One scarf, two ways
It was during a wine soaked evening at art dealer Diana Parkin’s house, that I fell for the Oliver Messel framed silk scarf, hanging on her walls . I can’t claim credit for having the idea first, it is she who has the loveliest taste.
I scrolled eBay on the tube home, and justified my purchase as a birthday present ( glossing over the framing cost). When it arrived by post, I slung it into a cold silk wash and to my horror forgot about it languishing in the drum. The pink dye had run everywhere and I was cross with myself, not least because I have a textile design degree. I know how to look after fabrics!
So I bought another, framed the next one (without risking the wash) and now wear the second. Best to make a virtue of mistakes.
I hugely admire Messel’s work, my theory being, the scarf is probably the only (affordable) piece of his highly collectible work I can own. The design of the scarf had two incarnations. originally designed with gold leaf in 1953 for Queen Elizabeth’s coronation, it was then reissued with silver in 1977 to commemorate the Silver Jubilee. It was block printed by Cresta Silks Ltd and there is a lovely article here about the company.
Whilst I can make out the Rose, Clover and thistle, there’s a vagueness to many of the lines. You sort of wish you could ask him what they all represent. But I feel it captures the celebratory spirit of being ten men deep, waiting excitedly for that moment of the horse and carriage to hurtle past, so perfectly. As you would expect from a man who was a set designer.
His family background is fascinating, but his work interests me more, one of my other favourite’s is his ceiling mural at Parham House. It has that restrained elegance of Swedish style to my mind.
On a personal level, I admire the way Oliver Messel spanned many varied creative disciplines: theatre, film, interior design, fine art, illustration etc. Which feels so inspirational in the modern world where we like to conveniently label creatives as one thing. On that thought, I’ll leave you, till next time.