In Love with Swedish Baroque Mirrors

Rhonda and I have long been under the looking glass spell of Swedish Baroque mirrors

and wanted to share with you some images of our favorite mirrors from this period

all made by the house of Precht.

The Baroque period was obsessed with optics and illusion and the mirrors that were made during this

time were wonders to be marvelled at.  When it came to mirrors their manufacture was practically secret and their trade so precious that their sophisticated owners sought to show them off in fittingly elaborate frames. In 1674 a well known sculptor, mirror maker, carver and gilder in Germany named Buchard Precht was brought to Stockholm to work for the Crown under Sweden's Royal architect Niccodemus Tessin the Younger. Sadly, much of the important work he did for the Royal Palace was burned during the fire of 1697.

There are, however, quite a few remaining examples of works he and his workshop did for his main clients, the Church and Queen Hedvig Eleanora.  His mirrors are among the most beautiful and accessible of his work and are sought out by collectors around the world.

To our modern eyes much of the Baroque furniture with its elaborate carvings and gilding can appear garish and heavy.  Not so these elegant mirrors.    Glass was so rare and expensive that  frames of the period were expected to be exceptional to show the looking glass off...

  Precht and his sons Christian and Gustaf made their frames decorative but always in ways to enhance the looking glass and  to never over power or detract from it in any way.  There is a symmetry, balance and a lightness that makes these mirrors pleasing to our contemporary eyes.

Precht accompanied Nicodemus Tessin the Younger on his great 1687 study trip to France and Italy in preparation for work on the new Palace.  He was also very involved in counsel for the interiors of Drottingholm, pictured above, the home of Queen Hedvig Elenora.  Drottiningholm is considered the dowager Queen's greatest architectural contribution to Sweden. 

....Precht's alter at the Gustav Vasa Church is his baroque masterwork and homage to Bernini.

...Here we see carving details of the alter piece Precht made for the Storkyrkan, 

(think Princess Victoria's wedding!)  next to the Royal Palace.

Precht was a highly skilled ornamentalist, as can be seen in the carvings of this mirror made by his workshop.

His commissions were for the court and the highest level of Swedish aristocracy.  To give you an idea of how valuable these mirrors were, David Hockney, in his book "Secret Knowledge" sights an interesting fact regarding the effects of the great French minister Colbert. A Venetian mirror from Colbert's inventory was valued at 8,016 livres while a Raphael painting was only valued at 3,000. livres.  Prices for Precht mirrors today are recorded at auctions as selling from $60,000. to $169,000.

The Precht workshop mirrors were made in the Gamla Stan section of Stockholm in the vicinity of the Royal Palace on the corner of the Lilla Nygaten and what today is called Schonfeldsgrand.  Before the names in the Gamla Stan were changed in 1885 this was called Precht's Grand, which means Precht's Alley. We can still walk in the footsteps of Buchard Precht today!

Precht perfected a way of gilding ornamented lead and this is what is holding the glass

frames together on the mirrrors you see here. Verre Eglomise...

Baltic blue glass was sometimes used in the mirrors and because the blue glass

was a rarity unto itself these mirrors are often the most simple.

This mirror seems reminiscent of the magic mirrors popularized in literature and fairytales of the period, most notably Handel's opera Semele.   To see what a real Baroque mirror in action is capable of, watch this clip from Jean Cocteau's La Belle et Le Bete...   Belle enters the Castle and finds the Mirror. (forward to 2:24 to view the mirror) 

"Je suis votre mirroir ma Belle..."

Who wouldn't love to have one of these around the house?

Less heavy then their French and Venetian counterparts, Precht Mirrors are magic to us

at Eleish van Breems!  We hope you agree!

Photos of the Precht Mirrors used in this post came from the following sources: Christie's , 

 Lundgrens Antik, Carlton Hobbs and Antik Varlden.

The Swedish Floor

 

Is there anything more refreshing looking then a Swedish floor?

Limed...

or pickled...

...the Swedish style floor is as refreshing as a summer breeze.

Below we share with you some more images featuring Swedish style floors taken by one
of our favorite photographers, Miguel Flores-Vianna, who also wrote the forward to our first
book Swedish Interiors.  Miguel, long a fan of Swedish design, has worked on many projects
in Sweden and in him we find a kindred spirit.  Miguel's breathtaking portfolio HERE

Rhonda and I were recently featured talking about Swedish floors on a super PBS series
called Creative Living with Sheryl Borden.  Our segment aired in the South West region
of the country this week!

          Edie and Rhonda with Sheryl Borden on Creative Living. That's a dough bin we

brought with us to show an example of Swedish falun red paint!  We taped three segments in all

on Swedish country painting techniques.

View our Creative Living segment here:    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8JMH12RWE4

We presented the differences between a pickled floor with polyurethane finish
versus a more traditional floor treatment using liming wax and danish oil.  Both techniques
have their advantages and disadvantages but the results for both are quite beautiful and can
give a totally new feel to any room.

Which do you prefer? 


Many thanks again to Miguel for allowing us to enhance this post with his gorgeous photos!


E. and R.

Spotlight on Bernhard Link Theatrical

Bernhard Link Theatrical is one of the biggest names in the fashion industry that you may just not be familiar with unless you are a true fashion insider. It is they who Donna, Oscar, Marc, Karl and the rest of the designer gang turn to for most of the spectacular lighting, struttable catwalks and edgy scenery we see each year at Bryant Park and soon Lincoln Center.





Founded in 1976 by Gordon Link and Van Bernhard, Bernhard Link is a full service production company providing Project Management, Design (Scenic, Lighting, and Sound), Pre-visualization, Fabrication and Installation. They are known for handling the highly individual demands of each project, whether it be runway, corporate, film or television and for realizing their clients' vision, from the extravagant to the simply elegant. Well, simply elegant was for us!



We weren't lighting a building...



or doing a window.....


or having a rock concert.....




but we DID want our Eleish van Breems table for the Red and White Ball benefiting the Greenwich Red Cross this May to look as glowing and fabulous as this model at a Proenza Shouler show Bernhard Link lit! Van is Edie's father and Gordon has been her honorary uncle forever, so when we caught up with the two partners on their company retreat, bone fishing in the Bahamas, we felt comfortable to ask them for a little lighting advice. Luckily for us, it was a windy day and Gordon had given up on the fish. Sketches on napkins ensued and we flew back from the Exuma's with instructions to meet up with Jason, BLT's model maker extraordinaire at their New Jersey headquarters and to give him our base for a floral temple centerpiece.






We were surprised that they would do such specific lighting for a small floral centerpiece because their production work seems so large scale but Jason explained that tabletop lighting design is actually another very important part of Bernhard Link's business for special events. They have a studio where the models and lighting are planned out.You can view our meeting with Gordon and Jason HERE (Watch to 1:50 for the essence and then beyond if so desired)

Here we are at the Red and White Ball getting set up.

Lighting changes throughout the evening from under the roof of the temple. Animals representing

the Four Friends are up lit from underneath glass pedestals.

We have felt the Bernhard Link difference! We are sorry not to have photos showing the lighting from when the house lights dimmed at the Event...but we can tell you this - having lighting that changed throughout the evening made our table not just romantic but gave it life and sparkle and definitely set us apart!

Along with the beautiful fabric, so generously donated by Fortuny, the lighting kept our table guests delighted.
Thank you Gordon, Jason and Van for all of your invaluable help and support! We love you guys! E. and R.

All photos courtesy of Bernhard Link Theatrical.

Eva Badenhorst Wall Murals

Eva Badenhorst

We are thrilled to introduce a fantastic new Swedish artist we are representing. Meet Eva Badenhorst. We have never met Eva in person but had started a correspondence with her this winter resulting in Eva sending many of her breathtaking, historically inspired canvases to our Connecticut showroom . We are so lucky! Many artists have tried to capture the essence of period Swedish wall canvases and, let us tell you, it is not easy. When we saw Eva's paintings we knew we had found a special artist. Eva has captured in her work all of the softness, delicacy and also inherent boldness that make the Swedish wall canvases in manor homes and castles so unique.

Here Eva shares a bit about her techniques and inspiration for our readers:

Eva's canvas inspired by the Papaya engraving of Georg Ehret (1708-1770)

that famously wallpapers Carl Linnaeus' home. Sublime.

"My painting mainly consists of reproducing wall decorations that were common in castles and mansions in Sweden during the 18th century. I also do my own compositions based on the different expressions of the time.

Painting flowers, bows, festoons and medallions on large wall fields is a typical Nordic genre, radiating elegance as well as country charm and was developed mainly during the reign of Gustav III (1771-1792). By stretching painted linen canvases on the walls it was easy to create modern interiors in suites, halls and even in bedrooms of old as well as new houses.

The canvases are quite large and dramatic and make a perfect

focal point for any room.

Towards the end of the 18th century the painting of wall fields reached its peak, when strong basic colours made way for paler nuances with the transparency of water colours. The shimmering shades of grey with a pearly lustre also often included turquoise, orange rose, lemon yellow, lime tree green and silver blue and were transferred to bows of leaves, thin garlands, meandering ribbons, arabesques and other refined motives. The motives were taken from the classical style that King Gustav III, after a trip to Italy in 1783-1784, became very fond of. This style had a great impact on castle interior decoration in Sweden and has since then been considered genuinely Swedish and meant a lot to fashion the modern, light Swedish interiors worldwide.

A late Gustavian inspired canvas with a Swedish mirror hanging in front of it.

A Swedish botanical canvas.

A Renaissance inspired piece. This looks almost Florentine, yes?

Eva calls this dramatic gold and black canvas "1800 Century". How gorgeous

would this look in a dining room, powder room or entrance? A luxurious home office

or dressing room? We can think of a million rooms that this would look absolutely extraordinary in.

I also paint different types of flowers, mainly inspired by historical works, such as the 17th century depictions by Dutch botanists of tulips, the bulbs of which created the tulip fever in Holland. I have also been delighted and inspired by the drawings and paintings of the flora that Carl von Linné and his disciples created and that can partly be seen at the Linné summer house outside Uppsala. My favourite styles are the classic Greek and Roman ones but the impressionists also have a large place in my heart.

Canvas inspired by Drottningholm Theater.

Many of my paintings are done on old, rough tarpaulins that were once used to cover boats or farm machinery. These tarpaulins, with their heavy structure and weather beaten surfaces, give and old and genuine expression and are perfect for the dry pigment colours that are used to mix with oil glaze. Flower motives especially, I paint on finer linen canvas.

This floral urn painted on old sail cloth is now at Eleish van Breems.

We love that Eva has left the old sail line hanging from the canvas.

Another view of Eva's gallery in her home...note the painted table canvas.

I obtained a degree in History of Art before moving to France for 15 years and have continuously painted, but also drawn with ink and charcoal. Many years ago I started painting old furniture with egg/linseed oil tempera, a fantastic technique which gives an incredibly smooth, silky surface. I have also been involved in creating well composed interiors in private homes, where I even contributed with my recently obtained skills in upholstering."

Serenity reigns in Eva's light filled gallery.

A canvas inspired by 18th c. Drottningholm "Tree of Life" wall canvases.

A Swedish country floral design.

We have this canvas now at Eleish van Breems.

Another Gustavian inspired wall canvas by Eva now at Eleish van Breems.

Eva's canvases look wonderful mounted onto the wall, as was done traditionally in Sweden, or

framed, for those who want the mobility of being able to easily change their decor.

Eva has had several exhibits in Stockholm and most recently a show in Norberg, Sweden.

Welcome Eva!

Edie & Rhonda

Eleish van Breems is now working with Eva on special commissions. Canvases similar to the ones featured in this post can be ordered in many different custom sizes. Please feel free to e-mail or call us for details and pricing of Eva's work. 860-868-1200 evbltd@gmail.com

Eva Badenhorst Canvases Arrives at Eleish van Breems

Watch as we unfurl some special canvases by Swedish artist Eva Badenhorst at

our Connecticut showroom. A written blog post with more photos of Eva's work

to follow immediately.

E & R

Edie and Rhonda-Greenwich Red and White Ball Segment 1

The Greenwich Red and White Ball Segment 1

Edie and Rhonda's Introduction to the Eleish van Breems Blogcast

A Rococo Jewel - Svindersvik

Svindrsvig

Our great friend and mentor, Gote Folk Jarnefolk ( Help! Will some lovely blogger tell me how to install umlauts and accents on Blogger?) keeps his workshop in the charming Svindersvik boat yard outside of Stockholm. Every visit to Gote (insert dots over the o!), Rhonda and I make sure to take a trip up the hill from the harbour to one of our favorite Swedish Rococo buildings, the Svindersvik Manor.

Svindersvik as viewed form the water in the 18th century

Sweden's great architect Carl Harleman built Svindersvik in the 1740's for one of Sweden's most successful businessmen, Claes Grill, director of the East India Company. With fine views overlooking the sea, promenades on high cliffs and a large garden, Svindersvik was the perfect weekend retreat for Grill and his family.

A Swedish cartel clock is mounted over the wall canvases painted by

Grill's brothers in Amsterdam were Count Tessin's bankers. In the summer of 1760 the great diplomat and style maker Carl Gustav Tessin brought his family to stay at Svindersvik where he and his wife, Countess Ulla Sparre, hosted a famous saturday afternoon salon.

Svindersvik is small of scale and that is it's great charm. Note the double chandeliers

and palace size mirror between the window - all devices to reflect and add light.

Of Svindersvik, Tessin is reported to have remarked, "In one word, Nature's play,

Mr. Grill's purse and taste, and my late lamented friend Baron Harleman's art, have made Svindersvik a joy for humanity that has few equals in charm and arrangement."

We couldn't agree more.






Photos for this post from the Nordiska Museet, Stockholm http://www.nordiskamuseet.se/