Elegant Decorating

M-J's Beaux-Arts

2012-01-03T16:41:00.000-08:00

M-J's Beaux-Arts

Wrought Iron Outdoor Furniture

2011-12-02T06:18:00.000-08:00

Wrought iron furniture in the garden or on the patio is much more elegant than that white plastic stuff.

Elegant Rosenthal Platter

2011-11-14T09:38:00.000-08:00

A home-made white cake glories in the purity of an elegantly simple platter by Rosenthal, a gift to me from my friend Larry Risko.
©M-J de Mesterton

1920s White McCoy Cachepot

2011-11-14T08:57:00.000-08:00

This 1920s McCoy planter illustrates the sturdiness of the brand.
©M-J de Mesterton

Platter and Bowl

2011-11-14T08:43:00.000-08:00


A Noritake antique bowl atop a California platter is an elegant serving presentation for crudites and dip. ©M-J de Mesterton, Elegant Decorating

Aspen Architect and Philanthropist Fritz Benedict

2011-11-14T02:16:00.000-08:00

Aspen Architect and Philanthropist Fritz Benedict

Fredric "Fritz" Benedict was born in 1914 in Medford, Wisconsin. He received a master’s degree in Architecture from the University of Wisconsin before a three-year apprenticeship with Frank Lloyd Wright, a legendary architect. He joined the 10th Mountain Division during WWII and had his first glimpse of Aspen while training. He returned after the war where he was intricately involved with the Music Associates of Aspen (MAA), designing many of the buildings associated with the music school. In 1949 he married Fabi (Mina Loy's daughter Fabienne, whose sister Joella married Bauhaus artist and Aspen Institute architect Herbert Bayer), who was his lifetime love; they did not have any children, instead they sponsored many local children in skiing. Fritz designed many buildings around Aspen including the building where Wells Fargo bank is now situated, the replacement building for The Thompson Hardware Store on the corner of Galena and Cooper. He founded and built the 10th Mountain Hut and Trail System in 1980. He funded the dining hall for the music school housing as well as donated ten acres to Open Space to compensate for land used in music student housing on the Marolt property. He was involved in the founding of the Aspen Institute and Design Conference, was the first chairman of the Planning and Zoning Commission, implementing the first sign code banning billboards and neon signs in Aspen. He was inducted into the Aspen Hall of Fame in 1988 and honored with the Greg Mace award in 1987 "for epitomizing the spirit of Aspen community". Fritz Benedict passed away in 1995.

Stanford White, Architect

2011-11-09T06:20:00.000-08:00

Today is the birthday of assassinated architect, Stanford White. Read about him at the following link:

Stanford White

Drosselmeyer Swedish Design

2011-10-04T11:49:00.000-07:00

The Pupill Adjustable Candleholder by Drosselmeyer of Sweden

http://www.drosselmeyer.se/products.html

Elegant Roses

2011-09-15T08:28:00.000-07:00

Elegant Decorating with Le Creuset Pitcher and Late Summer Garden Roses
©M-J de Mesterton

The Paintings of Austrian Artist Aloys Zötl

2011-08-26T08:49:00.000-07:00

Aloys Zötl

Austrian Painter Aloys Zötl

A master dyer who lived and worked in the Danube Valley of Austria, Aloys Zötl was a major talent who painted idealised fauna set amid stylistic flora in his spare time. Zötl's 12" X 20" watercolour paintings were not exhibited until long after his death in 1887, and that happy 1955 event at the Hôtel Drouot in Paris we owe to the ministrations of a descendant. Since his fantastic zoological representations were discovered by art-aficionados, Zötl's works have been collected by Alix de Rothschild, B. Fringhiam, Jean Lenthal, Julio Cortázar, Louis Amic, Paule Cailac, and Pierre Balmain; Aloys Zötl was written about by Julio Cortázar and Giovanni Mariotti, whose treatise on the Austrian painter was published by Franco Maria Ricci in his eminent, glossy art periodical, FMR in 1984. Today, we can purchase large prints reproduced from some of Aloys Zötl's charming works.
©M-J de Mesterton
2011

Elegant Decorating: Floating Flower

2011-08-22T06:36:00.000-07:00

The Intelligent Collector Website

2011-08-13T07:10:00.000-07:00

Photo of a 1960s Postcard Featuring a Painting by Artist Walter Keane

Heritage Auctions presents THE INTELLIGENT COLLECTOR

Floating Rose in McCoy Cabbage Vase

2011-07-30T16:10:00.000-07:00

A rose floats in a wide-mouthed vase by McCoy.
©M-J de Mesterton

Elegant Under-Cabinet Light

2011-05-30T09:42:00.000-07:00

Elegant Library

2011-05-19T09:36:00.000-07:00

My old library: I chose a very flat carpeting in a check-point style, with pale gold figures on a navy blue background.
©M-J de Mesterton

Elegant Danish Furniture

2011-05-19T08:19:00.000-07:00

Versatile Danish modern furniture even went well with my old-fashioned dining room.
Bowl by Orrefors, Sweden
©M-J de Mesterton

This photo of a photo is glaring a bit, but it shows how well Danish furniture goes with other uncomplicated, classic pieces, like my Chinese cabinet.
©M-J de Mesterton

Elegant Rosenthal Platter

2011-05-18T22:58:00.000-07:00

Pot Roast on an Elegant Rosenthal Platter, a Birthday Gift from My Friend, Larry Risko

Elegant Dinner Table

2011-05-18T22:52:00.000-07:00

Elegant Rock and Gem Paintings by M-J de Mesterton

2011-05-18T22:50:00.000-07:00

Elegant Porcelain Jars from Bavaria and China

2011-05-18T22:47:00.000-07:00

©M-J de Mesterton 2010

Elegant Dining Table and Paintings by M-J de Mesterton

2011-05-18T22:43:00.000-07:00

Great Set Designer Ken Adam

2011-05-17T22:25:00.001-07:00

Sir Kenneth Adam

Interviewed at Little White Lies

Photo by Telegraph U.K.

Set-Designer for Great James Bond Films

Japanese Interior Design Magazine

2011-04-28T09:19:00.000-07:00

SUKIYA LIVING has articles on gardening, art and interior design. 44 pages published every two months.

Late Georgian Style Tea Service

2011-03-22T12:04:00.000-07:00

Late Georgian Style Tea Service by Mappin & Webb of Sheffield, England

Art Nouveau Style Silver Service

2011-03-22T11:55:00.000-07:00

A silver service in the Art Nouveau style, created by Mappin & Webb; Sheffield, England

Elegant French Curtains

2011-03-16T06:47:00.001-07:00

Two spring rods and two accurately-measured panels with sewn pockets at the tops and bottoms make a lovely set of French curtains. This pair is constructed of a traditional utility-mesh material that lets cool air in from the window.
©M-J de Mesterton

Elegant Caran d'Ache Metwood Pen

2011-02-11T12:33:00.003-08:00

Offered for a fraction of its original price, a superb example of Switzerland's elegant pens: rosewood Caran d'Ache

Spanish Architect Miguel Fisac 1913-2006

2011-01-28T08:58:00.000-08:00

Above: the Last Interview with Spanish Architect

and Painter Miguel Fisac

Miguel Fisac, Spain's Beloved Modern Architect

Miguel Fisac (Born Daimiel 1913 - Died Madrid 2006), was the quintessential modern architect in Spain. His work takes place during the second half of the twentieth century. Señor Fisac had more than 60 years of in the art and and architecture professions. As the most prolific Spanish architect, he constructed over 350 building projects. The Spanish city of Daimiel, an ancient spot in Castile-La Mancha formerly known as La Villa de Daimiel, is proud to be home to three representative works of his long career: Instituto Laboral (Labour Institute), the Market Building and Housing Parterre.

Miguel Fisac invented an unique style of sculpting a flexible structural concrete, having developed and patented the innovative plastic-like cement itself. Some of the buildings designed by Fisac display a quilted pattern made of his proprietary and innovative concrete.

Instituto Laboral
Former Labour Institute. Current Water Interpretation Centre (1951-54)

This is one of the most representative buildings of Spanish architecture from the nineteen-fifties.

It has been defined as "the first modern building" because it represents a real break with the classical architecture that was being done in the 'forties in Spain. Miguel Fisac had the idea to build one of the first business schools in Spain, using modern technology. Fisac designed the business school with reference to the plastic values of the architecture of La Mancha that can be seen in some of its basic elements, including the anarchic arrangement of holes, rounded corners, and external textures generated by successive layers of lime.

In this building Señor Fisac contributed all the interior design elements such as furniture, a unique lighting system in the auditorium, and interesting murals that he painted in each classroom.

Food Market (1955-1960)

It is the second major work by Fisac in his birthplace Daimiel, defined as a large complex devoted to the merging of folk architecture and functionality.

The exterior is executed in the typical style of La Mancha, with and thick whitewashed stone walls inspired by the ancient "Quinteria Mancha," with a somewhat chaotic distribution of windows.

Functionalism is defined in the interior of this structure by the utilisation of large concrete pillars. At the entrance of the building there is a ceramic mural by Francisco Farreras.

In 2006, a remodelling of the building was completed. This last Fisac project involved adaptation of the market to new uses. On the top floor of the building there are ever-changing, temporary exhibitions in tribute to Señor Fisac, the artistic and creative architect.

Parterre Apartment Building (1978-82)

On the site in Daimiel, Spain where a pharmacy was owned by his father Joaquin Fisac, now sits a modern residential building where Miguel Fisac employed his famous patent, known as flexible concrete. This is a concrete form-work process that gives an appearance of sagging walls, which is reminiscent of the original slurry aspect that his proprietary concrete has before use. The quilted look of the façade is achieved by application of this technique, a prime example of it being fulfilled in the last stage of this quintessential work by Miguel Fisac, the building's balcony.

Young Miguel Fisac began studying architecture in 1930 at Madrid's Universidad Central. He studied watercolor (wash), statuary and mechanics.

Here is a link to a timeline of Miguel Fisac's achievements, written by Vicente Patón-Alberto Tellería of Fundación Fisac.

Señor Fisac travelled the world. He was especially impressed the Japanese traditional style of architecture and landscaping. Fisac also became fond of the Nordic architectural idiom. He admired the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright, and was a friend of Los Angeles architect Richard Neutra.

In 1954, Miguel Fisac received the Gold Medal at the Exhibition of Religious Art in Vienna, for the church of “Arcas Reales” in Valladolid. His work began to be known abroad.

In 1955, Mr. Fisac designed the Teologado San Pedro Mártir for the Dominicans Friars in Alcobendas, Madrid.

Spain's great modern architect Miguel Fisac passed away at his Madrid home in 2006, not long after the interview presented at the beginning of this article.

©M-J de Mesterton 2011

Elegant Wrought-Iron Furniture

2011-01-26T06:37:00.000-08:00

Elegance in Wrought-Iron and Wood

My outdoor furniture is congruous with its surroundings: the greens and browns of raw nature.

Elegant Writing Instrument

2011-01-19T12:16:00.000-08:00

Graf von Faber-Castell Guilloché Ballpoint Pen--SUPERB!

Auguste Renoir Roses in Green Glass Vessels

2011-01-12T07:15:00.000-08:00

A trio of Auguste Renoir roses from my garden sit in green glass vases on a windowsill.
©M-J de Mesterton

Elegant Garden Furniture

2011-01-12T06:51:00.000-08:00

Plastic furniture is all right indoors, especially if it is in the high-styled modern idiom, and was made by 1950s and 1960s designers such as Eero Saarinen. But outdoors, one ideally will have garden or patio furniture made from wrought iron or of teak-wood, which will not deteriorate from exposure to the elements.Wooden and iron furniture blends in with landscaping and nature so well, especially when made in greens, browns, and other earth-tones.

Here is my old garden courtyard, where I had outdoor dining furniture by the now-defunct, elegant wrought-iron furniture company Lyon-Shaw, and a smaller chat-table in iron, wicker and tile, by Alfresco Home.

Cats, the Elegant House-Pets

2011-01-07T13:00:00.000-08:00

Cats are cheap to keep, and will rid your home of dangerous, unhealthy vermin. They are also calm and beautiful to look at, while being good companions.

Cats are good company for humans, but once they are living inside your home, mice will avoid them like the plague that vermin are famous for spreading. Cats are elegant and clean--the perfect house-pets!

©M-J de Mesterton 2011

Danish Table Décor

2011-01-05T06:33:00.000-08:00

From Germany's Frau und Film, 1961

Elegant Decorating: Jean-Antoine Watteau

2011-01-04T07:14:00.000-08:00

Elegant Oil Painting by Jean-Antoine Watteau, 1719

Prints may be ordered at www.jean-antoine-watteau.org

Rock and Gem Painting by M-J de Mesterton, in Elegant Room

2010-11-29T15:33:00.000-08:00

Elegant Wall of Books as Room-Divider

2010-11-28T12:55:00.000-08:00

Our friends Sandra Browne and Primo Kim relax in front of a wall of books. A series of tall, identical bookcases like this one can be set up as an elegant room-divider.
©M-J de Mesterton

Ceramics Terminology

2010-11-23T06:59:00.000-08:00

Ceramics Terminology

Celadon

(Pronunciation: "sel-uh-dahn") Ceramic with an iron oxide glaze fired in a reduction atmosphere, producing range of colors from yellow to grey-green, olive, blue, or blue-green.

Chün

(Pronunciation: "joon") A Song dynasty ware produced in Honan province, characterized by a thick, velvety glaze that appears in light blue, lavender blue, light green and blue with purple splashes. Their aesthetic appeal is rooted in their rich, deep, opalescent glazes.

Ch'ing-Pai

(Pronunciation: "CHING-bye") A popular early porcelain covered with a thin, lustrous glaze that ranged in color between light blue and white.

Ch'ing-te-chen

(Pronunciation: "CHING-duh-ZHUHN") A city in southeastern China (Kiangsi province) which became the center of porcelain production for China and much of the world.

Ch'i-t'ou

(Pronunciation: "CHEE-toh") "Earth Spirits," a common early form of Chinese burial sculpture.

Earthenware

Any type of ceramic that remains porous (not waterproof) when it has been fired (baked) in a kiln.

Feldspathic

A clay with a high feldspar content.

Glaze

A shiny glass-like layer baked onto the surface of an object made of clay, used to add color or make the object waterproof.

High-Fired

A ceramic that is fired (baked) at a very high temperature, generally producing a very durable material.

Iron Oxide

One of several chemical compounds formed of iron and oxygen, often lending a reddish color to a substance.

Kaen-shiki

(Pronunciation: "KAH-en-shih-kee") The "fire-flame" pattern sometimes found on early Japanese ceramics, which resembles rolling and leaping flames.

Kaolin

(Pronunciation: "COW-lin") A very pure white clay that is one of the main ingredients in porcelain.

Kuan

(Pronunciation: "GWAHN") Ceramics produced by the Imperial kilns in present-day Kaifeng and Hangchou, made with a dark iron-rich clay covered with a thick translucent, pale blue-gray glaze. A distinguishing feature of this refined ware is the crackle pattern of its glaze, which was purposely induced during the cooling process.

Kutsu-gata

(Pronunciation: "KOO-tsoo-gah-tah") A "shoe-shaped" teabowl—commonly associated with the Takatori kilns—in which the sides are purposefully pressed in.

Loess

(Pronunciation: "LESS") A yellowish brown, earthen material whose low clay content prevents distortion during drying and firing.

Low-Fired

Ceramic that is fired (baked) at a comparatively low temperature, generally producing a porous (non-waterproof) object unless glazed.

Lung-Ch'uan

(Pronunciation: "LOONG-chwahn") The most refined greenware of Sung dynasty China, manufactured at several sites in southwestern Chekiang. It evolved as a beautiful blue-green tactile glaze on a fine, durable porcelain body.

Ming-ch'i

(Pronunciation: "MING-chee") Chinese burial sculptures—"spirit articles"—that were placed in tombs to accompany and protect the dead in the afterlife.

Monochrome

Consisting of, or decorated with, only one color—such as celadon or Ting ware.

Overglaze

Color that is applied after an object has been fired once in the kiln.

Oxidation

A firing process in which extra oxygen is present in the kiln to change the chemical composition of the glazes on clay objects while they are being fired, producing a range of special effects.

Petuntse

(Pronunciation: "buh-DOON-tsuh") Feldspar—a mineral containing silicon and oxygen—used as one of the main ingredients in porcelain.

Porcelain

A fine-grained clay that is fired at high temperatures to create a white, non-porous, and extremely hard ceramic ware. First produced in China about 900 A.D. during the T'ang Dynasty.

Reduction Atmosphere

A process in which the kiln is sealed from the outside in order to deplete the oxygen during firing, used to control chemical reactions in the glaze to produce a range of special effects.

San-Ts'ai

(Pronunciation: "SAHN-tsye") The "three-color" ware that furnished the tombs of the aristocracy for more than a hundred-and-fifty years of the T'ang dynasty.

Sgraffito

(Pronunciation: "skrah-FEE-toh") A method of decoration where designs are produced by scratching or cutting away parts of a top layer (such as a glaze or slip) to form a pattern by revealing a contrasting color or texture underneath.

Takatori

(Pronunciation: "tah-kah-TOH-ree") Ceramic wares produced by several kilns in northern Kyushu, Japan, by émigré Korean potters beginning in the late 16th century.

Ting

(Pronunciation: "DING") The best known of the Sung dynasty "white wares," featuring mold-impressed and incised floral designs on high-fired, grey-bodied ware covered over with ivory-white slips and clear glazes.

Tz'u-chou

(Pronunciation: "TSUH-joh") A wide range of northern Chinese stonewares, typified by a white slip applied over coarse clay. Tz'u-chou ceramics consisted primarily of inexpensive wares for everyday use.

Yao-chou

(Pronunciation: "YOW-joh") An important kiln center in Northern China (Shansi province) during the Sung dynasty (960-1279). It produced thin-walled grey-bodied ware with mold-impressed or hand carved decoration under a translucent olive-green glaze.

Yueh

(Pronunciation: "YOO-e") High-fired celadon wares produced in southern China dating from as early as the Warring States period (480 - 221 B.C.) to the early Sung dynasty (10th century).

Elegant Decorating in Japan's Tiny Houses

2010-11-23T05:33:00.000-08:00

An Elegant, Small House in Japan, Decorated with Style: Video

Chinese Porcelain

2010-11-23T04:43:00.000-08:00

Chinese Porcelain Guide
The Beginning of Porcelain
Chinese Porcelain from the Yuan Dynasty

Elegant Decorating with Chinese Porcelain
Cultural China: Foodways, Tea and Traditions
Chinese Elements : Things that are Distinctly Chinese

Japanese Porcelain

2010-11-23T04:29:00.000-08:00

Japanese Porcelain Guide

http://www.bbc.co.uk/antiques/collectors_guides/potteryporcelain_japanese.shtml

Antique Japanese Porcelain Markings

2010-10-25T06:33:00.000-07:00

Jan-Erik Nilsson's Japanese Antique Porcelain Notes

Baron Morimura's Noritake Porcelain, Made in Japan
Photo by M-J de Mesterton
Click Image to Enlarge It. then Click on New Version for Maximum Resolution

Silver Notes

2010-10-25T06:12:00.000-07:00

Wang Hing Silver Salver

The Classic Viceroy, by Yard-o-Led Silver Pens, Made in England

Silver Restoration by Jeffrey Herman

Silverware Terminology

ALLOY: a metal resulting from the mixture of two or more metals.

APOSTLE SPOON: a popular christening gift during the Middle Ages was an Apostle Spoon, adorned with a miniature statue of one of the Twelve Apostles. Normally relatives and friends would give these gifts in a full set of twelve. Sometimes a thirteenth spoon was added, bearing a miniature statue of Christ.

APPLIED BORDER: a cast or rolled wire border or edge soldered on an article.

ASSAYING: the process of determining the fineness or the constituents of a metal or alloy.

BALANCED PLATING: Oneida Silversmiths' exclusive silverplating process which deposits 50% more pure silver on the back of each piece than on the front. This additional silver protects the area most subject to wear.

BRIGHT FINISH: The finish that imparts to metalware a highly polished, mirror-like surface.

BRITANNIA SILVER: a quality recognized in England, but not in the U.S., as requiring .9584 parts silver.

BRITANNIA WARE: sometimes called Grade A Pewter. It consists of tin, antimony, and copper. Widely used in the mid-part of the 19th century for ornate holloware, it can now used as a base metal in the modern plated holloware industry.

BUTLER (OR SATIN) FINISH: the care of silverware was one of the duties assigned to the English butler. In the course of years of hand rubbing, the silverware took on a distinct luster which today, in modern flatware, is simulated by a process of manufacture known as "Butler Finish". This finish is sometimes called Grey Finish or French Grey Finish. Each may show a varying shade of soft finish, but both fall under the general category of Butler Finish as here described. The finish on flatware is produced by buffing, or polishing the article with different kinds of abrasives. The various terms applied to soft finish are more particularly a trade convenience to indicate the abrasive used rather than to describe standard shades or tones.

CAST BORDER: an applied border made of cast silver.

CASTING: the process of pouring molten metal into molds and so reproducing the models from which the molds were made. These reproductions are called castings.

CHASING: hand-decoration accomplished by small tools and punches which are driven into the metal by means of delicate hammer taps. When flowers, scrolls, etc., are simply impressed into flat surfaces it is called Flat Chasing. When the ornamentation is brought up in high relief by driving out the metal from the inside and then modelled back into detailed form it is called Repousse Chasing.

COIN SILVER: silver assaying 900 parts pure silver to every 1000 parts. Once the composition of U.S. silver coins.

CUT-CARD: a decorative technique similar to applique work in sewing. Thin sheets of silver are cut into patterns which are then applied as ornamentation.

CUTLERY: knives with cutting edge, (e.g., dinner, dessert, carving knives).

DIE CUTTING OR SINKING: The process by which a design or pattern is cut out of a piece of steel to form a "die" from which a quantity of similar articles can be stamped out or impressed.

DUTCH SILVER: Silverware imported from Holland. Generally very decorative and cast of silver metal very much lower than the Sterling Standard.

ELECTROPLATING: the process was introduced about the year 1842 and is used in making silver plated ware. By this process a layer of silver is electrically deposited on a base metal. (Silverplate).

EMBOSSING: the process of decorating by striking or impressing the metal into a die with force.

ENGINE TURNING: The process of decorating through means of a cutting tool controlled by a craftsman following the design which is applied to the silver from a master pattern or stencil.

ENGRAVING: a process of hand decoration produced by cutting into the surface of the metal with engraving tools.

ETCHING: a process of decoration produced by what might be properly called "chemical engraving". The silver is covered with a protective coating through which the desired design is cut and the design is eaten into the silver by nitric acid. Electrolysis marking by the "Electromark" process produces permanent mark on metal - no acids used. - Black mark if AC is used - White mark if DC is used.

FINE SILVER: the Element -- Pure Silver -- 1000 Fine.

FINISHING: the general term applied to the various processes of polishing silver.

FLATWARE, FLAT SILVER OR SILVERWARE: the trade name for knives, forks, spoons, etc.

GERMAN SILVER: a term used some years ago as interchangeable with Nickel Silver. (See Nickel Silver).

GILDING: The process of applying a layer of pure gold on another metal.

GOLD ELECTROPLATE: articles made of a non-precious metal on which is deposited pure gold by the process of electroplating. Federal standards require a thickness of at least 7 millionths of an inch of at least 10K gold.

GREY FINISH: (See Butler Finish.)

H.H.: stands for "hollow handle". These handles are made of two hollow halves soldered together.

HALL MARK: the official mark of the Goldsmith's Company or other assay office or "Hall" in England, stamped on articles of gold or silver to indicate their purity. In America the Hall Mark is the word "Sterling" accompanied by the name or mark of a reputable manufacturer.

HAMMERED SILVER: a form of decoration resulting from repeated taps on the surface of the metal with a light hammer.

HAND WROUGHT SILVER: an article shaped and decorated from a flat piece of silver by a craftsman using only hand tools and such other non-mechanical aids as facilitate the use and manipulation of such hand tools. In the production of much so-called "hand wrought" silver the identical mechanical processes used in the initial shaping of the article in the normal course of silverware production are followed - and in these cases the term "hand wrought" is incorrectly applied.

HOLLOWARE: the trade reference to tea and coffee services, trays, beverage pitchers, candelabras, or any other piece that serves as a container or means of conveyance.

INSULATORS: heat-resisting substances inserted between the handle and the body of such articles as kettles, teapots, etc.

KNURLING: an ornament cut originally into steel rolls and then impressed from these rolls into the silver as borders on
bowls, dishes, etc.

LAPPED BORDER OR ROLLED EDGE: an article is said to have a rolled edge or lapped border when the metal has been rolled over the edge and spun under to give the effect of a rounded edge.

MONOGRAMMING: a once-common practice of adding initials to flatware and holloware.

MOTIF: the dominant feature of a design.

MOUNTS: small pieces of ornamental metal. These may be ornamented wires, casts or stamped silver soldered on the article as decorations.

NICKEL SILVER: contains no silver at all. A composition of copper, nickel and zinc. OVERLAY: A special overlay of additional silver at points of greatest contact for maximum protection.

OXIDIZING: method of accentuating and enhancing the beauty of ornament by the application of an oxide which darkens the metal whenever applied. Some methods of cleaning silver will remove this oxide.

PATINA: the finish or surface texture. As applied to silver, it refers to the soft lustrous finish the metal acquires with years of usage.

PEWTER: a soft greyish-colored alloy having tin as its chief.component. Originally used as an alternative to sterling prior to the invention of silverplate.

PIERCING: a form of decoration produced by cutting away parts of the metal with cutting dies, punching tools, or in the case of hand piercing, with a thin steel blade with fine teeth.

RAW EDGE: aerm applied to holloware pieces the edges of which have not been turned over or mounted with a border.

REPOUSSE: (See Chasing.)

SHEFFIELD PLATE: the original substitute for Sterling Silver, now displaced by Silverplate. It was made by fusing sheet silver onto copper, rolling and manufacturing into holloware. The discovery of the electrolytic process of depositing silver on the base metal made it possible to produce articles of similar quality to Sheffield at lower cost and so the Sheffield Plate process was virtually abandoned (circa 1840). Today, most fine pieces of "Old Sheffield" aren't available in the commercial market. Much electroplated ware is erroneously advertised or otherwise referred to as "Sheffield Plate". In the purchase of "Sheffield Plate", be sure of the reliability and integrity of your dealer.

SILVERPLATE: articles made on a non-precious metal on which is deposited pure silver by the electroplating process. SILVERSMITHING: General term applied to the various crafts involved in making articles of silver.With advancing specialization in the manufacture of sterling ware, the term has narrowed down to cover specifically the crafts involved in shaping, fitting, and assembling the various parts of an article into a complete piece.

SPINNING: a method of forming or shaping pieces of silver or pewter holloware by revolving a flat disc of the metal over a piece of wood or steel which has been made in the shape of the silver it is to assume. By means of a tool, the silver is spread over the rotating form, finally achieving the desired shape.

SPLADE: a combination knife, fork and spoon, most common in Australia.

STAINLESS STEEL: a highly durable chromium alloy steel practically immune to rusting and ordinary corrosion. Extremely popular for flatware, also used in holloware. 18% chromium with 8% nickel is the most common of higher grade compositions.

STERLING SILVER: the word "Sterling" is the best known and most respected marking in use today. Pure silver alone is too soft for everyday use. Copper is the metal commonly used to give "Sterling" its added stiffness and wearing qualities. Sterling is often referred to as solid silver. It is composed of 925 parts pure silver in every 1000 -- this proportion never varies -- it is fixed by law.

TARNISH: a discoloration that can build on silverplate or sterling if left exposed to the air or if brought into contact with certain foods and chemicals. Can easily be prevented by everyday use or protective storage and is easily removed by commercial silver polishes.

TROY WEIGHT: the unit of weight employed by silversmiths. 1 lb. avoirdupois = 14.58 troy ounces; 1 oz.
avoirdupois = .91 troy ounces.

VERMEIL: silver which has been gilded (coated with gold).

WHITE METAL: a mixture of tin, antimony and copper in varying proportions. "White metal" doesn't contain any silver.

Furniture Arrangement Tip

2010-10-02T05:07:00.000-07:00

In an oblong room, it is more appealing to set your furniture across its lines than along them. This arrangement creates more space, enhances visual appeal, and prevents the whole lot resembling a narrow tunnel.

©M-J de Mesterton 2010

Silk Scarves as Elegant Tablecloths

2010-08-08T06:51:00.000-07:00

Elegant decorating doesn't require spending money. All it takes to elegantly arrange and embellish a room is vision. Looking at things that we already own, and seeing them in new applications, tasteful decorating ideas

are created. A huge silk scarf that is never worn can be pressed into service on a small, occasional table.

McCoy Vase with Rose

2010-08-05T18:43:00.000-07:00

Tiny Room Set for a Party

2010-08-02T18:21:00.000-07:00

Elegant Collecting

2010-07-29T08:57:00.003-07:00

Collection of Noritake Porcelain, Japan 1910-1952

Shopping at Yard Sales and Flea Markets

Flea Market and Yard Sale Shopping
By M-J de Mesterton, May 20th, 2009
Attending yard sales and flea markets is an adventure of discovery. Sometimes, the acquisition of one five-dollar object can inspire a decorating revolution in your home.
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the variety of things at a sale in someone’s yard or house. Flea markets can be a challenge to the senses, though perhaps well organized. If one is subject to the constraints of time and space, it is important to employ focus and vision, as well as some knowledge about quality.
Focus on what you need to furnish or enhance your living quarters, and keep space limitations in mind when tempted to buy an interesting item for possible future use.
One reason yard and garage sales exist is that people have changed their decorating schemes and lack space for the overflow. The term, “trash to treasure” doesn’t always apply; often people are just tired of perfectly good things, or have no place to store them. If you stay within your parameters, only considering things that will fit your purpose or plan--whether it involves clothing, tools, or furniture--a garage sale of your own won’t be necessary.
Vision is a handy mental tool when shopping at flea markets and yard sales. Without an imagination, one may miss an opportunity. A lone pillow sham can be beautiful enough to serve as the centerpiece of a redecorated bedroom. A brass stand could make your bathroom floor space more useful. An old rug may cause you to revise the color-scheme in your dining area. When looking at furniture, consider how it might be useful for storage or seating, and realize that it can be painted to suit your existing interior design plan.
The quality of old things is often superior to that of new ones. For example, there are plenty of new kitchen gadgets, but they are usually made of plastic and destined for quick obsolescence. By contrast, many kitchen implements made in the 1950s are still around. An old spatula made in the U.S.A. of high quality steel could have several owners in one lifetime, because its integrity is unmatched by anything new. Oven-proof mixing bowls are rarely made in the

U.S.A.

these days; sturdy, American-made bowls from the 1970s and earlier are enjoying usefulness in their old age.
Well-made clothing and textiles are always in style. It is only necessary that a fine article of clothing flatters your figure, or that a vintage bedspread is congruous with your décor. Old fashions resurface as new clothes in magazines, but their construction may not be as good as that of the older versions. Check woolens, silks and linens for moth-holes. Make sure that you bring a tape-measure and use the actual dimensions of a garment for fitting purposes; clothing makers are continually changing the size numbers, and sizing is different in various countries. Home textiles such as tea-towels, bolts of fabric and remnants are useful for redecorating or sewing projects. A new skirt can be made with high quality material from another era. Tablecloth and napkin sets from the past add charm to modern dining rooms.
Focus, vision, and the ability to recognize good quality will help you shop for used home furnishings and enrich your wardrobe. Yard sales and flea markets have the potential to improve your life in elegant style.
By M-J de Mesterton; Copyright May 20th, 2009

The Most Famous Paris Flea Market

Here is all you need to know, on their own site,
in English: Les Puces, St. Ouen, Paris

Stamp-Collecting

Stamps are beautiful works of art in miniature. They depict people, places and historical events. There are stamps to interest everyone. Recently, author and humorist Maggie Van Ostrand appealed to the United States Postal Service for a commemorative stamp of the famous champion racehorse, Seabiscuit. A 55-cent envelope bearing a painting of Seabiscuit by artist John Mattos was released in May, 2009. Maggie tells me that they are already sold-out. The effort continues, and I predict that the jolly equine will grace a first class stamp soon. One can join the effort by filling out and mailing a form found on Maggie's page. I'm rooting for Seabiscuit's ultimate photo-finish, his own stamp.
See Elegant Survival News for a pictorial press-release from the U.S.P.S. on the 2009 and "Forever" stamps. We bought some Forever stamps. They will always be good for first-class mail, no matter how exorbitant the rates become. That makes the Forever stamp a good investment--if the U.S. Postal Service stays in operation, that is!
Kenmore Stamp Company has plenty of technical advice and special offers.
American Philatelic Society has good information and tools, available if one joins.

Pottery in the Arts and Crafts Style

Van Briggle Pottery, of Colorado

M-J, May 1, 2006 Rookwood Pottery Piece from 1913

A Rookwood Mark

M-Jde Mesterton - May 1, 2006 4:50 pm
Pierrefonds

1910 Pierrefonds Vase with Drip-Glaze

M-J de M. - Dec 22, 2007 11:36 am McCoy Pottery Website

Noritake of Japan

The History of Noritake Porcelain

Asian Antiquities

M-J de M. - Jan 23, 2008 12:36 pm
The Porcelain Capital of China: Jingdezhen

M-J de M. - Jan 23, 2008 12:38 pm
Chinese Glazes: Their Origins, Chemistry, and
Recreation Book by Nigel Wood
Book on Chinese Glazes by Nigel Wood

M-J de M. - Jan 23, 2008 12:43 pm
Chapter in Nigel Wood's book on Chinese glazes

Licchavi Caityas of Nepal:

Solution to the Empty

Niche

http://www.asianart.com/alsop/licchavi.html
by our friend, Ian Alsop

Asian Art

Japanese Prints, London

Martini Glass by Artist Polly Gessell

2010-07-27T10:14:00.001-07:00

Larry Risko, New York Artist

2010-07-27T08:25:00.000-07:00

Larry Risko was one of my Manhattan art students in 1983. I taught retouching, when it was an art done by hand instead of via computer. At that time, I was a life-long fine artist who had been a professional retoucher for seven years, and I was 27 years old. Larry, almost five years younger than me, carried an impressive portfolio of his drawings that made me think, "Here is a child-prodigy!"

The 23-year old Mr. Risko was charming, courteous, unassuming and humble, with the face of a Sistine Chapel cherub, looking very much like British actor David Yelland as the Prince of Wales in Chariots of Fire. Larry, a Parsons School of Design student, learned retouching so quickly that in very little time he was expanding his professional art horizons, and almost thirty years later is at the top of the digital and hand-retouching field in the world's toughest work-environment, New York City. I quit the discipline when it went digital, and had already moved into art restoration, but Larry went with the flow of technology and excelled, as ever. As I had done many years before, the talented Larry Risko figured out a way to make his own luck as an artist in New York: he learned a skill that was always useful in commercial art and advertising. Larry's older brother, Robert, became a cartoonist-illustrator for the New Yorker and Vanity Fair magazines, and it seemed to the equally-gifted Larry that one Risko in that line of work was all that NYC could handle. Back in the 1980s, the world outside Manhattan had practically no idea that retouchers such as ourselves existed; our numbers were few and we didn't have to look for work....

Larry bought his Chelsea apartment on 23rd St. in the 1990s for around $70,000.00. Having undergone extensive renovation, it is now a testament to Larry Risko's keen eye for good design and real flair for executing his vision. A sensitive artist can be driven to distraction by surroundings that do not meet his or her aesthetic standards. Instead, Larry was spurred to action. He set about renovating his apartment with verve and vigor. The end result was so stunning that Larry's Manhattan co-op was featured in a 2008 show on Home and Garden TV (HGTV).

New York City's Borough of Manhattan, mighty hub of finance, fashion and advertising, is a tiny island which contains some of the world's highest-priced real estate. Square footage is always at a premium, borough-wide. Making the most of a small space is a requisite for inhabitants of Manhattan, especially those free-lance artists who must work at home. I had a good deal of experience at this, but when I saw what Larry Risko did single-handed with his apartment renovation, I was floored. Larry's personal urban renewal project included not only walls, ceilings and mouldings, but also floors, fixtures and furniture. Wonderful job of work, Larry!
©M-J de Mesterton

Larry Risko with Photos of Friends and Family, Some of His Brother Robert's Caricatures--
and a Large Light-Bulb above Larry's Head, Symbolizing a Brain Chock-Full of Ideas!

Larry Risko Renovates His Old Manhattan Apartment

Larry Risko has been creating eye-pleasing images all his life, and making the work of others look perfectly divine through his retouching skills. A few years ago, as a professional artist, Larry embarked on the biggest retouching job of his life: his Manhattan co-op apartment. Below are some before and after photographs of Larry's restoration and renovation project.

Larry Risko's inspiration for his kitchen renovation was the tropical island of Hawai'i, where he and his partner Robert enjoy the sunshine and brilliant blue water. The elegant little kitchen has a stainless gas stove, a top choice of chefs everywhere; a sleek stainless steel refrigerator, and a stainless steel sink. The kitchen floor is coated with Eurothane Lacquer and finished with a high gloss. Larry's clean scheme would be appreciated in Stockholm and Helsinki, perhaps even in Japan, where the designs are simple and pure in the well-established modernist idiom. This Chelsea neighborhood kitchen is now perfect down to the tiniest detail--what a transformation!

Above: Larry's Computer Room and Bathroom, Before Renovation

The bathroom features cream-colored subway tiles, a classic New York City design element, and a birchwood basin cabinet in high-gloss with a Corian top.
.

The walls in the apartment are all hand-plastered and primed.

Larry's dining table is a large piece of highly polished white Calacatta marble which sits on a Knoll base. The two white leather chairs are by Eero Saarinen.

Larry Risko has excellent taste in textiles and furniture. A classic, small and white Eero Saarinen table sits near the luminous corner, in perfect proportion to the room. The black sofa is Florence Knoll's timeless 1954 design, which you will see with its new beige Alaska Beluga leather upholstery by Spinneybeck Leather, in the next photograph.

From Larry himself: "One of my building...and a shot of my foyer with a resin-sliding closet door, that I built with a drawer-slide...very inexpensive, $25! A lot of German-made hardware to do this costs in the hundreds!"

Larry and his apartment were deservedly featured in the New York City segment of an HGTV show. There is a lot of beauty to see wherever Larry Risko applies his deft hand and finely-honed talent for design.
©M-J de Mesterton, July 2010

UPDATE on Larry Risko's Renovation

Larry recently replaced his fourteen-year old counter-tops with white quartz ones. He did the installation himself. The white surfaces harmonize with the artist's white Eero Saarinen dining-set as well as his leather Florence Knoll settee. Photos below depict the brilliant white quartz counters and back-splash, which blend-in very well with Larry's existing design.
~~©M-J de Mesterton, February 26th, 2011
Photos ©Larry Risko 2011

Elegant Cat

2010-07-24T06:22:00.000-07:00