Lost Treasures: Lost & Found

Hello my friends,

While packing, and (months later) unpacking and inventorising all the mini's that I have collected the last years I've come across some miniatures that I actualy had forgotten all about. How unlikely this may seem. It is true. 

Often when I take a miniature back home or receive it in the post, I make pictures of it and put it in a box to keep it safe until I can place it in a room. It is no secret to you my friends, that I do not yet have a single room of Huis ter Swinnendael that is finished. I must make that a priority for 2022! 

Sometimes I have forgotten to take pictures or RL had to come first, or whatever you can think of... Which has sometimes resulted in me forgetting that I have bought a certain miniature at all!

What have I forgotten(and forgotten to show you)? Well, these for examble. A set of four silver salt cellars that I bought back in 2016. These salt cellars are pre-1918 Russian silver. But do not get too excited. They predate the revolution by only 9 years. And the maker is certainly no Faberge or the likes of him. It is not even hand made but machine pressed into a mould. 

And, despite their decorative Rococo appearance, these are made of  third grade (80%) silver. With the first graden for continental silver being equal to sterling (92.5%) silver. In Europe/the world, 'third grade' is the lowest grade allowed where we still may speak of silver. If the amount of silver in the alloy falls below that percentage it is often called 'white metal' because you can no longer speak of silver. 

So it is safe to say that these small salt cellars, from a set of four, will not have graced a noble or imperial table. But they look good do they not? I certainly think so. 

I love silver. Espescially on my dinner table. And I have some nice (family) pieces to put on the table, but I bought these with Huis ter Swinnendael in mind. Wine cisterns are a type of wine cooler that was popular from the renaisance imto the 19th century. Marble was an often used material, but there were and are also silver examples. And even golden or gilt ones! But those are extremely rare. 

These cisterns are much larger than our common wine coolers. They could hold all the bottles cool that would be needed for the party (and more) , unlike the winecoolers we use that are generally suited for one bottle at a time. 

If you look at the first picture of real antique wine cisterns above, you can see that these are (very, very) big pieces of silver. The second picture you may recognise as a part view from the 'Kamer met rood Moor' from one of the 18th century Cabinet Houses of Sarah Rothe van Amstel (which now stands in the Frans Hals museum in Haarlem) there we see a miniature wine cistern in the middle of the bottom shelf. 

Now looking back at these salt cellars, which are not thát big, compared to some of the other salt cellars that we use at home when having dinner parties. But with a diameter of 4 cm/ 1,58 inch across these constitute miniature versions of wine cisterns of almost 50 cm/ 19 inch in reality. And that comes very close to the cisterns shown above. 

The diningroom in Huis ter Swinnendael will have not one but two wine cisterns to cool the wines and spirits served during dinner parties and danses. A bit too grand for the Zonneschut family perhaps but (at least one) it would be within their reach. So why not? 

Two lovely candlestands, or gueridons/ torcheres as I like to use the french/dutch term for them, made by John J. Hodgson. These were bought back in 2019. I have shown you the side chair and the large rococo mirror before, but not these two. 

These are not gilt but painted with details in gold paint. I love them very much. They are so elegant! Unfortunately the prices most of his excuisite miniatures are out of my reach. But now and then I can splash out on a special item. 

A stash of pottery bij Elisabeth Causeret bought back in 2020. You have seen her work on my blog before. I have shown you my purchases of her work in Armhem over the years as yoou can see in the picture above. but you have not seen my bulk buy at the start of the pandemic. 

I heard from a good friend (who usuallly is well informed) that Elisabeth would stop that year. I panicked a bit, because there was still so much pottery that I planned on buying in the years to come that had not been acquired yet. So without verifying the rumour I placed two large orders via email. 

And when I received them I was told by my good friend that her 'source' had mixed up her name with that of another miniaturist that actualy was retireing from the miniature shows. So I had acted too hastily. But even better, Elisabeth did nót retire and still makes her wonderful ceramics and stoneware it all of us to enjoy! And even better still, she has used the 'interlude' due to the pandemic to create new models and glazes. So my bulk order was unnescessary and premature. But that does not change the fact that I am very happy to have all these great miniatures. 

And then there were these little green goblets. These are made by Thai Glasscraft. I found them on Etsy. Although they are a tad bigger than the roemers and flute glasses that are made by Gerdt Felka (as you can see in the top picture), These different shapes are good reproductions of 17th century glasses. They will find a way into the kitchens some day.

So, these were my lost treasures. You may not believe it but I really had forgotten all about them untill I opened their boxes! Isn't that just silly? But more importantly I found them again.

Well that is all for now. Stay safe. 

Huibrecht 

Animals: Quintus gets miniature buddies!

Pita & Lorca

Hello my friends,

You may remember that I added a little plastic pooch to some photos a few years ago. The dog came with a job lot, and I decided that he was too cute to throw away. He's a mini terriër I named Quintus. He looks perfect for the part of a lapdog for Belle Zonneschut to indulge and spoil with cake and other treats. I imagine Huis ter Swinnendael will house several animals. For example rats and cats downstairs. Parrots and dogs upstairs and mice in the attic. And perhaps a nest or two around the house? 

I am a dog lover myself and we have had a few dogs over the years. I love and have loved  all of them. One that stole my heart in particular was Lorca. A Portugese Podenco. We inherited her together with Pita when her previous owner, a very dear friend, died unexpectedly.  Here you can see Lorca with her 'sister' Pita, a Spanish Galgo. 

Lorca had turned blind in that same year. And to save her from the pain this infliction caused by her ailment, her eyes had to be surgically removed. It made no difference for her eyesight, she had already turned blind. She was almost twelve years old when this happened. We adopted her to let her spend her remaining days with us. Lorca had always been very playful. If you gave her a ball she could play with it for an hour. She would kick it between her hind legs and then turn around and catch it while still rolling. And kick it away again, and again. She was a cunning little huntress. 

Lorca & her human ;-)

Because she had turned blind we thought that taking care of her would be very difficult, but nothing was further from the truth. In no time she knew the way from her baskets around the house to her water and feeding bowl, and back. When taking her for a walk, she knew by the amount of pull of the leesh on her collar that she was walking half a meter to my right or my left and that she walked the same direction as I did. Wether it was in a straight line, rounding a corner or in a circle. No stumbling, staggering or falling. And not running into trees and walls eirher. (well I helped with that last bit by stopping or turning in time.)

The greatest compliment to Lorca's coping with her blindness was that I have had people in the neighbourhood, that I had already passed several (sometimes dozens!) times while taking Lorca for a walk, come up to me one day and tell me that never before had they noticed that Lorca had no eyes. I was so proud of her!

Lorca

She could not play with balls anymore though. Until, my partner came home with a ball with a little metal bell inside it. She almost immediately understood the possibilities of that bell.  And on the second day she played with it as if nothing had changed. She used her ears to follow the direction of the ball and her nose to find it when it had stopped rolling. When she found her target, and she almost always did, she would jump onto it with the same vigour she had always done. Capture the ball between her front paws and wag her tail furiously. And before you knew it, she would kick it away between her hind legs and go hunting after the tinkling sound. Off to another capture. The hunt was afoot! She stayed almost 3 years with us. Playful and cheerfull untill the end. Sweet, sweet memories. 

Well, back to mini dogs! 

Theseus

I got Quintus in a job lot of second hand miniatures. I decided to keep him but I did not think about looking for more miniature animals. Then one day I saw the different dogs and hounds on Facebook that Patrick Duclou makes with his newly acquired 3d printer. He paints them himself. I asked him if he could make some greyhounds for me. 

Erato 

He happened to have three models of Greyhounds. I ordered two seated ones and one standing, painted in different ways. Patrick made them beautifully.

Arion

For me Lorca is unique. I pondered if I wanted to have a miniature version of her, but I decided against it. At least for now.

I have given these two lads and a lady Greek names. Arion, Erato and Theseus. I imagine them running around the house as the companions of sir and lady Zonneschut. Much to the chagrin of the house staff probably. And I can also imagine little Quintus being the boss of all of them. 

Well, that's it for now. Be well and stay safe! 

Huibrecht 

 

Taking stock & Kintsugi

Hello my friends, 

After a few postponents of the date for moving we finally moved into our new house mid oktober 2021! Finaly we could start unpacking the boxes and start settling in! Most boxes were already packed in june 2021! Because the original date picked for the move was the end of juli of that year... Which means I have not seen most of my miniatures and craft supplies for almost six months!

A new house means a new craft room. And my third craft room in 5 years is the first one with a view! The room faces north so no direct sunlight will enter the room which is perfect for light sensitive miniatures like some paints and fabrics.

This is a great moment to take stock of my growing collection of miniatures and craft supplies. It is also a good moment to check if everything is in good order and if the move has not caused any breakages or other damages. 

I already had a list of (almost) everything I bought. With a short description of the miniature, its price and the maker or seller. But which plate with a bird on it is the blue and white plate with bird? And which is the blue and white plate with chinese decor with bird/ and one with a large bird...

I know which ones are meant... but can I still keep them apart in 5 or 10 years from now? And is this list of any use if I am the only one who understand which description fits which miniature? A proper inventory should be clear to everyone who goes through it. 

So to come up with a better version I am using photographs to aid the texts. Select a few miniatures, for example made by the same miniaturists. Take a picture of the group (front and back). Making sure that makers marks, when they are present, are visibly photgraphed etc. Number each item in the picture, and write all necessary details per number on the same or the coresponding page(s). And then go on to the next group. And so forth, and so forth...

While taking stock, I have indeed discovered some miniatures that I had forgotten entirely and that I have not shared with you here. How can I have forgotten having these miniatures? I bought them only a few years ago. Not 10 or 20 years... Oh well, I have catalogued these "re-found" miniatures now, so forgetting their existance should not happen again. And I will share them with you soon. 

So far I have not found any breakage or damage due to the move except for one of the legs of my Escutcheon desk that was originally owned by Elly de Kraker. I have repaired it now and the breakline is virtually invisible. Not due to the move but due to my own clumsiness, I dropped and broke one of the seven Kakiemon plates that I made in a workshop by Cocky Wildschut. :-(

Although it is not a consolation for breaking it, I have decided to try to glue it together while adding gold leaf to the breaklines of the reglued plate. This way I try to make it look like it is repaired in the way of Kintsugi.

Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold. As a philosophy, it treats breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, rather than something to disguise. 

Since the broken plate is meant to be a Japanese one, due to the Kakiemon decor, I find repairing it á la Kintsugi quite fitting. Kintsugi was developed in the 15th century. Although I do not believe that Kintsugi was known/or appreciated in 18th century Europe. 

Here you can see the result of my attempt.  the goldleaf is applied but not yet cleanedlike in the picture below. I do believe that the fine golden lines between the shards are quite lovely. I no longer want to put the plate in a dark corner of a room where noone would take notice of it. 

So in a way my imitation of kintsugi in miniature has helped me to come to terms with the fact that I have broken that plate in the first place. A miniature heal so to speak. :-)

Well, that is it for now my friends. Stay safe and happy. I am only halfway through cataloging my miniatures, so I will just go on with that.

Huibrecht 

Cunera Olshoorn: Framed! & a happy Newyear!

Hello my friends,

A new year! Let us hope that in 2022 we finally get the better of that virus and life for all of us will turn back to normal. But let it also be a year with hopefully a lot of time for making miniatures!

For me the new year starts with the little Rascal Cunera. Diane Meyboom has finished and framed her stunning portrait after my last post on this miniature painting in september 2021.

But first, if you indulge me, a little history on Cunera. Because some of you asked me about her peculiar first name. And to be honest, I was intrigued as well. Where does it come from? This is what I found on the meaning of the name: 

The origin of this name is still today quite uncertain. The most probable theories include: 1) From the Ancient Germanic “*kôni / *kōnia” (bold, experienced (in battle), someone who understands, experienced, wise). 2) From the Ancient Germanic “*kunja / *cunja-” (noble, kinship, clan, dynasty).

Both possible meaning have a nice ring to it. Wise, bold, noble... But were her parents in the 1680's aware of this? Maybe but probably not. More likely was she named after saint Cunera of Rhenen or after a ancestor with the same name. 

Saint Cunera was the daughter of a british chieftain /King that sailed with saint Ursula to Cologne. Ursula was to marry the King there. All went south and most of the party were killed in a raid. Cunera was saved by King Radbod of the Frysians and bought to his household at the palace in Rhenen. This all takes place in the 4th century, so do not expect high gothic or renaissance palatial splendour.

Radbod grows fond of Cunera in the way that he trusts her to run the palace household in his absence. That evokes a dangerous jealousy in the queen and one night she strangles Cunera with the aid of a courtier using Cunera's own scarf. The murderers bury her body under the floor of the palace stables.

When the King returns from his trip no horse will go into the stable. (her first miracle) Her remains are quikly found under the floor and the royal murderes soon confesses her crime and is exciled away from court to die alone in the wilderness. Soon, after people claimed to be healed by Cunera from ailments to the throat or their cattle cured from diseases, she became a martyr saint. Her specialty is throat ailments (because of the throtling) and life stock diseases (because of the horses). 

But she was also a protector of sailors and ships! (because she sailed with Saint Ursula and survived the attack). That last patronage was struck of her record in the 19th century. When the Catholic Church 'cleaned up' the list of saint's and miracles.  But when Cunera was born in 1680, the family Olshoorn was in trade like many wealthy merchants families in the Dutch Republic. Cunera was still believed to keep sailors and ships safe in story seas. And the Olshoorn family were catholic, so that could very well be the reason for Cunera's unusual first name. Perhaps her parents hoped that the Saintly namesake would protect the families shipping interest a bit more than usual? Who knows. 

Whatever the story behind her first name may be, I love the excuisite miniature portrait Diane Meyboom has made after the original.

What was her life like? There is not much information available accept the dates of birth, marriage, birthing and death. We do know that she married a Van Ryckevorsel, another wealthy merchant family in Rotterdam. Cunera died at (only) 42 while giving birth to a baby girl. The baby was then named Cunera after her mother. 

The Rotterdam Museum also has a portrait of Cunera's daughter and namesake, together with her husband and 10 year old son. This portrait you can see in the picture above.  Somewhere in the future I will ask Diane to paint a miniature of that family portrait as well. But I will have to save up for that first. 

Well, that is it for now. I wish you all a happy and healthy 2022!! May it be a good year for all of you!

Huibrecht