The second in an occasional series.
There are a few times in a day, moments of repose, when, subdued by the animal but not in any way diminished - more doing what is necessary - one can really focus. Not, I mean, focus on the ramparts to be scaled, the bewitching hussy down the the hall, or even the astringent rejoinder that now will never be made, but simply on the task in hand.
So it was, in a moment of relaxation, when I first saw the mosaic decoration on the walls of this Folies Bergère gents, the inner eye fixed and kinships convened on eggshell inlay lacquer. Pretty obvious connection, you might think - and you'd be right. It's at this point I could bang on about these internal correspondences being the graffiti on our stele, our trophies, our Kilroy was here moments, but that'd wouldn't be any fun at all. Now, would it?
Photo above by Ivan Terestchenko from an article written by Marie-France Boyer for The World of Interiors, December 1993.
Image below Portrait of Madame Agnès by Jean Dunand (polychrome lacquer, eggshell) from The Decorative Arts in France: La Société des Artistes Décorateurs, 1900-1942, by Yvonne Brunhammer and Suzanne Tise, published by Rizzoli New York, 1990.
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the Dunand is exquisite. The eggshell application anywhere is still a surprise to see. I used it in a bath at my Raleigh house in a gold and silver and iridescent platinum. Not likely as elaborate as either here-but Nobilis made it in delicious colours applied to paper some years ago- I think it is gone, but certainly not forgotten. We do leave our mark here and there. pgt
ReplyDeleteThe paper sounds luscious. I'm going to check on it but if I found it I'm not quite sure what I'd do with it. Maybe when I retire from teaching (maybe this summer) I'll be able to use it if it still is produced. You're right, we leave our mark.
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