Category Archives: Our Team News

The Crown Jewels for the Coronation

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On May 6th King Charles III will be crowned in Westminster Abbey. A tradition dating back nearly 1000 years since William the Conqueror who was crowned in 1066. Charles’s will be the 38th coronation in the Abbey, most, like Charles’s, having been conducted by the incumbent Archbishop of Canterbury.

We are expecting a simpler and more paired back coronation for King Charles, but this does not mean that it is going to be light on tradition and ceremony. This historic event will still be an occasion for spectacle and celebration.

It is a ceremony that has remained essentially the same for a thousand years and the Coronation Regalia are at the heart of proceedings, imbued as they are with cultural and spiritual significance. They represent the powers and responsibilities of the new King and the solemnity of the occasion.

The last time we saw some of the regalia of the coronation was on the late Queen’s coffin, which was adorned with the crown, orb and sceptre.

These three items will play an integral role at the heart of the coronation service, but they are not the only pieces that we will see on the day.

St Edward’s Crown is the crown historically used at the moment of coronation and worn by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth at her coronation in 1953.

It was made for Charles II in 1661, as a replacement for the medieval crown which had been melted down in 1649 by Parliamentarians. Charles will wear this crown. The crown is 22 carat gold, so almost pure gold. It stands 30 cm tall and weighs an impressive 5lb. It contains tourmalines, white and yellow topaz, rubies, amethysts, sapphires, garnets, peridot, zircons, spinel and aquamarines. The three superstar gems in the crown are the Black Prince’s ruby, the Stuart sapphire and the Cullinan II diamond. No wonder Queen Elizabeth used to practise wearing it before the coronation, so its weight was not overwhelming on the day.

Camilla, the Queen Consort, will wear the Queen Mary’s Crown. This was removed from display at the Tower of London for modification work ahead of the coronation. It is the first time in recent history that an existing crown will be used for the coronation of a Consort. For previous coronations a new crown was commissioned. However, as a concession to the prevailing economic climate; sustainability and efficacy this crown, originally made by Garrards for the 1911 coronation, is being repurposed. Some minor changes and additions will be undertaken by the Crown Jeweller. These changes will pay particular tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth, as the Crown will be reset with the Cullinan III, IV and V diamonds. These diamonds were part of Queen Elizabeth II’s personal jewellery collection for many years and were often worn mounted in brooches.

At the heart of the ceremony itself are the sceptre, orb and the coronation anointing spoon. The Sovereign’s Sceptre and Cross symbolises the crown’s power and governance. It has been used at the coronation of every monarch since 1661. It was first used by King Henry VIII in 1509 for his own coronation. It is a golden rod, enamelled and set with multiple gemstones, the best known of which is the Cullinan I, or Star of Africa, a heart-shaped diamond weighing a colossal 530.2 carats.

In the photograph of Queen Elizabeth’s coronation you will see a second sceptre. This is the Sovereign’s sceptre with Dove. It is also known as the rod of Equity and Mercy and depicts an enamel dove wings outstretched alighting on the golden orb and cross. It represents the monarch’s spiritual role as head of the Church of England.

The most ancient piece of the coronation regalia is the coronation anointing spoon. The monarch is anointed with holy oil. The Chrism oil which will be used on May 6th has already been consecrated in Jerusalem. The oil itself comes from olives grown on the Mount of Olives and has been infused with sesame, rose, jasmine and other essential oils.

The spoon is silver gilt. Its existence was first recorded in 1349, but it may be even older. It is ornate with a central division and has been used to anoint monarchs for nearly seven hundred years. The central division may have been so that the archbishop might dip two fingers into the holy oil as he anoints the head, breast and hand of the new monarch.

It is traditional that the choir sings ‘Zadok the Priest’ during this sacred part of the ceremony; music originally composed by Handel for the coronation of King George II in 1727 and which has become an integral part of the proceedings.

The anointing is followed by dressing of the monarch in the spectacular robe of cloth of gold called the Supertunica and the long Imperial Mantle. The monarch is then presented with other items from the Coronation Regalia.

These include the gold spurs, the jewelled Sword of Offering and the Armills. The Armills are gold bracelets representing sincerity and wisdom. It is at this point that the monarch also receives the Sovereign’s Orb, as well as a ring and two sceptres.

The Orb is placed in the right hand of the monarch, during the investiture as the symbol of sovereignty. As a cross mounted on a globe, it represents the Christian world and the power of God. It is a reminder to the monarch that their authority is given by God. It is bisected with applied bands incorporating clusters of emeralds, rubies, sapphires and rose diamonds between bands of pearls. Having been handed to the King, it will be removed and placed on the altar before the moment of crowning.

The King will also be presented with the pair of golden spurs. These were first included amongst the regalia of the coronation in 1189 at the coronation of Richard the Lionheart. These represent his ‘knightly values and virtues’, such as protecting the poor, and defending the church. The current spurs are gold, made in 1661 for Charles1 and adapted in 1820 for George IV. In the past, the spurs were attached to the sovereign’s feet, but on May 6th they will be held at the ankle of the king.

The Sovereign’s ring will be placed on his fourth finger. The ring has the cross of St George at the centre formed from five rubies, overlaying an octagonal cut sapphire and bordered with fourteen old cushion cut diamonds. The ring was originally made by Royal Goldsmiths and Silversmiths Rundell, Bridge and Rundell for the coronation of William IV. It is said to be a symbol of ‘kingly dignity’.

The coronation sword, also known as The Jewelled Sword of Offering, will be presented by the archbishop, who first blesses the sword and then presents it with the direction that it should be used for the protection of the good and the punishment of evil. First used in 1821 by George IV, it has been used at all coronations since 1902. Like the Sovereign’s ring, the sword, made from blued steel, with a gold, jewel encrusted hilt and jewelled leather scabbard, was a commission from Rundell Bridge and Rundell.

The ceremony culminates with the placing of the St Edward’s Crown on the monarch’s head, the actual ‘coronation’.

The new King will change his crown for The Imperial State Crown as he leaves the Abbey. This is the crown that he will wear for future state occasions like the annual opening of Parliament. Although set in gold with 2,868 diamonds, 269 pearls, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds and four rubies, it weighs a mere 2.3lb and is a more practical choice. It was worn by the Queen when she left Westminster Abbey in 1953. It was originally made for the coronation of her father, King George VI, in 1937.

Many of us grew up listening to older relatives tell tales of the Queen’s coronation. Televisions were purchased for the first time for the occasion, families huddled round radios to hear the ceremony live, and there is the enduring account of Queen Salote Tupou III who refused to be cowed by the rain and rode through London in an open topped carriage. No doubt King Charles’s coronation will be a different meld of old, new and unexpected acts of generosity and kindness. We can but wish for a day of joy and hope, amidst the tradition and ceremony.

King Charles III, Passionate Painter

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King Charles III first began painting in 1970, inspired by Robert Waddell, his art master at Gordonstoun School in Scotland. The school has a 200-acre woodland campus, and is within walking distance of the beaches of the Moray Firth and so provided the young prince with a wealth of subject matter. His Majesty began painting with watercolour at Gordonstoun and has stuck with it until now, despite it’s occasionally unforgiving nature.

The King says it gives him a greater sense of immediacy and ease of working ‘en Plein Air’. He also likes the speed of working in watercolour, it means he is quicker to finish a picture, and so doesn’t have to keep his security detail waiting for too long while he finishes a sketch.

The King is following a tradition first begun by Queen Victoria, who also only used watercolours and as a young girl was taught by well known artists such as William Leighton Leitch (1804-1883) . After leaving school King Charles initially received instruction from the then President of the Royal Academy and Architect Sir Hugh Casson, and his early work clearly shows Casson’s influence. Subsequently he was taught by some of Britain’s most famous Royal Academicians artists, including John Napper, John Ward, the Royal Family’s favourite painter, Edward Seago, and the Anglo Irish artist Derek Hill, who also facilitated painting trips in Ireland for the King.

The King’s style has evolved over the years into something that is clearly his own and for me as a specialist is immediately recognizable, often simply signed with a capital C. Favourite subjects to paint are outdoor scenes, particularly mountains, streams, and the surrounding areas of the Royal estates in Scotland and Norfolk. However other subjects include overseas landscapes including Saudi Arabia and the South of France.

He is a generous supporter of many causes and all profit and sales benefit the Prince’s Trust for Children and the Arts. As a regular Charity auctioneer myself I have brought the gavel down on many of his signed, limited edition colour lithographs all generously donated and selling for prices between £3-£8,000 depending on the event and subject. These also regularly appear for sale on the auction and retail market and so are available for anyone to buy either from traditional galleries or online vendors for between £6-10,000 again depending on subject and rarity. As for the original watercolours, it is my belief that these are only given as personal gifts from the King to his artist and other friends and therefore are kept as treasured gifts and so never sold.

Very very occasionally an original watercolour will find its way onto the auction market, and these are well worth looking out for. King Charles has continuously shown his work in non selling events over the years beginning with his first exhibition in 1977 held at Windsor Castle, where his work was displayed alongside works by Queen Victoria and the Duke of Edinburgh, himself an enthusiastic painter and sometime designer, whose sketches helped create the stained-glass windows in the Private Chapel of Windsor Castle.

The King rather modestly refers to himself as an “enthusiastic amateur,” however sales of his work have raised an estimated £2 million from the sales of signed limited edition prints of his watercolors from 1997 to 2016, making him one of the country’s best-selling living artists. Additionally in conjunction with Hugh Maxwell Casson ,King Charles illustrated a children’s book, “The Old Man of Lochnagar,” about an old, cave-dwelling man who meets a bubble-blowing god of the sea!

I imagine a King’s duties may leave less time for painting, hopefully not as the result is very pleasing to all concerned and is clearly a source of relaxation and pleasure in achievement for our New King.

L for Lapis Lazuli

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Lapis lazuli is one of the oldest stones recorded, a favourite gem for amulets and scarabs in ancient Egypt. Lapis lazuli artefacts have been found at excavations of the Predynastic Egyptian site Naqada (3300–3100 BC) and was used for Tutankhamun’s gold mask.

It has been mined as early as 7570 BC in Afghanistan and is mentioned in the Old Testament, referred to as “sapphire”. Exodus 24:10: “And they saw the God of Israel, and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone…” Scholars agree that the Latin reference to the blue gem “lapidis sapphirine” is in fact lapis lazuli, not sapphire.

The name comes from the Latin lapis, “stone,” and the Persian lazhuward, “blue.” The mineral is formed of multiple components: lazurite, sodalite, calcite, and pyrite – nicknamed “fool’s gold” and appear as gold flecks.

Lapis lazuli is known for its intense blue, with the most prized colours ranging from greenish blue to violetish blue and highly saturated medium to dark tone. If other minerals are present, it will alter its appearance and may have an impact on the desirability. Specks of “gold” pyrite are highly acceptable, however if there is an excess of white calcite the gem will be less valuable. The lower grade lapis lazuli is green and dull in appearance. The more lazurite, the deeper the blue, often referred to as royal blue. The more pyrite, the greener the gem.

Afghanistan, and more specifically the northeastern province of Badakhshan, has always, and still does, produce the most prized lapis lazuli. In fact, the trade name for the highest quality lapis lazuli is nicknamed Persian or Afghan and contains very little or no calcite or pyrite. The condition to access the lapis lazuli are ruthless.

Unfortunately recent events have pushed the mineral to now be classified as a conflict mineral as the “6,500 year old lapis mines are driving corruption, conflict and extremism in the country. Global Witness has found that the Taliban and other armed groups are earning up to 20 million dollars per year from Afghanistan’s lapis mines, the world’s main source of the brilliant blue lapis lazuli stone, which is used in jewellery around the world.”

Other trade names include Russian or Siberian. These variations contain pyrite and might contain some calcite. Chilean is another trade name with obvious calcite traces and often green. Though the names refer to geographic locations, the stones may not be mined there.

Lapis lazuli’s use has always been very versatile. It can be cut into beads, inlaid in rings, fashioned into bowls and carved into ornamental objects.

Due to its intense blue colour, the gem became a favourite amongst Renaissance painters. Lapis lazuli was crushed and the blue pigment was named ultramarine, from the Latin “ultramarinus”, meaning beyond the sea.

The 17th century Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer used this very expensive pigment in abundance in his paintings.

Several others made use of ultramarine in their iconic artworks.

The use of lapis lazuli was synonymous with great wealth. It is not surprising that in the Medici Chapel in Florence the gem is heavily represented, such as on the Altar of the Chapel of Princes.

However due to its classification as a conflict gem, will demand, availability and use in jewellery continue to thrive?

Taking the financial sting out of stressful times

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Death and divorce are two of the most stressful events we will potentially deal with during our lifetime. Navigating either situation is distressing enough without having to deal with the complexities of the financial side as well. When it comes to establishing accurate valuations and future living costs, expert support comes into its own.

Here, our silver and jewellery consultant, Jenny Knott, speaks to the Founder and Managing Director of Pennywise Consultants, Alison Porter, about the synergy between our businesses and the importance of working together to support clients during these difficult and emotional life events.

It takes a village

Most of us are familiar with the saying that it takes a village to raise a child. The idea being that a community of people are required to provide a safe, healthy and nurturing environment where children can thrive. It is such a powerful message that Hillary Clinton adopted it for her book ‘It Takes a Village’.

Pennywise Consultants (experts in lifestyle budgeting for divorce and contentious probate) believe that ‘it takes a village …’ either to get divorced or make a claim under the Inheritance Act 1975. Doerr Dallas also subscribes to this view and we have therefore willingly partnered with Pennywise to ensure that our clients acquire accurate valuations and adequate insurance premiums, both of which are critical for their legal teams to achieve a successful outcome.

What kind of help is available?

As independent experts in financial lifestyle analysis, Pennywise specialises in the creation of impartial lifestyle and household budgets, working with clients to help them establish how much money they need to live their lives. This should never be based on best guesses. A strong, evidence-based schedule is the most successful way to demonstrate your case.

Put simply, if you need to know how much money you require to finance your personal life, as well as your children, pets and property, then Alison and her team are there for you.

For more than a decade, their niche service, analysing expenditure and income streams in divorce cases and Inheritance Act Disputes, has helped countless individuals to achieve fair financial settlements. As Alison says, “Economic fair play is our goal. Accuracy and impartiality are how we achieve it.”

How much is enough?

So, how much money do you need for the rest of your life?

It’s a big scary question, but when you are preparing to challenge how a lovedone’s estate has been divided up, or you’re uncoupling your finances during divorce, it’s crucially important to get it right.

Handing over a list of your expenditures can feel really unnerving, but the Pennywise team acts with the utmost discretion and professionalism. They are kind (but firm), providing the practical support that will help you achieve the fairest financial outcome from a position of strength.

Alison explains, “Whether applied to divorce or contentious probate cases, our Future Budget Estimates give solicitors an evidence based report that can be used in legal proceedings. They need to be robust and withstand cross-examination.

We’re meticulous when it comes to preparing a budget and we can back up every number. We’re also passionate about ensuring clients have a full understanding of their budget so they can face cross examination with confidence.”

“Many of our budgets have led to out of court settlements after being used as an effective mediatory tool so, more often than not, we save our clients some money too.”

Knowing the value

For our part, our Doerr Dallas colleagues are here to ensure you have your possessions and property valued correctly. While most clients are alert to changes in property prices, the fluctuations in valuations of personal belongings may not be front of mind.

Having an up-to-date valuation of your Patek Philippe Nautilus or Hermes Kelly bag is vital, given that it is a legal obligation to disclose the true value of any chattel over £500 in case of a divorce.

It is also crucial, that your less obvious chattels are correctly valued. Many of our clients can find that they are overpaying insurance premiums on certain pictures and items of furniture and vastly underpaying on others. It would be a mistake to think you can import old valuation figures into the arena of divorce or contentious probate and assume this is an accurate assessment.

The problem of undervaluing is familiar to Alison too. “Clients frequently under-estimate the value of their possessions, usually due to lack of knowledge, but sometimes intentionally,” says Alison. “In either case, when they provide an insurance quotation, we need to be sure it is reliable.

We therefore find Doerr Dallas Valuations invaluable when securing quotations both for insurance premiums and security.”

Handbags

The Hermes Birkin 25 bag retails around £7,800 RRP, but sadly you can’t buy one from Hermes, unless you are a regular customer with a long-standing relationship with Hermes. So therefore, you would need to go to the secondary market to find one. However, you can’t buy one for under £25,000.

A good example of when things go the other way are brands, such a Michael Kors, Longchamp – even Versace in some cases!

Watches

The Rolex – Daytona has been around for over 50 years but still looks amazing and people want it more than ever… the base model of the newer incarnations should retail around £12,500 – but again they are difficult to find unless you have a good relationship with your watch retailer, so the secondary market is the only place to go and they will set you back £25,000-£30,000 on average.

Watches that don’t hold their value are certain fashion items, or anything by TAG Heuer. Whilst they present a pretty good buy at usually under £5,000 for a good useable watch, the secondary market sees them plummet to some times in the hundreds, as they just don’t command the respect of the premium brand.

Your trusted team

We are delighted to work with Pennywise knowing that they are trusted by top law firms, often working with high and ultra-high net worth individuals with complex needs, encompassing international lifestyles.

Both Alison’s team and ours at Doerr Dallas will provide impartial, professional valuations and guidance. In addition, we will do our utmost to help clients navigate through what can seem overwhelming, and we will do it with kindness and courtesy.

Oscars 2023, Dazzled by Snakes, Green Gems and Timeless Chic

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Bvlgari strikes again with their Serpenti collection wrapped around Angela Bassett, Cara Delevingne and the outstanding screenwriter Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

Angela Bassett wore matching diamond-set necklace and bangle by Bvlgari, mounted in 18ct white gold. A similar necklace was sold at Sotheby’s in November 2021 with an estimate of CHF 220,000 – 325,000. The necklace set with approximately 70 carats of diamonds sold for CHF 252,000 (approximately £230,000).

Bvlgari retails a diamond-set bangle in white gold for £81,000 and is set with just under nine carats of diamonds.

Angela Bassett

Simpler versions of the bracelet can be found in yellow or rose gold for £5,300.

Matching her Dolce & Gabbana gown, Phoebe Waller-Bridge wore a diamond and emerald-set Serpenti necklace mounted in rose gold.

Bvlgari currently retails a rose gold diamondset Serpenti Viper necklace in rose gold for £45,900, with 4.41 carats of diamonds.

One of the show stoppers of the evening was stunning Cara Delevingne. In the style of Old Hollywood, she embodied chic and glamour in an off the shoulder Elie Saab gown with bow and high leg slit.

The outfit was completed with diamond and emeralds in the form of Serpenti threestrand necklace matching bracelet, Serpenti Seduttori earrings and ring.

From the same Seduttori emerald and diamond collection, a ring currently retails for £12,700. The coiled body is set with 0.57 carat of diamonds and the eyes are highlighted by 0.20 carat pear-shaped emeralds.

Moving away from the Serpenti collection was the appearance of the Diva’s Dream jewellery collection worn by Rainsford Qualley, Andie MacDowell’s daughter.

Chic and understated, the earrings are set with mother-of-pearl and mounted in white gold. The Diva’s Dream mother-of-pearl earring range is priced from £2,130 to £2,760 with a diamond surround.

For those not adorned in Bvlgari, exquisite green-gemmed jewellery certainly made a statement on the red carpet.

Sofia Carson wore a superb Chopard emerald and diamond necklace featuring seven octagonal-shaped emeralds totalling 122.49 carats along with 92.57 carats of pear-shaped, marquise, baguette and brilliant-cut diamonds set in white gold jewellery from the brand’s “Haute Joaillerie Collection.”

Fellow actress Jessica Chastain also opted for Haute Joaillerie collection from Franco- Italian designer Gucci, complementing the strapless sequined gown also by the designer. However, unlike Sofia Carson, the green gems were not emeralds but tsavorites, a form of garnet, 80 carats worth.

Other famous jewellery designer to include the green gem in its design is Cartier, with the famous Panthère collection.

This diamond, onyx, and tsavorite garnet necklace was sold for GBP 37,500 at Sotheby’s in June 2016.

Cartier was certainly a contender for the most jaw-dropping piece of jewellery of this 95th Award ceremony with a large pear-shaped yellow sapphire worn by Deepika Padukone.

Though yellow sapphires are less expensive than yellow diamonds, they are nonetheless breathtakingly beautiful and perfectly accentuate any black outfit!

Understated? Perhaps not quite, but maybe more subtle than the Serpenti collection, the yellow sapphire necklace by Cartier was my winner for this year’s Oscars. Not to say I would turn down being draped in Bvlgari Serpenti jewels to accept my award for best screenplay!

This might just be one Diva’s Dream but then anything’s possible in Hollywood, so carry on dreaming…

The Nude

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For the next in my series of articles on what inspires artist to paint, I have chosen The Nude. This is such a vast subject, that I intend to look at Western Art, exploring only paintings from the Renaissance to the present day. Of course sculpture has a very important part to play in the history of The Nude, but for the most part, I am going to ignore it for brevity’s sake.

Sir Kenneth Clark, as he was then, in his brilliant book “The Nude”, (published by John Murray 1956), begins chapter one thus:

“The English language, with its elaborate generosity, distinguished between the naked and the nude. Naked is to be deprived of our clothes and the word implies some of the embarrassment which most of us feel in that condition. The word nude, carries, in educated usage, no uncomfortable overtone. The vague image it projects into the mind is not of a huddled and defenceless body, but of a balanced, prosperous and confident body: the body re-formed.”

Since classical antiquity, the human body has been central to art. We are mostly familiar with sculpture, as so little painting has survived. During the Renaissance, excavations of ancient sites in Rome, Naples and elsewhere unearthed a vast treasure trove of naked gods and goddesses.

These antiquities invited scholars, collectors and artists alike to embrace a classical notion of ideal beauty and Diana, Venus, Danae, Sea Nymphs and various other creations of Greek and Roman mythology became a rich seam for admirers of the nude to mine. Gods and goddesses seldom wore clothes!

The Bible, too has a store of subjects involving the nude from Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden to Lot and his daughters and Bathsheba.

The obvious potential for eroticism, was reduced by certain conventions in depicting the nude. The bodies, although adult, were hairless and had the look of polished marble rather than flesh – the look of a classical statue, as opposed to a “page 3” girl. This anodyne look, with a few subtle variations, lasted until the mid-19th Century.

There was a convention that allowed little boys to be painted completely naked and they are, frequently, as Cupid and Putti (winged cherubs). Little girls, however, have their lower abdomens covered by draperies. Sometimes adult females are draped too but the folds in the draperies often merely accentuate what is hidden.

The 17th Century ushers in a new aesthetic in Western painting. The dramatic light and shade of Caravaggio’s art in Italy found its way to the North of Europe, via Utrecht artists who worked in Rome. Rembrandt was one who embraced this new realism. When he painted his mistress, Hendrikje Stoffels, as “Bathsheba at Her Bath”, she is very much a woman of flesh and blood. Rembrandt records her rather large feet and hands and slightly tubby torso. He also includes the lump in her left breast, which may have been the cause of her death, aged 39, but her death may have been caused by the Plague, which killed thousands in Amsterdam in 1663. In any event, she is nothing like the classical ideal nude of a century earlier.

With the painting of François Boucher in 18th Century Paris, we return to a notion of ideal beauty. Against a background of political and social turmoil, Boucher depicts a world where elegant and beautiful gods and goddesses float and frolic blissfully.

In the 19th Century painters had a new and potentially devastating invention to contend with, photography. What could a painter do, that a photograph could not? The answer is, interpret the object in front of it, rather than merely record it, which is why, nearly 200 years after the invention of photography we still have war artists.

Édouard Manet’s “Olympia”, exhibited at The Paris Salon in 1865, is partly a return to the ideal, with Olympia’s marmoreal body, but it is also a snapshot of the moment her maid arrives with a bunch of flowers.

In England, three decades after Olympia, John William Godward is painting Campaspe as a living sculpture. She is not as pale as Olympia, but she is definitely statuesque and conventional, to conform with Victorian sensibilities. It is worth remembering that some Victorians draped the legs of their pianos, as legs were suggestive – of what I wonder? Furthermore, librarians separated books by male and female authors, lest they jostle against one another on the bookshelves – I think I know what they are getting at, the possibility of two books turning into a library.

Now we come to the 20th Century, when, as we all know, the rule book is thrown out of the window. There is no norm. Whilst Amadeo Modigliani, is painting an ideal nude, inspired by Italian Renaissance painting, Picasso is producing Cubist nudes in strokes of muted grey and Egon Schiele is producing sexually explicit nudes, which still have the power to shock profoundly and are the subject of censorship in many parts of the world. I’m not going to illustrate one!

Surrealism, of course, has its own take on the nude and Rene Magritte’s “Attempting the Impossible” of 1928 has the artist wearing a brown suit painting a living female nude model in 3-D, standing in the same space that he occupies. It is a witty take on Art imitating Art. The model is little more than a painted statue.

No Study of The Nude is complete without an in depth look at the work of Lucian Freud, a man obsessed with the nude, although he hated the word. In his maturity, he possessed a technique which uses thick impasto (paint) with light scumbles (like light washes) over the top to create a sense of the colour and texture of living flesh. Freud’s sitters are as far removed from the ideal as it is possible to be. The men often appear vulnerable and awkward, as do many of his women.

Sue Tilley, the model for one of his most famous nude portraits, “Benefits Supervisor Sleeping”, became a muse for him in the 1990s. The painting of her asleep on a sofa in Freud’s studio is a masterpiece of observation, empathy and reportage. She is seen from above, lying on his sofa, and the sense of her volume and the space she occupies is breathtaking. She sold at Christie’s for $33.6M, which, at the time, was the world record for a living artist.

The Nude has provoked much thought and inspired the spilling of litres of ink over the centuries. The Guerilla Girls, a group of anonymous American female artists produced a poster of Ingres’ “Grande Odalisque”, a white-skinned female nude seen from behind, with a gorilla’s head and in bold type posed the question: “Do women have to be naked to get into the Met. Museum?” It went on to say “Less than 5% of the artists in the Modern Art Sections are women, but 85% of the nudes are female”.

Through all the convulsions and twists that art has taken from the Renaissance, through Abstraction to the modern day, it is interesting to reflect that Life Classes, drawing the human body using a live model, still go on in every corner of the globe. There are three within a five mile radius of where I live ! To be able to draw the human form is clearly the starting point of all art.

World record prices at auction for the artists mentioned:

Lucas Cranach £9.43M
Cavaliere d’Arpino £325,000
Rembrandt van Rijn £20.2M
François Boucher $2.4M
Édouard Manet $65.126M
John William Godward £1.3M
Amadeo Modigliani $170M
Pablo Picasso $179M
Rene Magritte £59.4M
Lucian Freud $86.2M

New York Leads the Way in Old Masters

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The recent Old Master Sales in New York, at the end of January, were in marked contrast to the December results in London. For a start, there were many more sales, three of them single owner catalogues, but then there are probably more serious collectors of Old Masters in the New York and Boston areas, than the rest of the world put together!

The combined sales of Christie’s and Sotheby’s totalled $171.5M (£139.4M), beating the previous New York record of $133M (£97.1M), achieved in 2021 and dwarfing the £51.05M for London in December.

Apart from the huge number of good collections and collectors in the Eastern Seaboard of the USA, a minor contributing factor to the success of that arena, is that New York is the favoured destination for UK dealers to place their “sleepers” (discoveries), which, like all paintings, will forfeit 20% of their gross profit if sold in the UK. The USA is treated as an export sale and, therefore, is exempt for dealers operating under “The Special Scheme” for art and antiques.

I have chosen three pictures from these sales to illustrate, because they are the three I would most like to take home, perhaps in my next life.

The continued strengthening of prices for Old Masters means that anyone who owns one should consider having it revalued.

A few of my favorite glitz from the SAG Awards 2023

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This year’s big winner of the evening was the family adventure Everything Everywhere All at Once whose leading actress Michelle Yeoh won the award for Female Actor in a Leading Role.

Just as she did for the Bafta, she dazzles us once again with spectacular pieces by Moussaieff including a yellow diamond and diamond ring, set with a 21.02 carat Fancy Vivid Yellow diamond between pear-shaped diamond shoulders.

To put this into perspective, a 3.03 carats Fancy Vivid Yellow diamond ring mounted in platinum is currently up for sale at Sotheby’s online for USD 195,000. I leave it to your imagination to work out the cost of the above 21 carats diamond!

She paired the ring with a pair of chandelier yellow diamond and diamond earrings.

The earrings are set with 24.70 carats of pear shaped Fancy Intense Yellow diamonds, and 11.08 carats of pear-shaped and brilliant-cut white diamonds.

The outfit was finished with a Richard Mille wristwatch for which she is also a brand ambassador.

Fellow actor Ke Huy Quan, who won the Outstanding Performance by Male Actor in a Supporting role category and made history by being the first Asian actor to win this SAG award, looked dashing with a De Beers brooch from The Alchemist of Light high jewellery collection, set with a 2.70 carat oval Fancy Grey diamond within a blue aluminium surround.

The beautiful collection by De Beers include the Ascending Shadows Small Earrings.

Set with two central diamonds each weighing 1.01 carats and 1.02 carats, E, VS2, within a surround of diamond, the total weight adding to 6.30 carats and mounted in 18 carat white gold, 18 carat rose gold, titanium & aluminium. These currently retail for £94,500. Similar designs of the collection include a headband, necklace and cocktail ring.

Other red carpet nominees and actors wearing De Beers exceptional pieces included Angela Bassett, Li Jun Li, Hannah Einbinder, and Katherine Waterston. Cara Delevingne dazzled in a “few” De Beers pieces.

These included: The Alchemist of Light ‘Midnight Aura’ Necklace set in 18 carat white gold with 74.73 carats of diamonds, The Alchemist of Light ‘Midnight Aura’ Earrings set in 18 carat black rhodium plated white gold with 9.58 carats of diamonds, a diamond line bracelet set in platinum with 17.03 carats of diamonds, Volute Ring set in platinum with 6.80 carats of diamonds, Adonis Rose Pear
Diamond Ring set in platinum with 5.40 carats of diamonds, a diamond eternity band set in platinum with 6.14 carats of diamonds, and a round brilliant diamond eternity band set in platinum with 7.15 carats of diamonds.

The Volute diamond ring can be yours for USD 218,000.

One of my favourite red carpet actresses is Zendaya. She is faultless! And this year’s 29th ceremony of the SAG awards was no exception. Nominated for Best Female Actor in a Drama Series for her starring role as Rue in HBO’s Euphoria, she paired her pastel pink Valentino Haute Couture gown with a Bvlgari bib necklace set with aquamarine, tanzanite and morganite.

Later that night, to present an award, she changed outfits and wore a Bvlgari chocker centrally-set with an oval -shaped aquamarine.

I always say that a red carpet is not quite complete without a Bvlgari Serpenti necklace. Emily Blunt’s Oscar de la Renta gown was styled with a pink gold choker with diamonds and rubies from Bvlgari’s
new collection celebrating Serpenti’s 75th anniversary, along with pavé diamond earrings and a platinum ring.

A similar Bvlgari Serpenti diamond and ruby necklace sold at Sotheby’s in July 2022 for HKD 1,625,000 (approximately £171,375).

 

One can have its own Bvlgari Serpenti collection with this Serpenti Seduttori ring for £9,000 or Serpenti necklace for £20,900.

And who knows, perhaps draped in Bvlgari, the SAG awards might have the pleasure of having you walk down its red carpet next year…

Who wore what, your guide to the BAFTA 2023 glitz

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Since 2010, the Prince of Wales has been the President of the Baftas and on Sunday, the Princess of Wales, was, as always, an example of chic, elegance and forward thinking while restyling an Alexander McQueen dress she previously wore in 2019.

She paired the white one-shouldered gown with Cascading floral earrings by Zara, selling for £17.99.

The Prince of Wales was seen wearing a Rolex while the host of the BAFTAs, Richard E. Grant was spotted wearing two watches: a Tank by Cartier, set to UK time, gifted by his wife and a chronograph set to Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) in memory of his late father.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other dapper attendees included Regé-Jean Page, who combined his fitted suit with diamond double-clips. These clips are a classic of the 1920s and are typically set with brilliant, baguette and calibré-cut diamonds. Calibré-cut stones are gems that have been cut to fit a precise setting.

Sotheby’s had a sale estimate of CHF 4,800-7,500 for this diamond double-clip brooch in July 2022 and in fact advertised it worn in a similar manner as Regé-Jean Page.

He also sported a Cartier watch, Santos de Cartier, which ranges from £3,550 for a small model steel design to £61,000, mounted in rose gold.

Regé-Jean Page was not the only one seen wearing the diamond clips on a suit. Fellow actor Paul Mescal wore a similar clip by Cartier.

Regé-Jean Page was not the only one seen wearing the diamond clips on a suit. Fellow actor Paul Mescal wore a similar clip by Cartier.

Designed by Francesca Amfitheatrof, it is connected to uniform rows of silver Tahitian pearls together with matching earrings. “Your effort to focuson rewearing and repurposing led us to this necklace. Using Tahitian pearls, gold, diamonds and a 23.78 carats Nigerian Tourmaline, all from existing pieces. I loved making this necklace for you!” said Amfitheatrof.

The actress also wore a gold and diamond ring from Louis Vuitton Stellar Times High jewellery collection, for which she has been a brand ambassador since June 2022. Other jewellery designers have reinvented their collection using their legacy designs. “Frédéric Boucheron innovated, over 130 years ago, with feather creations strong in symbolism and style” and at this year’s BAFTAs Angela Bassett looks sublime wearing the brands Plume de Paon earrings.

Measuring 6cm and set with under 6 carats of diamonds, the earrings retail for £94,100 in white gold and £85,500 in rose gold. You can read more about the stunning creations from the designer in my article B for Boucheron.

Other show stoppers included the jewellery by Moussaieff worn by Michelle Yeoh.

Moussaieff is renowned for its exceptional gems, including diamonds weighing up to 100 carats for sale in their Bond Street store. The items worn by the actress did not disappoint when it comes to the wow factor. She was seen wearing a Burmese ruby and diamond bangle, diamond earrings, and Burmese pink sapphire ring to complement her pink Dior outfit. To finalise the look, she opted for a Richard Mille wristwatch. One of the most unique watches by the brand, RM27-04 Rafael Nadal, can be bought for just under £2 million on the secondary market.

If over a £1 million is simply too much to spend on a watch, why not “settle” for a beautiful Omega wristwatch, seen worn by Eddie Redmayne.

The actor is brand ambassador and does his job to perfection! The pink dial steel Omega Constellation currently retails for £2,900.

But a red carpet event would not be complete without some Bvlgari Serpenti necklaces. This was the jewellery of choice for a few actresses, such as Lashana Lynch, who very cleverly wore the seprent’s head in her back with matching earrings (currently out of stock but retailing for £29,500 and set with a little over 2 carats of diamonds). A similar necklace was sold at Sotheby’s for USD920,000 in April 2019.

Julianne Moore effortlessly wore the Bvlgari necklace, or perhaps were there two or three?

Red carpets are always a delight to discover new jewels, and ways of wearing them and pairing them  with outfits. Let there be sparkles and glitz!

The Art of Picasso

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Pablo Picasso died on April 8, 1973, which makes 2023 the 50th anniversary of his death. Incidentally it is also exactly 50 years since I started my career in the Art world at Thomas Agnew in Old Bond Street, where I first had the privilege of handling Picasso’s work.

Picasso was very much a polymath, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and all round genius who was always making art and is widely regarded as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. He was a pioneer of the Cubist movement and his groundbreaking works continue to captivate audiences around the world. On the 50th anniversary of his death, it is a time to reflect on his legacy and contribution to art and the world. Picasso’s works can be seen in many of the world’s most famous museums and galleries, and continue to inspire new generations of artists.

His impact on the art world continues to be felt today and many very well known and highly regarded artists have been influenced by Picasso’s groundbreaking style and innovative techniques, including:

  1. Georges Braque: A close collaborator of Picasso’s during the development of Cubism, Braque was deeply influenced by Picasso’s work and the two artists had a major impact on each other’s style.
  2. Juan Gris: A Spanish painter and sculptor, Gris was also a key figure in the Cubist movement and was heavily influenced by Picasso’s work.
  3. Henri Matisse: While Matisse is known for his distinctive style, he was also influenced by Picasso’s use of colour and form, and the two artists maintained a close friendship throughout their careers.
  4. Joan Miró: A Spanish surrealist artist, Miró was inspired by Picasso’s bold experimentation with form and colour, and the two artists were close friends.
  5. Frida Kahlo: While Kahlo is primarily known for her distinctive self-portraits, she was also influenced by Picasso’s innovative approach to portraiture and the two artists shared a close friendship.

Place and culture was a great influence on Picasso and he lived in many different places throughout his life, some of the most significant include;

  1. Barcelona, Spain: Picasso was born in Malaga, Spain, but spent much of his childhood and early artistic career in Barcelona.
  2. Paris, France: In 1904, Picasso moved to Paris, which was then very much seen as the centre of the art world, and he lived and worked there for many years. During this time, he was associated with the Cubist movement and developed many of his most famous works.
  3. Cannes and Antibes, France: After World War II, Picasso spent much of his time in the south of France, living and working in the towns of Cannes and Antibes.
  4. Mougins, France: In 1961, Picasso moved to the small town of Mougins in the south of France, where he lived until his death in 1973.

Pablo Picasso’s work can be divided into several distinct periods, each characterised by its own dominant colour palette. Some of the most well-known colour periods of Picasso’s work are:

  1. The Blue Period (1901-1904): During this period, Picasso’s works were primarily painted in shades of blue and blue-green, with themes of poverty, loneliness, and sadness.
  2. The Rose Period (1904-1906): This period saw a shift to warmer, pinkish hues, and the introduction of more playful themes such as circus performers and harlequins.
  3. The African-Influenced Period (1907-1909): In this period, Picasso was influenced by African art and started incorporating abstract and geometric shapes into his works, resulting in a bold and experimental style.
  4. The Analytical Cubism Period (1909-1912): During this period, Picasso and Georges Braque developed the style of Analytical Cubism, characterised by fragmented and abstracted forms.
  5. The Synthetic Cubism Period (1912-1919): This period saw a further simplification of form, with the use of cut-out paper and printed materials incorporated into the paintings.

While these are some of the most significant colour periods of Picasso’s work, it is important to note that Picasso was always experimenting and evolving, and his style changed frequently throughout his very long career of almost unceasing endeavour to make art.

Some of his most well-known works include:

There are dozens of exhibitions taking place around the globe all marking this major anniversary each taking a differing approach, the link below gives you a taste of their variety dates and locations, hopefully you will be able to get to see at least one of them to witness for yourself the energy and sheer creative genius of Pablo Picasso.

Click here to read more about the dozens of exhibitions worldwide marking the 50th anniversary of Pscasso’s death.