0 The Renaissance Portrait

 Early December I got to see the Met's new Renaissance Portrait from Donatello to Bellini show, up until March 18th. Over 160 works are represented in media ranging from bronze medals, marble busts, illuminated manuscripts, drawings and tempera on wood.

 Bear was thrilled to see a distant relative hanging...

 Near a Da Vinci portrait drawing...

 And not far from a Bellini portrait lent from the museum in Padua...

 This Botticelli of 'Simonetta Vespucci' is visiting from Berlin...

 One of the only two existant tempera on wood  paintings (1444) by Pisanello of Leonello d'Este is lent by the Accademia of Bergamo...

 Fra Filippo Lippi's man and woman at a casement window (1440) was possibly commissioned for the occasion of a betrothal...

 Clearly there are many rare and beautiful portraits in this exquisite exhibition. Here 'Selvaggio Sassetti', a banker's daughter painted by Ghirlandaio (ca. 1487-88).

 Sculpture busts mirror the paintings...

 Did the show's curator have a hand in choosing these look-alike busts?

The many dated bronze portrait metals assist in dating and identifying all the portraits of the time - this one by Pisanello  (1441-42).

 Miniature portraits for travel...

  Red abounds. Was it because scarlet fabric was rare and reserved only for rulers and aristocrats?

 Do wear red when you visit the Met Renaissance Portrait show.

Don't miss it!

0 BLACK AND WHITE WEDNESDAY #25

~ Sweet Geneva ~

From left to right: Kerrin of "My Kougelhopf", David Paganel of "Paganel" in Geneva & Yours Truly.

Learn more here about Kerrin's "Seet Geneva Tours".

~ Sparkling Cranberries ~

~ Nature Morte Läckerli ~

Recipe here.

All three pictures were submitted to "Black & White Wednesday", an event created by Susan at "The Well-Seasoned Cook".

0 Stripe Training

 French Stripe doodle...

 Stripe training...

 Starts early if you're French...

 And basically never ends...

 Is the Breton sailor shirt the origin...

 Of this committment to the stripe? Qui sait?

Almost everyone wants to be French, so start the day by drinking your coffee out of a striped cup... 

 Dinner?

Alway eat off a striped plate and you're set.

 Buy pastries only from striped trucks like Lenotre...

 Only cross the street at the striped zebras and you'll feel instantly very French.

 Dressing head-to-toe in stripes is de rigeur and will never be considered de trop

Food?

Only eat striped macarons from Jean-Paul Hevin to feel completement French.

cet comme ca Bon chance!

0 Look Up!

 Your first few days or week in Paris you'll find your eyes are stuck at eye-level...

 Glued to the window taking it all in leche-vitrine...

 Sometimes entering the premises for a bite...

 It's hard to get your eyes above eye-level. One trick is to check reflections in car windows...

 Some shop windows/vitrines will force you to consider looking upwards...

 Paris postcards make you think about looking up...

 At the Eiffel Tower.

 You could buy a bag with all the Paris monuments as a reminder to look up...

 If your walking down rue Royal you can't avoid looking up at la Madeleine..

 Night time is the right time to look up at Paris' monuments like the Opera Garnier...

 Checking the time? Look up for lots of clocks. By my 2nd week in Paris, I'm looking up all the time at the magnificent architecture...

 It's nice to look down in the street too.

Flowers await you.

And Paris Dogs!

Do you remember to look UP in Paris?

0 Hats:An Anthology by Stephen Jones

Macaron-hat doodles...

 Last night I went to the fabulous 'Hats:An Anthology by Stephan Jones' exhibit at Bard Graduate Center...

 ...On 18 West 86th Street (they're open till 8 pm on Thursdays).

Three floors of magical hats brought over from the Victoria and Albert exhibition - we're lucky indeed.

A veritable pandora's hatbox of memories (whose mother did not wear hats?), history and celebrity lore (including the hat Carla wore to meet the Queen).

Photo by Justine Photography

A hat inspired by illustrator Rene Gruau I'm always raving about...

I bought Rene Gruau's J'Adore calendar in Paris last October thinking I was very clever and now I see it on Amazon...who knew?

We have hat designer Stephen Jones to thank for this fantasy trip.
Jone's atelier is on view + a can of his essential soda pop...
So many hats and only one head!

There's just something special about a woman in a hat. (Betmar Philosophy)

"Women wearing hats are at once sophisticated and whimsical....Their faces are younger and softer. They carry themselves differently, daintily, like deer. Their voices flutter a bit..."(from "O" Magazine).

The human head is a constantly moving and turning pedestal...with the hat a sculpture. (Eia Millinery design)

If you can't make it to New York (ends April 15) by all means get the book.

It's loads of fun with Bjork and Barbara Cartland side by side.

So many hats get their inspiration from uniforms...

I spotted this lacy cocktail hat one night in Paris passing Cherry Chau's shop. You can hear more on the exhibit here.

And Thank you Kerry in WA for reminding me.

Bon Week-End!