Susi Johnston | The Sleeping Tiger on the Island of Bali
Blog Backlog: Huge Hoard of Anglo Saxon Gold Found in Staffordshire
Afficionados of ancient ornament, take note. In the middle of last year, a hobbyist who enjoys combing the countryside with a metal detector discovered the most important early medieval gold hoard ever.
Jewelry as a Tactic: Madeleine Albright’s Brooches
There’s a beautiful and unusual exhibition on at the Museum of Arts and Design (New York), showing over 200 brooches from the collection of former US Secretary of State, Madeline Albright. Her use of brooches as signals in diplomacy was truly extraordinary. She drew from her vast and expanding collection to send a wide repertoire of signals, sporting pin-on insects, weapons, angels, and even a snake (above), which she donned for a meeting on Iraq in 1994, after Saddam Hussein had called her a “serpent.” The full story is in the Christian Science Monitor here.
The exhibition, which runs through the end of January 2010, coincides with the publication of Albright’s book of her memoirs, ”Read My Pins: Stories From a Diplomat’s Jewel Box” (HarperCollins, 2009). Photo: John Bigelow Taylor
Macan Tidur Has Got a Gateway: Our New Nutshell of a Website
We have a new website, small but cute. Which suits Macan Tidur perfectly. At last this lazy Sleeping Tiger has gotten up off its belly and made a wee site offering a peek into the Macan Tidur network of elegant little enterprises, which includes Gallery Macan Tidur (Ubud, Bali), ICON Asian Arts (Seminyak, Bali), Sumaru Sourcing (Indonesia), Macan Tidur Textiles (Bali and the World), and Sriwijaya Jewels (excavated and antique ethnic ornament by appointment and at ICON Asian Arts and Aman Resorts in Bali). Feedback welcome. And pardon us for blowing our own horn here . . . or for roaring just a bit instead of simply purring.
Arts of Ancient Viet Nam Coming to Houston
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and Asia Society, New York, offer an unprecedented exhibition of art from ancient Viet Nam—the first U.S. exhibition to address in depth the historical, geographic and cultural contexts of precolonial Vietnamese art. Arts of Ancient Viet Nam: From River Plain to Open Sea will expose approximately 110 objects dating from the first millennium B.C. through the 17th century, on loan from Viet Nam´s leading museums.
Highlights of the exhibition include ritual bronzes, terracotta burial wares, fine gold jewelry, Hindu and Buddhist sculptures, and ornaments of jade, lapis lazuli, crystal and carnelian. The works have never before been exhibited.
The exhibition runs 13 September 2009 to 2 January 2010, and afterwards travels to the Asia Society in New York. While we wait for September, let’s all read the book behind the exhibition, by its chief curator Nancy Tingley, with Andreas Reinecke, Pierre-Yves Manguin, Kerry Nguyen-Long and Nguyen Dinh Chien (in stock at amazon.com now).
Highbrow Knit Wire from Indonesia
People have been knitting gold and silver wire into elegant ornament for at least three millenia. A number of knitted wire traditions exist in Indonesia. In Sumba, nobles are garlanded with heavy knitted gold cords called kanata on ceremonial occasions. In Sumbawa, knitted wire hats are worn as prestige symbols, serving as lofty crowns for lofty members of society.
In recent years, the art of knitting objects from wire has been revived and reinterpreted in some interesting ways here in Indonesia. Noteworthy examples include collections of ornament and decorative objects from Galaxyan Jewels, and Maru Body Art Space, both based here in Bali.
Diadem Fit for an Assyrian Queen
I stumbled on this stunning diadem, excavated from a royal tomb at Nimrud in Iraq, where it was discovered near the remains the queen’s skull. Its technical sophistication and fine workmanship are unbelievable. This is one of the most beautiful pieces of gold ornament I have ever seen or heard of. Elegant. Lavish, yet not excessively so. Tastefully lavish.
What most piqued my interest, however, were the tabular “eye” agates. I used to have a ring by Jean-Francois Fichot, mounted with a similar stone, perhaps originating from the same period and region. Sadly, it deteriorated with constant wear, and I have been hoping to restore the ring, but haven’t been able to find a suitable replacement for the stone.
Another noteworthy feature for me is the fine knitting using gold wire. Crocheted or knitted wire ornament is also a tradition here in Indonesia, and I have seen numerous old and contemporary knitted wire artefacts from various island cultures. More on this tomorrow.
Be Bedazzled: Ancient & Antique Jewelry at the Walters Museum
The jewelry collection of the Walters Museum in Baltimore is vast and diverse, spanning five millennia and a broad spectrum of world cultures, yet most of it is rarely seen. Here’s your big opportunity to ogle over 200 pieces from the collection, many never before shown publicly. Bedazzled: 5,000 Years of Jewelry opens 19 October and runs through 4 January 2009. In this exhibition the riches of the Walters collection will be augmented by numerous finger rings from the collection of New York gemologist Benjamin Zucker, scion of one of the great Antwerp diamond families, who has a passion for antique and ancient rings from around the globe, and has been dubbed “Lord of the Rings” in recognition of his passionate pursuit of fine antique finger rings for his personal collection. Be there. With bells on. And plenty of rings on fingers and toes.
Image © 2006 The Walters Art Museum
Condé Nast Just Gave Us a Nod
Oh, what a heady pleasure to be in such company, in such a rarefied atmosphere! We happened to be spotted by a Condé Nast stringer trawling Bali, and have just been featured in Travel+Leisure. At least our galleries have been. Of course, for those who know Bruno and I, you understand the galleries are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. The Travel+Leisure team describe us, not inaccurately, as treasure hunters exploring obscure corners of Southeast Asia to uncover outstanding artefacts. Well, there I am (above) scouring a dusty corner of the dusty but lovely highland town of Pyin U Lwin in Burma. Our last selections from Burma have just arrived in Bali by ship and I can’t wait to unpack them.
Joel Cooner : The Zen Texan
An in-depth interview with tribal art dealer Joel Cooner has just been posted on the Tribalmania website. Joel is known for his exquisite eye and his talent for arranging artefacts in such a way that the arrangements are works of art in their own right.
In the interview Cooner reveals his inspirations, and shares his advice for collectors. He talks straight, and with an earthy familiarity, as only a Texan can, mixing sophisticated art jargon with down-home metaphors. When you read the interview, imagine the words delivered with a warm Texan twang and you’ll get the feeling.
Pure Form in Gold @ Joe Loux
Asian and tribal art dealer Joe Loux offers a piece of pure form among new acquisitions just posted on his site. This Han period gold torque from Southwest China, mounted on a metal stand, weighs 169 grams and is priced at $15,000. Image © 2008 Joe Loux