tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391293127288856260.post4849736926824065589..comments2023-09-27T12:44:03.592+01:00Comments on MsHedgehog: SèvresmsHedgehoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05719152265628932122noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391293127288856260.post-19634815846001884872010-03-21T23:37:25.792+00:002010-03-21T23:37:25.792+00:00Hi msh,I went to a small local auction, in Cork, t...Hi msh,I went to a small local auction, in Cork, today to view a Serves ormolu.But it was in bad condition; man.city blue in colour;missing huge amounts of gold painting;it even had a major crack across it's rim;not good treasure hunting at all..when I visit the Van Gogh exhibition in the Royal Academy I'll visit the Wallace museum to see the real thing...Leesidehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13802195983758121483noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391293127288856260.post-29433293142825195162010-03-03T20:03:08.524+00:002010-03-03T20:03:08.524+00:00@silverofice - thankyou - and a thought-provoking ...@silverofice - thankyou - and a thought-provoking comment. There's probably no way of knowing what the artisans who made these things wanted, or what they might have chosen to do under other conditions, although we can compare the quite different products being produced a very short distance away in England at the time - advanced high-quality wares that large numbers of people desired and could afford, but completely different from this.<br /><br />"Because she wanted to" is probably a good characterisation of Madame de Pompadour's involvement as a financial backer and important artistic influence. And, no doubt, also that of the King. But wanting to is not enough; you also have to have whatever resources are needed. In this case, access to the state income and assets without any relevant constraint on priorities was obviously a necessary part. It did have violent consequences in the end, but not for another generation.<br /><br />Your point is well made; that's why it's a such a good thing if people don't need to spend all of their time and energy earning an adequate living. They can devote their talents to far more interesting things.msHedgehoghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05719152265628932122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391293127288856260.post-81712275001259308392010-03-03T00:00:44.115+00:002010-03-03T00:00:44.115+00:00To make something intricately and commitedly beaut...To make something intricately and commitedly beautiful (however you choose to define that) is a wonderfully existential act. What we value is not so much the object as the act - the will, the free choice, the lived moment - which it embodies. It's wonderful that traces of this survive over centuries to remind us of these, the deepest of human values, and that nothing that's truly worth doing in life is worth doing for money alone. <br /><br />Thank you for this thought-provoking post. The generosity with which you share your thoughts and experiences with us is a similarly valuable gift. It seems to me that you do it because you want to do it - the best reason of all, as far as I'm concerned.sliveroficehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05488040868514637014noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391293127288856260.post-74703663629229916182010-03-01T23:56:47.228+00:002010-03-01T23:56:47.228+00:00... what I mean is - at worst, a shark in formalde...... what I mean is - at worst, a shark in formaldehyde for huge amounts of money represents a transfer of lots of money from a fool with money to a clever man likely to spend it more wisely, which can be seen as a good thing. It isn't in itself a gross misallocation of useful resources.msHedgehoghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05719152265628932122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391293127288856260.post-21939798845164230802010-03-01T19:25:00.179+00:002010-03-01T19:25:00.179+00:00@Tango en el Cielo - there's that version too,...@Tango en el Cielo - there's that version too, of course ;)<br />@Johanna - but at least it didn't cost Damien Hirst <i>more</i> than that to preserve the shark. And presumably somebody wanted a shark in formaldehyde, or whatever it represents.msHedgehoghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05719152265628932122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391293127288856260.post-21392680402428078912010-03-01T00:01:25.955+00:002010-03-01T00:01:25.955+00:00Well, they do spend obscene amounts of money (abou...Well, they do spend obscene amounts of money (about $8 million), but on such meaningful objects as a shark suspended in formaldehyde...<br />http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/01/arts/design/01voge.htmlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391293127288856260.post-64176808464473523692010-02-28T23:06:18.744+00:002010-02-28T23:06:18.744+00:00In the diplomatic world, gap analysis is what you ...In the diplomatic world, gap analysis is what you propose what you don't want to change anything, but someone else does, and so the compromise is to appear to be doing something that might lead to change while not in fact having the slightest intention of changing anything at all.tangoenelcielonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391293127288856260.post-22767790667871973662010-02-28T00:38:28.785+00:002010-02-28T00:38:28.785+00:00Great to know the history behind those lovely piec...Great to know the history behind those lovely pieces. A beatiful and magnificent collection the one at the Wallace (a jewell of a museum in my opinion).<br />Thank you.mayahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04420545695211847049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391293127288856260.post-81498326496765272102010-02-27T13:52:20.642+00:002010-02-27T13:52:20.642+00:00@Limerick, yes, they have lots there. It looks muc...@Limerick, yes, they have lots there. It looks much better when you know how it was made, doesn't it? They started using hard-paste as soon as it was available but I think the deal is that not all of those amazing colours are possible with the hard-paste technique, so they carried on with both. After the next change of management they mostly stuck to hard-paste, and dialled it down a little bit with the gold and the painting. There's still a factory at <a href="http://manufacturedesevres.culture.gouv.fr/" rel="nofollow">factory at Sevres</a> - difficult to Google unless you switch languages. Apparently they use several formulae, including a 'soft-paste' but that seems to be a phosphatic porcelain with kaolin and bone ash, a much better solution technically although still pretty challenging.msHedgehoghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05719152265628932122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391293127288856260.post-17004936192971703032010-02-27T12:26:10.482+00:002010-02-27T12:26:10.482+00:00They have a number of Sèvres porcelain pieces in t...They have a number of Sèvres porcelain pieces in the Wallace collection. The tour guide pointed out that even when the technology for proper porcelain transferred to Europe Sèvres porcelain was still demanded by the big-wigs due to its prestige and price.LimerickTangohttp://www.limericktango.com/blognoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391293127288856260.post-1942358360201875372010-02-27T11:34:46.490+00:002010-02-27T11:34:46.490+00:00@Linda - I think it happens all the time and every...@Linda - I think it happens all the time and everywhere. The next steps won't usually include implementing the changes, but nor will they include any learning.msHedgehoghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05719152265628932122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391293127288856260.post-69976650271693710672010-02-27T10:39:27.876+00:002010-02-27T10:39:27.876+00:00Stunning work! And your intro about gap analysis s...Stunning work! And your intro about gap analysis sounds remarkably like the discussions of a current project I'm involved with... and I want to scream...Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04089624271082447026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391293127288856260.post-42163449569047615702010-02-26T22:08:31.222+00:002010-02-26T22:08:31.222+00:00PS. LookBusy is me, Jo A. I don't know what ha...PS. LookBusy is me, Jo A. I don't know what happened there.francoise_hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12603008941750254162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8391293127288856260.post-63060480050035560642010-02-26T22:07:55.673+00:002010-02-26T22:07:55.673+00:00Beautiful porcelain insanity. Reminds me of my aun...Beautiful porcelain insanity. Reminds me of my aunt painting landscapes on eggshells. Less risk of death with that one though.francoise_hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12603008941750254162noreply@blogger.com