Yesterday on television I heard a jewelry expert, Mr Martijn Akkerman (who also appeared on the weekly program 'Blauw Bloed') giving an explanation on bows and on jewels in the shape of bows.
Bows stand for longevity, durability, loyalty etc. Some royal families have fantastic bows which express this. Mr Akkerman told that a bow in jewelry should be called a sévigné, named after Madame Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, Marquise de Sévigné (1626 – 1696). The present Musée Carnavalet in Paris was once one of Madame Sevigné's Paris' residences.
You would not imagine it, but Louis XIV found that the members of the aristocracy were too outrageous with bows here, bows there and bows everywhere. The exquise textures of the Messires and Madames at his Court were unbelievably costly and the King -as an austerity measure- regulated that these bows were no longer allowed.
Some aristocrat ladies started to wear Mabel-like bows which were removable and could be worn on different dresses. The Marquise de Sévigné came on the idea to create bows with jewelry and started to wear these. These expensive bows became quite fashionable and soon many aristocrat ladies started to wear these. Mr Akkerman told that these bows are still known as sévigné. So when you see Queen Elizabeth with a precious bow, than the BBC-commentator should say: "As you will note, Her Majesty is adorned with a beautiful sévigné of diamonds".
In 1981 Queen Beatrix wore one of the beautiful sévignées from the Orange-Nassau collection. Probably she finds these bows too ostentatious for her taste, this one was never worn again after 1981.
on December 1, 2011, 2:41 am
