This intriguing young lady is the Princess of Eboli, Ana de Mendoza of Spain. A bit of a rebel, Ana de Mendoza was born to the wealthy Mendoza family and later married at the young age of 13 to Rui Gomez, a favorite of King Phillip II. Although we can never be certain what happened to her eye, many historians believe it was due to a fencing accident when she was 12 or 14 years old.

Ana de Mendoza became an influential person with the royal court and the upper echelons of society during her day. Despite the eyepatch (or perhaps even because of it!) her beauty and wit was so captivating that eventually she caught the notice of King Philip II of Spain and became his mistress. She raised 9 children with her husband, who purchased the town of Eboli in Naples. She courted many controversies in her day, from her affair with the King to her radical speeches about life, religion and politics that made her an important person in the court during her time. Her legend lives on through books written about her life, Hollywood movies and even an opera!

In addition to her intriguing eyepatch, many of her portraits feature her decked out in gorgeous pearls. This painting showcases a lovely triple strand pearl choker, pearl drop earrings, strings of pearls on her dress and multiple strings of pearls decorating her feathered hat. 

"Portrait of Ana de Mendoza, 1560 – Artist Unknown"

Beautiful Nude Topless Woman, 1910 - Delphin Enjolras

For the last classical, historical portrait I’ve chosen Tsarina Maria Feodorovna, the last Empress of Russia, and mother to the last Tsar, Nicholas Romanov, who was infamously gunned down along with his family during the Bolshevik Revolution. Maria was able to flee to her native Denmark in 1919, narrowly escaping the Bolsheviks. However, she was only able to take one chest of her fabulous “every day jewels” with her. The rest of the Court Jewels were confiscated by the Soviets and sold; lost to history.

In this portrait, she’s literally dripping with pearls! Empress Maria Feodorovna wears her diamond and pearl Wave Necklace, two pearl necklaces, and a matching brooch in a portrait by Ivan Kramskoj, painted in 1881. The necklace and brooch were part of a parure, which was possibly made by Cartier. Her Diamond Fringe Tiara could be altered by adding pearls to the top and bottom of the crown, and she can be seen in multiple portraits wearing it in this configuration, including this one if you look carefully, studded in between the diamond peaks. On her wrist is a triple-strand pearl bracelet closed with a Sapphire and Diamond clasp.

The Romanovs were known throughout Europe as one of the richest and most powerful royal families, with one of the largest jewelry collections in the world. The Empress felt that it was her duty to always be visible at Court, wearing her jewels to heighten the royal impression made upon Russian society. Her daughters were likewise always spectacularly dressed for all royal events.

Maria Feodorovna never sold her remaining jewels to fund her exile, and instead kept them in a chest under her bed until her death in 1928 in Denmark. An inventory revealed “The jewel box was finally opened at Windsor in May 1929, to reveal the seventy-six items comprising the last of Marie Feodorovna considerable collection, including the Diamond Star of the Order of St Andrew; ropes of pearls, ‘the largest the size of a cherry’; and brooches, bracelets, hair ornaments and hatpins, all sparkling with diamonds, emeralds, rubies and sapphires.” – historian John Van der Kiste.

Maria Feodorovna, born Princess Dagmar of Denmark, 1881 – Ivan Kramskoj

Turning to modern times one of my favorite new fine artists is Piotr Topolski a Polish artist born in 1960. His specialty is portraits done in an older style, specifically the Old Masters, always with a dark background and luminous, realistic figures. This particular artist is painting stunning portraiture TODAY, and he auctions his work each year on his site. I want one so badly, but my favorites always sell out before I even get the notification the paintings are ready for sale. I will likely feature more of his work in my next Pearls in Fine Art installment. 

 

Moving on into more modern times, I found this illustration from the book “Stories from the Arabian Nights”, published in 1907 – considered by many to be the Golden Age of illustration. This lovely illustration is from ‘Pirouze, the fairest and most honourably born', and features a beautiful Indian woman draped in ropes of pearls admiring a parrot.

The artist, Edward Dulac was known for his romantic, warm colors and oriental style. He was a prolific artist and illustrator and is renowned for his aesthetic which many artists attempted to imitate. 

Pirouze, the fairest and most honourably born' – Stories from the Arabian Nights, 1907 – Edward Dulac

 

 

Continuing on with illustrations, I found The Mermaid by Henry Clive painted in 1939. I love the movement of this piece, and the huge, glowing pearls that the mermaid is holding up in adoration. Gorgeous, and a very popular painting! 

 

The Mermaid by Henry Clive, 1939

Another STUNNING mermaid painting I found was this piece by Lacy Perry in 2022 – so a truly modern painting! Here, an Asian mermaid sits under the sea, decorated in hundreds or thousands of pearls. The "Jiaoren" is a mermaid from South Asian folklore who cries pearls and weaves highly prized "dragon yarn", which never gets wet. 

 

The sense of currents of water drifting through her hair and waving the ruffles of her clothing as she lovingly examines a pearl the size of an egg. I am adoring all the blues and purples! 

 

Global Mermaid - Jiaoren, 2024 - Lacy Perry

 

Continuing on the theme of fairy tales, I found an image from one of the most influential artists of my life, Brian Froud. His seminal book “Faeries” was instrumental in teaching myself how to draw, and inspired my life-long passion for art.

Here is the Fairy Queen, with a simple baroque pearl and gold wire headband around the crown of her head, her magic sparkling and blessing everyone she encounters. This particular image was a part of tarot deck project called The Heart of Faery Oracle by Brian and Wendy Froud. Here is what they had to say about this beautiful fairy:

The Queen Of The Day: Grace ~ Beauty ~ Blessings

“The Queen Of The Day is a queen of blessings. She holds those blessings in the palm of her hand, and she leaves peace, calm, and a sense of well-being as she passes. She is the embodiment of what we sometimes call a “state of grace.” She is the light after the darkness, the sun and shadow of an awakening day. If you are lucky enough to draw this card, then you are blessed. Enjoy the moment and enjoy the day. Be aware of the beauty around you, no matter where you are or what situation you find yourself in, for there is beauty everywhere if you have the eyes to see it. Stop and think about how this day, this situation can be seen in a better light. Beauty and grace are there, but you must find them.”

The Queen of the Day, The Heart of Faery Oracle, 2010 - Brian Froud

 

 

 

Speaking of legends, myths and fantastical tales, this stunning photograph caught my eye (I think I’d like to buy it, actually!) … she’s so very reminiscent of tragic Ophelia in the play Hamlet written by Shakespeare. 

Here, a beautiful young woman floats – is she deceased, or dreaming? We can’t know. – in a calm river. An elegant rope of pearls is wrapped around her hair, and she grasps a bouquet of wild Lavender. I love the surreal, romantic feel of this photograph, and the extra pearl details just under her eye, giving the photo a very “Fae” vibe.

Pearls on the River, 2020 – Viet Ha Tran

 

 

 

This grainy, stark, striking photograph immediately arrested my attention while on my search for modern art featuring pearls. A statuesque model is displayed in profile, wearing nothing but layered pearl necklaces and strands of pearls and chains in her hair. While the title is “Tsarina”, in my opinion, this one could be called “Witch” or “Gypsy” instead. I have always loved black and white photography for its stark appeal. No matter what it’s called, I love it! 

Tsarina VIII, 2007 – Marc Lagrange

That's it for Pearls in Fine Art Part 2 edition of the newsletter. Did you like it? I hope so! I hope you saw something inspiring, fell in love with some art or a new artist, learned something new about an historical figure perhaps ... The world of Art is never-ending due to how amazingly creative we human beings can be. I know I'm ready to break out my sketchpad and do a little drawing now! 

 

Which piece was your favorite? Do you have any suggestions for an artist or a picture to feature next time? Drop me a line and let me know! 

 
Until next time ...

 

XO,

Ashley M.

 

 

 

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