Maxima Maia, deam fruges vere rosam

Posted on 27 May, 2015 by María López Linares

May is a month dedicated to our elderlies, flowers and in general, to Spring. But also May si the month of the goddess who protects the humanity, the goddess Maia.

Long time ago it was common to celebrate during this month a mysterious ritual where only women were welcomed. It seemed to be linked to fertility and maternity.

This month the heart of my work is the lyres, pigeons, sedes and the colors green and white. The central piece is a beautiful section of an old furniture in mahogany that reminds me of an instrument invented by Hermes, son of Zeus and Maia.

Each still even I do is unique, as you can see, and I put all my back on it since the planning until de developing. All details are carefully programmed.

I’d love to tell you about each of the objects I include in my still evens, if you feel the curiosity.

This month I’ve finally seen the four first photographies in paper and I felt really touched. A photograph can’t be finished until it’s printed.

I’d like to thank Jose Martines-Chinchilla, from the photograph studio Digigrafico, for his patience and profesionality in his work.

I hope you like my May…

Here’s “Maxima Maia, deam fruges vere rosam”

Images: @María López-Linares- Vintage Photography

With P for “Pendientes” (Earrings)

Posted on 26 May, 2015 by María López Linares

Also known as pendants, hoops or studs. It’s an ornament used both by men and women since the old times in order to decorate the earlobe.

There are plenty of forms, sizes and motives. It actually is a sort of jewel able to perfectly adapt to changes in fashion over the years.

We find earrings in gold, silver or nobel metals: earrings decorated with precious or semiprecious stones or also cristal, with endless desings as varied as the imagination of the jewelry designer across the History.

This is the most well-known jewel and the most made by designer along the history of jewelry.

We can highlight 5 sort of fasteners or closures that we’ll analyze in further articles:

POST OR STUD
OMEGA
FRENCH WIRE
CATALAN
CLIP-ON

Images: @María Vintage Photography

Ada Lovelace, founder of programming

Posted on 19 May, 2015 by María López Linares

Maths and Scientific and modern Computing owes a lot to Ada Lovelace (1815 – 1852, British). She was considered the first programmer in history, the founder of computing. However – as expected – the English poet Lord Byron’s daughter didn’t get the deserved acknowledgement until the 20th century when the first computers were born.

Nowadays Ada Lovelace is considered key in technology – for instance, back in 1979 a computer programming was named after her – however we have to remember she lived being considered a mere Charles Babbage’s assistant (he was the brilliant mathematician who developed the very first computer). This first machine was able to do algebra and calculations and removed the mistakes that people in charge of doing those used to do. Ada was very interested for the project and she joined Babbage not only to help investigating but also to promote the machine.

If you just want to know why an important poet’s daughter chose technology instead of lyrics, we can find an explanation in her mother, the baroness Anna Isabella Noel Byron, who always pushed her daughter to embrace Science. However, Ada always considered herself a “scientific poetess”.

In 1835 she was married with William King and soon after that she became into the countess of Lovelace, a title she used since then. She had three kids and an intense love life (rumours say she had many affairs). After all she was the daugher of a passionate and eccentric Lord Byron…

She died in 1852 because of a cervix cancer, interrupting her prolific career. She was only 37 years old. Ada’s wish – who had become very religious over the last few years – was being buried close to her father, who also had died around that age.

Every year, by half October, an event in her honor remember us the way many women helped to improve Technology, Science, Engineering and Maths. One more way to ensure that the gender doesn’t influence your taste and selections in life.

María Vintage Photography y Wikipedia.

Texto de @Esther Ginés

The Vintage by Lopez-Linares “Floss”

Posted on 12 May, 2015 by María López Linares

Over the past few months I’ve been thinking of adding to our Historic Jewelry collection a line of vintage headdresses. However it’s not easy at all since I’m looking for very special hair ornaments. Maybe I’m too demanding… But our space is very special and unique.

A couple of months ago I found by chance this picture, and I love the headdresses from the very first look.

It’s just what I was looking for!

An elegant, timeless and easy-to-wear piece that could be decorated with the many vintage accessories we have in our space. Our collection of brooches, earrings, ribbons, laces or buttons is so huge that headdresses might be a fantastic way of showing them.

The ideal image is a beautiful miniature in watercolour over ivory by the English artista Reginald Easton and represents Bessie Florence “Floss” Scarlett Gibson.

The lady is sat in front of a beach, wearing a dress in beige color over a white shirt and a bow in brown. The perfect combination is the rose she wears in her breast and her head dressed with a little headdress in sheep skin fabric and decorated with a brooch with diamonds. That piece has been the inspiration for most of our haddresses.

The story behind this lady is a bit sad though. She was the only daughter of the Honorable Ruth Hester Frances Scarlett. After her mother passed, Floss was adopted by her aunt Jane Gibson. She and her husband never had the chance to give birth.

In February 1871, Floss got married with the Coronel Leopold James Scarlett, a member of the Scoth Guard. The couple had six sons and a daughter.

During her life, Floss got her heart broken several times, since she ouslasted her husband and four of her sons. The youngest dead in an Australian submarine in 1914, whe he only was 29.

She spent the last years of her life almost totally isolated in the Penenden House in Boxley. Her daughter Ruth and her sons Hugh and Percy ouslasted her.

We’ve called this collection Floss, after this beautiful and brave woman who lived her maturity in England, during the 20’s.

The Vintage by Lopez-Linares “Floss” take us back to an era when women had to fight for her better life.

Fabergé Revealed: The fall of the Russian imperial family through his jewelry

Posted on 5 May, 2015 by María López Linares

If Vegas already is one of the most visited destinations worldwide, it’s lately becoming into one of the cultural preferences as well, due to the many exhibitions and cultural activities the city is displaying at the many luxurious hotels across the Strip.

This time we want to recommend a beautiful show that will be open until May 25^th, so if you happen to be around Vegas, don’t hesitate to go a pay it a visit. We are talking about Fabergé Revealed. This exhibition shows almost 240 artifacts from the time, which means this is the biggest Fabergé collection shown outside Russia. The history behind these pieces tells us a lot about the Russian imperial family over the 19^th and 20^th centuries.

The House of Fabergé designed and manufactured about 150,000 objects of art, jewels and articles made in silver. Most of them were unique and very rare, made exclusively for a distinguished client. The most famous series he did were the Easter Eggs, about which we’ve talked already in our Vintage Dictionary.

The luxury of his jewels and the refine craftsmanship he applied took him to the service of the Russian imperial family by the end of the 19^th century. In this show, among other wonders, you’ll see 200 pieces this celebrated jeweller realized for the Russian Czars Alexander III and his son and successor, Nicholas II, including four Imperial Easter Eggs, unique in the world.

Tarissa Tiberti, the gallery’s executive director – the show is displayed in one of the most luxurious hotels in Vegas, the Bellagio Hotel – said, as quoted in LA Time “these treasured objects encompass the beauty of art while also telling one of the most powerful stories in history: the fall of the Russian imperial family”.

The exhibition, whose pieces are a loan from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, will remain open in the Bellagio Hotel until May 25^th. If you are planning a visit, don’t miss it!

Find tickets and more info here: http://newsroom.bellagio.com/

Aphrodite emersum e spuma

Posted on 5 May, 2015 by María López Linares

I always love to close the month with something very special, you all know that already, so I’ve made a new Baroque Still Even photo this month.

This project is getting more and more interesting since it makes me study the great masters of the Baroque painting and many ancient stories, where I find my inspiration.

April makes the flowering of the jewels of Nature starts growing.

To me this is the month of water, foam and blue colour. It’s the month of Aphrodite.

That means the heart of my work this month has been foam (what best represents Aphrodite) and daisies (the flower of the month).

The central piece this month is a beautiful shell from far far aways.

Each photo I do is unique, as you can see, and it takes me long to do it, since it needs a very careful and precise work.

I’ll love to tell you where I take any of the elements I use to make this Baroque Still Even photos, if you feel curious.

After a few weeks looking for information and the perfect objects to transmit the message, it was finally born Aphrodite curationem sanatio umenti”

I hope you love it…

The orient of the pearls

Posted on 28 April, 2015 by María López Linares

Do you know what “the orient of the pearls” means? The orient is the natural sparkle in a pearl, that iridescent shine so characteristic that differenciates a high-quality pearl. It’s probable that you’ve heard “these pearls have a beautiful orient”, haven’t you?

Orient is the light that reflects over the thin layers forming the surface of a pearl. That light becomes then into those beautiful iridescent reflections that grab our attention so powerful.

We call “dead pearls” those that have actually lost that shine and light.

The thiner and more beautiful the orient is the more quality the pearl will have. That’s something that you can distinguish with some experience and the habit of looking at pearls.

Eleonora Gonzaga´s Jewerly

Posted on 16 April, 2015 by María López Linares

Tiziano made this Eleonora Gonzaga’s portrait back in 1537. The painting was created with an admirable accuracy and precision and it’s plenty of meaningful details, like the jewelry she is wearing. Of course, among all her jewelry I paid special attention to one of the tiny rings she is wearing in her finger, and that was the chosen piece to take part of our Historical collection. An amethyst and two peridotos were the semi precious stones we chose to decorate it.

But first, let’s know more about Eleonora’s life, which was crucial in the old History.

Eleonora Gonzaga was born in December 31st in 1493. She was the oldest among her brothers and sisters. Her parents were Francisco II Gonzaga and Isabella d’Este. Her mother was the duchess of Mantua and one of the most important women in the Italian Rennaissance. Isabella was a very good patron and a leader in fashion trends. Her trendy style was copied by all women in the whole Italy and also France. She regented Mantua when her husband was out and also while her son was still too young to do it.

She was a perfect model for her daughter Eleonora. In 1509 she was married with Francesco Maria della Rovere, Julio II Pope’s nephew. This marriage made her duchess of Urbino and gave her two sons and three daughters.

Eleonora was not only recognized because of her good work at arts like her mother, but also because she was able to manage Urbino’s government when her husband was exiled. It’s probable that her mother was her model also on this.

Among the main details of the painting is Eleonora’s jewelry, marta’s sking and also the animal head in gold highlighted over her chest, plenty of pearls and rubies that give her style more luxury if possible. Tiziano reminds us all the time about her power and influence. The dog is a intimate detale but also a symbol of happiness. The last detail worth of mention is the clock we can interpretate as the meaning of the fugacity of life.

Eleonora became widow and soon enough she passed away in 1570. But we’ll always have this impressive portrait by Tiziano. The oil over canvas painting (114×102.2 cm) can be visited in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.

Images:

Wikipedia

@María Vintage Photography

With “L” for “Lazo” (Bow)

Posted on 14 April, 2015 by María López Linares

Let’s understand “bow” here as a long fabric band that allows us to tie a piece in a decorative and creative way. A bowknot is a knot made with laces to close shoes, but also a ribbon to decorate the a pony tail in girls or several bows forming a rosette.

Bows decorate dresses, hairs, shoes, bags and even gifts. They are the final touch to give anything a romantic air.

And of course, it’s a must in our Vintage Dictionary the bow-shaped brooches.

These pieces were very common and famous in the 20’s, although they’ve been used in jewelry for centuries in order to create brooches, earrings and pendants.

The bow-shaped brooches are perfect for a romantic and old look, both for a smart or a casual outfit.

They use to be made in gold or silver and can be decorated with color, semiprecious or precious stones as well as with pearls of all kind. It’s a sort of decoration very frequent in tiaras, earrings and rings. It’s the best way to show the world the vintage part inside you.

Imáges: María Vintage Photography

The history of the Spanish portraits

Posted on 9 April, 2015 by María López Linares

The exhibition goes across the whole history of the portraits in Spain, from Juan of Flandes to Antonio Lopez and offers an overall about the paintings in the court, from the 15th century to the 21st.

It’s a great itinerary to enjoy the master works in painting, with the best samples in the National Patrimony. The tour, through 12 halls in the ground floor of the Royal Palace in Madrid, is completed with a visit to the castle. It’ll take you no more than a morning to finish the visit and it’s really worth it.

The show is organized in two big sections: The House of Austria and the House of Borbon, and a tour in a chronological order that helps us better understand the history of Spain through its Royal families.
The exhibit opens with the Hapsburg dynasty, with the main portrait of Isabel the Catholic, drom the House of Trastamara. A painting by Juan de Flandes.

It’s also remarkable in this section the portraits of Carlos V (by Jakob Seisenegger) and Felipe II (by Antonio Moro), and also you’ll find here one of the jewels of the show: a tiny miniature of the Conde-Duque de Olivares (by Diego Velazquez).

In the second section dedicated to the House of Borbon from the 18th century up to these days, you’ll find the best samples out of the National Patrimony: Felipe V, Carlos III or the wonderful Goya’s painting with Maria Luisa de Parma as a model. There are also works by Vicente Lopez, Federico de Madrazo or Franz Xaver Witherhalter, among others.

The show ends with two emblematic works by Salvador Dali and Antonio Lopez, both about the Juan Carlos I’s Royal family.

A great selection of work-arts worth visiting if you happen to be in Madrid this days. You only have until the 19th of April!
Here’s the link to the web in case you decide to pay a visit:

Bibliography and images:
National Patrimony

Vintage by López Linares

Pure vintage Blog

Author Archives: María López Linares