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Chinese Kingfisher Ornaments – Beauty and Decoration
“The halcyon kingfisher nests in the South Sea realm Cock and hen in groves of jewelled trees
How could they know that the thoughts of lovely women Covet them as highly as gold?” **
Since the beginning of civilization humans have sought to adorn and decorate themselves, and the Chinese were no exception. Inspired by the beauty and variety of the birds and animals around them they sought, from the very earliest times to emulate these seemingly perfect creatures by first adorning themselves with their pelts and plumes. Then with increasing sophistication to embellish the clothes and accessories they wore, finally establishing by the time of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) a highly-stylised and visible social and political hierarchy. This was based upon their perception of the intrinsic characteristics of these creatures and famously epitomized by the bird and animal rank badges of that era.
Unsurprisingly perhaps, headgear and hairstyles evolved in the most spectacular manner, and the crests and head plumes of the birds the Chinese encountered provided inspiration over the centuries for an astonishing variety of hats, crowns, tiaras, hairstyles and hair ornaments. Drawn by their iridescent beauty, many races and peoples have used feathers as adornment or accessory, and the earliest humans, including the Chinese, probably initially sought to decorate themselves using entire feathers from the bird; we are all familiar with pictures of races right up until modern times such as the Papua New Guinean tribes, which continue to do so. 
It is only the Chinese however who evolved beyond this to discover a way to incorporate the colour and sheen, which they so admired in the beautiful feathers, into something far more wearable, sophisticated and elegant (Hartman, R., 1980, p80). The most highly-prized of all as seen in the short poem above were the flashing iridescent turquoise and blue feathers of the little halcyon, or kingfisher bird, at that stage plentiful in China and in fact, in most of Asia. As can be deduced from the date of Ch’en Tzu-ang’s poem, the use of kingfisher feathers appears well-established at that stage and they were clearly already highly valued as much, if not more, than gold.
Excavations of T’ang dynasty (A.D. 618-906) tombs have revealed tiny kingfisher jewellery pieces which were probably used more in the manner of gems or decorative items, and there are descriptions of a dying king from the Han dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 220) detailing his private chamber in which there were “kingfisher hangings on jasper hooks” and “bedspreads of kingfisher all seeded with pearls”(Hartman, R., 1980, p76), apparently from the manner of their description not necessarily unusual objects for the time.
Trees @ Melbourne – Nature’s Fortress and Humankind’s Friend
‘If you reveal your secrets to the wind you should not blame the wind for revealing them to the trees.’*
Giant Moreton Bay Fig playing host to a fabulous array of Staghorn ferns in the Botanical Gardens, Melbourne
In the natural landscape trees, which often host a variety of bird and other plant life, are admired for their form, their shape and their colour. It was the colour of their green, the luxuriance of their foliage, the formation of their crown, the thickness and height of their trunks that was most important to the ancients. Whether tall, stout, large or old they became symbols of life and knowledge, as old as life itself. They are to be found naturally on great mountains, in misty river valleys, alongside lakes large and small, rivers, creeks and waterfalls. They are made of wondrous wood, hailed as nature’s building block. They provide an energy source, prevent erosion, produce an ecosystem for other plant material, as well as create shade and shelter for humans and animals.
Trees are awesome, they are nature’s fortress and humankind’s friend. At Melbourne there are some of the most sensational and beautiful specimen trees indigenous to this land, as well as exotics purposefully introduced into Australia. Many of its parks and gardens contain fabulous trees, which are now over 100 and 150 years of age. They have been given the room to grow as they would in nature and are valued and conserved.
Fawkner Park on busy Commercial Road South Yarra opposite The Alfred, one of Melbourne’s largest hospitals, was established in 1862 on 41 hectares of land owned by John Pascoe Fawkner. It remains substantially unchanged from its original design, providing a place of solace and peace for those in between appointments opposite. Running parallel to Commercial Road and its footpath there is a giant avenue of Oak Trees. Having to travel along this huge Melbourne block (blocks are much bigger than Sydney or Brisbane) the other day I veered off the footpath and traversed a huge expanse under the shade of these wonderfully mature trees.
It was pleasantly cooling, and I could not understand why those walking on the footpath had forged on when they could have entered this graceful and elegant pathway to reach the same destination. Pausing in life to ‘smell the roses’ so to speak, or just to be visually aware of the rich heritage of our surroundings in Australia today is important. So many people laboured in the past to create the beauty we now enjoy. They never expected to see the end result of years of planning, because they were visionaries planting for the future.
Passionate Pursuits
Fashion Elixir
‘Everything today is thoroughly modern‘… sang Julie Andrews in the 1967 movie Thoroughly Modern Millie? Can it really be?
Fashion reinvents itself time and time again. We see it on runways constantly – Gucci’s Spring/Summer 2012 collection – fabulous flappers all the way. Stunning black and gold fringing, shiny metallics, swinging fringes and to die for draping. In 1974 Theoni V. Aldredge won the Oscar for Best costume design for “The Great Gatsby”. Let’s see if Catherine Martin can do the same for Aussie Director Baz Luhrmann’s remake, starring Hollywood heart throb Leonardo DiCaprio and all new sweetheart Carey Mulligan.
The lifestyle of Gatsby and the character’s costumes will be revealed in glorious colour and 3D. Luhrmann said recently he believed the latest three-dimensional foray in technology also suits the idea, because author J.F. Fitzgerald was a modernist, heavily influenced by the cinema.
Italy’s fav designer Etro’s Spring/ 2012 collection …
Quick Snippets of Culture
Claude Monet in his garden, a profusion of flowers blooming beautifully courtesy Elizabeth Murray
French Impressionist painters, like Claude Monet, paused in the countryside to capture the light of the sky in Normandy, where the intense colour of red poppies flowering in its fallow fields remind us of war and peace. They recorded the haze leaching off lovely lavender fields in the heat of a summer in Provence, as it released its heady calming fragrance into the cool night air. They floated on boats along the Seine, following the river as it meandered in circuitous routes through the city of Paris. They enjoyed picnics on its banks, while recording all sorts of places from power stations to railway stations for posterity. When they reached the seashore they scrambled over slippery moss covered rocks to capture the magic of the ocean and rugged rock formations. The turbulence of the waves echoed the up and down aspects of their life and its times. They were as unpredictable as the swelling number of tourists clamouring to see them at work, giving them a whole lot of trouble while helping establish their all-new celebrity status.
Carolyn's Conversations
Trees are awesome, they are nature's fortress and humankind's friend, and here at Melbourne they are valued and conserved especially one Golden Elm at Sth Yarra
The design origins of casement windows are based in European classical architecture and usually had detailed curved stone headers, deep overhanging classical cornices and, the French essential, projecting attic rooms.
Stylist Jo Bayley Fashion Editor at The Culture Concept Circle believes anyone can be fabulous armed with the right tools shoes, hot dress and iconic handbag
Modern manners, codes of behaviour, decorum and rules of etiquette matter in every culture and society - they illuminate and respect the human experience.
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