Posted by LittleMo on December 1, 2011, 4:42 pm, in reply to "Sévigné"
Fascinating Henri - many thanks for this
--Previous Message-- : 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, 4:42 pm, in reply to "