An auction for a good cause

Hello my friends, 

A little while ago I stumbled on an auction promoted by Chiqui Cueto via Facebook. Several miniaturists donated miniatures for auction. The proceeds will benefit the ... de Asturias. It is a shelter for dogs. As you have read in my post on...... I have a hound (a Chart polski), named Tara as a pet, together with a Malinois Sheperd. But once I had two dogs, Pita & Lorca who were saved in spain by a shelter like this one and adopted. 

So you understand that the cause for this action directly apealed to me and I wanted to do my bit. That the lots that were to be auctoned comprise of miniatures only made it harder to say no (to myself). So I said yes. :-)

On the moment that the auction closed I had won 3 lots. The first is a lot of artisanal breads in different shapes and sizes. I love these. And they will look the part in different rooms of huis ter Swinnendael. most will go into the kitchen and the store room, but one or two may find their way into other rooms. 

The second lot were these two miniatures. A bergere and a side table you will recognise as Alison Davies pieces. The were decorated and upholstered. I love the finish with the subtle gold details. I will change the upholstery on the bergere because these two pieces are destined for the dressingroom. I want to use the mustard yellow cotton I have already used on the cushion for the windowseat. And which I will use for the curtains for this room. 

The third and last lot I had won was this beautiful gilded mirror made by David Iriarte. I love his work! I will have no trouble finding a place for this miniature.

I feel lucky having won these lots. And the money is well spent. Shelters like the... can use every amount to help rescue and relocate animals in need. I am very happy to have helped in a small way. I have learned since that this auction is repeated each year. I will be there next year!

I turned my attention to the table & chair. The pale green used on the two pieces is greish and cool. The green on the walls of the dressingroom is a warm yellowish kind of green. However I do like the combination of the two colours. What I do not like in this combination is the fabric with which the bergere is upholstered. So this had to go. 

Prying the upholsterd seat and bach of the chair frame away from the painted resin was a bit nerve wrecking. An excelent glue was used. But due to sticking a thin hobby knife patiently and carfully between the different pieces finaly seperated the two with only some minor damage to the paint. 

The seat upholstery is a bit too large in my opinion. I like it to have a little setback form the edge of the chair frame. The upholsery was fixed unto resin inserts. After I removed all remnants of glue and fabric I sanded them a little smaller, Just a half millimeter around. This way I did not have to cut a new template out of cardboard.  

The new fabric is the same mustardy yellow cotton I used on the cushion for the windowseat. You may recall that it is reclaimed from a waistcoat I have grown out of. I started with the back panel. First I glued  the piece on the back. Fixing it on the thin sides of the panel with fabric glue. Taking care that the glue is applied thinly so it will not bleed though the fabric. 

Next, I glues a piece of cotton on the front. Making sure it is a tight fit. Again glueing it on the sides of the card. When all was dry I glued it onto the backrest. 

The seat was done in a similar way. with the exception that the underside is not covered because it is hidden from view. When the glue had dried I glued it down on the seat of the chair. It is finished for now. I am still debating with myself if I should add a little trim around the edges. I think I will, but I am not sure yet. 

The problem with altering a miniature is that it leads to new ideas. Although I love the paint job on it, I will retouch the gold paint here and there to make some rubbed places and lines more crisp again. And, as if that is not enough,  I might add some upholstery to the armrests as well. What do you think?

Huibrecht

To stitch, or not to stitch...

Hello my friends,

Before reading this post... A warning is warranted. None of the thousands of stitches you see in these pictures were made by me...

You may recognise it as one of the Janet Granger kits. It is a rug based on a William Morris design. Morris being one of great designers of the Arts & Crafts movement, places this design in the late Victorian period. Not quite the 18th century.

So strictly speaking it has no place in Huis ter Swinnendael for in 1806 it would be an anachronism. Something made in the future. But I love the design and colours of this rug very much, so it wil get a good place in one of the rooms.

But who made it, and why? A good friend of a dear friend loves to embroider and was looking for a new project to stitch. When I was asked if she could perhaps help me with a project I did not have to think long and hard. I bought this kit to make myself but was reluctant to start. She has enjoyed making it and I have super miniature carpet! So over the last few months I was regularly updated on the progress made on this pretty rug.

Payment was not allowed, so treating both friends on a lunch was the least I could do. The party at the table next to us probably wondered why I was so happy with a blue and green mouse mat that was clearly on the small side! What can I say? It was a lovely lunch.

So although I did not stitch this carpet myself,  I am naturaly very happy with it. The work has been skillfuly and neatly done. The result is stunning! I am very greatful for this tremendously kind gesture.

But do not give up all hope. I do plan to embroider myself too. As a matter of fact I have stitched the first stitches already! Hopefully the result will come somewhere near this beautiful miniature embroidery.

Huibrecht 

Home is where the heart(h) is 4d: the 2 princes finished and a third one as a bonus.

Hello my friends,

Last saturday I had another workshop painting miniature porcelain in the studio of Cocky Wildschut. That day I finished the tableaux of Prince Maurits and Prince Frederick. Two brothers who, (first Maurits and then Frederick) followed in the footsteps of their father, William I (a.k.a. William the Silent) as Stadhouder of the Dutch Republic. 

As you can see I only deepened some shadows and added some details by adding a layer of porcelain paint to some area's. For example in Maurits' case I added a layer of colour to the shadow part of the tablecloth and to his hair and beard. Plus some added shading here and there to accentuate the form of limbs, the ostrich plumes on the helmets and such.

 And, while I write this a few days later, I know that today the kiln is fired up to fire them and seal the paint within the glazing.

As you can imagine these did not take me an enitire day to do. So before lunch I had time to work on a new project. A small project in respect to the 104 tiles needed for both Maurits and Frederick. It is a plate decorated in free hand. Depicting William V, the last Stadhouder who fled the republic during the Batavian Revolution in 1795.

I have told you before that Since the founding of the republic there were two important factions in Dutch politics. Those that wanted the Prince of Orange as Stadhouder. They were called 'Orangisten' The title Stadhouder originates from the middle ages and was officialy something like the commander in chief, while the States General (parliament) had the last say in all affairs. Some Orangisted wanted the prince to be king but in name only. Orangists could belong to the nobility, who had ties with the court, right down the social ladder to the paupers in the slums. 

The other faction wanted the States General to have the last say in everything and really did not see the need for any prince of Orange to command the Republic's armies and meddle in the states affairs. They were called 'Staatsen'. They were predominantly wealthy regent oligarchy which rather ruled themselves free from the house of Orange.

I will not turn this into a history lesson.  The whole story fills several books. But through the 16th, 17th and 18th century one or the other faction would be dominant. In the second half of the 18th century a new faction was on the rise. Called 'patriots' not to be confused by the modern day meaning of the word. They embraced the ideals of enlightenment like democracy, human rights, sovereignty of the people, and disgusted by the (perceived) decadence of the circle of the court ánd the oligarchic regents. They came from the ranks we would call the (upper) middle classes, the wealthy regent families and the lower aristocracy. They wanted the old republic with autonomous provinces overturned peacefully and to found a centralised state with a constitution and all the works in its place. No House of Orange and no closed oligarchy which only looked at the interests of their own class. 

One of the ways in which Orangists would show their sympathies (since William III Stadhouder of Holland and king of England) was through creamware or porcelain depicting the then "ruling" prince and or orange trees. Often with acronyms on the front. 

Or with added verses and slogans.

This plate has the acronym "PVOR" meaning "Prins Van ORanje" or Prince of Orange. And "WdV" means "Willem de Vijfde" or William the 5th. This plate is my own design, based on two different pieces of which the plate above is one of them.

On a next workshop I may make a pendant for this plate with Princess Wilhelmine, the wife of Willem V. She never figures alone on a plate or vase, it is always the prince or the couple together, but having her facing him on her own plate could be a nice subject for a future plate. 

Lastly you can see a a porcelain jug. I decorated it with a dark carmine red. after firing it will need a little golden edge to finish it off. 

 

Well, that is it for now. Have a great day,

Huibrecht