Fabergé: The Imperial “Empire” Egg of 1902. New York, 2017.

Self-publishing, 2019

For years it was believed that the Basket of Flowers Egg by Fabergé had no pearls, until an examination by the Royal Collection Trust staff in 2019 proved the opposite.

This article was presented at the 170th birthday conference of famous jeweller Carl Faberge in St. Petersburg at Friday October 7th 2016. It describes the finding and whereabouts of the jewellery of French Artist Rene Lalique in Russia around 1900 and the comparisons with Faberge.

Contents: Cora Würmell, A Passion for Porcelain. Eva Ströber at the Porzellansammlung Dresden, p. 8-15 Christiaan J. A. Jörg, A Beaker of Transitional Porcelain. The first Chine de Commande for the Dutch?, p. 16-21 Rose Kerr, The Countess and her Chinese Lions, p. 22-29 Anne Gerritsen, Flower Arrangement etc.’, p. 30-37 Eline van den Berg, The Intimate Charm of Ceramics, p.38-43 Adriana Proser, Antiquarianism, Longevity Characters, and the Decorative Arts in China, p. 44-49 Jan van Campen, Porcelain, the City Maiden of Amsterdam and Amalia van Solms, p. 50-57 Menno Fitski, ‘D’une Beauté Enchantée’. Private trade and Kakiemon porcelain, p. 58-61 Anna Grasskamp and Wen-ting Wu, We Call Them Ginger Jars. European re-framings of Chinese ceramic containers, p. 62-73 Sebastiaan Ostkamp, An ‘Imperial’ Dish with a Minyao Decoration, p. 74-81 Nederlandse samenvattingen, p. 82-90

Studies in Conservation, 2019

A controversial set of elite jewels assumed to be of early medieval period, recovered in 1937-1938 from a burial site in Matzhausen (northeastern Bavaria) was investigated to determine their technological coherency as well as their authenticity. The discovery of these jewels was exploited by German nationalists to argue that the material culture observed in Bohemia and Moravia in the ninth century had Germanic roots. The circumstances of their discovery, however, remain unclear. Research in archives demonstrated the involvement of the SS Ahnenerbe organisation in the recovery of the jewels. Are these jewels authentic or are they forgeries manufactured or modified by a modern craftsman to serve German expansionist nationalism? Three jewels recovered in the gravea gombik (hollow spherical pendant), an earring with chainlet, and a zoomorphic figurinewere investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-radiography, and stereomicroscopy. The investigation revealed a very heterogeneous set of objects with respect to technology and state of preservation. It also uncovered repairs and past invasive interventions involving modern metal and solder. Comparison with similar types of jewels from Bohemia and Moravia points to important differences in construction and technology, which confirms the uniqueness of this set of objects and casts suspicion on their authenticity.

Folia Praehistorica Posnaniensia , 2024

The paper is devoted to such type of artifacts as "Easter eggs", also known in the scientific literature as egg-shaped rattles or pisanki. The study considers such problems as the provenance of these artifacts and their function and meaning. In addition to glazed ceramic egg-shaped rattles, imitation eggs made of other materials are considered as part of the same phenomenon. The artifacts from the territory of Belarus were mostly found in towns and do not have a specific context. The majority of the finds dates back to a later period in comparison with the neighboring territories of Old Rus'. The distribution and occurrence of egg-shaped objects in towns and villages corresponded to the period of active spread of Christianity and church building, which indicates that it will be more appropriate to consider these finds in the context of Christianity.

Ceramics in America, 2016

Figure I Dish ( one of a pair), China, 1715. Porcelain. L. 12½". (Private collection ; photo, Thomas M. Mueller. ) Famillc verce enamel decoration with the arms of Edward Harrison {1674-1732) and his wife, Frances Bray ). This armorial dish shows no visible gold or silver application except for the five golden arrowheads on d1e cross on d1e left side of d1e armorial.

2020

The plunder of the Yuanmingyuan in 1860 brought new kinds of Chinese decorative arts to Britain. British collectors and dealers grappled with these novelties and established the market in Chinese imperial art over the next several years, quickly bringing a known system of values to material of which they had little knowledge. Emerging connoisseurs of this material focussed their attention first on Qing enameled wares, which had clear economic, social and artistic values, which could easily be understood and communicated in an unstructured marketplace. The judgments and choices they made laid the groundwork for the market in Chinese imperial art today.