We are developing the social individualist meta-context for the future. From the very serious to the extremely frivolous... lets see what is on the mind of the Samizdata people.
Samizdata, derived from Samizdat /n. - a system of clandestine publication of banned literature in the USSR [Russ.,= self-publishing house]
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Exquisite emblems of shameless capitalism An almost-hidden jewel in London’s collection of museums is the Gilbert collection of jewels, furniture and historic art in Somerset House, on the banks of the Thames near the Temple tube station. At the moment, there is a retrospective exhibition of the work of the great Tiffany jewellery business, going back to that firm’s origins in the middle of the 19th Century. In some ways, the rise of the house of Tiffany mirrors America’s own rise as a mighty economy, since the industrial progress of that country created vast fortunes, and naturally, people wanted to show this wealth off. And boy, did they do so. I strongly recommend this collection for anyone who wants to see the jewellers’ art at its greatest.
My only word of caution: if you are thinking of taking someone there for the start of a sophisticated date, be warned. The jewels there may give your other half Big Ideas. Very Expensive Ones. Gulp.
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Who Are We? The Samizdata people are a bunch of sinister and heavily armed globalist illuminati who seek to infect the entire world with the values of personal liberty and several property. Amongst our many crimes is a sense of humour and the intermittent use of British spelling.
We are also a varied group made up of social individualists, classical liberals, whigs, libertarians, extropians, futurists, ‘Porcupines’, Karl Popper fetishists, recovering neo-conservatives, crazed Ayn Rand worshipers, over-caffeinated Virginia Postrel devotees, witty Frédéric Bastiat wannabes, cypherpunks, minarchists, kritarchists and wild-eyed anarcho-capitalists from Britain, North America, Australia and Europe.
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Hmmmm. The Gilbert collection is interesting if you have a special interest in Italian mosaic furniture, or silverware, or really ugly stuff that costs a lot. But in general terms, it’s basically gaudy and tasteless, it reminds me of those Iranian luxury goods shops in London – all the onyx and gold and crystal you can cram into one object, with no regard for cost or beauty.
It’s worth a visit, because it’s a collection of objects you don’t see anywhere else – on the grounds that no-one in their right mind would ever want them. And to be fair some of the silverware is impressive.
If you want actual good craftsmanship, try the V&A, and if you want to see a more interesting private collection, I’d recommend the Wallace collection, which focusses rather eclectically on genre painting, weapons, and porcelain.
Can’t say I disagree. It was the Tiffany stuff that impressed me.
Sometimes the really ugly expensive stuff gives you a real insight into how others think. Some years ago I saw a collection of Fabrege objects from Imperial Russia, in the New Orleans art Museum. They didn’t have the best stuff (Malcomb Forbes had that), but some of them were very pretty. I particularly liked the carved flowers.
However, one item particularly cought my eye. It was a little jade elephant, about 2 inches long. There was a blanket on it’s back made of tiny rubies, and a large emerald on the back, as a howdah. And a wire coming from underneath. The thing was an electric buzzer button, with which the Grand Duke would summon his secretary from the anteroom. (see here for similar) The thing was so exquisitely silly and indulgent that I began to understand the follies that brought down the Romanovs.