Plaster, Porcelain and Paintings







shell detailing over a mirror reflecting a jib door in the Main Hall

Received pronunciation, or BBC English as it is sometimes known, is, increasingly, a thing of the past. In today's world to speak in such a way is perceived to be neither with it, nor cool.

No wonder then that, The King's Speech apart, there is little or no interest in elocution or the mastering of tongue-twisters in the manner of Peter Piper Picked a Piece of Pickled Pepper or She Sells Seashells on the Seashore. Shaw's Pygmalion is as outdated as the proverbial Dodo!

details of shells included in ceiling and door decorations

 

door surround  from the Morning Room into the Drawing Room

Which, indirectly, brings us on to the subject of shells which, here in our Budapest apartment, are something of a motif. To begin with, they recur in much of the late nineteenth century plasterwork on ceiling rose, on cornice and on coving. They appear, as wood carvings, above the door frames of the principal rooms and are to be found over and above the tall looking glasses which serve to illuminate the Main Hall. Most recently, we have added a shell to the pediment of some painted bookshelves, incorporating an H into the design.

Much of our Belleek porcelain carries the Second Mark, dating it between 1891 and 1926.

a selection of Belleek porcelain

Many of the paper thin pieces take inspiration fom the sea, the teapot for instance is supported on three winkle-shell feet, whilst the cup is itself in the shape of a shell. The pearly glaze, the secret of which was bought by the Belleek company from a French inventor, defines so much of the porcelain.

A small oil painting depicting shells is by the surrealist artist Norman Black [1920 - 1999] and was a gift from the artist. It hangs in the Morning Room, alongside other examples of his work, in a small group of seascapes.

sundry shells painted by Norman Black



And next week we leave for our 'rooms' in Brighton where we shall hope, weather permitting, to find ourselves gathering seashells on the seashore.