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Brooch

Marcus & Co. (New York City, New York)

c.1900

This exquisite brooch is one of the few extant examples of plique-à-jour jewelry made by the New York firm of Marcus & Co., whose reputation at its prime rivaled that of Tiffany & Co. Herman Marcus (1828–99), a German–born and Dresden–trained jeweler, arrived in New York in 1850 and worked for a number of prestigious firms before establishing Marcus & Co. in 1892. Following his death, the company continued under the direction of his two sons, George Elder Marcus and William Marcus.

The brooch is a superb example of Marcus & Co.’s work in plique-à-jour enameling, in which the "cells" of color have no backing, allowing light to shine through the transparent enamel, thereby creating the effect of stained glass. One of the only jewelry firms of its day to succeed at this challenging technique, Marcus & Co. followed the lead of such innovative French designers as René Lalique. The sensitive 3-dimensional sculpting of the sweet pea blossoms and leaves, as well as the naturalistic coloring of the enamels, reflects the Art Nouveau aesthetic that prevailed at the turn of the century. Indeed, close parallels can be drawn with the brilliant naturalistic work of Louis Comfort Tiffany, whose oeuvre is so well represented in the Met’s collection.

The MET (Accession Number: Accession Number: 2016.107)

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The moment where he calculates.

(Source)

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ALEXANDER SIDDIG: I wouldn't have known how to play explicitly gay! Good lord! So intimidating! ALSO ALEXANDER SIDDIG: I wouldn't have known how to play explicitly straight! Good lord! So intimidating! ALSO ALEXANDER SIDDIG: BTW all my characters are some kind of queer and gender-something. I just do that instinctively. ALSO ALEXANDER SIDDIG: I liked it when people read Bashir as feminine, even when they were being shitty about it, because they were correct and he is. ALSO ALEXANDER SIDDIG: What even is gender. ALSO ALEXANDER SIDDIG: I'm not quite straight myself. This is such an interesting interview and the fact that Siddig is unnecessarily adorable throughout is just a bonus.

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So we all know that Tumblr is US-centric. But to what degree? (and can we skew the results of this poll by posting it at a time where they should be asleep?)

Reblog to increase sample size!

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How do you pronounce Miette?

re: this poll (no shade, I just wanted a poll with Mi-ett)

*2: mi-TAY with emphasis on tay

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The Golden Girls - 2.11 - ‘Twas the Nightmare Before Christmas

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Cat enjoying beach

(Source)

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Coping with the finale of 'Shogun' by posting my meme collection

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Caves are weirder and more varied than you think

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from now on your tumblr nickname is whatever you get from this sexual identity generator  ☆

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MISS CONGENIALITY | 2000 

bonus:

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I’m bored and nosy. Please reblog this with the book you’re currently reading.

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Just checking.... We all pronounce Miette like My-TAY in our heads, right?

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no multi option, agonize and choose, no results option, pick one to find out or scroll onward

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Umberto Eco, who owned 50,000 books, had this to say about home libraries:

"It is foolish to think that you have to read all the books you buy, as it is foolish to criticize those who buy more books than they will ever be able to read. It would be like saying that you should use all the cutlery or glasses or screwdrivers or drill bits you bought before buying new ones.

"There are things in life that we need to always have plenty of supplies, even if we will only use a small portion.

"If, for example, we consider books as medicine, we understand that it is good to have many at home rather than a few: when you want to feel better, then you go to the 'medicine closet' and choose a book. Not a random one, but the right book for that moment. That's why you should always have a nutrition choice!

"Those who buy only one book, read only that one and then get rid of it. They simply apply the consumer mentality to books, that is, they consider them a consumer product, a good. Those who love books know that a book is anything but a commodity."