, 1894. A pity, knowing his affable and gracious character.
The property then passed to Joseph Canalejas, Liberal Party politician, who lived until the day of his death on November 12, 1912. His widow continued to occupy the palace until her death, when it became one of his nephews, who in turn sold the property on June 6, 1933 at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Madrid, its current owner.
Post written by María Romero de Cuenca, art historian, curator and cultural guide. You can follow her work at her blogs: Arte al Instante and Artendencias.
According to the legend, the Greek Dionysus was who first invented the head decoration called nowadays band. Actually the word diadem (as a band synonym) comes from “diadein” (old Greek) meaning “to bind around”.
Before the metallurgy evolution a few old civilizations like the Etruscans and the Scythians used to make wreaths out of flowers and leaves to adorn their heads.
Over the years their skills and techniques evolved to change their temporary flower wreaths for other bands more crafted and long-lasting. Nowadays flowers on diadems remind the ancestral meaning of diadems.
We nowadays distinguish between tiara and diadem, its origins are the same though. A diadem is an open ring stuck to the head used mostly to keep the hair out of the face. The tiara instead goes upper and depending on the size, dess up better in the front side of the head.
Although it’s said that during special events some men used to wear gold diadems in the old times, this kind o jewel is more usual among women.
Today we can find diadems made in plastic rimmed, metal, gold or silver. The first group are usually worn as a head-dress decorated with feathers, felt or even laces in different colours. On the other hand tiaras, usually made in gold, silver or precious and semi-precious gems are worn in very unique moments and weddings.
The diadems I’m using to illustrate this post have been made in silver and zircons, with glaze and freshwater pearls.
Nominated for the Best Writing, Story and Screenplay Oscar in 1951.
Nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe in 1951.
It won the award of the National Film Preservation Board in 1992.
Nominated for the Best Written American Comedy award by the Writers Guild of America, USA in 1950 and 1951.
Curiosities:
One of the first scenes with Judy Halliday talking to Katharine Hepburn she seems to be shaking. She was not acting that moment. Since she was inexperienced at acting she was very nervous of performing close to Hepburn.
Back in 2008 the American Film Institute described the film as one of the 10 greatest romantic comedies of all times.
One of the most famous quotes of the movie was: “It’s the hilarious answer to who wears pants”
It’s based on a true story of the divorce of two cinema actors: Raymond Massey and Adrianne Allen.
Spencer Tracy always insisted to appear within the end credits close to Katharine Hepburn. The scriptwriter Garson Kanin told him once: “She is a lady, you are a gentleman… Should ladies go first?” Tracy answered: “This is a movie you fool, not a lifeboat”.
The script was entirely written thinking of the main couple of actors.
The film was shot in New York and like in the rest of the movies where Tracy and Hepburn appeared together, both slept in separate buildings to avoid rumours.
I couldn’t wait to watch it again!
You’ll have the feeling of floating after watching this film. The taste in your mouth will be so good that you won’t want it to finish. At least, that is what happens to me each time I see this couple acting together. In this film they are sublime!
They are funny, ironic, racy and over all clever.
The comedy is a sparkling approach to the eternal battle of genres. Maybe no other movie in the history has represented so well the women fight to achieve a position into society the same way men always had.
Over 50 years have already past and the film is still fresh like back then. It’s possible that in the moment it was shot didn’t get as many prizes as deserved precisely because of that, because of how delicate was the matter.
The quality of the script and the extreme importance of the subject still today make it a movie that you’ll never be fed up of.
The main couple, maybe the most solid and convincing one in the history of cinema will lead you from one scene to another very comfortably. Then you’ll be looking forward seeing them acting together again. You’ll wish being part of the complicity between them once again.
Because the most remarkable thing about this film is, with no doubt, the final fight, where no one loses but all win.
