Saturday, June 30, 2012

This Week's Blog Post

Eyeglass Chain Sets
A customer requested a matching bracelet for 2 of my eyeglass chain. What cute sets they create!

Currier Museum of Art
TheCurrier Museum of Art is located in Manchester, NH. It is a small museum with a variety of works from the renaissance to present and even includes Monet and Picasso as well as a Frank Lloyd Wright house which the museum staff will bus patrons to. They allow cameras!
This was one of my favorite pieces. It is behind glass so please forgive the reflection! The Dutch artist is Joachim Wtewael. The approximate date on this one is 1600!!! I will not bore you with the details behind the story but I love the celebration this depicts. Imagine being a time and place where you can let loose listening to live music and dancing around naked! That is something we go to prison for these days.
I enjoy being in the presence of really old things (not something you experience too often in the United States)! This polychromed stucco on wood is by Italian artist Antonio Rossellino.  Its approximate date is 1475! It is amazing how intact it is but was recently conserved to stabilize it.
This perfect still life is by a local artist, James Aponovich. It is named Still Iife with Chocolates, dated 1985. Jim and I noticed it at the same time because we each purchased a French press like this recently! One of its best features is the reflection painted in the steel bowl. It was flawless!
This was Jim’s first experience standing in front of an actual Claude Monet painting so I had to photograph it for his memory. This is The Seine at Bougival dated 1869.
John Singer Sargent is one of my favorites. He was an American painter although he was born in Italy and died in England. His portraits are amazing. This is Grace Elvina, Marchioness Curzon of Kedleston, 1925. I love 1920s fashion so this one is particularly fabulous!

I always enjoy a good lithograph! These are by American artist John Stockton de Martelly. They capture a moment in time! This is Blue Valley Fox Hunt, 1937.

This is Old Moon, 1941. So sweet!

The museum also has wonderful old American furniture like this sideboard from approximately 1855 (maker unknown).

This chair has beautiful detail. It is carved from ebonized cherry by the Herter Brothers Decorating Company of NY in approximately 1880.
Here there is also a wonderful selection of Henry Melville paperweights that range from the 1980s into the 1990s.
It was a cold June day so I was dressed for fall!!!! This museum offers a live jazz brunch 1 Sunday a month so we may be back for that!
Manchester, NH has some neat relicts of the past that were never removed. This is one of them!!! I love that it reads “concerned”. Luckily these days it is quite acceptable for men to simply shave it all off if they are losing their hair!
Thank you for stopping by! Have a gret week!  ~Val

23 comments:

  1. Val I love those stones - what a pretty set! And it seems like you and Jim certainly see so many of the sites! Singer Sargeant is one of my favorites as well - I love the one with the boat in the surf. My sister and I laughed about creating a painting together and used both our last names to create a 'Machata-Sargent' painting as her married last name is Sargent!

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    1. LOL! Love the concept of creating combining the names! Sargent's work is so beautiful.

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  2. A cold day in June! I don't think we've experienced such a day down here. lol I always love your posts on your museum trips and historic tours - makes me feel a little more cultured. :-)

    You did a fantastic job on those custom pieces. Hope you have a fabulous weekend!

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    1. A cold day in June in MA is rare but it seems to suit the strange weather patterns we have been having!

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  3. Love the eyeglass/bracelet sets you make! I also enjoyed the museum photos. I need to plan a museum trip soon. It is amazing to really think about how long ago some art was created...

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    1. Thank you Marian. The older art always fascinates me too!

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  4. Wow Val, so many things! I love your special request! You did a lovely job! The museum looks amazing! That still life looks like a photo! I couldn't believe it was a painting! I had to click on it, to see it larger! Great picture of you and Jim! The Men's Wigs sign made me smile! Have a great day ;o)

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    1. That still life is so cool! I am always intrigued when an artist can create something that looks like a photo.

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  5. That museum looks fascinating. I do like to spend time and get my cultural fill when I can. But it's so interesting. My favourite bit would be reading the history of each piece.

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    1. I love reading about the pieces too. It really makes us appreciate them more. :)

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  6. Hi Val, I love John Singer Sargent as well, his work was so magical.

    I really like the fact that you made matching bracelets...a beautiful idea. Lovely museum tour...looks like a great day.

    Ruth

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  7. you have such a nice taste to make jewlry....you are really talented

    www.meryswardrobe.blogspot.com

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  8. I always look forward to take a look at your custom orders in your posts. Most days in June in San Diego are gloomy the best beach days are in October so they say. Men wigs are so funny aren't you glad your man does not wear one! lol!!

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    1. I am glad my man does not feel a need for a wig! LOL!!!

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  9. Val, those chains look very happy indeed! Very interesting trip to museum, I love the pieces you've picked to show us, especially with chocolate ;) And the wigs, I think I might need one soon 8-/

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  10. Hi Val,

    Love your beautiful jewelry! I had no idea NH has such a wonderful museum. I was just in NH last August.

    Dee

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  11. You visit such neat places, and thank you for taking us along with you.
    Happy day to you, Val!
    xo.

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  12. Sounds like you had lots of fun and thanks for the virtual tour!

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  13. Dear Val, your eyeglass chain and bracelet sets are wonderful! I love visiting museums, especially those that are located in baroque buildings :) I like Monet, but my favourite is Renoir. Sounds like you had a lovely visit and I think it's awesome they allowed taking photos inside the museum!
    Have a great rest of the week, take care
    Duni

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  14. it's a gorgeous set:)) and the pictures are amazing!!:)

    Leonor
    thesparklinglemon.blogspot.com

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  15. Val - stop by my blog, I have a surprise for you

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  16. ohhh i love artistic museums~ thanks for sharing cuz I probably never will get to go! :)

    the STYLE Fringe BLOG
    http://the-stylefringe.blogspot.com

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Thank you for stopping by! I love reading visitor comments! ~Val