“I am God’s Daughter”

The name Elizabeth means “God’s oath” and “I am God’s daughter”. This pertains to Elizabeth the mother of John who took the oath of the Nazarite and thus was seperated and concecrated to God, personally, and was like His Daughter. A male who took the oath, would say “I am God’s Son”?

“In you my son and daughter, I am well pleased!”

The art and jewelry of Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor has been sold at auction. I have seen this kind of sale before, thus I am bid to inquire;

“What became of the rose? I have come for the scent of the rose.”

“I am God’s Rose!” is applicable to Rosemond Taylor, and perhaps when one is put in the ground, it is time to be reborn – in a tree?

Jon Presco

With the auction of Elizabeth Taylor’s jewelry collection over and done with at Christie’s, an era has come to a close. Grossing nearly $116 million, and setting records left and right, the collection could have filled several jewelry stores with only the finest specimens in the world. And that’s without factoring in the Liz quotient, that aura of unofficial royalty that graced most everything she touched. (A portion of profits will be donated to The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation).

The collection evoked Taylor’s earlier years, before she became tabloid fodder for the wrong reasons. Many of the baubles were artifacts of her countless marriages and affairs, each of which seemed to pack more passion and drama than the lifetimes of a dozen ordinary folk. (Which is not to say that the ordinary folk aren’t just as happy, or happier.) There’s never been a star quite like her, nor will there ever be again, most likely, during this time when visiting Occupy Wherever, or lobbying against land mines, rank as admirable acts. A far cry from jetting to the Côte d’Azur, 20 carats around one wrist, to celebrate yet another honeymoon. Or hanging out with pal Michael Jackson, who gave her several pieces, a number of them monkey-themed. For the most part, her taste was extravagant, but many of the key pieces are tastefully designed to showcase magnificent gemstones, including the Krupp diamond and “La Peregrina,” a teardrop-shaped pearl.

Yup, conspicuous consumption is just plain tacky nowadays. (A tangent: Kim Kardashian purchased three jade bangles worn often by Taylor, an idol of KK’s. At least Taylor came by her fame through her honest acting talent, and seemed to actually marry for love, even if it was eventually fickle.) In addition to jewelry, the auction, through December 16, includes clothing, ranging from tasteful evening suits to eye-popping Versace blouses and kaleidoscopic caftans. Her art collection included acquisitions blending personal relevance and a blue-chip index. Several display cases worth of what can only be called “tchotchkes” actually brought La Liz down to earth—keepsakes that must have been primarily gifts, crystal and glass things, accessories related to daily vices, stuff like what we all eventually accumulate and have to figure out how to get rid of. Most likely it won’t be at Christie’s.

The collection also finds room for Taylor’s personal art collection, where a Van Gogh landscape (estimate price $5m-$7m) sits cheek by jowl with a Degas self-portrait and a scene of rustic France from the Fauvist artist Maurice de Vlaminck. A separate room is given over to Andy Warhol’s classic silkscreens, together with a letter of thanks from the subject herself. “Dearest Andy,” it reads. “I’m so proud I finally have your ‘Liz’ and thank you for signing it so sweetly to me. I do love you. Elizabeth or Liz (of Andy Warhol fame).”

Dame Elizabeth’s “love affair with jewelry” has often overshadowed her equally magnificent collection of Impressionist art. Incredibly rare paintings by Picasso, Utrillo, Degas, Rouault, Monet, Pissaro, Renoir, Mary Cassatt, Modigliani, Vlaminck, van Gogh, Frans Hals, Matisse, Cézanne, Cassatt, Rembrandt, Erté and Frans Hals have all hung on the walls of Dame Elizabeth’s grand homes, on land or at sea.

Elizabeth grew up with an understanding and appreciation for fine art. Her father, Francis Taylor, was an art dealer with a gallery located at 35 Old Bond Street in London. He learned the business under the tutelage of his uncle, Howard Young. After relocating with his family to sunny California during the war, Francis opened an art gallery at the Château Elysée, but quickly relocated it to the more impressive Beverly Hills Hotel. It was at that location that such celebrities as Howard Duff, Vincent Price, James Mason, Alan Ladd, Hedda Hopper, and Greta Garbo could be found selecting art for their own collections. Francis Taylor was also a trendsetter; responsible for the popularity of Augustus John in the United States. Francis, who had a keen eye, asked John if he could buy some of the paintings John had discarded. John felt they weren’t good enough to sell, and gave them to Francis free of charge. They were sold back at the art gallery in the States, where Augustus John paintings would be sold exclusively for many years. Francis would soon find an art connoisseur in his daughter, Elizabeth, who would amass one of the great private collections of Impressionist art in America.

One of her first big pieces was one by Frans Hals, given to by Francis on the occasion of her marriage to Nicky Hilton. Elizabeth owns several other Hals, including “Portrait of a Man”.

Elizabeth’s collection of art, like her collection of jewelry, grew during her brief but passionate marriage to the great Mike Todd. During this time, Todd, who was also an art connoisseur, purchased painting by Degas, Utrillo, and Vuillar from the collection of Aly Khan for a reported cost of $71,428. “They’ll think I’m crazy when they hear about this in Hollywood,” Todd joked. “Paying that much for pictures that don’t even move.” Once, while Elizabeth was hospitalized, Todd decorated the walls of her sterile hospital room with paintings by Renoir, Pissarro, and Monet (Todd even unintentionally punctured the Van Gogh with a pencil, but Elizabeth’s uncle, Howard Young, was able to mend it). “He knew how much I loved paintings. He loved paintings, too, but instead of buying himself the paintings, he’d buy them for me,” Elizabeth remembered. The Todds were generous with their collection; even loaning pieces to the Los Angeles County Art Museum.

Elizabeth continued to collect valuable art during her marriage to Richard Burton, and they together acquired many fabulous paintings. Bidding on behalf of his daughter, Francis Taylor purchased Vincent van Gogh’s “Lunatic Asylum, St. Remy” at Sotheby’s (and as a belated birthday present, Francis Taylor purchased for Elizabeth a Utrillo at the same auction). The painting, which was being sold from the collection of Alfred Woolf, was auctioned for £92,000. She would later try (unsuccessfully) to part with the painting for $20 million.

Elizabeth once described her home as “such a cozy, sweet place with bits and pieces around—bits and pieces of Renoir—and, you know, things that make it homey.” All joking aside, like the joy her famous collection of jewelry has brought her, Elizabeth’s paintings serve as memories of incredible times from a bygone era, and the loved ones she shared them with.

A four-day New York auction of the belongings of Hollywood star Elizabeth Taylor has fetched more than $150m, with one leather-bound film script selling for 50 times its estimate.
The late actor’s script of The National Velvet, her first big film, sold for $170,000 at the Christie’s auction.