May 13

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#06 Ancient Sun

From Denmark to Dallas, saffron-robed dawn vibrates as of yore on Athens and Pompeii; wherever you are, you stand under the sun
of Chic Cityrats

Venus and the Driade
 

  

 

 

Moore armchair, design Philippe Starck for Driade, base and swivel seat in lacquered nylon, lead-coloured base and bronze seat, also available as all white or all bronze
Dim.: h 91 cm x d 101 cm x w 129,5 cm, h seat 45,8 cm, 3.728 €
www.driade.com

Dawn is shooting its first arrows on the sea. It lights up a strange metallic shell, in which a Goddess is basking. But she won't leave this comfortable seat, as Venus did in Her time; she will nest inside it all day long, slowly turning round to follow the sun's course.


Gucci's Incantation
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eau de toilette Gucci Pour Homme II, 50 ml 49€, 100 ml 65€
www.gucci.com

The soft, muted blue of Gucci's new men's fragrance, the bottle topped by a hand-finished golden cube, the cobalt box, usher us into the elemental purity of the sun and the sea. But the woody, spicy scent, with notes of violet leaves, black tea, cinammon and olive tree, invigorated by notes of bergamot and chilli and anchored to earth by the tobacco leaves, the musk and myrrh, rather takes us to an immemorial forest where, between the red-barked trunks, we would glimpse the characters from Paul Sérusier's spiritual Incantation.


H. Stern and the Golden Pebbles
 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

Golden Stones bracelet, textured yellow gold, price on request

H. Stern, 3, rue de Castiglione Paris 1°, +33 1 42 60 22 77
www.hstern.net

Taking its inspiration from the shingles water has polished over time, the Golden Stones collection by Brazilian jeweller H. Stern borrows their rounded, organic shapes. Wearing these jewels is like adorning oneself with a necklace or a bracelet of pebbles carefully picked on a riverbed. But a river in which the Sun itself would have bathed.


Vesuvius in Dallas
 

1- The Cupid Vendor, Castellammare di Stabia, Villa Arianna, Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli

2- Medea, Castellammare di Stabia, Villa Arianna, Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli

Exhibition From the Ashes of Vesuvius, In Stabiano: Exploring the Ancient Seaside Villas of the Roman Elite, 8 July to 7 October 2007, Dallas Museum of Art, 1717 North Harwood Street, Dallas, Texas 75201
Exhibition page on http://dallasmuseumofart.org

When the Vesuvius froze Pompeii under a deluge of burning dust on August 24th, 79 A.D., the eruption also engulfed the glamorous villas of Stabiae, a seaside resort where the Neapolitan elite converged in the summer. The travelling exhibition From the Ashes of Vesuvius is spending the season at the Dallas Museum of Art. It gathers 72 objects found on the site, which tell the story of four of these palaces. Among them is the Villa Carmiano, where nine prestigious guests could recline comfortably at dinner in the triclinium, a three-couch room reconstructed for the exhibition. The perfect decor for a last supper.


Anha's Mystic
 

 

Set of three candle holders, khaki and gold lacquered wood, Anha
h 6, 13, and 22 cm, 88€
www.anha-creation.com
 

The brilliant team of designers, stylists and graphic designers at Anha is editing a new collection of lacquered wood objects for the fall/winter: vases, tea and jewel boxes... Each piece is patiently crafted, lacquered and painted by hand, such as these elegant candle holders radiating an almost mystical serenity.


Aztec Sun
 

 

1 & 2- Eye shadow trio, Vallarta and Mazatlan, also available: Acapulco, Stila, 26 €

3- Sun tanning powder SPF 15, Stila, 26 €

www.stilacosmetics.com

When the Sun sinks beneath the Moon above the ancient Aztec pyramid of Teotihuacán, someone will have to step up and act as the great priestess that celebrates a ritual for its return. Why not us? Especially if that day we're wearing these splendid powders by Stila, one of which protects against the sun while the other confers our gaze a magical intensity.


Lucrezia's Heirshighlight
 

 

 

 

 

 

Borgia vase, Les Héritiers, crockery, made exclusively in France
Upon order: other colors, golden base and handles
Dim.: h 90 cm, 970 € plain, 1.200 € with silver or golden base and handles
Information: +33 4 78 37 17 03

In a classical palace, a secret panel in the rock slides open. It leads unto a ceremonial chamber where, come the equinox, the Mysteries will be celebrated. Vigilance must be observed, lest Lucrezia pours a poison of her devising into a vase filled to the brim with honey-flavored wine.


Diptyque à l'antique
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fenouil Sauvage candle, Diptyque, 36€
Diptyque, 34, bd Saint-Germain Paris 5°, +33 1 43 26 77 44
www.diptyqueparis.com

Diptyque sends an invitation for an olfactory stroll on a sun-drenched Greek footpath, along a field of elegant Umbelliferae. Next to the ruins of a small temple grow plants of dill and tarragon, and a patch of aniseed. An aromatic fennel candle, green and fresh, to be lighted in the summer, in the middle of the day.


Greek Blue
 

 

 

 

 

 

1- Soul Surrender salt and oil body scrub, Lau Erb, 290 g., 25€

2- Yoghurt cooling gel, Korres, 150 ml, 17,90€
www.erbasia.com
www.korres.com

After a day spent in the tumultuous waters of the Aegean Sea, or lying on the soft pebbles of a Cycladic beach, lulled by the tender Zephyr, it's good to go home to a small whitewashed house paved with dark schist. For purification and relaxation, there's the scrub by Thai brand Lau Erb, containing sea salt, mint, rice and jasmine. And to refresh the skin, Korres' yoghurt cooling gel, the modern adaptation of an old Greek remedy to fight off sunstrokes.


Caesar to Superman
 

1- Steel cylinder decorated with floral motifs, h 6 m x d 6 m

2- Roman sculptures from the museum's collection on a background of spray-painted wooden panels, each side 1 meter

Exhibition Erik A. Frandsen - The Real. Unnaturalism, 27 April to 5 August 07
Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Dantes Plads 7, Copenhague, +45 33 41 81 41
www.glyptoteket.dk

Danish artist Erik Frandsen created for Copenhagen's Glyptotek this very contemporary staging of the museum's collection of ancient art. Colored paving and a monumental steel piece enlighten the hieratic statues with their bold tones, shapes, and motifs. Under the same impulse, Frandsen had a set of mosaics crafted in Pietrasanta as they were crafted two thousand years ago; but he borrowed their subjects from Marvel or Disney. The conversation works just fine.