Photo: Chronica Domus
Today, April 26, is National Audubon Day. It is the day that Franco-American ornithologist John James Audubon (b. April 26, 1785 d. January 27, 1851) is commemorated. Audubon is best known for his color-plate publication The Birds of America (1827 - 1838). The multi-volume tome is still considered to be one of the finest ornithological works ever published and contains 435 hand-colored plates of North American birds placed within their natural habitats. The illustrations are a feast for the eyes.
I'm sure many of you are familiar with Audubon's work, here is
"Blue Crane or Heron" from the book The Birds of America (1827 - 1838)
Early this morning, after replenishing the seed in the bird feeder which hangs from the pear tree in my garden, I thought I would mark the day by making a simple flower arrangement using an appropriately decorated vessel. Of course, as you can guess, the vessel is bird-themed.
The creamware pitcher I used was made in England during the first quarter of the nineteenth century. It is hand-painted using purple enamel (or would that be puce?), and silver lustre (or would that be silver resist?). There is some debate in the ceramics world as to when exactly it was that the silver decoration, commonly referred to as silver lustre, was first utilized by the English potteries and ceramics factories. In fact, it turns out that the metallic decoration is not derived from silver at all. While researching this post, I happily stumbled across an excellent and absorbing article published by Johnson Matthey Plc, found here. It details how platinum came to be used to mimic the effect of silver on these early ceramic pieces. And, although the label I found adhered to the base of my jug identifies it as having been manufactured between 1790 - 1800, the Johnson Matthey article states the first use of "silver" decoration began slightly later in 1805. It was John Hancock of Hanley in Stoke-on-Trent who invented the lustrous decorative glaze while working at the Spode factory.
The label on the underside of my jug reads "Leeds: Resist Lustre Period 1790 - 1800"
Photo: Chronica Domus
This type of decoration is known as silver lustre or more accurately as silver resist or steel resist lustre and is achieved by painting the design - in this case the foliage - with glue and a glycerin or honey mixture which is washed away after the jug has been dipped in the platinum lustre prior to firing
Photo: Chronica Domus
Another view of the silver resist and purple (or puce) enamel decoration
Photo: Chronica Domus
I purchased the jug from an antiques shop one day while visiting my husband's uncle and aunt. The shop is but a short distance by car from their house. I happened to spot the jug sitting in a locked glass case in the back of the shop. The dealer who opened the case for me made it impossible to walk away empty handed. "I've had this jug for ten years and I want it to go to a good home" he said. "If you like it, I will sell it to you for half the sticker price". What the dealer did not know was that I had every intention of buying his lavishly decorated jug as not only did I find the piece to be rather pretty, but it was also in excellent condition with not a crack, chip, or nibble to be found upon it. Frankly, I was astonished it had languished behind glass for an entire decade. The dealer's offer certainly sweetened the deal and I am thrilled to have added the pitcher to my ever-increasing ceramics collection. Below is an almost identical one sold at auction six years ago.
Here's a mate to my jug, sold at auction in 2012 and described as a silver resist lustre
Leeds "songbird on a fence" jug, circa 1810 - 1815
Leeds "songbird on a fence" jug, circa 1810 - 1815
Before I get too carried away with the details of the vessel's decoration, here it is in situ, in our drawing room. It holds lusciously dense panicles of lilac, the color of which is almost indistinguishable to the painted song bird decoration.
An arrangement of lilacs in celebration of National Audubon Day
Photo: Chronica Domus
John James Audubon 1785 - 1851
by John Syme
Within a few minutes of stepping into my own garden this morning, I have already heard the squawking of a Scrub Jay, the gentle cooing of a Mourning Dove, and the buoyant chirping of a multitude of Sparrows. What a joy and a privilege it is to experience such an agreeable nature-borne melody. Do please tell me what birds you might happen to hear singing in your garden today.
We now have a Carolina Wren....tiny but quite vocal! I finally spotted it the other day
ReplyDeleteMargaret not Gary
Hello Margaret,
DeleteSuch a beautiful little bird and song. Thanks to the wonders of YouTube, I just looked it up for myself. Would enjoy listening to this song bird's ditty any day.
Thank you for stopping by and for leaving a comment here on CD today.
Hello CD, Your posts always make me realize that I am not trying hard enough! What charming personality your silver resist luster jug has, and what an apt portrait of Audubon, who one hears actually preferred shooting birds to painting them!
ReplyDelete--Jim
Hello Jim,
DeleteOh, please don't feel so bad!. You may take comfort in the fact that lately, I have barely had a chance to attend to the niceties of life, like this blog, myself. But, here I am once again and here you are too, thank you.
I did have rather a strong suspicion that judging from the fine painting of Mr. Audubon included in this post, shooting was high on his list of pastimes.
That aside, I do wonder what type of birds you see and hear around you today. Please venture outdoors and come back to CD and let me know.
Hello again, I am sorry that birding was never one of my hobbies, because Taiwan is a bird paradise. There are so many, both songbirds and the long-legged crane or heron type. There are special preserves for them, but you can see (and hear) them all over the city. One of the most common types (of songbird) is black with a white head, but I am afraid I cannot tell you what it is, although undoubtedly it is common. (All this is apart from the pigeons, which are ubiquitous and intolerable. Maybe Audubon had the right idea, at least for this bird--his expression seems anti-pigeon!)
Delete--Jim
Hello again Jim,
DeleteI am pleased to learn that the bird community in your city is thriving. I recently saw a Heron by a local body of water that made me stop in my tracks. Such a graceful and beautiful bird!
I am afraid our opinion of pigeons differ. I have fond memories of feeding the ones by Trafalgar Square with my father and my sister when I was a young girl. Back then, there were many seed sellers and one could buy a small cupful and feed the many pigeons that would flock about one's feet. Sadly, the powers that be decided all this pigeon fun was a bit too much and now the pigeons, and the seed sellers, are gone. Pigeons get a bad rap as far as I'm concerned. I love their cooing.
Beautiful vase and bouquet. Currently there is a flock of robins in the yard...
ReplyDeleteHello Karen of Fair Oaks and thank you. So pleased you enjoyed today's arrangement.
DeleteAh, Robins, I adore them, especially during the winter months of my youth in England (Kent) where their bright red chests were visible most when it snowed. The ones I've spotted (occassionally) in my garden here in California are much larger than the British Robins. By the way, did you know the Robin is Britain's national bird? Enjoy your flock today!
Hello DC,
ReplyDeleteYour lilacs look divine in your pitcher!
Well, Audubon is to Americans what John Gould is to Australians, both of whom produced exquisite ornithological work. I suspect, however, that if both were transported to the modern world to produce auditory recordings of their respective birds, Gould's work would not be as appealing. The sad fact is that, while the birds of Australia can be stunning to look at, their voices do not often match! Rather like the shock of hearing Silent Movie stars shifting to Talkies.
From dawn to dusk at the moment, all birdsong is dominated by the incessant "chip chip chip..." of a native miner bird in a nest in a tree outside our windows. Not a pretty bird, either. From time to time the shocking shrill of a few Rainbow Lorikeets (a very pretty and colourful small parrot) will drown it out as they zoom past, off on some mischievous errand. In the distance you can hear the odd Sulphur Crested Cockatoo's harsh call (dramatic looking parrot, hideous voice) and if you listen hard enough you can hear the melodious warble of my favourite bird, the Magpie, who has traded a beautiful voice for simple piebald feathering.
The little insectivores and honeyeaters that flit around in the shrubbery can only be heard when you get close by and will have a sweet song but you asked about today, and today it's all about the big noisy birds!
Hello Pipi,
DeleteSo lovely to learn of the exotic birds you hear and see in your neck of the woods. We've none of those you listed here in San Francisco but, believe it or not, I did once see a parrot in my pear tree (yes, you did read that correctly, a parrot not a partridge - although as we both know the English Christmas carol got it all wrong as the partridge does not fly very well if at all so as much as I'd like to see one in my pear tree, it is just never going to happen!).
You make an excellent point about the auditory qualities of certain birds. As much as I adore the look of Scrub Jays and Blue Jays, they can sure make quite a racket when they pipe up at times.
Whoops! I have just noticed I inverted your name, sorry CD!
DeleteYes, you do wonder how that partridge got atop the pear tree; some hijinks must have been involved. Lucky you to get a distant cousin in yours, however! Worthy of a carolling moment.
Somehow, "... and a parrot in a pear tree" doesn't quite have that ring to it!
DeleteOh, and please, do not fret over the name mix-up. I can assure you, I've been called much worse!
Enjoy the weekend!
CD
How utterly perfect are those lilacs in that vase??
ReplyDeleteGlad you thought so too, Naomi. I call that type of flower arranging "a coincidence of color".
DeleteSuch lovely lilacs!
ReplyDeleteWe have two bird feeders in our yard and enjoy watching the variety of birds (almost as much as our strictly indoor cats do) that come to visit. The blue heron illustration reminded me of a colleague who has a goldfish pond in her backyard. She looked out her kitchen window one day and watched with some alarm as a blue heron perched on the edge helping himself to her goldfish.
Best,
KL Gaylin
Hello KL Gaylin,
DeleteWhat a story about the goldfish and the herron!
I'm sure your indoor cats are entertained for hours with the bird antics outdoors. I imagine it is their version of television viewing. I am sad to report that naughty old Norton recently caught a Mourning Dove early one morning downstairs in the garden as he darted out of the house. I felt terrible for the poor dove. The next morning, I found its remains upstairs on our balcony. The raccoons had feasted well that night.
One spring a few years ago we discovered baby sparrows fluttering around in our garage. The mother bird had made a nest, unbeknownst to us, in a basket sitting on a shelf in the garage. We kept the garage door open so they could fly out. However, there was a stray cat loose in the yard, so we stood guard and shepherded them across the expanse of the lawn until they reached the woods in back. After they reached the woods, we said, "Good luck! You're on your own now." Around our house, we have seen a hawk, a woodpecker, a hummingbird, a blue jay (who left us a feather), some cardinals (our state bird), robins, crows (I dislike them), and sparrows. I love bird sightings. And your lustre ware jug is gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteslf
Hello slf,
DeleteThat's a beautiful story of Mother Sparrow and her fledglings. I feared, when I read the word "cat", that the story would not end well.
That's quite a variety of birds you have around your house. How wonderful! I can only imagine how delightful the singing (and pecking) must be.
Your jug and flower arrangement are lovely! Today we have red wing black birds (which sound like a squeaky hinge to me!) and the buzz of hummingbirds in our back yard.
ReplyDeleteHello SB,
DeleteThank you, so plesed you approve of the lilacs in their bird-themed jug.
I've seen those squeaky hinge-sounding birds on our East Bay drives but never seen them down here. I wonder why?
I forgot about the hummingbirds in my garden. Did not spot any yesterday but they are regular visitors.
Oh my dear CD, as I've previously mentioned you'd have achieved International Acclaim as schoolboy GSL classmate with these Show & Tell offerings. Your biggest fan would have initiated a reception similar to Maria Callas' Tosca at La Sala back in '53...
DeleteWell, thank you for the high praise dear GSL. And, talking of operatic performances, I was there this Friday evening past enjoying a performance of La Traviata (no, not at La Scala but enjoyable nonetheless).
DeleteHi there! Do you use Twitter? I'd like to follow you if that would be okay.
ReplyDeleteI'm absolutely enjoying your blog and look forward to new updates.
Hello Anon,
DeleteUnfortunately, I do not use Twitter or any other type of social media at present but I am pleased to learn that you enjoy reading my humble blog, even if I don't update it as often as I would like lately.