Katie Hafner writes about Louis Rossetto, the co-founder of Wired magazine + the application of the language of high-technology business to chocolate making + the story of Tcho dark chocolate + other viewpoints @ http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/10/technology/10chocolate.html?_r=1&ref=business&oref=slogin
Useful link:
Tcho.com
Saturday, December 15, 2007
The New Risk Architecture
(via Knowledge@Wharton) Erwann Michel-Kerjan's report on 'The New Risk Architecture' representing business + politics + arts + universities + other viewpoints @ http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/1862.cfm
Finding Nemo
Finding Nemo (2003)
Directed by: Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich
Screenplay: Andrew Stanton, Bob Peterson, David Reynolds
Cast: Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould, Willem Dafoe
(via YouTube): Finding Nemo Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfgeIZyrIM0
Finding Nemo - Seagulls - "Mine? Mine?"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1E4pYvJTyBA
A new way of visual story telling + the graphic language was persuasive + it's a modified form of movie art. I enjoyed it.
Directed by: Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich
Screenplay: Andrew Stanton, Bob Peterson, David Reynolds
Cast: Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould, Willem Dafoe
(via YouTube): Finding Nemo Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfgeIZyrIM0
Finding Nemo - Seagulls - "Mine? Mine?"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1E4pYvJTyBA
A new way of visual story telling + the graphic language was persuasive + it's a modified form of movie art. I enjoyed it.
Hidden Horror
(via The Guardian) Jonathan Jones writes about Matthias Grünewald's Isenheim altarpiece, a masterpiece of religious art + its fascination/inspiration + other viewpoints @ http://arts.guardian.co.uk/art/visualart/story/0,,2225942,00.html
The Art Of The Deal
Susan Adams writes about the Nahmad family + their influence in the art world + other viewpoints @ http://www.forbes.com/global/2007/1224/076.html
Useful links:
www.hellynahmadgallery.com
www.hellynahmad.com
Useful links:
www.hellynahmadgallery.com
www.hellynahmad.com
The Dawn Of The Reformation
(via The Outline of Art) William Orpen writes:
The Art of Albert Durer And of Holbein The Younger
So far we have been following mainly the development of art in Italy, but that country had no monopoly of painting and sculpture during the Middle Ages. Ever since the time of the Van Eycke paintings had been produced by natives of most of the great countries of Europe—even in England, where Odo the Goldsmith was employed by King Henry III to execute wall paintings for the Palace of Westminster—but either because their work was not powerful enough to capture the imagination of Europe or, quite as probably, because they had no historians and biographers to trumpet their praises, the early artists of England, France, and Germany never acquired the fame won by their brethren of Italy and Flanders. With few exceptions their names, and in many cases their works, have been entirely lost.
Full many flower is born to blush unseen,
And waste its sweetness on the desert air.
When all has been said, however, the fact remains that Italy was the center of the world for medieval Europe, and to it came ll who were desirous of learning, culture, and advancement. In those times the painter born elsewhere made his way to Italy as naturally and inevitably as the artist of today makes his pilgrimage to Paris; and in Italy the stranger artist was treated, not as a foreigner, but as a provincial. Looking at the political divisions of Europe today, we are apt to forget that in the Middle Ages the Christian nations of Europe were considered to be one family. Just as the Pope of Rome was the religious Head of all Christendom, so in theory, if not in practice, its secular Head was the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. The capital of the Empire, again in theory, was Rome, though in practice the Emperor was usually not very safe outside his own kingdom in Germany.
When the Italian historian Vasari describes the great German artist Albert Durer as a ‘Fleming,’ he is making the same sort of mistake that a Londoner might make when he was uncertain whether a west countryman came from Devon or Cornwall; and just as some Londoners are so narrow-minded that they cannot imagine any preeminent greatness outside the metropolis, so Vasari in a patronizing way wrote of Durer:
Had this man, so nobly endowed by Nature, so assiduous and possessed of so many talents, been a native of Tuscany instead of Flanders, had he been able to study the treasures of Rome and Florence as we have done, he would have excelled us all, as he is now the best and most esteemed among his own countrymen.
If Vasari thought this talent had much to learn from Italy, there were Italian artists who thought they had something to learn from Durer. Giovanni Bellini, greatly admired Durer’s painting, and found his rendering of hair so marvelous that he thought the artist must have a special brush for the purpose. So when Durer visited Venice and in his polite way offered to do anything in his power for Venetian artists, Bellini begged to be given the brush with which he painted hairs. Durer picked up a handful of his brushes and told Bellini to choose any one he wished. “I mean the brush with which you draw several hairs with one stroke,’ the Venetian explained. Durer smiled and replied, ‘ I use no other than these, and to prove it you may watch me,’ Then, taking up one of the same brushes, he drew ‘some very long wavy tresses, such as women generally wear.’ Bellini looked on wonderfully, and afterwards confessed that had he not seen it nothing would have convinced him that such a painting was possible.
Who was Durer? Strangely enough, the artist who most fully revealed the spirit of awakening Germany was of Hungarian descent. His father, Albert Durer the Elder—whose portraits by his son hangs in the National Gallery, London—was born in Hungary. After traveling in the Netherlands for some time, he finally settled in Nuremberg, where his son was born on May 21, 1471. Albert the Younger had everything to foster the development of his gifts, his father was a goldsmith, and his grandfather also; hence their removal to Nuremberg, a city which was in constant communication with Venice and had already begun to rival it in the arts and crafts of jewelry and metalwork. It is worth noticing that young Albert’s godfather was the bookseller and expert printer Anton Koberger, and through him his godson probably became familiar with fine prints and engravings from his earliest years.
The father intended the son to succeed him his craft, but as the latter tells us in his memoirs, “I was more inclined to painting, and this I confessed to my father. My father was not pleased,’ he adds with characteristic simplicity. Nevertheless young Durer got his way, and in 1486 was apprenticed to Michael Wohgemut, a local artist then at the zenith of his fame. Wohlgemut had a large art school, which was the most important in Nuremberg, and here young Durer learnt to paint and also, possibly, to practise wood-engraving. But such a master had little to teach so brilliant a pupil, and after three years Durer the Elder wisely took his son away and sent him abroad for four years. Young Albert traveled in the south of Germany and probably paid his first visit to Venice during this period.
The Dawn Of The Reformation (continued)
The Art of Albert Durer And of Holbein The Younger
So far we have been following mainly the development of art in Italy, but that country had no monopoly of painting and sculpture during the Middle Ages. Ever since the time of the Van Eycke paintings had been produced by natives of most of the great countries of Europe—even in England, where Odo the Goldsmith was employed by King Henry III to execute wall paintings for the Palace of Westminster—but either because their work was not powerful enough to capture the imagination of Europe or, quite as probably, because they had no historians and biographers to trumpet their praises, the early artists of England, France, and Germany never acquired the fame won by their brethren of Italy and Flanders. With few exceptions their names, and in many cases their works, have been entirely lost.
Full many flower is born to blush unseen,
And waste its sweetness on the desert air.
When all has been said, however, the fact remains that Italy was the center of the world for medieval Europe, and to it came ll who were desirous of learning, culture, and advancement. In those times the painter born elsewhere made his way to Italy as naturally and inevitably as the artist of today makes his pilgrimage to Paris; and in Italy the stranger artist was treated, not as a foreigner, but as a provincial. Looking at the political divisions of Europe today, we are apt to forget that in the Middle Ages the Christian nations of Europe were considered to be one family. Just as the Pope of Rome was the religious Head of all Christendom, so in theory, if not in practice, its secular Head was the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. The capital of the Empire, again in theory, was Rome, though in practice the Emperor was usually not very safe outside his own kingdom in Germany.
When the Italian historian Vasari describes the great German artist Albert Durer as a ‘Fleming,’ he is making the same sort of mistake that a Londoner might make when he was uncertain whether a west countryman came from Devon or Cornwall; and just as some Londoners are so narrow-minded that they cannot imagine any preeminent greatness outside the metropolis, so Vasari in a patronizing way wrote of Durer:
Had this man, so nobly endowed by Nature, so assiduous and possessed of so many talents, been a native of Tuscany instead of Flanders, had he been able to study the treasures of Rome and Florence as we have done, he would have excelled us all, as he is now the best and most esteemed among his own countrymen.
If Vasari thought this talent had much to learn from Italy, there were Italian artists who thought they had something to learn from Durer. Giovanni Bellini, greatly admired Durer’s painting, and found his rendering of hair so marvelous that he thought the artist must have a special brush for the purpose. So when Durer visited Venice and in his polite way offered to do anything in his power for Venetian artists, Bellini begged to be given the brush with which he painted hairs. Durer picked up a handful of his brushes and told Bellini to choose any one he wished. “I mean the brush with which you draw several hairs with one stroke,’ the Venetian explained. Durer smiled and replied, ‘ I use no other than these, and to prove it you may watch me,’ Then, taking up one of the same brushes, he drew ‘some very long wavy tresses, such as women generally wear.’ Bellini looked on wonderfully, and afterwards confessed that had he not seen it nothing would have convinced him that such a painting was possible.
Who was Durer? Strangely enough, the artist who most fully revealed the spirit of awakening Germany was of Hungarian descent. His father, Albert Durer the Elder—whose portraits by his son hangs in the National Gallery, London—was born in Hungary. After traveling in the Netherlands for some time, he finally settled in Nuremberg, where his son was born on May 21, 1471. Albert the Younger had everything to foster the development of his gifts, his father was a goldsmith, and his grandfather also; hence their removal to Nuremberg, a city which was in constant communication with Venice and had already begun to rival it in the arts and crafts of jewelry and metalwork. It is worth noticing that young Albert’s godfather was the bookseller and expert printer Anton Koberger, and through him his godson probably became familiar with fine prints and engravings from his earliest years.
The father intended the son to succeed him his craft, but as the latter tells us in his memoirs, “I was more inclined to painting, and this I confessed to my father. My father was not pleased,’ he adds with characteristic simplicity. Nevertheless young Durer got his way, and in 1486 was apprenticed to Michael Wohgemut, a local artist then at the zenith of his fame. Wohlgemut had a large art school, which was the most important in Nuremberg, and here young Durer learnt to paint and also, possibly, to practise wood-engraving. But such a master had little to teach so brilliant a pupil, and after three years Durer the Elder wisely took his son away and sent him abroad for four years. Young Albert traveled in the south of Germany and probably paid his first visit to Venice during this period.
The Dawn Of The Reformation (continued)
Forevermark: The New De Beers Monopoly?
Chaim Even Zohar writes about the new Forevermark policy + the proprietary technology to 'insert' the icon and identification number on the crown of the polished diamond + the impact + other viewpoints @ http://www.idexonline.com/portal_FullEditorial.asp
Basically Faceted Gothic Roses
(via Diamond Cuts in Historic Jewelry:1381-1910) Herbert Tillander writes:
Another very early ring has been described as follows: ‘the unusually high head of the ring is pyramidally built out of four basically faceted Gothic Roses. A large number of outlines and basic facetings are classified under his heading; some of the faceting designs were also applied to pavilion-based stones. The facets followed the crystal faces, or at least pretended to follow them.
Another very early ring has been described as follows: ‘the unusually high head of the ring is pyramidally built out of four basically faceted Gothic Roses. A large number of outlines and basic facetings are classified under his heading; some of the faceting designs were also applied to pavilion-based stones. The facets followed the crystal faces, or at least pretended to follow them.
Foundations Of The Bridge: The Technicalities Of Gem Trading
Louis Kornitzer's book, Gem Trader, is partly autobiographical and partly woven round the lore of pearls. It's educational + explains the distribution chain of gems, as they pass from hand to hand, from miner to cutter, from merchant to millionaire, from courtesan to receiver of stolen goods, shaping human lives as they go + the unique characters in the industry.
(via Gem Trader) Louis Kornitzer writes:
A word or two to the possible customer is perhaps not amiss here. When you are buying a piece of jewelry, remember you are buying something for a lifetime and take your time over it. Make your purchase from a reputable jeweler and even then look at it as carefully as you know how, not only to make sure you are getting your money’s worth, but also to see you are getting what you really want. When you can, buy from a local jeweler. There are a number of reasons why you should do this. One is that you should patronize a neighbor when you can. If he has not got what you want in his window, he will go to some pains to get it for you, for the wholesalers will be only too glad to supply on approval a whole range of goods from which to select. Don’t be afraid of making a fuss. If you are a genuine buyer, you have a right to call the tune. Another reason why you should buy from a local man rather than from a great glittering store is the fact that you will pay less. It is you, the client, who pays for the electric lights, the pile carpets and the gentlemanly assistants who wash their hands with invisible soap.
When you are examining goods ask for a magnifying glass and insist on looking at them by the light of day and not by artificial light. Make sure that the stones are firmly set...then buy with a clear mind, and when you have bought, insure.
There is a right a wrong way of looking after jewelry. All pieces of jewelry, for instance, ought to be kept in a case by themselves in such a way that there is no chance of the stones rubbing against each other. Layers of cotton wool, placed at the bottom and between the various articles, will achieve this. Periodically make sure that the stones have not worked loose in their settings. This can be done by gently pressing a matchstick against the table of each stone. If the stone has become loose it will wobble, if ever so slightly, and it may be that a mere tightening up of one of the claws needs to be done to avoid a serious loss. Then again fine atmospheric dust, or soapsuds, or perspiration, or all together, may dim the luster of gems in their settings after a little while. Do not attempt to get rid of the accumulation by means of a toothpick or a pin. There is far better and safer way. Cover the bottom of a wineglass with a little industrial alcohol (unless you think the use of brandy or whisky no waste in such circumstances!), slide your set jewelry gently into the glass and leave it there for five or ten minutes. When you take them out, don’t wipe them with a cloth, but just waft them about until they are dry. All the dirt will have dissolved and your stones will shine as brightly as they did the day you bought them.
Oh, before I close, there’s one point about heirloom jewelry. There is no reason why heirlooms should not be remodelled and brought up-to-date. In fact, quite the contrary. The precious metal is there and so are the gems, and the cost of remodelling is small, provided you don’t specify designs that require further purchases of stones or metal. Many a heavy old piece of jewelry that looks like a cross between a candelabra and a miniature set of gold plate could be turned in a few days into an article showing dignity and good taste.
(via Gem Trader) Louis Kornitzer writes:
A word or two to the possible customer is perhaps not amiss here. When you are buying a piece of jewelry, remember you are buying something for a lifetime and take your time over it. Make your purchase from a reputable jeweler and even then look at it as carefully as you know how, not only to make sure you are getting your money’s worth, but also to see you are getting what you really want. When you can, buy from a local jeweler. There are a number of reasons why you should do this. One is that you should patronize a neighbor when you can. If he has not got what you want in his window, he will go to some pains to get it for you, for the wholesalers will be only too glad to supply on approval a whole range of goods from which to select. Don’t be afraid of making a fuss. If you are a genuine buyer, you have a right to call the tune. Another reason why you should buy from a local man rather than from a great glittering store is the fact that you will pay less. It is you, the client, who pays for the electric lights, the pile carpets and the gentlemanly assistants who wash their hands with invisible soap.
When you are examining goods ask for a magnifying glass and insist on looking at them by the light of day and not by artificial light. Make sure that the stones are firmly set...then buy with a clear mind, and when you have bought, insure.
There is a right a wrong way of looking after jewelry. All pieces of jewelry, for instance, ought to be kept in a case by themselves in such a way that there is no chance of the stones rubbing against each other. Layers of cotton wool, placed at the bottom and between the various articles, will achieve this. Periodically make sure that the stones have not worked loose in their settings. This can be done by gently pressing a matchstick against the table of each stone. If the stone has become loose it will wobble, if ever so slightly, and it may be that a mere tightening up of one of the claws needs to be done to avoid a serious loss. Then again fine atmospheric dust, or soapsuds, or perspiration, or all together, may dim the luster of gems in their settings after a little while. Do not attempt to get rid of the accumulation by means of a toothpick or a pin. There is far better and safer way. Cover the bottom of a wineglass with a little industrial alcohol (unless you think the use of brandy or whisky no waste in such circumstances!), slide your set jewelry gently into the glass and leave it there for five or ten minutes. When you take them out, don’t wipe them with a cloth, but just waft them about until they are dry. All the dirt will have dissolved and your stones will shine as brightly as they did the day you bought them.
Oh, before I close, there’s one point about heirloom jewelry. There is no reason why heirlooms should not be remodelled and brought up-to-date. In fact, quite the contrary. The precious metal is there and so are the gems, and the cost of remodelling is small, provided you don’t specify designs that require further purchases of stones or metal. Many a heavy old piece of jewelry that looks like a cross between a candelabra and a miniature set of gold plate could be turned in a few days into an article showing dignity and good taste.
Good Books
Below is a collection of links to 'Best Books of 2007' list.
Financial Times
The Economist
NYT Sunday Book Review: 100 Notable
NYT Sunday Book Review: Top Ten
Publisher's Weekly
Amazon
Boston Globe
Washington Post
Sydney Morning Herald
Sunday Times
Financial Times
The Economist
NYT Sunday Book Review: 100 Notable
NYT Sunday Book Review: Top Ten
Publisher's Weekly
Amazon
Boston Globe
Washington Post
Sydney Morning Herald
Sunday Times
Heard On The Street
The happiest moment in a gem dealer's life is buying a gemstone and the second happiest moment is selling it.
Friday, December 14, 2007
8 1/2
8 1/2 (1963)
Directed by: Federico Fellini
Screenplay: Federico Fellini, Ennio Flaiano (story); Ennio Flaiano , Tullio Pinelli, Federico Fellini, Brunello Rondi
Cast: Marcello Mastroianni, Claudia Cardinale, Anouk Aimée
(via YouTube): Scene from Fellini's 8 ½
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YozQlhdu4QU
8 1/2 dream
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmEqBdde5H0
Fellini 8 1/2 - Guido's Harem (the whole scene)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZP8EmKSl48
Fellini 8½ Opening Scene
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsAkWc7c8Mo
Federico Fellini is a gem + the comic frenzy of the characters in the film is so natural, I enjoyed it.
Directed by: Federico Fellini
Screenplay: Federico Fellini, Ennio Flaiano (story); Ennio Flaiano , Tullio Pinelli, Federico Fellini, Brunello Rondi
Cast: Marcello Mastroianni, Claudia Cardinale, Anouk Aimée
(via YouTube): Scene from Fellini's 8 ½
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YozQlhdu4QU
8 1/2 dream
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmEqBdde5H0
Fellini 8 1/2 - Guido's Harem (the whole scene)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZP8EmKSl48
Fellini 8½ Opening Scene
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsAkWc7c8Mo
Federico Fellini is a gem + the comic frenzy of the characters in the film is so natural, I enjoyed it.
Emirates Airline
(via Knowledge@Wharton) Maurice Flanagan, who launched the global air giant in 1985 remains executive vice chairman, the Dubai-based Emirates continues to increase traffic and revenues + the reasons for Emirates' ascent + his own management style + other viewpoints @ http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/1860.cfm
The Chiffre Cut (Dutch Schiffertje Or Schilde)
(via Diamond Cuts in Historic Jewelry:1381-1910) Herbert Tillander writes:
Various Gothic diamonds are documented as being ‘faceted’ without any further detail. Some of these must have been stones with flat bases and domed faceted tops. As always, the shape of the original crystal was large responsible for the shape into which the diamond was cut. A favorite cut was the Shield, for which the rough was probably a piece accidentally cleaved from a crystal such as rhombic dodecahedron or the trisoctahedrally developed face of an octahedron. The shapes of the crystal system to which diamonds belong have most of their octahedral faces slightly raised in curved triangular form and can easily be fashioned into Chiffres after an initial cleaving operation.
This type of three-faceted shield-shaped diamond has been known at least since the early fourteenth century, and is still occasionally produced today, though only in very small sizes. It is now termed the Chiffre Cut after the word ‘cipher’, the arithmetical symbol for nought. It is the least expensive type of cut—a rounded, flattish, triangular pyramid. The term Shield Cut is reserved for historical gems. William Jones illustrated a ‘decade-ring’, its head decorated all over with three and four facet Shield Cuts.
Various Gothic diamonds are documented as being ‘faceted’ without any further detail. Some of these must have been stones with flat bases and domed faceted tops. As always, the shape of the original crystal was large responsible for the shape into which the diamond was cut. A favorite cut was the Shield, for which the rough was probably a piece accidentally cleaved from a crystal such as rhombic dodecahedron or the trisoctahedrally developed face of an octahedron. The shapes of the crystal system to which diamonds belong have most of their octahedral faces slightly raised in curved triangular form and can easily be fashioned into Chiffres after an initial cleaving operation.
This type of three-faceted shield-shaped diamond has been known at least since the early fourteenth century, and is still occasionally produced today, though only in very small sizes. It is now termed the Chiffre Cut after the word ‘cipher’, the arithmetical symbol for nought. It is the least expensive type of cut—a rounded, flattish, triangular pyramid. The term Shield Cut is reserved for historical gems. William Jones illustrated a ‘decade-ring’, its head decorated all over with three and four facet Shield Cuts.
Arts 2007
(via The Guardian) The year's biggest names: their highs and lows + other viewpoints @ http://arts.guardian.co.uk/art/visualart/story/0,,2225582,00.html
Collecting In Cyberspace
Kelly Devine Thomas writes about online art market + the new consumer phenomenon + the discreet, unregulated, and highly fragmented art industry + other viewpoints @ http://www.artnewsonline.com/issues/article.asp?art_id=622
The Splendor Of Venice
(via The Outline of Art) William Orpen writes:
4
A greater than Veronese remains to be mentioned, a painter who was not only a consummate craftsman but also a profound thinker. This was Lorenzo Lotto (1480-1556) who, unlike his great contemporaries, was Venetian born. All the others—save Tintoretto, greatly his junior—came from the mainland: Giorgione from Castelfranco, Titian from Cadore, and Cagliari from Verona.
Few painters have lived so intense a life in the spirit as Lotto; none has written so plainly as he his soul-history in his works. A true son of Venice, his youthful mind turned to Byzantium rather than to Rome for instruction and inspiration. To him Giorgione and Titian appeared as foreign intruders; their worldliness shocked him, a follower of Savonarola. Lotto began by putting the Madonna back on a Byzantine throne in the apse of the church from which the painters of the Renaissance had taken her. Ploughing his lonely furrow at Venice he had his doubts, and in 1508 he journeyed south to see what Rome and Raphael had to teach him. What he saw there roused his reforming zeal, as it had that of Savonarola. Four years later (1512) he fled from metropolitan sinfulness and took refuge in the provincial tranquility of Bergamo.
Here he possessed his soul in peace, and as though touched by the spirit of St. Francis he became reconciled to nature. No longer is the Madonna enthroned in church, but placed in the open country, where all existing things seem to praise the Creator in their beauty. Lotto became a pantheist and his message is the gospel of love. With his Venetian predecessors and contemporaries the Virgin is either soulful and humble, or aristocratic and proud; Lotto paints her richly adorned, but imbues her countenance with a beneficent and tenderly maternal expression.
In portraiture Lotto is supreme even in a great epoch. When we look at this portrait in the National Gallery of ‘The Protonotary Apostolic Juliano,’ noting through the window the wide and boundless landscape traversed by a river which winds its way to the distant sea, noting also the exquisite Flemish-like painting of the still-life accessories, as well as the grave penetrating characterization of the man, we cannot agree with Dr Muther that Lotto regards his sitters ‘unconcerned with their decorative appearance’; but we do heartily agree that Lotto shows us people ‘in their hours of introspection.’
Why is it that Lotto, as a portrait-painter, strikes chords which, as Dr Muther says, ‘are echoed in no other Italian work.’ The explanation is this: ‘Only those whom he loved and honored were invited into his studio, and his circumstance alone differentiates his portraits from those of Raphael or Titian.’
Though never such a great figure in his day as Giorgione, Titian, or Tintoretto, Lotto was not without influence on his contemporaries. One who felt it and gained by it greatly was a painter who came from Brescia to Venice, Giambattista Moroni (c.1520-78). His ‘Portrait of a Tailor,’ is full of human sympathy and almost perfect in craftsmanship. It is deservedly one of the most popular portraits in the National Gallery, and many of us feel almost equally drawn to Moroni’s other great portrait at the National Gallery, ‘An Italian Nobleman’. Together they prove that, like Lotto, Moroni could extend his sympathies to sitters irrespective of their rank or position in life.
It is not easy to over-estimate the abundant excellence of portraiture in sixteenth century Venice. Just as the wealth and power of her merchant-citizens were the source of the success of the republican State of Venice, so the luxury they were able to afford drew to the island city of the Adriatic all the artistic talent born on the neighboring mainland. Of the multitude of artists who during this century were adorning the public buildings and private palaces of Venice, only a few of the most celebrated can here be enumerated. Cima came from Conegliano to Venice in 1492, and worked there till 1516 or later, carrying on in his Madonnas the tradition of Giovanni Bellini. Vincenzo di Biagio, known as Catena, was born at Treviso about 1470 and died at Venice in 1531. He was greatly influenced by Giorgione, to whom was once ascribed the beautiful painting ‘A Warrior adoring the Infant Christ,’ which the National Gallery catalogue now gives definitely to Catena. Sebastiano del Piombo (c.1485-1547), who about 1510 left Venice for Rome, where he was influenced by Raphael and Michael Angelo, has a special interest for us because his picture ‘The Raising of Lazarus’ was the beginning of the National Gallery collection. It is still ‘Number 1’. Palma Vecchio (1480-1528) was born near Bergamo, but came to Venice while still a student. Influenced first by Bellini and Giorgione, afterwards by Titian and Lotto, he very nearly reached the first rank, as his ‘Venus and Cupid,’ now in the Fitzwilliam Museum at Cambridge amply proves. He is called Vecchio (=Old) to distinguish him from a later painter Palma Giovine (1544-1628) or Young Palma.
Jacopo da Ponte (1510-92), called Bassano from his birthplace, is also splendidly represented in the National Gallery by ‘The Good Samaritan,’ a painting which used to belong to Sir Joshua Reynolds. It is a magnificent example of vigor and muscular action.
In the art, as in the State of Venice, the spark of life lingered long. So late as the eighteenth century, Longhi, Canaletto, and Guardi painted delightfully her canals and palaces and the life of her public places, while Giambattista Tiepolo (1696-1770), painting in the tradition of Veronese, earned for himself the proud title ‘the last of the Old Masters.’
But with Tintoretto the last great word of Italy had been spoken, and when he died in 1594 it was left to the artists of other lands to take the tale.
4
A greater than Veronese remains to be mentioned, a painter who was not only a consummate craftsman but also a profound thinker. This was Lorenzo Lotto (1480-1556) who, unlike his great contemporaries, was Venetian born. All the others—save Tintoretto, greatly his junior—came from the mainland: Giorgione from Castelfranco, Titian from Cadore, and Cagliari from Verona.
Few painters have lived so intense a life in the spirit as Lotto; none has written so plainly as he his soul-history in his works. A true son of Venice, his youthful mind turned to Byzantium rather than to Rome for instruction and inspiration. To him Giorgione and Titian appeared as foreign intruders; their worldliness shocked him, a follower of Savonarola. Lotto began by putting the Madonna back on a Byzantine throne in the apse of the church from which the painters of the Renaissance had taken her. Ploughing his lonely furrow at Venice he had his doubts, and in 1508 he journeyed south to see what Rome and Raphael had to teach him. What he saw there roused his reforming zeal, as it had that of Savonarola. Four years later (1512) he fled from metropolitan sinfulness and took refuge in the provincial tranquility of Bergamo.
Here he possessed his soul in peace, and as though touched by the spirit of St. Francis he became reconciled to nature. No longer is the Madonna enthroned in church, but placed in the open country, where all existing things seem to praise the Creator in their beauty. Lotto became a pantheist and his message is the gospel of love. With his Venetian predecessors and contemporaries the Virgin is either soulful and humble, or aristocratic and proud; Lotto paints her richly adorned, but imbues her countenance with a beneficent and tenderly maternal expression.
In portraiture Lotto is supreme even in a great epoch. When we look at this portrait in the National Gallery of ‘The Protonotary Apostolic Juliano,’ noting through the window the wide and boundless landscape traversed by a river which winds its way to the distant sea, noting also the exquisite Flemish-like painting of the still-life accessories, as well as the grave penetrating characterization of the man, we cannot agree with Dr Muther that Lotto regards his sitters ‘unconcerned with their decorative appearance’; but we do heartily agree that Lotto shows us people ‘in their hours of introspection.’
Why is it that Lotto, as a portrait-painter, strikes chords which, as Dr Muther says, ‘are echoed in no other Italian work.’ The explanation is this: ‘Only those whom he loved and honored were invited into his studio, and his circumstance alone differentiates his portraits from those of Raphael or Titian.’
Though never such a great figure in his day as Giorgione, Titian, or Tintoretto, Lotto was not without influence on his contemporaries. One who felt it and gained by it greatly was a painter who came from Brescia to Venice, Giambattista Moroni (c.1520-78). His ‘Portrait of a Tailor,’ is full of human sympathy and almost perfect in craftsmanship. It is deservedly one of the most popular portraits in the National Gallery, and many of us feel almost equally drawn to Moroni’s other great portrait at the National Gallery, ‘An Italian Nobleman’. Together they prove that, like Lotto, Moroni could extend his sympathies to sitters irrespective of their rank or position in life.
It is not easy to over-estimate the abundant excellence of portraiture in sixteenth century Venice. Just as the wealth and power of her merchant-citizens were the source of the success of the republican State of Venice, so the luxury they were able to afford drew to the island city of the Adriatic all the artistic talent born on the neighboring mainland. Of the multitude of artists who during this century were adorning the public buildings and private palaces of Venice, only a few of the most celebrated can here be enumerated. Cima came from Conegliano to Venice in 1492, and worked there till 1516 or later, carrying on in his Madonnas the tradition of Giovanni Bellini. Vincenzo di Biagio, known as Catena, was born at Treviso about 1470 and died at Venice in 1531. He was greatly influenced by Giorgione, to whom was once ascribed the beautiful painting ‘A Warrior adoring the Infant Christ,’ which the National Gallery catalogue now gives definitely to Catena. Sebastiano del Piombo (c.1485-1547), who about 1510 left Venice for Rome, where he was influenced by Raphael and Michael Angelo, has a special interest for us because his picture ‘The Raising of Lazarus’ was the beginning of the National Gallery collection. It is still ‘Number 1’. Palma Vecchio (1480-1528) was born near Bergamo, but came to Venice while still a student. Influenced first by Bellini and Giorgione, afterwards by Titian and Lotto, he very nearly reached the first rank, as his ‘Venus and Cupid,’ now in the Fitzwilliam Museum at Cambridge amply proves. He is called Vecchio (=Old) to distinguish him from a later painter Palma Giovine (1544-1628) or Young Palma.
Jacopo da Ponte (1510-92), called Bassano from his birthplace, is also splendidly represented in the National Gallery by ‘The Good Samaritan,’ a painting which used to belong to Sir Joshua Reynolds. It is a magnificent example of vigor and muscular action.
In the art, as in the State of Venice, the spark of life lingered long. So late as the eighteenth century, Longhi, Canaletto, and Guardi painted delightfully her canals and palaces and the life of her public places, while Giambattista Tiepolo (1696-1770), painting in the tradition of Veronese, earned for himself the proud title ‘the last of the Old Masters.’
But with Tintoretto the last great word of Italy had been spoken, and when he died in 1594 it was left to the artists of other lands to take the tale.
Foundations Of The Bridge: The Technicalities Of Gem Trading
Louis Kornitzer's book, Gem Trader, is partly autobiographical and partly woven round the lore of pearls. It's educational + explains the distribution chain of gems, as they pass from hand to hand, from miner to cutter, from merchant to millionaire, from courtesan to receiver of stolen goods, shaping human lives as they go + the unique characters in the industry.
(via Gem Trader) Louis Kornitzer writes:
A smaller weight still than the carat is the unit of weight employed by dealers in pearls; namely, the grain. But this is not the apothecary’s grain and only weighs twenty five points or one-quarter of a carat.
Gems are not carried loose in the dealer’s pocket or jumbled loosely in a box. They are placed in neatly folded paper packages (there is one and only one universally recognized way of folding these) and each such package has an appropriately colored lining of specially prepared tissue or thinner paper. The object of the prescribed folding-creases in the wrapper is to prevent any stone from falling out, while the colored interior is intended to lend a suitable background with a view to creating a first favorable impression. There is no deceit intended by this and no expert is ever taken in by having goods presented to him in this wise.
Nevertheless, a neatly trimmed square of snowy cotton wool, upon which one’s gems are snugly bedded, has its psychological effect by persuading the eye that the stones on display have value; there is also the important practical fact that this packing prevents the finely cut points, edges and facets from being abraded by other stones in the same package.
The interior lining referred to is blue in various shades for pearls, a glossy white or cream for diamonds, brick red for emeralds, glossy white for rubies and sapphires, matt or glossy black for opals. Upon the flap of the folded package the methodical dealer sets down in a clear hand the number, the kind of stone and the weights. A number of paper packages are conveniently arranged in a soft leather wallet and held in place with an elastic band.
When closed and carried about in the dealer’s specially constructed deep pocket, a metal safety chain gives, or should give, additional security. The cautious dealer in precious stones, more than any other merchant, knows and bears constantly in mind that he is the chosen prey of the high class and intelligent (if intelligence of the true sort has anything to do with crime) criminal.
Of the pockets, hip-pocket and breast-pocket are dangerous. Two wallets, each carried in a separate division of a specially constructed waistcoat worn below the ordinary waistcoat seem to me to constitute a commendable way for carrying great values. There are other ways, upon which I need not elaborate here. Regular irregularity will also help to give a measure of protection against the ‘lie in wait’ fraternity. Do not make it a practice, I say to the beginner (it is no use trying to teach other old dogs new tricks)—do not make it a practice to set out on your rounds every day at the same hour or to return to your office at a given time. Take different roads each day. Don’t stop and look into shop windows; leave crowds severely alone. Keep your eyes open, and if you happen to notice the face of an unknown popping up again and again as you go round, take heed. Don’t challenge the owner of the face, for he may want nothing better. He may be provoking a quarrel, in which case the ‘lay’ is that his confederate of confederates will soon join in the fray and you will be mulcted before you realize you have fallen prey to a gang of crooks.
Again, take no strong drink while on business and certainly accept no treats from friendly strangers, not even a cup of innocent coffee or a cigarette. Either may be doped. Late nights of the festive order unfit a man for being custodian of gems the loss of which may mean all the difference between competence and penury. I won’t say don’t take nights out—merely, don’t work the morning after! A dealer in gems must be alert the whole of the time.
One principle that has always stood me in good stead is to keep good faith with the man behind the counter, the retail jeweler (or any other customer). The importance of being trusted cannot be overestimated. Therefore no statement should ever be made which cannot be borne out. If a shopkeeper asks me ‘Is this stone flawless?’ I give him an honest reply. There is a world of difference between ‘fairly clean,’ ‘eye clean’ and clean under the searching magnification of a powerful lens.
Such advice as that in the last paragraph might apply to any trade, but there is another piece of advice particularly applicable to those who handle gemstones, and I give it as it was given to me at the outset of my career by a dealer in Paris, a dainty little Frenchman of the old school: ‘Soignez vos mains, mon ami, car se sont vos étalages.’ ‘Make the most of your hands, my friend, for they are your show windows,’ is sound advice to the man who must needs display his wares on the back of his hand; for it is common practise to lay out the gems to be shown along the grooves of the fingers, and value of well kept hands is obvious. In this connection I might add that some dealers think it well to carry a small blue-white specimen brilliant (supposing they are buying or selling diamonds) in their wallets or set in a ring worn on the left hand for comparison with other stones.
Foundations Of The Bridge: The Technicalities Of Gem Trading
(via Gem Trader) Louis Kornitzer writes:
A smaller weight still than the carat is the unit of weight employed by dealers in pearls; namely, the grain. But this is not the apothecary’s grain and only weighs twenty five points or one-quarter of a carat.
Gems are not carried loose in the dealer’s pocket or jumbled loosely in a box. They are placed in neatly folded paper packages (there is one and only one universally recognized way of folding these) and each such package has an appropriately colored lining of specially prepared tissue or thinner paper. The object of the prescribed folding-creases in the wrapper is to prevent any stone from falling out, while the colored interior is intended to lend a suitable background with a view to creating a first favorable impression. There is no deceit intended by this and no expert is ever taken in by having goods presented to him in this wise.
Nevertheless, a neatly trimmed square of snowy cotton wool, upon which one’s gems are snugly bedded, has its psychological effect by persuading the eye that the stones on display have value; there is also the important practical fact that this packing prevents the finely cut points, edges and facets from being abraded by other stones in the same package.
The interior lining referred to is blue in various shades for pearls, a glossy white or cream for diamonds, brick red for emeralds, glossy white for rubies and sapphires, matt or glossy black for opals. Upon the flap of the folded package the methodical dealer sets down in a clear hand the number, the kind of stone and the weights. A number of paper packages are conveniently arranged in a soft leather wallet and held in place with an elastic band.
When closed and carried about in the dealer’s specially constructed deep pocket, a metal safety chain gives, or should give, additional security. The cautious dealer in precious stones, more than any other merchant, knows and bears constantly in mind that he is the chosen prey of the high class and intelligent (if intelligence of the true sort has anything to do with crime) criminal.
Of the pockets, hip-pocket and breast-pocket are dangerous. Two wallets, each carried in a separate division of a specially constructed waistcoat worn below the ordinary waistcoat seem to me to constitute a commendable way for carrying great values. There are other ways, upon which I need not elaborate here. Regular irregularity will also help to give a measure of protection against the ‘lie in wait’ fraternity. Do not make it a practice, I say to the beginner (it is no use trying to teach other old dogs new tricks)—do not make it a practice to set out on your rounds every day at the same hour or to return to your office at a given time. Take different roads each day. Don’t stop and look into shop windows; leave crowds severely alone. Keep your eyes open, and if you happen to notice the face of an unknown popping up again and again as you go round, take heed. Don’t challenge the owner of the face, for he may want nothing better. He may be provoking a quarrel, in which case the ‘lay’ is that his confederate of confederates will soon join in the fray and you will be mulcted before you realize you have fallen prey to a gang of crooks.
Again, take no strong drink while on business and certainly accept no treats from friendly strangers, not even a cup of innocent coffee or a cigarette. Either may be doped. Late nights of the festive order unfit a man for being custodian of gems the loss of which may mean all the difference between competence and penury. I won’t say don’t take nights out—merely, don’t work the morning after! A dealer in gems must be alert the whole of the time.
One principle that has always stood me in good stead is to keep good faith with the man behind the counter, the retail jeweler (or any other customer). The importance of being trusted cannot be overestimated. Therefore no statement should ever be made which cannot be borne out. If a shopkeeper asks me ‘Is this stone flawless?’ I give him an honest reply. There is a world of difference between ‘fairly clean,’ ‘eye clean’ and clean under the searching magnification of a powerful lens.
Such advice as that in the last paragraph might apply to any trade, but there is another piece of advice particularly applicable to those who handle gemstones, and I give it as it was given to me at the outset of my career by a dealer in Paris, a dainty little Frenchman of the old school: ‘Soignez vos mains, mon ami, car se sont vos étalages.’ ‘Make the most of your hands, my friend, for they are your show windows,’ is sound advice to the man who must needs display his wares on the back of his hand; for it is common practise to lay out the gems to be shown along the grooves of the fingers, and value of well kept hands is obvious. In this connection I might add that some dealers think it well to carry a small blue-white specimen brilliant (supposing they are buying or selling diamonds) in their wallets or set in a ring worn on the left hand for comparison with other stones.
Foundations Of The Bridge: The Technicalities Of Gem Trading
Murphy's Law
I think there are many lessons for gem dealers + gemologists + jewelers + art dealers + others. Here is a list of Murphy's Laws + variations of it. It's educational.
- If anything can go wrong it will.
- Nothing is ever as simple as it seems.
- Everything takes longer than you expect.
- If there is a possibility of several things going wrong, the one that will do the most damage will go wrong first.
- Left to themselves, all things go from bad to worse.
- If you play with something long enough, you will surely break it.
- If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something.
- If you see that there are four possible ways in which a procedure can go wrong, and circumvent these, then a fifth way, unprepared for, will promptly develop.
- Nature always sides with the hidden flaw.
- Mother Nature is cruel.
- It is impossible to make anything fool-proof, because fools are so ingenious.
- If a great deal of time has been expended seeking the answer to a problem with the only result being failure, the answer will be immediately obvious to the first unqualified person.
- If anything just cannot go wrong, it will anyway.
Useful link: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murphy's_law
- If anything can go wrong it will.
- Nothing is ever as simple as it seems.
- Everything takes longer than you expect.
- If there is a possibility of several things going wrong, the one that will do the most damage will go wrong first.
- Left to themselves, all things go from bad to worse.
- If you play with something long enough, you will surely break it.
- If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something.
- If you see that there are four possible ways in which a procedure can go wrong, and circumvent these, then a fifth way, unprepared for, will promptly develop.
- Nature always sides with the hidden flaw.
- Mother Nature is cruel.
- It is impossible to make anything fool-proof, because fools are so ingenious.
- If a great deal of time has been expended seeking the answer to a problem with the only result being failure, the answer will be immediately obvious to the first unqualified person.
- If anything just cannot go wrong, it will anyway.
Useful link: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murphy's_law
Why People Trade in Gemstones + Jewelry + Art
I think:
- To invest
- To exchange assets
- To distribute risks
- To gamble
- To speculate
- To deal
- To make profit
- To enjoy
- To do the right thing
- To learn
- To borrow
- To invest
- To exchange assets
- To distribute risks
- To gamble
- To speculate
- To deal
- To make profit
- To enjoy
- To do the right thing
- To learn
- To borrow
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