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Miniature of the MonthSavage & Sons by Mulvany & Rogers with Lori Ann Potts Savage & Sons represents a Georgian England jewelry shop. IGMA Fellow Lori Ann Potts created more than 200 jeweled items using genuine precious stones, metals and pearls.Imagine Christmas shopping in London. The city’s Mayfair district is filled with delightful shops reminiscent of England’s Georgian Era. Those quaint boutiques were the inspiration for Savage & Sons jewelry shop by Kevin Mulvany and Susie Rogers commissioned in 2006 for the KSB Miniatures Collection. The British artisans specialize in creating historically significant architecture and interiors. Their impressive list of twelfth-scale reproductions includes Hampton Court, Versailles, Buckingham Palace, Fontainebleau and the collection’s signature structure Spencer House, the ancestral home of Princess Diana. Mulvany & Rogers based their design on an existing Georgian shop in York working from drawings, plans and photos taken from a book found in an antiquarian bookshop.  The window panes were individually cut from fine antique glass by makers Susie Rogers and Kevin Mulvany.
To achieve the rich Georgian-era feel, they handcrafted limewood and birch for the structure’s exterior and used mahogany for the interior before adding the realistic and historically accurate finishes for which they are so well known. “The soft sheen of the exterior paint finish replicates the effect of the highly leaded paints of the 18th century,” explained Susie. The project, which took more than 600 hours to complete, included making the internal fittings and the shop sign—both hand gilded in 23.5 carat gold leaf. The interior cabinetry includes a large counter which at the time was used to show goods and possible commissions to customers who would have been seated. No monies were exchanged during the transactions as customers of the exclusive shops made purchases by way of good will accounts. Mulvany & Roger’s attention to detail creates a beautiful backdrop for the shelves of period-style jewelry created by Canadian miniaturist Lori Ann Potts and supplemented with items by Lynn O’Shaughnessy and Andrew Chambers. Lori Ann made approximately 200 individual pieces in the shop which included rings, brooches, strands of pearls, earrings and bracelets.  This time of year, the Savage & Sons room box is filled with holiday touches, including treats and beverages for Christmas clients. Lori Ann, who used genuine karat gold, freshwater pearls, gemstones, diamonds and vintage Swarovski crystal rhinestones in the jewelry for Savage & Sons, had no formal art training until she began creating fine scale miniatures some thirty-five years ago. In fact, when she first began traveling to shows, she had no idea what she would create with the tiny jewels, but bought them anyway out of sheer fascination. Now an IGMA Fellow, she is known worldwide for her clothing, hats, perfumery and jewelry—items that would have been sought after in the luxury goods shops of 18th century England— and which are prized today in fine scale if they are accompanied by her name. |
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KSB Miniatures Collection at The Kentucky Gateway Museum Center |
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