Yes, it’s that happy time of year again …
Around the stalls, starting with the prize for cuteness …
Love these colours and designs …
Art in production …
This incredible guy was here last year too …
Finished work …
Something for everyone ..
Great posters – 15 years of advertising the event …
And finally, inadvertant self-portrait in a mirror!
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You can read more about this monstrous development later in today’s blog – and we only have until the end of the day tomorrow to object …
First of all, however, to lift your spirits, the delights of the Cartier exhibition!
Charting the rise of Cartier from its inception in 1847 to becoming ‘the jeweller of kings and king of jewellers’, the exhibition looks at the evolution of the house’s legacy in art, design and craftsmanship since the turn of the 20th century, and detail how the three grandsons of founder Louis-François set out to create the first globally recognised jewellery house.
Nothing quite prepared me for the experience of seeing these Cartier creations ‘in real life’ so to speak rather than in photographs. Mind-blowing craftsmanship combined with extraordinary wealth, the exhibition not only displays these pieces brilliantly, it also in many cases names the clients who commissioned them (but doesn’t snitch on them as to what they paid!).
The exhibits are cleverly lit in rooms with subdued lighting so you can see them in all their glory. This, unfortunately, makes photography difficult so the blog will be a combination of images that I took along with some from other sources.
These words ring down the decades, one of the most famous speeches in recent British history. In it King Edward VIII (soon to be known as the Duke of Windsor) declared:
‘I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as king as I would wish to do without the help and support of the woman I love.‘
Both Edward and Mrs Simpson had a passion for jewellery and in 1940 he had Cartier create for her The Flamingo Brooch …
The bird is meticulously fashioned from diamonds, rubies, and sapphires, ‘capturing its graceful elegance’.
Strangely there are not all that many images online of her wearing it.
A Panthère clip brooch sold to the Duke of Windsor in 1949, presumably a gift for Wallis (Photography: Nils Herrmann for Cartier Collection) …
The Patalia necklace, commissioned by the Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala in 1928 …
In 1968, the extravagant Mexican actress María Félix ordered a snake necklace from Cartier. The ingenuity of the design makes it a unique piece in the history of jewellery. Thousands of hours of work and great expertise were put into making this 57-centimetre long reptile, with an entirely articulated structure paved with 2,473 diamonds …
A better image from a Cartier magazine …
Two more exhibits where, unfortunately, I forgot to make a note of the description …
Crash wristwatch, Cartier London, 1967. (Photography: Vincent Wulveryck for Cartier Collection). Shades of Salvador Dalí …
The Tutti Frutti bandeau, made in 1928 for Lady Mountbatten, is on long-term loan to the V&A (Photo: Victoria and Albert Museum, London) …
Not surprisingly, tiaras feature strongly, and this is just a small selection.
Tiara, Cartier Paris, 1908. Photography: Marian Gérard for Cartier Collection …
The Manchester Tiara was made by Cartier, Paris, in 1903 to the order of Consuelo, Dowager Duchess of Manchester. Cartier’s records note that she supplied over a thousand brilliant-cut diamonds and more than 400 rose-cut diamonds, while Cartier supplied further rose-cut diamonds and the paste stones which make up the scrolls at the end of each side …
Cartier London aquamarine and diamond tiara. It’s one of the 27 tiaras that Cartier made in 1937, most of which were worn at that year’s coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. Photography: Vincent Wulveryck for Cartier Collection …
Panther bangle, Cartier Paris, 1978.Photography: Marian Gérard for Cartier Collection …
There is also a collection of Mystery Clocks. The first of these were released in 1912 and were given this name as their hands appear not to be connected to any movement. A Model A mystery clock, Cartier Paris, 1914. Photography: Nils Herrmann for Cartier Collection …
The exhibition runs until 16th November 2025 – highly recommended. I suggest you arrive early as it gets rather crowded.
The threatened redevelopment of Liverpool Street Station
Almost exactly two years ago I reported on the proposed threat to Liverpool Street Station and this has not gone away! If you have not yet objected to the monstrous block they want to plonk on top of Liverpool St Station, the deadline is tomorrow, 4th July.
Ten days ago there were only 180 objections versus 613 comments in favour but thankfully there are now 782 objections versus 670 comments in favour. This is astonishing progress.
Yet if we are to stop this appalling development, we have to far surpass those comments in favour and we have until the end of tomorrow to do this. Please encourage your friends, family, neighbours and colleagues to object.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN HOW TO OBJECT EFFECTIVELY
The Monster Block …
I started today’s blog discussing the wonder of the work of Cartier, but would like to finish with an acknowledgment of the elegance and beauty of Victorian architecture. Here it is perfectly illustrated in this 1962 linocut of Liverpool Street Station by Edward Bawden …
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I always enjoy a visit to this museum since an extra special treat is ‘driving’ the Docklands Light Railway train all the way to Canary Wharf …
Plus, near the museum, there are often glimpses of Thames wildlife, in this case cute young swans and their mum taking a nap …
The foreshore of the Thames is an internationally important archaeological site. Millions of prople have lived in and passed through London, leaving traces of their lives in the river mud. The mud is anaerobic (oxygen-free) and therefrore preserves objects in excellent condition. The exhibition showcases over 350 mudlarked objects, including personal items and historical relics, and explores the history of mudlarking from its origins as a means of survival to its modern-day practice as a hobby and form of historical exploration.
So I knew a visit would give me something to really get my teeth into …
Apologies for that!
The gnashers illustrated above date from the 1700s and are made from real human teeth, probably collected from the dead. A goldsmith or watchmaker would have set them into ivory plates, held in place with gold pins. They were bespoke, made to fit a wealthy client’s mouth. And imagine what it must have been like to see the false eye on the right peering up at you out of the mud.
Here are some further examples of what is on show.
The early accounts of mudlarks describe them as mostly children aged 8 to 15, older women and sometimes also men. They lived in poverty and scavenged to earn whatever money they could. In 1851 Henry Mayhew, a journalist and author, wrote three books on London’s poor. This is an illustration of a mudlark he met who used his hat to carry his finds …
Peggy Jones, the ‘Well known Mud Lark’, is illustrated here in a book published in 1805. Aged around 40 with red hair, she dressed in short, ragged petticoats and went barefoot. She wore a strong apron folded like a bag around her …
Peggy would wade waist-deep into the water and use her feet to feel for lumps of coal to collect in her apron. She disappeared without a trace around February 1805. You can read more about her and her sad life here.
Large scale works in the 1800s to construct river walls and bridges, alongside dredging of the Thames, led to remarkable discoveries. This is a modern replica of the head of a statue of Hadian, 117-138 CE …
The Waterloo Helmet is from the Iron Age, 150-50 BCE. It was discovered by workers dredging the Thames near Waterloo Bridge …
It is the only Iron Age helmet found in southern England, and the only one with horns ever found in Europe. It is made from bronze with a scrolling decoration and red enamel around the cap. When new, the bronze would have shone like the Sun, clearly telling everone nearby about the status of the person wearing it.
The Battersea Shield (Iron Age again) was found by a labourer at Battersea in 1857 …
It was made more than 2,000 years ago by many different craft specialists in Britain. Originally strenthened with wood, it protected from weapon blows and could also be used to push back, choke or bruise.
Onward to the 800s when the Vikings battled the Saxons to seize their wealth, enslave their people, control resources and access river routes.
This Viking battle axe has a distinctive shape with a curving blade. A number have been found in the river …
This tiny silver pendant was worn around a Viking neck. It is a mini version of Thor’s hammer. Thor was the god of war and fertility. He could control thunder and lightning, had unparalleled physical strength and owned a magical hammer called Mjolnir …
For centuries ship’s orders were communicated using a boatswain’s whistle. This example is decorated with a lion …
The boatswain, a senior crewman, could communicate a lot of information by varying the pitch and length of the notes. The tone could be heard across the ship over the sound of wind and waves.
The three tiny shoes were lost hundreds of years apart, one perhaps kicked off by a Victorian baby (17). The other two (18) were possibly lost by chilren on the foreshore in the 1400s and 1500s. The miniature pair from a badge (19) shows the 1300s trend for extremely long pointed toes, while the gentlemen’s shoe (20) from the 1600s is heeled and decorated with hearts and crescent moons …
“Am I not a man?’ – 1787-1830. By the 1800s an increasing number of voices campaigned against the British trade in enslaved Africans. Campaign imagery was placed onto many products including sugar pots and tobacco pipes to make consumers more aware of the enslaved lives that were feeding their habit.
This tobacco pipe shows an enslaved African. It copied a medallion with the inscription ‘Am I not a man and brother?’ produced by Josiah Wedgwood for the Society for the Abolition of Slavery in 1787.
These lead badges were worn on hats and coats and carried rude hidden messages (1300-1500) …
The badge in the middle portrays a purse with a phallus tucked inside. Purses were a symbol of good fortune and a metaphor for a vagina. Cockerel badges, like the one on the left, were worn by young male Londoners to advertise their virility, the cock being recognised as a symbol for lust. The badge shaped like a hair comb is decorated with dancing phalluses.
More sinister is this ball and chain (1600s-1700s) …
Ball and chains, also known as leg irons, were used in England from the late 1600s on some people convicted of a criminal offence. The weight of the ball and the long spike on the lock hindered movement and helped prevent escape.
Pottery abounds …
There is also a tribute to two enterprising mudlarks, Willam Smith and Charlie Eaton, known fondly as Billy and Charlie, who were forgers of small artifacts who did their sneaky work between the years of 1845 and 1870. You can read more about these two scoundrels here and see some of their work displayed in the exhibition …
The Visit London blog review concludes: Just when you think you’ve seen it all, the exhibition hits you with a showstopper – a glowing, giant moon suspended in the dark, echoing the glow that once guided night-foraging mudlarks. Luke Jerram’s Museum of the Moon closes the exhibition on a breathtaking finale. I was completely struck by its scale, bathed in a celestial light that quietly reminds us of the moon’s vital role in a mudlark’s life.
And here it is …
Mudlarking is strictly regulated by the Port of London Authority (PLA), which issues permits to would-be treasure hunters. With interest soaring, the PLA has paused new licence applications – over 10,000 people are currently on the waiting list.
I am very fortunate in that my very good friend Penny is one of the few who possess a licence and she kindly shared some of her treasured finds with me this week. At some point in the future I will write about them in more detail …
The item of pottery on the top right retained the finger impressions of the person who created it centuries ago. Holding it sent a shiver down my spine.
You can read more about the London Museum Docklands here.
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