Photo of the day

The blue is quite refreshing, no?

UPDATE!

This little blue lacquered lovely is one of a pair of two tole tulip jardinieres on display at the Musée Carnavalet in Paris.

Now these are unusual because of their jaunty blue ground. Typically tole items that is tarted up with Asian lacquer motifs opt for more somber earth tones overall. These examples date to the reign of Louis XV.

I would say that they are rather late Louis XV as they are starting to stiffen-up and embrace Neoclassicism (note the fluted pilaster corners).

Paris became quite the center for painted tole wares. The versatility of the medium allows it to quickly follow the shifts in fashion and these luxury goods stayed in demand from the 1740s well into the first half of the 19th century. However their utilitarian nature and the inherent conservation issues with metals make them a rather rare survival today.

You can see these lovelies, among other delicious objects within the Blue Salon from the hotel Brulart de Genlis reinstalled among the enfilade of period rooms at the Musée Carnavalet

Carnavalet + Vuitton = Perfection

I had a nightcap yesterday with a friend recently arrived from Paris who alerted me to this Louis Vuitton retrospective. If you have never been to the Musée Carnavalet it is a MUST. It is situated in the Marais and housed within a distinguished hôtel particulier. The museum documents the history of Paris and among its holdings are an exquisite array of decorative arts. This exhibit, which runs though February 27th combines two of my favorite things. The video above captures the scope of the retrospective which ranges from the staid to the avant-garde (think Damien Hirst medical cabinets). One of my favorite oddities is the now iconic trunk-bed (Malle-Lit). The form was designed as a special request in 1875 for the famed explorer Savorgnan de Brazza for his expedition to the Congo. No matter how far one travels the desire for a familiar place to rest one's head reigns supreme. This trunk takes that concept to a whole new level.