After seeing a certain painting in different publications or art catalogues so many times, when the moment finally arrives to find myself face to face with it for the first time, I am flooded by a sense of disquietude and nervousness. The image is so familiar to me that I don’t think I will be capable of contributing new feelings to those that I have already experienced. Will it be bigger or smaller than I imagined? Will the colours be lighter or darker that I imagined?
The colour, the light, the size of the canvas including its frame, these are the details that you cannot appreciate in their full splendour until you behold the painting with your own eyes. I think that seeing the painting itself, however many times you may have seen it in publications; will always surprise you more than you think. At least this is what always happens to me.
Finding myself face to face with “Girl with a Pearl Earring” produced a much greater feeling inside me than I had expected from this particular piece of art. It is a rather small oil painting, it measures 45×39 cm. This magnificent portrait by Vermeer has a beauty so surprising that it captures you instantly. Many consider this painting to be the Mona Lisa of the North, comparing it with Leonardo Da Vinci’s emblematic masterpiece.
Would it be the eyes; the youngster’s gaze; the light that Vermeer always painted so masterfully, or the reflection of the pearl that captivated me from the very beginning? All of this is of a surprising beauty.
On one hand the youth transmits a feeling of innocence and sensitivity to me. Her gaze seems so sweet and juvenile… Yet on the other hand, her humid and full lips convey an exciting sensuality to me. Altogether I think that she directs a gaze loaded with cheek and insinuation at the spectator.
I must admit that my eyes went directly to the earring, a simple pearl of substantial size. Plinio said that women had the custom of hanging pearls from their ears for the pleasure that it caused them when the pearls stroked their skin whilst moving.
I fell in love with this pearl, the simplicity of its montage and its size. For me, the pearl was the focal point of this painting. It is because of this that I didn’t rest until I found the most similar jewel to these earrings. This happened in a goldsmith inFlorence, specializing in reproductions of Baroque pieces, where I found these that I bring to our Vintage space today.
If you have the opportunity to see this magnificent masterpiece, don’t miss out on it. I would love to know your opinions about her. She is currently in the Royal Picture Gallery inThe Hague.
The Twenties gave way to the beginning of our emancipation. The fact that we achieved the free vote for the first time in this decade, after a great struggle meant that we would free ourselves from numerous restrictions to which we had always been subjected.
The freedom to vote came hand in hand with the freedom in many other areas. We managed to liberate ourselves from the corseted dresses, the awkward hairstyles, the dense black stockings, the nineteenth century’s ankle-length skirts and give the loose reign to a new woman. We passed from being submissive housewives to indisputable protagonists of social events. We started to fill universities and we were made intoQueensof the nightlife scene. The great parties, the jazz concerts, the theatres and the casinos were the places where we gave loose reign to this new lifestyle.
The great designers of this period soon understood what the changes were that we demanded, and they adjusted their designs to our new taste: short sleeves, wide necklines, knee-length skirts, loose dresses… A style that was much freer, sportier and casual than we could ever have dreamed of wearing.
All these changes gave way to a totally new look: “The Garçon Look”.
This look, much more masculine that ever imagined, needed to lend itself to long earrings, silk stockings, infinite pearl necklaces and sophisticated accessories, in order to give a more feminine touch to a look that perhaps resulted too masculine for its time.
Which were the indispensable objects for the ‘garçon look’? : short hair, natural silk, leopard, sophisticated turbans, fringes, feathers, long mouthpieces, cigarette cases, red lipstick, and of course, ostentatious pieces of costume jewellery. These would be the signs that distinguished the authentic “garçon woman” from her predecessors.
Smoking, driving fast cars, practising sports such as golf or tennis, dancing a Charleston or a Tango were the activities that we could never have dreamt of doing, and from this moment on they would turn into something indispensable for any woman that valued being update with the latest trends.
The Decorative Arts exhibition in 1925 inParis, and fashion magazines such as Vogue (New York, 1982) and Gazette du Bon Ton (Paris 1912), were the authentic trampolines that allowed the garçon style to rapidly jump up to the European and United States´ salons.
The greatest revolutionist in the fashion and costume jewellery world was Coco Chanel. Chanel was a visionary, a genius in haut couture and design. She was the authentic ‘garçon woman’.
It was thanks to Chanel and designers such as Trifari, Napier, Marcel Borcher and Eisenberg (I will go on to speak about all of these in future posts), that the great pieces of jewellery were able to reach all women around the world. They were the women that demanded pieces with style and glamour, yet at a more accessible price than the pieces made by the great jewellers of the time. Chanel never considered costume jewellery to be the younger sister of jewellery. On the contrary, she always thought of it as an authentic type of jewellery.
The garçon style went out with a bang when theNew Yorkstock exchange crashed in 1929 and the Second World War started inEurope. The luxury industry disappeared and the great jewellery and costume jewellery designers had to reduce their prices, resorting to materials such as Bakelite, plastic or silver. In this way they were able to continue creating pieces of great design and quality but at much lower prices.
Can you identify with the garçon look?
What do you think of the infinite pearl necklaces and the great costume jewellery pieces?
These earrings arrived to our space by pure coincidence; however I fell in love with them as soon as I saw them.
The elegant tone of their quartzes and the small hanging pearl inspired me from the first moment.
I immediately started to look for information about the first owner of this delicate piece, it didn’t take me long to find her: Bia Di Medici, also known as Bianca.
When I saw Bronzino’s portrait of her for the first time, I wouldn’t quite know how to explain the sensation that it caused me to feel. My first surprise was when I found out that the painting was of a little girl. A girl, little more than 5 years of age, who displayed an unquestionable beauty and sweetness, also transmitted something to me that was slightly disconcerting. I found her gaze to be so cold and distant…
It is very curious because the day that I started to write this entry, a great friend came to my house for coffee and I showed her the portrait so that she could give me her opinion. As she happened to be a painter herself, her opinion seemed all the more specific. And it was to my surprise when I found out that the portrait stirred disquietude in her as it had done in me.
As long as I didn’t know Bia’s story, I wasn’t capable of understanding why this portrait, being of such incomparable beauty, disconcerted me so when looking at it.
I wanted to ask you a favour. Stop for a moment at this work of art. Feel for a few moments what it is that Bia transmits to you… and then, continue reading.
The story of Bia, although sad, was developed in one of the most luxurious and refined homes of sixteenth centuryItaly.
Illegitimate daughter of Cosme I of Medici, she was born when her father had scarcely reached 18 years of age and had not yet married. Bia never lived with her mother and we don’t even know who she was.
Soon after her birth she was taken toFlorenceto live with her father, knowing that Cosme I always felt a special predilection towards her, spoiling her and giving her all the whims that she fancied.
The happiness of both lasted very little. Cosme I contracted marriage with Leonor of Toledo – those of you who follow my blog will remember her: “One broach and two Leonors” – Leonor demanded that the girl be moved immediately to “Villa Di Castello” where she would live with her paternal grandmother.
Bia shared these years in the palace with Giuliana, illegitimate daughter of Alexander of Medici and who was scarcely two years older than her. The girls shared games and antics and they were the joy of their grandmother, until in 1542 both of them became sick with fevers. Cosme I demanded that he be informed daily about the status of the young girls, unfortunately however, after only a few days Bia passed away. She was only 6 years old.
Cosme I immediately ordered a portrait from Bronzino, who was a renowned artist at this time.
What impressed me was when I found out that Bronzino painted this beautiful panel from the funeral mask that they had obtained from Bia after her death. Bia never posed for the great artist. In this moment I understood why the portrait had disturbed me so, and why Bia’s gaze had seemed so cold and distant.
Cosme I never managed to get over the loss of his first daughter. It is because of this that the portrait remained in Cosme’s private gallery for so many years, for his personal contemplation and in order to keep her alive in his memory.
Despite the sad story of little Bia, the earrings still seem beautiful to me. I think that Bronzino chose this piece of jewellery for its delicacy and simplicity. When I see them I can at least imagine Bia scampering around the porticoes of the lodges at ‘Villa Di Castello’, under the complacent gaze of her august grandmother.
The Experts say that Bronzino’s portrait is one of his greatest masterpieces.
What was your first impression when contemplating this portrait?
The appearance of those faces embossed over a light brown tortoiseshell has always grabbed my attention. However, it wasn’t until I married and was given an incredible set of earrings and broach by my mother-in-law, belonging to her family since 1860, that I could truly appreciate the beauty of these pieces that I had within my grasp. This set of jewellery had passed through five generations of women and now it had arrived in my hands, to my great surprise and emotion.
I found it so curious that the faces on the earrings were facing one another! I asked myself what the origin could be, or how a technique so old could continue to capture the attention of so many women throughout history. (Personally, they inspired me).
Have you ever asked yourself where these cameos appeared for the first time, or how they were made? These are some of the questions that I asked myself when I had these earrings in my hands.
According to the dictionary, a cameo is simply, “an embossment obtained from a precious stone”. Yet for me, it is a lot more than only this. It is incredible to think that the procedure with which they are made was already employed by the ancient Greeks whom, in their time, had taken it from the Persians during the incursions carried out by their armies under the command of Alexander the Great.
Later on the technique arrived in the hands of the Romans, who used it for decoration and jewellery. Needless to say that to find a piece from this time is very rare, as seen as they only appear in highly specialized auctions. For example, we know that nobles frequently wore rings with cameos, made from (not too big) emeralds and rubies. We also have to our knowledge that the Roman emperors frequently used them as badges on their clothes. Can you imagine Octavian Augustus sporting an agate cameo on his imperial toga…? Is it not incredible!?
At the end of the second Century d. C. this fashion disappeared, and many years passed until this technique returned to dazzle in the Italian Renaissance in the hands of the greatest collectors of the time, such as Lorenzo De Medici. Its influence was even seen to arrive at the French court, where Francis I displayed pieces of this type on numerous occasions. Of course, it also arrived inEngland, where Henry VIII, in his passion for these types of jewels, created his very own workshop in order to make them. During this period, antique pieces of jewellery from the Roman times were frequently sought after and they were transformed in order to make them into the most fashionable jewels of the moment. Due to the Roman pieces being mounted over very simple gold bases, they were usually dismounted in order to use them at a later time for bigger broaches; mounted over precious stone and gold bases, to decorate velvet capes and hats or to show off the neckline of some great lady of the court.
At the root of the Discovery of America, a great deal of more exotic materials entered into Europe to make the mentioned pieces, such as tusks, jade, amber or giant shells. However the industry’s most important discovery was the Tuberous Cassis shell. These shells were extremely adequate for the job, as seen as they already consisted of layers of various different tones and colour, this allowed profound and transparent embossments to be made that had been unknown until this moment. The technique was developed inItaly, or more concretely inSicily, but from there it passed rapidly to the area ofNaples, spreading itself promptly throughout the rest of the country. In a few years many Italian artists started to work inFrance andEngland, distributing this practice rapidly throughoutEurope during the sixteenth and seventeenth century.
In the Napoleonic period the cameos were mainly decorated with neoclassical elements, frequently displaying mythological subjects or representing philosophers, emperors or nobles and other characters from the clergy in the Roman times. The surrounding frames, usually made from gold, were an achievement of fineness and exceptional detail known as the Roman seal setting. These cameos were often mounted in bracelets with three or four little pendants that were known as ‘slaves’.
The cameo’s fame spreads throughout the most popular social classes thanks to the fact that the “shell” was a material much cheaper than those that had been used up till this moment; this popularized its use and production, limiting the privilege to wear the precious stoned cameos to high society.
For me one of the most beautiful European royal tiaras comes from this period: “Josephine Bonaparte’s tiara”, which we were able to see displayed by the Princess Victoria ofSwedenon the day of her wedding not long ago. A spectacular piece with a matching set of earrings that were sported with a breathtaking simplicity and elegance.
Thus we arrive at the nineteenth Century; the period to which the set belongs that was given to me. It is from this period that the most records and heritage have remained with us, as seen as numerous workshops were proliferated, as many inItalyas inFranceandEngland, in order to make the cameos in “shell”. However, materials such as Onyx, lapis lazuli, coral agate or ivory were also used. These were more expensive so they were used in lesser quantities.
During the first Victorian and Romantic period, Minerva, Medusa and Bacchante’s cameos became very famous.
Between 1860 and 1880, the Italian artisans made bold hardstone (cameos in yellow gold with decorated frames), in which the motifs returned to being extremely classic and bordering on erotic.
During the twentieth Century, cameos made from paste and crystal were proliferated. The production of standard gold 9 carat cameos or silver with marquisate were also very common.
In the shop, we have focused on the reproductions in silver gilt. This way it will make it easier for you to find earrings or a ring inspired by the Roman style mounts. Or perhaps a silver gilt broach with a set of earrings in the purest Renaissance style.
I love the Victorian style lace necklaces with cameos and pearls. This being one of the other areas in which we have specialized.
In the photographs illustrated in this article, you can appreciate some of the pieces that we have in the shop at the moment in greater detail.
I have the great luck to be able to wear, at special occasions, these earrings and broach that were given to me by my beloved mother-in-law, which you can also see in one of the photographs that I have attached.
And what do you think? Do you like the cameos?
Can you imagine yourselves as Anne Boleyn, displaying earrings of this style?
Or perhaps you are more inclined towards the velvet and lace from the period of QueenVictoriaofEngland?
Mary Carlisle… February 2012’s “Vintage Icon”. The beautiful American actress was born on the 3rd of February 1912, meaning that today is her 100th birthday. We wanted to pay her a small tribute from here, on the day of her centenary.
Mary arrived in Hollywood at the early age of 4years, accompanied by her mother who was recently widowed. She was discovered by Carl Laemmle Jr. in the Universal Studios dining room and underwent her first test shoot.
She was given her first role at only eight years old when she interpreted Jackie Coogan in “If I were King”.
In 1933 her first great opportunity arose upon being selected as one of the young “Wampa” girls.
“Wampa” was a promotional campaign for the Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers. It consisted of selecting 13 young actresses on their ways to stardom. The competition continued to take place between 1922 till 1934. The annual awards were celebrated in a big party called the “Wampas Frolic”, and the winners received a mass promotion to help their careers take off.
Some of the most famous winning Wampa actresses were: Joan Crawford, Janet Gaynor, Dolores del Río, Dorothy MacKaill, Joan Blondell, Loretta Young and Ginger Rogers.
In the image of the “Wampas Girls” in 1932 we can see Mary Carlisle (sat in the first row) and next to her Gloria Stuart (who recently passed away and who starred in Titanic as the elderly Rose) and Ginger Rogers.
Mary had started her career as a support actress in the Thirties. She was selected as Bing Crosby’s co-star in the three of her first musicals: “College humour” in 1933, “Double or Nothing” in 1937 and “Dr. Rhythm” in 1938.
For me, she plays one of her best parts in this last film. The very famous actor Bing Crosby dedicates a beautiful song to her.
In 1931 she placed a small role in the successful film “Grand Hotel”, in which she gives life to a youth on her honeymoon and although the role was small, the film was a success and managed to win an Oscar for best film in 1932. In the film she shares star-studded moments with Greta Garbo, John Barrymore, Joan Crawford, Wallace Beery and Lionel Barrymore.
Mary appeared in nearly 70 films during 1930 and 1943; she retired when she noticed that her career was no longer heading in the correct direction, and she concentrated on her marriage to James Blakeley, another young actor. The two actors met each other whilst filming a Bing Crosby musical together. Mr. Blakeley managed to get a greater success later in the 20th Century Fox studios. The happy couple remained married until James Blakeley’s death in 2007 and had one son together.
After retiring she dedicated a few years to managing an Elizabeth Arden salon in Beverly Hills, California.
I have tried and failed to find some kind of current information about Mary: where she lives or what she does now… I haven’t been able to. I would love to hear the stories that Mary tells about her Hollywood days in the Thirties. What I know for sure is that she is the only 1932 Wampa girl that is still alive and that in 1960 they dedicated a star to her in Hollywood’s famous “Walk of Fame”.
From Vintage By López-Linares, wherever you find yourself, we wish you a very Happy Birthday Mary…
“Camille”, the film directed by George Cukor and whose lead actors are the Swedish Greta Garbo and the North American Robert Taylor, will be our January 2012 “Vintage Icon”.
We have chosen this film as seen as on the 22nd of January it will be the 75th anniversary of its premiere in New York City; it is based on the French writer Alejandro Dumas’ (son) novel.
What I’m not sure if many people know is that the Alejandro Dumas’ novel is inspired by his own life, and that Margarita in reality is Marie, the well known writer’s lover of nearly one year. The novel was a posthumous present that he redacted for his loved-one.
Marie was the daughter of a peddler and a lady of aristocracy who lost nearly everything during the French Revolution. The courtesan was abandoned by her mother when she was a small girl of barely 4 years of age, remaining in her father’s care who, when she was barely 12, offered her to the neighbours in the area as a prostitute.
She arrived in Paris with barely 16 years of age by hand of a gypsy family, managing to get work in a vegetable shop, an umbrella factory and later in a lingerie shop. However, immediately, and thanks to her incredible beauty, she managed to bewitch a great number of men.
Her first great conquest was the Duke of Gramont, who would end up as the Minister of Foreign Affairs with Napoleon III. He installed her in one Paris’ most luxurious flats and put himself in charge of paying for a tutor to form and convert her into a great lady.
She would refine herself with her tutor, learn to write, have a correct French pronunciation, and play the piano and dance, at the same time as acquiring literary notions, history and protocol. When the Duke’s family found out, they forced him to break off his relationship; however Marie was already famous in the Parisian circles and men fought to share a soirée with her.
Afterwards there came a number of famous names of the period; men with money, a high social and economical position, all noble and ready to attend to her innumerable and costly whims.
As a member of the elitist Paris Jockey Club she would meet the Count of Perregaux in 1841, the Count would end up in ruin and abandoning her, unable to maintain the lifestyle that Marie desired.
In 1844 she met Alejandro Dumas. In this period Marie was already suffering from tuberculosis, and although the romance lasted for nearly a year, the writer abandoned her in fear of catching the feared disease. Nevertheless, the writer would write her this farewell letter, by which he could give the sense that his decision to leave her were due to other motives.
My dear Marie,
My dear Marie, I am neither rich enough to love you as I should like, nor poor enough to be loved by you as you would like. There is nothing for us to do but forget — you a name which must mean very little to you; I a happiness which is no longer possible for me. Needless to tell you how miserable I am, since you know how I love you. So, this is goodbye. You are too tender hearted not to understand the reason for this letter, too intelligent not to forgive me.
A thousand regards,
30th August, at midnight.
A.D.
After another one or two romances, Marie, ill and abandoned by all would end up marrying the Count of Perragaux, converting her into a Countess and caring for her until the day of her death, which took place only a year after her marriage.
In 1848, little after a year of death, Alejandro Dumas (son) decided to immortalize Marie by writing the famous novel in her honour.
In 1853 Giuseppe Verdi launched his famous Opera the “Traviata”, base d on the cited novel. The opening was in Venice and turned out to be an authentic failure. A year later it was re-launched with a few modifications and made a resounding success.
The first time the novel was taken to the cinema was in 1907. In 1921 a version with Rodolfo Valentino and Alla Nazimova as the protagonists was made. After which, there were many more versions, ballets, theatre productions and some television series.
However I definitely choose Greta Garbo’s marvellous interpretation and beauty. Her role of Margarita Gautier won her an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress in 1938.
During the whole month of January our “Vintage Space” will be dressed as Greta Garbo and her Camille.
