Circe: The Enchantress

While in London, I took some time to visit the Tate Britian, the national gallery of British art from 1500 to the present. It is virtually a stone’s throw from my brother’s house, a nice little walk in the crisp air. The site is situated on Millbank Road, the former site of the Millbank Prison. The Tate (named for Sir Henry Tate – sugar merchant and philanthropist) was opened in July 1897 to house one of the most expensive collections of solely British art. It is rather a cavernous building, with large, cool, high-ceilinged rooms of light beige stone that creates a simple backdrop for the incredible works of art.

This year I spied the portrait of Lady Emma Hamilton as Circe, by George Romney, painted 1782. Of course, we know Lady Hamilton as the beautiful, though notorious mistress of Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson of the British Royal Navy, hero of the Battle of the Nile and of Trafalgar. Emma was the obsessive subject of George Romney, painting her many times as herself as well as being depicted as various muse, goddesses, etc.

The Circe portrait is actually not finished, and was cut down. It is impressive as it is loose and sketchy, much different than other portraits of the times. Circe was a goddess of magic, a sorceress, which fits Emma’s status and personality. She definitely enchanted Nelson, undoing his marriage, making him a figure of ridicule, were it not for his glorious sea victories that diverted some of the negative attention. Circe was known to transform her enemies into animals.

The painting is oil on canvas, about 18 x18, and was acquired in 1945, a bequest of Lady Wharton. Emma is immortalized at her best, though in real life, her life ended tragically. She was not provided for after Nelson’s death, and as she was not his wife, the Royal Navy couldn’t have cared less. Nelson and Emma had an illegitimate child, and Emma, falling out of favor as a woman alone and disgraced, travelled to France where died penniless.

Shaken, not Stirred!

Not too long ago, I purchased a lovely-shaped martini snifter, hoping to master the art of creating the perfect, or at least delicious, gin martini. I've got the recipe nearly perfected, but I was much disappointed in the particular snifter. It leaks.....and, this is not good! Especially when part of the joy of the martini experience is its civility!

And so, my imperfect, uncivilized snifter will be going back to whence it came, in preference of another (yet to be found....the right shape for the right price).

Meanwhile, I was looking into the history of cocktail making in the 18th Century, and found some interesting facts.

Though the cocktail is generally considered American, it can be traced back to 18th Century London. Though fermented beverages had been around for years, it was in the 17th Century that people started drinking fermented spirits yielded from a healthy grain harvest druing the reign of William of Orange. He reduced taxes on distillation, and the rest is history. Unfortunately, gin drinking was curtailed in 1751, when duty was imposed.

By the 18th Century, the mixing of various spirits was in full force, with the inclusion of rum from the Indies, porter was commonly used in London, Guinness first brewed in Dublin in 1759. Vermouth was invented in Italy in the 1700's and Bourbon whiskey first distilled in 1789. Combinations of these were tried, as well as introduced into punch, an 18th Century favorite in Britian and Europe as well as the American Colonies.

Now, just for fun, I offer the recipe for the newest cocktail concocted by James Bond in the recent Casino Royale, the "Vesper". Here are his exact words:

"Three measures of Gordon's, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it's ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel."

As soon as I get my new snifter, I will be off and running, shaking and not stirring, with the Vesper as well the classic version. A good thing never goes out of style!

Ich gab Gold fur Eisen!

On my recent tour of London, I once again visited the Victoria and Albert Museum (the V&A). It's a favorite, housing over 5,000 years of decorative arts, with an incredible range from Europe, North America, Asia and North Africa. The decorative arts include ceramics, glass, textiles, costume, ironwork, silver service, jewelty, furniture, sculpture, religious altar and devotional pieces, paintings, prints, photography. Basically, all the things we surround ourselves with, utilitiarian as well as fashionable.

 

One gallery I always visit is the William and Judith Bollinger Gallery, which displays over 3,000 jewels in a chronological walk through a dimly-lit, but glittering room. I always notice something I missed before. This time, some extremely interesting cast iron jewelry, delicate, black, lace-like in effect. The description stated these pieces were German, produced in the late 1700's to early 1800's.

Back home, I decided to research them, and found they are called Fer de Berlin, or "Berlin Iron". Cast in sand, then lacquered black to prevent rust, they must have been quite the modern thing at the time; like wearing a plastic bracelet today vs. a gold or silver, jewel-encrusted, traditional piece.

Primarily manufactured in Germany, France, Austria and Czechoslovakia, these pieces were a patriotic symbol for the Prussian War effort against Napoleon I. Women exchanged their fine jewelry for the iron pieces to help fund military troops. Some pieces even are inscribed with "I gave gold for iron!" (Ich gab Gold fur Eisen). Geiss and Schott are two of the leading producers of these works.

Last time I was at the V&A, I purchased some adorable safety pins from their museum store. I liked the box they came in, which is why I noticed them in the first place. Then, I noticed they had a "bulb" shape, something unusual, and so I bought them thinking I would make something of them. I eventually strung them together and made a necklace. NOW, I find it reminds me of Fer de Berlin! And, I am happy I can say that I have traded gold for iron! Though, if only I had a worthy cause!

 

When a man is tired of London......

I have had a couple days to reflect on my recent trip to London. It is such a great city, and as I have now visited many times now, from in the dead of winter to lazy, rainy summers, I find Samuel Johnson’s quote (1777) truer than ever:

"Why, Sir, you find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford."
— Samuel Johnson (shown below at left)

At the time, Johnson was discussing the great city with his friend and biographer James Boswell. Boswell, the 9^th Laird (Lord) of Auchinleck was a lawyer, born in Edinburgh, Scotland. Living from 1740-1795, he is best remembered for his biography of Dr. Samuel Johnson, generally recognized as one of the greatest English biographies ever written.

Boswell (at right) was studying at the University of Glasgow, when he suddenly decided to run away to London, living the life of a libertine, until his father forced him home, threatening to take away his inheritance. He eventually passed the bar, his father in turn allowing him to return to London if he wished. He did, and at that time, met Johnson. They became fast friends, and in a particular discussion about London in 1777, the famous saying was coined. Introducing himself to Johnson, Boswell said, "Mr. Johnson, I do indeed come from Scotland, but I cannot help it." They became inseparable and enjoyed exploring the town together over twenty years.

Samuel Johnson was a famed English writer, a poet, essayist, literary critic, editor. Boswell wrote his biography, The Life of Samuel Johnson, LL.D. in 1791.

Whistlejacket

I am just back from my London trip. Always good to go; and good to come home as well. As promised, I would be bringing some new 18th Century info from my travels.

I start this morning with an incredible painting I saw in the National Gallery, by George Stubbs, English painter, best known for his paintings of horses. He lived from 1724 to 1806, and was almost obsessive in his detail of the equine anatomy. He studied in York, and in 1756 he spent a year and a half in Lincolnshire studying, dissecting, and doing experiments on dead horses in order to better understand their anatomy. He even suspended the cadavers with block and tackle, so as to study them in different positions. Obsessed, right!?

Wandering through the gallery, I entered a room where an enormous horse seems to be leaping right off the wall and into the room. Rendered in such detail, including blemishes, veins, muscles flexed, he is virtually alive. The painting's background is left plain and in a beige/brown hue. Painted in 1762 for the 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, of the famous race horse, Whistlejacket, his most famous win was for a race over four miles, for 2000 guineas. Rockingham paid 60 guineas for the portrait. Contemporary opinion was that it was unfinished, but Stubbs chose an interesting and unforgetable way to immortalize Whistlejacket. The horse, and horse alone!

 

"What If"

I just couldn't resist posting this for you this morning. My particular friend over at http://dressedintime.blogspot.com sent me the link below. It's a kick. I know you will enjoy it. Basically, it's a "what if" scenario about how famous folk from the past would dress today. Have a laugh:

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/historical-hipsters-shakespeare-and-elizabeth-i-get-makeovers-from-modern-artists-8599291.html?action=gallery&ino=1

I also thought I must post a photo of me as well, in the "what if" mode. What if I was from the 18th Century?

Through the Looking Glass

Currently, I am reading the 20th, and next to the last, book of the Master and Commander Series, "Blue at the Mizzen". It is so very good, and I am a bit sad as I am about 3/4 of the way through, and know that there is only one more to read.

The story revolves around a hydrographical voyage around the Horn to Chile, and this time, Dr. Stephen Maturin has a major role. As you may or may not know, Stephen is a physician (not a surgeon, but a learned, educated doctor); he is an intelligence agent for the British government; and a Naturalist, something very near and dear to his heart. Throughout the various voyages, he has collected and categorized samples of flora and fauna from around the globe.

In the 18th Century, Natural History was quite the thing, as gentlemen scientists, as they were called, were taking a look at the greater world around them. The science is actually the study of organisms inclduing plants and animals in their environment, with a lean towards observation rather than experimentation. That is why we see so many wonderful prints or studies of a plant with its corresponding bud, seed, stamen, root system, etc.

Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon (1701-1788), was a French naturalist, and perhaps considered the father of the science. His work influences two generations, publishing his 36 quarto volumes entitled, "Histoire Naturelle, generale et particuliere", that covered three "kingdoms" of nature: plants, animals, minerals. This work was heralded as written in "a brilliant style" to be read by "every educated person in Europe".


Next week I will be venturing forth to London to spend some time with family there. One of my favorite visits is to the Natural History Museum on Kensington Road. It houses over 70 million items within 5 collections of botany, entomology, minerals, palaeontology and taxonomy.

As the years go by, I have more and more interest in this type of thing. I love to watch the birds outside my balcony. I feed hummingbirds, and they are a delight to see each day. I am beginning to like to see butterflies up close. Saw a whole house of them at the Belagio Atrium this Spring. Generally, I hate bugs, but these are absolutely gorgeous. Who knows what's next?

Meanwhile, I will try to visit the museum while in London; currently there is a butterfly exhibit. The museum dates back to 1753, when Sir Hans Sloane left his extensive collection to the nation. It was housed in the British Museum until 1860, when a new museum was built. It, in itself, is incredible (see below).

As I get ready for Orthodox Easter, and packing for my trip, I think I may be signing off for awhile, but I hope to return in about two weeks, with new stories to tell. So, I say bye for now!