AWESOME NATURAL EMBELLISHMENTS

Taxidermy birds, real beetles, monkey teeth, tiger claws, shell, bone, and other things that were once alive, have all been used to embellish and adorn, since ancient times.

Many were fashioned into jewelry or decorative pieces in England during the second half of the 19th century. In a way, it celebrated the natural world just as society moved into its industrial revolution.

Today, we are featuring some incredible examples of natural embellishments.

THAI JEWEL BEETLE EMBELLISHMENTS

Queen Paola, of Belgium, was looking for something to spruce up her palace, so she commissioned Belgian artist, Jan Fabre, add some panache to its main reception room, the Hall of Mirrors.

Fabre had a longtime passion for insects and animals. He spent three years as Artist-in-Residence at the Museum of Natural History in London, experimenting with bones and various beetles. He began to use them in his sculptures.

The slim graceful curves and the exotic irridescence of Thai Jewel Beetles facinated Fabre, in particular. He set out to cover the entire ceiling of the Hall, as well as every square inch of  its center chandelier, with about 1.4 million Thai Jewel Beetle wing cases.

The wing cases of the jewel beetles are made of chitin, a super-hard material that doesn’t degrade easily. Their sheen comes from wafer-thin platelets that capture, reflect and transform light. And their gorgeous color just won’t fade.

It took 3 years to collect all of the beetles from restaurant kitchens in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, where the beetle “meat” is eaten regularly. It took a team of 29 artists to complete this massive work --  the room is 83 feet long by 35 feet wide.

The result is magical as the curved cases shimmer in a rich bluish-green glow. Each angle of view, each shift of light, offers a unique thrill. The work is named ''Heaven of Delight,'' a nod to the ''The Garden of Earthly Delights'' by Hieronymus Bosch.

SCARAB BEETLE EMBELLISHMENTS

Of course, decorating with expired beetles is nothing new. Ancient Egyptian elevated the scarab beetle to jewel-status, using the insect, as one would a precious stone, in jewelry. Scarab bracelets became popular in Victorian times and remained popular items well into the Art Deco period.

TORTOISE SHELL EMBELLISHMENTS

Tortoiseshell, produced from the shells hawksbill and other large turtles, has been used in decorative arts since ancient times. Like ivory, it is now banned because, like elephants, these turtles have become endangered, largely because of the popularity of tortoise shell.

A wonderful early 20thC Tortoise Shell and Bone decorated Done topped Stationery Box is available at auction at the Blanchard Collective.

The Spanish Colonial Arts Society, in Santa Fe, NM, has some beautiful embellished tortoiseshell pieces, like the hair comb above, on exhibition in its Filigree & Finery show, on now through May 2014.

You can still find old pieces of tortoiseshell-embellished objects, furniture, and jewelry. Their mottled brown and amber translucent placques are etched, carved, inlaid, and bejeweled.

This George IV period tortoise-shell double tea-caddy is veneered with segments of richly-coloured shell within pewter lines and with silver mounts. Circa 1820.

Available at 1st Dibs.

MOTHER-OF-PEARL EMBELLISHMENTS

Mother-of-Pearl has been a longtime favorite natural material in Asian art. This carved piece hails from the Qing dynasty, in the 19th century.

Available at auction from Arcimboldo.

Some incredible pieces of carved Mother-of-Pearl were discovered, stashed deep within the archives of the Franciscan monestary in Washington DC.

The pieces were handcrafted by workers in Bethlehem over the past century.

Read more about Beautiful Embellishments and how they relates to Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact.

Enter this week’s BN Creative Photo Competition. Our theme this week is Beautiful Embellishments. Deadline is 04.20.14.

Photo Credits: 

1. Photo: Courtesy of To Infinity and Beyond. Thai Jewel Beetle Chandelier.
2. Photo: Courtesy of From There to Here. Thai Green Jewel Chandelier.
3. Photo: Courtesy of Baronesso. Thai Jewel Beetle Chandelier.
4. Image: Courtesy of Local Fashion. Scarab Beetles Bracelet.
5. Image: Courtesy of Blanchard Collective. Tortoise Shell Stationery Box.
6. Image: Courtesy of Spanish Colonial Blog. Decorative Hair Comb.
7. Image: Courtesy of Nick Brock Antiques. George III Tortoise Shell Tea Caddy.
8. Image: Courtesy of Archimboldo. A Fine Mother of Pearl Carving.
9. Image: Courtesy of My Franciscan. Mother of Pearl & Abalone Inlays.
10. Image: Courtesy of My Franciscan. The Last Supper. Mother-of-Pearl.
11. Image: Courtesy of Mosaic Arts Supply. Art Glass.