TIDBITS 10/19/08

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We encourage you to forward this email to friends and colleagues. ====================================== Maison de L'Art Nouveau That movement known as The Art Nouveau exercised a decisive influence in the 1980's and early 1900's and then died out with the coming of the Great War ... aka The War to End All Wars ... aka WW1.

In the year 1896 an interior decoration shop opened its doors in Paris. It was called the "Maison de L'Art Nouveau" and it was from this shop that the Art Nouveau movement got its name. The name applied to all the decorative arts including--among other things--jewelry.

It was in this last area that the Art Nouveau movement best personified the free-flowing features and curving lines of the creations of the day. Among the most popular of motifs of that time were butterflies ... ethereal female faces ... and of course ... dragonflies.

Ah ... the pulchritudinous winged princess of the skies and rivers. Ain't she a kicker though. Catch her ... and you are sure to be married within one year. Fish by the riverside ... and you will surely see her coming to your aid by hovering over the water where your fish are plentiful. Cast your line in her direction and you will feast well this very evening.

Enter William Morris. The father of the Arts and Crafts movement. These are the words of a poem written by Walter Crane upon Morris' death: "Woven in song and written in design". It is a remembrance of a great talent.

Among the items of jewelry William Morris created is a Dragonfly Brooch. It has old European-cut diamonds along the body ... cabochon ruby eyes ...with diamonds in the wings and blue-green plique-a-jour enamel. It typifies the Art Nouveau era. Its estimated value: $14,000 in 1994. Not for the hoi polloi I'm sure. But if you happen to have a job at AIG ... but that's another story for another time.

For those of you who are new to this thing called Tidbits...may I direct you to my home page at

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where you will scroll down the left side menu till you get to the area that says Current Tidbits ... and you will get to view a dragonfly made with a craftsmanship that is to be admired by all.

And there ya have it. That's it for this week folks. Catch you all next week. Benjamin Mark