ALESSANDRA MERRILL
Sotheby’s silver expert on the BEAUTY of nature’s aesthetic curves, reflective surfaces, and the importance of supporting emerging artists.
In 2017, Alessandra and I were fortunate colleagues on the Attingham Summer School Program – where we spent three glorious summer weeks alongside dozens of other curators, scholars, and designers traversing the English countryside, visiting one historic house and collection after another. Like so many people on the trip, Alessandra had an impressive background and I remember our first chat while walking in the gardens at Stowe. Alessandra had studied art history at Bard College before transitioning to the world of decorative arts: first through a stint at the Morgan Library & Museums, followed by a Masters in Decorative Arts & Design at the Parsons School of Design, and then an internship at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s American Wing, all of which eventually funnelled her into her current position for the past seven years as a silver specialist and Associate Vice President at Sotheby’s in New York. I was delighted to sit down and listen to Alessandra’s reflection on beauty from her temporary home in Texas, which of course, involved a few thoughts on silver, among other things.
How did you first become aware of beauty?
My grandmother introduced me to the world of antiques. She took an annual trip to Royal Street in New Orleans to shop and buy antique jewelry. She also embroidered, made stained glass, and did flower arranging. When I visited her, she would take me to the flower arranging shows and teach me embroidery, but the thing I loved the most was going to the antique fairs with her and browsing the stalls. She introduced me to beauty and how important it was to have in your life.
What is one of your most memorable encounters with beauty?
There have been some experiences at museums that were so beautiful they moved me to tears. One of the most memorable was at the Met Cloisters, where I saw Janet Cardiff’s The Forty Part Motet, a sound installation of the sixteenth-century choral composition Spem in alium nunquam habui (in no other is my hope) by Thomas Tallis. It was an extraordinary multi-sensory experience that was deeply moving – the combination of the cloister chapel and the music was both incredibly intimate and authentic.
THE PAIR OF AMERICAN SILVER ‘ELEPHANT’ PITCHERS MERRILL SPEAKS OF FROM TIFFANY & CO., NEW YORK, DATED 1883.
What is the most beautiful object you’ve ever seen?
It is so hard to choose, but I sold a pair of Aesthetic movement silver pitchers by Tiffany & Co. at Sotheby’s that I still dream about. The bands of stylized floral foliage and the dressed elephant heads on the handles are stunning. They exemplify the level of craftsmanship that Tiffany & Co. was producing in the late 19th century. The condition was perfect too; the chased decoration was so crisp they sparkled. They ended up selling well above their high estimate, but they are something I would have loved to own.
What are the terms or forms of beauty that most speak to you?
I love stylized representations of nature, so I find myself most drawn to artwork in the Aesthetic, Art Nouveau, Jugendstil, and Art Deco styles. There is nothing more beautiful than nature itself, so I love when an artist interprets that in their own way. It reminds me of how the kunstkammer artisans would take natural objects and mount them in silver or gold, enhancing them and making them into new forms. In such work one sees both the beauty of the artisan and the beauty of nature and I love that combination – kunst et natura.
A FAVORITE OF MERRILL IS THE ART NOUVEAU HORTA HOUSE IN BRUSSELS. PHOTO: WIKIPEDIA.
How do you cultivate a sense of the beauty in your everyday life?
I can’t imagine a world without beauty. That is what inspires us. I wish I had the talent to create art myself; however, I’m lucky to be married to a musician – Willie Green. Through his work, I’m immersed in music and get to witness his artistic process.
He has also been influenced through my study of decorative and fine art. I take him to historic houses and art museums, where he started getting inspired by what he saw – creating new work out of those visual experiences. We have organized a few visual audio experiences together, most recently an exhibition called ‘Press Play’ at Massey Klein gallery in Manhattan. Using a software process that converts an image into sound, he composed an original album from selected paintings at the gallery. Being able to collaborate creatively with him has been a real outlet for me.
Another way I keep beauty in my everyday life is by supporting emerging artists. While I love antiques and buy at auction, in recent years I also started collecting contemporary art. I wanted to support living artists, so I’ve made a commitment to buy a work of art every year. Then I have something beautiful in my home while also supporting an industry I really believe in. Part of this was inspired by our visit to Chatsworth during Attingham, where they combined the old and the new. Historically, country house owners supported the craftsmen of their own period, and I love that the current Duke and Duchess have continued that tradition of being patrons of the arts. And while that obviously doesn’t mean not buying antiques, we need to keep this kind of living craft and talent alive.
MERRILL BRINGING THE TABLE TO LIFE AT SOTHEBY’S WITH GEORGIAN SILVER EPERGNE FILLED WITH FLORALS. PHOTO COURTESY OF ALESSANDRA MERRILL.