Yesterday I visited the Bowers Museum, located in Santa Ana (about 45 miles south of LA). I made a trip there almost 2 years ago (see it
here). This time I went to see a special exhibit of Fabergé. Most people know of the Easter eggs the jewelers created for the Russian royal family, but the show included other examples of beautiful intricate enamel work combined with precious gems, such as jewelry, presentation boxes, picture frames and cigarette cases. There were also carved semi-precious stone figurines and bell pushes. It was amazing - both in the craftsmanship and in the amount of money spent on everyday objects. I'm including a few photos that show a sampling of the offerings.
BTW, the Bowers also had a wonderful exhibit of movie costumes by Cospros Ltd, London. There were outfits from many movies I have seen, including Sense and Sensibility, Finding Neverland, The Golden Bowl, The Duchess, and Pirates of the Caribbean. I'll have another post soon showing some of my impressions of the costumes.
Happy new year to all of you :)
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| Golden brooch with gems and diamonds |
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| Wood and enamel picture frame with photo of one of the Tsarinas |
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| Diamond tiara |
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| Snowflake watch, the "surprise" inside an easter egg created for Alfred Nobel |
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| Carved obsidian gorilla |
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| Gold and enameled cigarette case |
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| Parrot carved from semi precious stone and hanging from an ivory ring |
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| One of the beautiful gold and enamel easter eggs |
Wow, were all of these made for the Russian royal family? Such enormous wealth...while the masses were living in such poverty...
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