Natural jewels

A recent post on the National Trust blog caught my eye this morning.  It features a theatre costume worn by Ellen Terry which has just undergone conservation and gone back on display at Smallhythe Place in Kent.  The dress had been adorned with the iridescent wings of the jewel beetle.  I had no idea of the size of these wings until google found me this picture. Donated wings were used in the restoration of the dress,  a dedicated 1,300 hours of work undertaken by conservator Zenzie Tinker.  There is more on the conservation in this Daily Mail article from which I was happy to learn that the wings are shed naturally.

The NT blog post is particularly interesting because it gives links to paintings,  executed by John Singer Sargeant, of Ellen Terry wearing the costume, which in turn leads us to a wonderful quote from Oscar Wilde:

Oscar Wilde, who saw Terry's arrival at Sargent's Chelsea studio, remarked, 'The street that on a wet and dreary morning has vouchsafed the vision of Lady Macbeth in full regalia magnificently seated in a four-wheeler can never again be as other streets: it must always be full of wonderful possibilities.'

 (From the display caption August 2004)