Elizabeth Taylor and Avon, an Almost Unknown Collaboration in Spain

Posted on 25 April, 2012 by María López Linares

Hollywood’s legendary star, Elizabeth Taylor, passed away a few weeks ago. The star’s life was most known for all her films, her Oscars, her scandals and her eight marriages that took up thousands of pages in the tabloids all over the world.

Her passion for jewels is what most struck me about her life. She has owned some of the most impressive jewel collections of all times, and some of history’s most emblematic pieces of the world’s jewellery.

From all her Collection, the most written about jewel is probably “La Peregrina” (“The Pilgrim”). This precious pearl was found by a black slave in the sixteenth century in theGulf of Panama; due to this incredible find the slave was granted his freedom as a reward. The pearl was given to Felipe II (Phillip II) by Don Pedro Témez, administrator of the Spanish Colony. The King presented the pearl to his fiancée, Queen Mary I ofEngland, as a gift, she displayed the pearl on many an occasion.La Peregrinadidn’t return toSpainuntil Mary Tudor’s death.

The jewel was later sported by the Spanish Queens at many political events and in numerous portraits during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. We can enjoy its beauty in the famous portraits accomplished by Vélazquez de Isabel de Borbón and Mariana of Austria, both of whom were wives of Phillip IV.

La Peregrinaremained as part of the Royal Spanish Treasure until the nineteenth century. It was then that Joseph Bonaparte, after finalising his reign onSpain, took the pearl with him toFrance.

The pearl remained inFranceuntil Emperor Napoleon III took it with him toEnglandduring his exile, where he managed to sell it to the Duke of Abercon. Years later King Alfonso XIII tried, unsuccessfully, to get his hands on it.La Peregrinaremained in the Abercon family’s power until it was auctioned off in London by Sotheby’s in 1969, where Richard Burton acquired it for 37000$ in order to present it as a Valentine’s Day gift to Elizabeth.

However, inSpainthe actress’ side that is truly unknown is her role as a jewellery designer. In the Nineties the actress designed various collections for the Avon Costume Jewellery.

Avonwas founded by a young door-to-door bookseller in 1886, called McConnell. He started by selling books and giving away perfume samples to clients, yet he immediately realised that the perfumes were much more successful than the books and decided to change business and start to sell perfumes.Avonalways maintained its direct sale strategy with representatives all over the world.

In 1920 the company produced a few talcum powders, and little by little started its global expansion and direct sales of cosmetic products. I am sure that all the Spanish, apart from the youngest, will remember the famous slogan: “Dong, dong,Avoncalling”.

Avon wanted to go even further; in 1979 it brought out its first collection of costume jewellery. It consisted of three pieces: a broach, a ring and a necklace.Avonnever directly made it, as it had various factories subcontracted. Its products always followed a strict quality control and this, together with the collaborations that it carried out with the most famous designers of the time, made this company the biggest distributor of costume jewellery in the world.

It was in the Nineties when Elizabeth Taylor entered to form a part of the Avonteam. Between 1993 and 1997 she designed various collections; however the most successful were the ones that were based on the films Cleopatra, Elephant Walk and The Taming of the Shrew.

Elizabethwas famous for being meticulous and demanding, and we know that she supervised every detail of the design and fabrication of all the pieces that bore her name. All the pieces that the actress designed for Avon bore an “E”.

In 2005 Elizabeth founded her very own costume jewellery company: “The House of Taylor”, opening shop inBeverly Hillsand opening shares in the Nasdaq market.

All the pieces designed byElizabethatAvonare currently considered to be collection pieces, and their value in the American auctions that specialize in this kind of jewellery has duplicated since the actress’ death.

Were you aware of Elizabeth’s side as a jewellery designer forAvon?

You can enjoy all of her jewellery collections in this beautiful book with photographs by John Bigelow: “My Love Affair with Jewelry”.

If you were Kate Middleton would you sport the Spencer Tiara on your Wedding Day?

Posted on 18 April, 2012 by María López Linares

There is a lot of speculation happening during these weeks about the possibility that Kate Middleton will wear the Spencer Tiara on the day of her wedding to Prince William ofEngland. A few days ago, even the magazine “Hola” dedicated an interesting coverage to the famous tiara.

Since Princess Diana’s death the jewel has not been seen in public, remaining in the hands of its current owner, Count Spencer in “Althorp House”, where one can admire it in all its splendour.

This magnificent jewel has not been worn as a tiara for all that long. Due to this, one cannot really consider it to be a family relic, as seen as its history is rather recent. The evolution of this piece starts in 1919 when Lady Sarah Spencer, the single sister of the sixth Count of Spencer, gave a beautiful piece of jewellery to her niece in-law, Cynthia, as a wedding gift to her marriage with Albert Edward. Cynthia and Albert would later become the seventh Counts of Spencer, and Lady Diana’s grandparents (on the paternal line).

This jewel, which would be received by Diana’s grandmother as a wedding gift, was a sparkling piece in the shape of a tulip, and it would be the part that would later become the central piece of the famous tiara.

However it wasn’t until 1937 that the tiara was really converted into the jewel that we know today, and that many years later would be sported by Lady Diana. This year, four more elements were added by the prestigious English jeweller Garrard. We know that the cost of this alteration was 125 sterling pounds at the time.

Coincidentally, that same year and in the same jewellers, Queen Elizabeth II subjected the Imperial Crown that she would wear on the day of her coronation, to a few alterations. Would the two tiaras coincide in the hands of the same goldsmith during those days?

Only the two small elements that were decorated at the end of the tiara were truly antique. It is believed that they belonged to a tiara from the French Viscount of Montagu, and that they were inherited by Lady Sarah Spencer in 1875.

It doesn’t seem logical that such a significant day in the English Monarchy’s history, such as the wedding of its future King, the Queen of England would favourably view the fact that the Bride displays a jewel that doesn’t belong to the British crown. It seems fit to wait for the opposite to happen, that the Queen would give one of her magnificent tiaras as a gift to the future wife of her beloved grandson. There by the bride that would one day succeed her as the Queen of England would wear one of the pieces from the Royal House’s collection on such an important occasion.

In the supposed case that William would desire to pay a posthumous tribute to his mother, he would be obliged to ask his uncle for the loan of this famous tiara, as seen as the current Count of Spencer is its legitimate owner.

William had wanted to have his mother present when presenting Kate with the same engagement ring that Lady Di received from the hands of his father on the day of their engagement in February 1981. The jewel is a magnificent ring, with an oval-shaped 14 karat Ceylon Sapphire with a surrounding halo of 14 shining stones, mounted over white gold by the famous jewellers, Garrards. This jewel was chosen by Queen Elizabeth and her son Charles for the significant date. Its price was 28000 sterling pounds.

The Spencer tiara is a truly dignified jewel for a Queen, however it is also true that perhaps Lady Di’s controversial figure should allow Kate to be the protagonist on an occasion this important, if it is finally decided that the same tiara is to be worn as on the day of her wedding.

What would you do?

Cecilia Gallerani, Ludovico il Moro’s Adolescent Lover

Posted on 18 April, 2012 by María López Linares

“Lady with an Ermine” arrived to me in a most unexpected way. All of a sudden my Twitter’s entire Time Line filled with news about the arrival of this portrait, by Leonardo da Vinci, toMadrid. They said it wasPoland’s most valuable jewel.

I was inspired by the portrait from the very beginning. The hairstyle and the type of veil that covered her face almost until her eyebrows powerfully called my attention. I wanted to know everything about her… What strange animal did she hold in her arms? The reason for her lost gaze and enigmatic smile, and her necklace… were they pearls or jets? I wanted to have this necklace on our space. I love those long necklaces that were worn so much later in the Twenties. They are one of my favourite accessories, I use them nearly everyday.

I didn’t hesitate for a moment in my decision that I had to write a post about her.

My first idea was to go and see her and then start writing. However, I immediately decided that I preferred to get to know her before, investigate her life, and try to understand what she was like when Leonardo painted her. After, I would go to see her and tell you my impressions.

Her name is Cecilia Gallerani, born in Sienna in the heart of a family with no noble title but a very good economic situation, due to the fact that her father wasFlorence’s ambassador. Her father knew how to transmit his great passion for the arts to her. She loved literature, music and was able to speak Latin perfectly. She wrote beautiful poetry in Italian. All this made her into an unusually educated woman for her time.

She arrived inMilanat 16 years of age and with an elegant introductory letter and her graceful beauty, she didn’t take long to enter and form part of Ludovico Sforza’s (Ludovico il Moro) court.

Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan and one of the most powerful and influential men in all of the Italian Renaissance, it isn’t surprising that he fell in love with her nearly instantly and that he would make her his concubine, his official lover, when she was barely 17 years old. Cecilia provided him with a son and Ludovico would donate to him Saronno’s fief in recognition of his love.

Cecilia converted him into one of the protagonists of the numerous social gatherings and cultural activities inMilan’s court. She was compared to fascinating women from the early ages such as Aspia of Miletus (Pericles’ wife) or Asiotea (Plato’s student).

During these years Leonardo worked under Ludovico’s orders as master of ceremonies and the ducal kitchens, by which case Cecilia and he would coincide on various occasions in the Sforzesco Palace of Milan, being logical that Ludovico would commission a portrait of his lover from Leonardo.

Will Leonardo manage to transmit Cecilia’s whole personality? I need to go and see her, and this is exactly what I am going to do tomorrow. Later I will continue telling the story…

Following my visit to the exhibition on the 28th June in the Royal Palace of Madrid:

Years have passed since I last entered theRoyalPalaceand the truth is that its Parade Ground impresses me every time I step into it… The rooms on the west wing’s ground floor have been the setting chosen bySpain’s National Heritage and Krakow’sNationalMuseumto host “Lady with an Ermine” in its visit toMadrid.

Following the visit to various rooms containing paintings, arms, armour, coins, sacred art… the uncontainable emotion of feeling close to my desired object started to make me feel impatient. Suddenly, as soon as I entered the room dedicated to western paintings in the Polish nineteenth century collections, between the works of art of King Stanislaw II Augustus Poniatowski’s collection, I ran into “Girl in a frame” as if she wanted to step out of the painting, it is the impressive work of the brilliant Dutch master Rembrandt, about whom I would like to tell you all something one day.

Finally as if it were the Golden broach of this magnificent Collection, with no other piece of art in the room to distract my attention, I found myself face to face with her.

What had so called my attention previously, through the illustrations, was the transparent gossamer, finished off with a golden thread that subtly covered her head until just above her eyebrows. Across her, one may perceive her black straight hair falling over both sides of her face and gathered up in a plait. She wears a pearl necklace. The pearls have a special dark toned iridescent shine.

It is improbable that the strange animal that is held over her breast is an ermine. This mustelid is too wild to pose docilely for a portrait over a lady’s arms. It seems that Leonardo used a ferret or an albino polecat, much more easily domesticated and very similar in size and corpulence to the ermine. Perhaps Leonardo used this animal to allude to the name by which Ludovico was known: Ermellino (ermine), or to the fact that Cecilia’s surname coincided partially with this animal’s Greek name (gale).

Leonardo definitely achieves it… Cecilia speaks to me as she peers at me. She transmits goodness, serenity and intelligence to me. Her gaze is both serene and enigmatic at the same time. She is the powerful Ludovico Sforza’s lover, yet her face expresses sweetness, distinction and security. I think she is a self confident lover. She is the concubine of one of the most powerful men of the Italian Renaissance and she shows herself to be proud of this.

I reflect over the differences between today’s youngsters and the contemporaries of Cecilia. Today, a 17 year old is only an adolescent, at the most studying for a high school degree and only worried about clothes, friends and parties.

In the Renaissance a youngster of this age would already be married, probably with a man double her age, which she would hardly know and not love. She would be the mother of more than one child or, even worse and against her will, the lover of some influential and mature man.

Does it not seem incredible to think how these girls lived during the Renaissance?

“Lady with an Ermine” has survived two World Wars, the pilferage of the Nazis, various robbery attempts and now, for the first time since its creation by the hand of the ingenious Leonardo, it finds itself inMadrid. I sincerely think that it is worth the effort to go and see this magnificent piece of work. It is very rare that it has leftPoland where it was adopted in 1800 and I don’t think it will be possible to see it again inSpain now for many years.

Girl with a Pearl Earring (J. Vermeer 1632-1675)

Posted on 18 April, 2012 by María López Linares

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.

I hope you like it as much as I do.

The ‘Garçon’ Look (1920-1930)

Posted on 18 April, 2012 by María López Linares

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?

Illustration kindly provided by Pippisstrella

Bia di Medici

Posted on 18 April, 2012 by María López Linares

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?