Latest news with #18thCentury
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
A Pink Diamond That Belonged to Marie Antoinette's Daughter Just Sold for $14 Million
Say what you will about the volatility of the art market, but the jewelry world doesn't seem to have the same problem. This morning, at Christie's New York's Magnificent Jewels sale, just minutes after a Mughal carved Colombian emerald necklace with a serious royal provenance sold for $6.22 million (more than double its estimate), another royal jewel swiftly took away its thunder. But then again, any association with Marie Antoinette tends to have that effect. The heirloom in question, lot 44, which sold for $13.98 million, is a diamond and blackened platinum ring featuring a fancy kite-shaped 10.38-carat purple-pink diamond. That stone, likely from the legendary Golconda mines, can be traced back to the 18th century—and directly to the collection of Marie-Thérèse de Angoulême, the eldest and only surviving child of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI. As for where Marie-Thérèse got this rock in the first place? One theory is that it could have come from her mother herself, who made no secret of her love of rare gems (among other expensive things). We all know that in 1791, as Marie Antoinette was preparing to flee Paris, she entrusted her jewels to her hairdresser for temporary safekeeping. Of course she would never see those treasures again—they were eventually given to Marie-Thérèse. Could this pink diamond have been among them? It's an enticing idea, though there is a more plausible explanation: the diamond was gifted to MT sometime in the 1820s by her uncle, Louis XVIII, who had become King of France after the fall of Napoleon in 1815. Marie-Thérèse, who had become accustomed to wearing the crown jewels, asked XVIII if she could keep some. The answer was no (they were state property); instead, the generous king bought 200 diamonds to replace the crown diamonds of his niece's favorite tiara. The invoice for this purchase (which is at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in Paris) lists a 10.24-carat diamond—experts believe it's this same pink stone. Marie-Thérèse never had children, so her jewels were divided among her niece and nephew. The tiara went to the Duke of Chambord, who left it with his wife, Duchess Marie-Thérèse, who later dismantled it and gifted the stones to her niece, the future Queen Marie Theresa of Bavaria. And so the pink diamond was passed down through subsequent generations until it was finally sold in 1996 to an anonymous buyer, who commissioned JAR to set it in its current design. While some jewelry experts have wondered if the fleur-de-lis setting was a bit too on the nose, given the rock's centuries-old Bourbon provenance, who can blame him? You Might Also Like 12 Weekend Getaway Spas For Every Type of Occasion 13 Beauty Tools to Up Your At-Home Facial Game
BBC News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
London V&A to host Marie Antoinette fashion exhibition
The UK's first ever exhibition dedicated to the life of French queen Marie Antoinette is to open at V&A South Kensington in Antoinette Style, which opens in September, will feature 250 objects including clothing and decorative arts, with some loaned from France's Chateau De Austrian archduchess-turned last queen of France had "an enormous impact on European taste and fashion in her own time", the exhibition's curator Sarah Grant said. "She was the most fashionable, scrutinised and controversial queen in history." The exhibition will feature richly embellished fragments of court dress, the queen's own silk slippers, and jewels from her private will also be a number of items which have never left France before, such as the queen's dinner service from the Petit Trianon, her accessories and items from her toilette case."This exhibition explores that style and the figure at its centre, using a range of exquisite objects belonging to Marie Antoinette, alongside the most beautiful fine and decorative objects that her legacy has inspired," Ms Grant said. "This is the design legacy of an early modern celebrity and the story of a woman whose power to fascinate has never ebbed. Marie Antoinette's story has been re-told and re-purposed by each successive generation to suit its own ends.""The rare combination of glamour, spectacle and tragedy she presents remains as intoxicating today as it was in the 18th century." Marie Antoinette Style will look at Antoinette's origins and impact on style from her own time to the present day through audio visual installations and "immersive" curation.A scent experience will re-create the smells of the court, and the perfume she exhibition will also feature contemporary clothing including pieces by designers such as Moschino, Dior, Chanel, Erdem, Vivienne Westwood and Valentino - and costumes from Sofia Coppola's Oscar-winning Marie Antoinette staring Kirsten Dunst.
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Mazeppa review – Tchaikovsky's blood-thirsty opera is a wild and gruesome ride
David Alden's blood-spattered production of Mazeppa made headlines for English National Opera back in 1984 with its graphic depiction of execution by chainsaw. And, as David Pountney's striking production for Grange Park Opera proves, Tchaikovsky's rarely staged melodic sleeping beauty has lost none of its power to unsettle the stomach while titillating the ear. The work is timely. The Pushkin poem at the opera's heart concerns an 18th-century Ukrainian war hero whose grab for independence wouldn't be realised until 1991. That the grizzled Hetman (a term for an administrative ruler) is also a relentless torturer who murders his latest girlfriend's father is, to a curious extent, neither here nor there. Throughout the opera, we are rooting for him, if not all, then certainly most of the way. Historically, Mazeppa was a regional leader who defied Peter the Great in the hope of freeing his country from the Russian yoke. Tchaikovsky's romantic subplot concerns Mariya, a young woman who leaves her parents for a life of adventure with the charismatic warlord. When her father tries to shop him to the tsar, the old man is promptly handed over to Mazeppa to be killed. After the Hetman is defeated in battle, Mariya duly loses her mind, expiring on the corpse of a faithful childhood friend. Directorially it's presented as very much a play for today, with Francis O'Connor's efficient, movable set and Tim Mitchell's stark lighting creating an all too recognisable world where oligarchs and mercenaries vie for power and violent death is only a heartbeat away. After an oddly sluggish start, Pountney is quickly into his stride. Repurposing the famous hopak (an energetic Ukrainian dance) as an interlude, he even finds a moment of humour as the lovers embark on a crazy choreographed motorcycle ride, stopping off at a motel for a quickie before hitting the road again. The gruesome violence, when it comes, includes the extraction of several teeth, one eyeball and execution by giant jump leads. Grange Park has assembled a fine cast led by David Stout whose ageing Mazeppa is a cross between Yevgeny Prigozhin and the leader of a chapter of the Hells Angels. Joking aside, it's a moving and dramatically crafted performance wedded to a firm baritone with plenty of heft. Rachel Nicholls' lightning-bolt soprano is well suited to the steely but ultimately vulnerable Mariya, the voice only occasionally unsteady towards the top. John Findon offers sterling support as the hapless Andrei and Luciano Batinic brings nobility to Mariya's father Kochubey, singing through mounting layers of blood and gore. Sara Fulgoni is fierce if a trifle squally as his wife. The only reservation is Mark Shanahan's occasionally routine conducting of the English National Opera Orchestra. Tchaikovsky's fervent score deserves more oomph. Mazeppa is at Grange Park Opera, Surrey, until 6 July
Irish Times
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Tornado review: A singular, if rarely easy, watch about double-crossing rogues on the rampage
Tornado Director : John Maclean Cert : None Genre : Drama Starring : Tim Roth, Jack Lowden, Takehiro Hira, Joanne Whalley, Koki Running Time : 1 hr 31 mins In Tornado the film-maker John Maclean returns to the austere storytelling that defined Slow West , his well-regarded debut, from 2015. Set in a rugged and unnamed corner of 18th-century Scotland, the film follows the taciturn young circus performer of the title and her father as they are drawn into a deadly pursuit. Despite the ambiguous period setting, the McGuffin is familiar: an opportunistic theft, a misplaced bag of swag, and double-crossing rogues on the rampage. The heroine, played by the Japanese actor and musician Koki, is a stoic teenager with a talent for swordplay and a complicated, sulky relationship with her dad, Fujin (Takehiro Hira), a warrior turned puppet master. Their life on the road, performing morality puppet plays with a touch of Punch and Judy ultraviolence, takes a dark turn when a local scallywag absconds with two bags of stolen gold during one of their shows. The theft attracts the attention of Sugarman, a grizzled, ruthless outlaw (Tim Roth at his meanest) with a small gang of thugs in tow, including his disgruntled son, Little Sugar (Jack Lowden). As Sugarman's group pursues Tornado across misty moors and abandoned villages, the muted action unfolds less as a traditional revenge plot and more as a meditation on end-of-days degeneracy. For all the genre signifiers, Maclean's confusing, fragmented structure, contemplative pillow shots and dour tone leave little room for the playful high-jinks of Kill Bill or Samurai Jack. READ MORE Which year did Marty not visit? 1885 1955 2015 2055 What was Clint Eastwood's first film as director? The Outlaw Josey Wales Play Misty for Me Firefox Bird Who is not a sibling? Macaulay Kieran Rory Benji The actor playing the title character of which film was actually born in the US? Klute (1971) The Mask (1994) Dudley Do-Right (1999) Green Lantern (2011) What is the last Pixar film to win the best animated feature Oscar? Soul Onward Coco Inside Out Which is the odd period out? Ms Weld Dan Aykroyd in Dragnet Ms Squibb Christina Ricci in The Addams Family Who was not portrayed by Steph? Ally Lee Patrizia Breathless Which is the odd one out? Harrison Ford's other profession 2024 Palme d'Or winner Todd Haynes's notorious early short Halloween and Escape from New York Who is about to succeed, among many, many others, James Whale, Terence Fisher and Kenneth Branagh? Guillermo del Toro Ari Aster David Lowery Robert Eggers Whose daughter fought the Triffids? Alison Steadman Thora Hird Patricia Routledge Margaret Rutherford Robbie Ryan, who was also the cinematographer on The Favourite and Poor Things, leans into the script's sense of dread. Through his lens the bleak Scottish landscape becomes a grey antagonist that threatens to drown everyone in apocalyptic rain. The characters, accordingly, often appear small and helpless against the remote hills. Up close, however, the handsome costume and production design are frequently too anachronistic to engage. Even the title feels as if it belongs to a different film. Tornado will frustrate the giblets out of anyone seeking narrative momentum or emotional catharsis. But viewers willing to sit with its stark silences and oppressive atmospherics can look forward to a singular, if rarely easy, watch. In cinemas from Friday, June 13th
Daily Mail
02-06-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Talk about striking gold! Amateur metal detectorist discovers an 18th-century ring in a field in Norfolk - and it's linked to a member of the British nobility
An amateur metal detectorist has found a stunning 18th-century ring in a field in Norfolk that has links to the British nobility. Malcom Weale, 53, unearthed the gold jewellery in a field near Thetford, Norfolk, after searching the area for 18 months. The detectorist was 'shaking' when he saw the ring glinting in the sunlight. Mr Weale told the BBC: 'I knew this was something very special and I did a bit of a dance.' 'There it was, a glint of pure gold, shiny as the day it was dropped, six inches down in the mud. 'It's very rare to put a name to anything you find.' The treasure was crafted about 300 years ago to commemorate a member of the British nobility, called Sir Bassingbourne Gawdry. A hollowed-out part of the ring's exterior depicts what's thought to be a skull, while an inscription on the interior records his death date. The oval depression on the exterior contains jewellery enamel – a material made by fusing powdered glass or ceramic at high temperatures. Against the grayish background, black spots and lines have been used to create the squashed-looking skull, Live Science reports. Mr Weale made the find on August 9 last year, but it has only just been declared treasure having being studied through the Portable Antiquities Scheme by experts at the British Museum. It pays tribute to Sir Bassingbourne Gawdry, the 3rd Baronet of Harling, who died in a hunting accident in 1723, aged 56. He is described as a 'notable sportsman' who liked 'rackety exploits'. The name and date of death of the baronet are inscribed on the inside of the ring. The inscription reads 'B.G. Bart. ob: 10. Oct: 1723. aet: 56,' which means 'B.G. Baronet, died 10th October 1723, aged 56', according to historian Helen Geake. Sir Bassingbourne Gawdry likely left orders for several of these 'mourning rings' to be made when he died, but only one has been found by Mr Weale. Who was Sir Bassingbourne Gawdry? Sir Bassingbourne Gawdy (1667-1723), 3rd Baronet of Harling, was a member of the British nobility. He was son of Norfolk painter Sir John Gawdy, who was deaf all his life and an early pioneer of sign language. Bassingbourne died in a hunting accident in 1723, aged 56. Records suggest he died unmarried and that his hereditary title went extinct. But who exactly owned this particular ring 300 years ago is still something of a mystery. Records suggest Sir Bassingbourne Gawdy was unmarried and without children – so perhaps it was owned by a close friend or associate. Sir Bassingbourne Gawdry was the son of famous painter Sir John Gawdy (1639-1699) who, along with his brother Framlingham, was born deaf and mute. The brothers hold the distinction of being the first known British born deaf persons to be educated and taught to read and write through sign language. John is recorded as a handsome and intelligent man with a notable talent for painting, for which he 'attained no small degree of celebrity', according to one record. But Bassingbourne (his son) remained unmarried and upon his death from his accident on October 10, 1723 the baronetcy became extinct. Both John and Bassingbourne were part of a successful and influential family of lawyers who flourished in Norfolk and Suffolk in the 16th and 17th century. The Gawdy family is said to have descended from Sir Brews Gawdey, a French knight who was captured during the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453). After being taken prisoner in 1352, it appears Sir Brews Gawdey was naturalised and settled in Suffolk, although the Gawdy Hall estate in Norfolk was built by the family in the 1500s. Queen Elizabeth I is thought to have stayed in Gawdy Hall in 1578. Mr Weale, who has been a detectorist since he was seven years old, said discovery of the historic ring 'turned out to be one of my best days'. 'Over the years I've found all sorts of treasures including a hoard of late Roman coins, gold rings and jewellery,' he told the BBC. 'Last year was a particularly good year for detecting as, thanks to the rainfall, the moisture levels in the ground were very high.
