CHARMED ~ Moushkin - painted by Lady Marion Rootes

Moushkin by Lady Rootes

Some of you may remember a post we wrote in August when the lovely artist, illustrator and jewellery maker Joanne May and I had a little wander in the village of Ramsbury, Wiltshire. We could not resist having a look in the local charity shop which often has some lovely bits of china. There I came eye to eye with a pretty black and white cat with amber eyes and a secret smile staring down from the wall at me.

In my search for things to sell, and things to keep, I do come across a lot of paintings of cats. Many of these do not look like real cats which makes them uninteresting. This one really caught my attention and I could not look away. It was as if the eyes were watching me from behind those flowers!

I bought it and added it to the items needing to be priced for the shop. It stayed there for a few days and by then I knew that it would never be sold. I had become attached to this cat. It reminded me of TS Eliot's Jellicle Cats because of the dancing eyes and Mona Lisa smile. I once had 2 such cats in my life, a very long time ago and my fondness for them made me long to know who this cat with such a big presence was.  I researched Lady Marion Rootes, the name of the painter which was written on the back, and decided to post about it in case anyone could tell me anything. This is what we posted -

A Jellicle Cat by Lady Marion Rootes

Lady Marion Rootes, considered by many to be the most beautiful
woman of her generation.

This is the age of communication and yet it never ceases to amaze me when thepower of the internet can be harnassed for good. I had not given up the search for Lady Rootes or the name of this cat and last week when I visited The Emporium to drop off some stock there was a letter from someone in California who claimed the pastel - and the cat! I sat in Raffles Cafe reading her letter over one of their very nice coffees, and admit that I did shed a tear.

Photo of a young Moushkin taken by Camilla, Grandaughter of  Lady Rootes

I owe the very pretty cat an apology because in my previous post I referred to her as 'he'. How foolish of me, anyone could see that he was a she. That wise elegant head and flirty eyes. It turns out that Lady Rootes painted a family pet and her name was Moushkin.

It would appear that Moushkin came to the family by accident, but even at such a tender age she was in control of her own destiny. While at the vet with a dog it was brought to their attention that an unwanted kitten was about to be put down unless saved that day. It seems that Moushkin's ability to touch people was there from the start. The vet who made an effort to save her and the kind heart who gave her the 'forever' home were equally charmed by her.  She was a much loved pet, as I had suspected when I first saw the painting of her, and she lived to a grand old cat age. Moushkin passed away long ago and Camilla who had grown up with her moved to California leaving behind the pastel of Moushkin. She hoped that one day it might be passed to her to join other portraits of her family and pets by Lady Rootes and her sister, and by Camilla herself as both she and her husband are artists - this is a talented family!

Sadly earlier this year Lady Rootes passed away in her 90's and during house moves this pastel of  Moushkin was mislaid. They had thought that it was lost to them forever. But Moushkin had at least one last trick up her sleeve, she worked her charm again and I was captivated. 

 Purely by accident a relative happened to come across my post about the picture and shared it with Camilla who decided to write to me to try to buy the picture back.

Now, only someone with a very cold heart could sell Moushkin back to her own family.

Even as a kitten her willpower and spirit had saved her and found her a loving home. She enchanted Lady Rootes who captured her presense so well that many years after she had died her bright spirit still lived on in the pastel and had the power to reach out to me.

I have loved and been loved by many cats, each one special. I would very much have liked to have known Moushkin, and in a way I feel that I have.

My husband has photographed Moushkin so that I may keep a small print of her to remember the adventure her and I have had and the small part she granted to me in helping her to get home again.

Sometime in the future she will be handed back to the woman who saved her at the vets that day long ago and finally she will find her way across the sea to live with the young family of the girl who grew up with her.

It's magic isn't it?

You can see some of the art of Camilla and Richard Shaffer here:

Their website Zebra Paris

JEWEL BOX ~ Winged Things

I saw Butterflies in the garden this week. A Peacock, some Brimstone and a small brightly coloured one that I could not identify. The Peacock nearly landed on me while I stood and admired it. Then it was gone, off over the houses towards the fields of wildfowers and grasses. Last year our village was full of so many Butterflies of all size and colour that we were inspired to fill in an online survey to count them in the United Kingdom.

I love all of them, even the Brimstone and whites which are considered common and somewhat of a pest as their caterpillars will devour brassicas in no time at all. Really there is nothing common about a Brimstone these days, even they are threatened and in decline. Their wing colour can vary greatly from very  pale, almost silver to a bright rich yellow. Their caterpillars decimated the brussel sprouts we were growing, but I forgave them.

We had a fairy like lodger over winter. She arrived one cool Autumn day and nestled herself in our garden greenhouse at the back of a shelf inside an empty terracotta pot. There she settled into a deep sleep to wait for Spring. I noticed her before winter came and all through the snows and storms I continued to check on her and ensure no frost came near, no fungus tarnished those soft wings and no spider wound a stealthy web over her.

My Sleeping Beauty rewarded me come the first sun. Out she flew and perched upon the red brick wall. Her wing edges were in tatters, wear and tear from her year as a Butterfly. Now all she had to do was find a bed of nettles, preferably in a wood where they will not be cut down until next Spring,  lay the eggs she had carried within her, and die. She had slept all winter just to provide her young with a future. Still cold from her deep sleep and exposed to the winds where she was sitting, she was in danger of failing in her mission. I took her and gently cupped her in my hands where she sat quietly for a few minutes. Suddenly she flapped those jeweled Peacock wings - and flew away. On that day, in the sun that was shining I felt sure that her offspring would be born and thrive. Now I am not so full of hope for her or the other Butterflies. I've seen almost none this year.

BBC Homes & Antiques August 2012 issue

Being a vintage dealer in England I like to watch the BBC Antiques Roadshow and read the magazine that they produce, BBC Homes & Antiques. The magazine has a balance of real antiques and vintage, and a very useful diary of events. It is filled with beautiful, real homes from all walks of life. I love the way it runs pieces on large and small antiques dealers, artists and home workers.
This month they have run a feature on Butterfly brooches. Long out of fashion they have now become quite collectable. There are some wonderful examples available, from the ornate and intricately made victorian jewel encrusted to simple enammelled, finely twisted silver and delicate gold. In all price ranges.

I remember as a little girl how fascinated I was by the giant brooches that my Grandmother liked to wear. I love them and often wear 2 or 3 together on a coat or a wool hat or scarf. Some are so beautiful that they can even be used to decorate a room, on a curtain tieback or a lampshade.

 These are available on ebay now, and I am very tempted.

Sterling silver & filigree enamel

great example of Czechoslovakian glass and gilt

I love this one, glass and daisies!
From the 1930s/40s

Perhaps the most beautiful one of all,
a tiny Millefiori from Italy

Earlier this month the Wiltshire illustrator, artist, sculptor and jewelry maker Joanne May (she is a multi tasking much talented lady) and I were wandering on one of our 'treasure quests' and we found ourselves in a most amazing antiques shop in Hungerford called Great Grooms. It is housed in a large red brick victorian house, of the grand design, and every room and staircase is decked in Objects of Desire.  We came across some works and jewels which we would not have expected to see outside of a museum. Joanne often paints the Fairy Realm in her work and always has an eye for a beautiful example of this art. This is what she found!

‘Prospero releasing Ariel from the tree.’ Arthur Bentley Connor 

Oil on canvas: 60x37 inc. (Frame: 67 x 44 Inc.) Signed & dated 1911 l/l
PRICE £28,000

"Commissioned by the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre the painting shows Prospero in his magic robes in act 5.1 of ‘The Tempest’ releasing Ariel from his prison inside a tree, before finally renouncing magic. The Dragonfly almost certainly represents one of the characters in Prospero’s circle, and Calaban as the toad.

Arthur Bentley Connor was a portrait painter from London who exhibited at the Royal Society of Portrait Painters and the Royal Academy from 1903-18.

Provenance: This fabulous painting was commissioned by the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, Stratford –Upon-Avon for the production of ‘The Tempest’ by the Royal Shakespeare Company which opened July 31, 1911.

According to the artists daughter the painting was returned to her father for restoration after being damaged by a fire at the theatre. The Great War then took place and the painting remained in the artist’s possession and never returned to the theatre. The theatre was finally destroyed in the great fire of 6 March, 1926 (and not re-built until 1932).The picture remained with the artist until his death, and left to his daughter-Isabel Ward, née Conner. The painting was sold by Isabel Ward together with a note of provenance in 2002.The artists restoration to fire damage has since been carefully reversed and the painting conserved and restored using modern techniques to museum standards."

This painting is being sold by Thomas Fine Art, one of the dealera at Great Grooms.

Thomas Fine Art website

A photo really does not do this justice, we felt very privileged to have seen it in person and hope someone buys this who will share it with the public. The painting has a long and interesting history which should be preserved. Look closely and you will the frog and dragonfly. It is really stunning, Aerial's wings are as delicate as can be, you can see through them. We were both delighted to find art which paid a small tribute to the beautiful wings of Butterflies.

Joanne is inspired by them in her own work where she sometimes gives her Fairies such wings. This is a detail from one of her paintings called Fairy Thief. We have a print of this for sale in Mrs Black's This n That at The Emporium in Hungerford.

Joanne is currently busy with work and is taking a summer break from blogger but this is her own site: Willow Treefox