Friday, June 29, 2012

Fabergé Friday

We have now reached Imperial Easter Egg number forty-seven - the "Romanov Tercentenary Egg", from 1913!


In 1913 the 300th anniversary of the Romanov Dynasty was celebrated, and this egg was made to commemorate the event. The gold egg is faced with white transparent enamel on a guilloche background. This surface is almost covered in over 1100 diamonds and gold state symbols though. There are double-headed eagles, royal crowns, and wreathes. But there are also eighteen miniatures, framed with diamonds, of the Tsars of the house of Romanov. These are painted in watercolor on ivory by Vassily I. Zuev. At the top of the egg sits a large diamond with the years "1613" and "1913" engraved under it, and at the bottom sits a triangular diamond covering the monogram "A.F.". The portraits are as follows:

Mikhail Feodorovich 1613-1645

Alexei Mikhailovich 1645-1676

Feodor Alexeevich 1676-1682

Ivan V 1682-1696

Sofia Alexeevna 1682-1689

Peter The Great, Tsar 1682-1721,
 Emperor of Russia 1721-1725

Catharine I 1725-1727

Peter II 1727-1730

Anna Ivanova 1730-1741

Elizaveta Petrovna 1741-1761

Peter III 1761-1762

Catherine the Great 1762-1796

Paul I 1796-1802

Alexander I 1801-1825

Nicholas I 1825-1855

Alexander II 1855-1881

Alexander III 1881-1894

Nicholas II 1894-1917



The egg is held by a threefold heraldic eagle, symbolizing the power and glory of the Romanov Dynasty. The eagles are holding the Imperial scepter, orb and the Romanov sword in their talons. The purpurine base on which they stand represents the Russian Imperial shield. 


The inside of the egg is decorated with white opalescent enamel on a ground carved with guilloche ornaments. The surprise is a rotating globe, made of burnished blue steel - to represent water - and different colored gold - to represent land. The globe consists of two northern hemispheres. One half shows Russia's territory at the time when the first Romanov Tsar - Mikhail Feodorovich - entered the throne in 1613. And the other shows the territory of the Russian Empire in 1913, when Nicholas II ruled.

The "Romanov Tercentenary Egg" is one of ten Imperial Easter Eggs in the collection at the Kremlin Armory.








Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Inés Figaredo

I found a very innovative bag designer a while ago - Inés Figaredo! On her web site it states that her "collections cut across fashion trends with a timeless and proven worth: every model is a priceless collector's item. Figaredo's philosophy is to offer a single art-bags Collection per year which will be completed with fresh and haunting surprises from time to time launched accordingly. Some items will only be created on demand due to the painstaking dedication they require and also to preserve their exclusivity. These art-bags shall be personalized if our customers wish it."

Here are a few examples from her collections!

Lucid Thoughts 

This collection is inspired by "the powerful human rationality, its spontaneous imagination and subsequent creative artistry."

Sport Hen

Black leather with 18 karat gold fittings.

Walnut Resin

Walnut Resin

Hand painted solid wood or resin bag, with 18 karat gold plated brass clasp and chain strap.

Apple Caramel (with stick)

Apple Caramel (with stick)

Enameled resin Apple Candy bag with 18 karat gold chain and decorations. Also available without the holding stick.

Hamlet

Hamlet

Jointed sculpture skull bag decorated with Swarovski crystals, enameled teeth and 18 karat gold plated fittings.

Aperture

"The pursuit of beauty as a state of grace, a vehicle to recover innocence lost. Wheels, hearts, bullfighters, telephones, faces, paper bins, circus tents, suitcases, lyres, world globes seem to have been drawn from surrealist paintings or fantasy paradises. Imagination and dreams wishing to become real."

Toro

Toro

Superbe colt and iguana skin hand bag. The bull head is sculpted from 24 karat gold plated bronze. The raw silk cross body double handle is plaited by hand and finished with iguana skin trimming.

Big Paper Bin

Big Paper Bin

Big Paper Bin

Python skin and fine Spanish nappa trim hand bag. 24 karat gold plated bronze handcrafted clasp. Dozens of hand sewn fine nappa strips mimicking wastepaper.

Big Circus

Big Circus

Big Circus

Striped silk satin hand bag embroidered with silk circus motifs. 24 karat gold bronze decorations embellished with Swarovski crystals. Fine nappa hand plaited handle finished with snake skin flounces.

Nature

This collection pays tribute to Nature. It is Figaredo's "homage to the mystery of life, its ethos, and its convulsive and captivating beauty."

Big Butterfly

Big Butterfly

Fine Spanish nappa hand bag. Handcrafted 20 karat gold plated bronze clasp and 68 differently sized butterflies. The bag contains a nappa coin purse.

Apples

This bag consists of three karat gold plated bronze apples that may serve as jewel boxes with key. Fine Spanish nappa and certified python skin trimming shoulder strap adorned with two 24 karat gold plated bronze butterflies.

4 Against 4

This collection represents "the challenge of integration, harmony and balance without losing a bit of provocation and creative freedom but taking the challenge of 'deconstruction' of parts for imaginative ergonomics and a melange of textures, finishes and and shapes that symbolize the complexity of the universe bellied."

Gold Hand

Hand sculpture bag with gold plated brass shell and tooled Italian nappa sack.

Gloved Hand

Chain mail glove shaped bag with gold plated Sterling silver fittings, topped with pearls. Spanish nappa with gold and silver thread embroidery.

Romantic Lyre

Romantic Lyre

A lyre shaped bag of fine Spanish nappa and certified python skin. Gold plated bronze adornments with hand sculpted leaves and flowers. 

Accessories

Mirror

Comb

Solid silver and gold plated brass handcrafted jewelry accessories. The packaging is either a cardboard box with die cut foam rubber interior or a nylon and coconut fiber vanity bag.




















Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Michael Vincent McCarthy Kellerman

Michael Vincent McCarthy Kellerman is a photographer that pops up in this blog now and then - not just because he happens to be one of my closest friends - but also because he is a hell of a photographer! He doesn't just work as a photographer, he is a photographer! He always has something with him to take pictures with, wether it is his iPad, an old analog camera, or something professional and very expensive. When he and I went to the Museum of Photography a while ago, he could tell me both what film had been used to take the different photos, on what they had been developed, and what light source had been used. I was in complete awe! He really knows what he is doing!

I've stood in front of his camera a few times, and for some time he has been working on a project where he takes people's portraits - using an analog camera, and only the light coming in from a window. In these black and white photos he tries to capture the models personality, and from what I've seen so far he's doing a really good job - as usual...Here comes three photos from the shoot he did with me, and a few pictures from the same series, but with other persons!







Fanny


Elsa


Elsa


Elsa


Vanessa aka Audrey Hepburn


Vanessa

More photos can be seen on Michael's Facebook page, where he adds new pictures now and then!


I LOVE YOU MICHAEL!!!
SHOOT ME!









Hyper Smash