Category Archives: Art Deco
Reworked Portraits by Tamara de Lempicka on Agatha Christie’s Poirot
In Agatha Christie's Poirot, The Underdog, a portrait painted by the artist Tamara de Lempicka in 1928 has been copied and the face altered to resemble the actor who plays the character Reuben Astwell. Tamara de Lempicka was a famous female artist of the Art Deco era and her works typify the style of the period.
Another example is a portrait from the episode One, Two, Buckle my Shoe that borrowed heavily from two different painting by Tamara de Lempicka.
The boardroom scene in one,Two Buckle my Shoe features a portrait of a couple which was based on two separate portraits by by Tamara de Lempicka as seen below.
Reference:
- http://www.delempicka.org/artwork/1927-1929.html
- Tamara de Lempicka prints on Amazon.co.uk
- http://amzn.to/2BBBxcx
Breakfast with Poirot
Poirot reads the morning paper at breakfast. His art deco breakfast ware is by Susie Cooper (29 October 1902 – 28 July 1995) who was an English pottery designer active from the 1920s to the 1980s. She is well known for her distinctive Art Deco pieces from the 20's and 30's such as the pieces seen here. The pieces below are like those seen on Agatha Christie's Poirot. They can be found on eBay at the time of writing. Click the pictures below for more details on the site.
Susie Cooper Art Deco Orange Tango Kestral Teapot
Reference:
Tea with Poirot
Poirot prepares to entertain a guest to tea in the episode The Adventure of the Western Star. Marie Marveille the Belgian film star is expected for tea, Hercule Poirot does some last minute adjustment to ensure the table setting is set with mathematical precision. The china tea set is Royal Worcester Raffles which has an Art Deco style border although it was produced in 1985-86. Royal Worcester Raffles tea and dinner ware was also used for Bertie Wooster's flat in the Jeeves and Wooster series.
See a selection of Royal Worcester Raffles on eBay
Hercule Poirot’s Elephant Statue
In Agatha Christie's Poirot S13 E1 Elephants Can Remember we notice a seated elephant ceramic piece in the screen capture above of a scene in Hercule Poirot's study. This classic TV series starring David Suchet, the definitive Poirot, is a masterpiece and known for it excellence in production design with wonderful sets and period locations so its a delight to spot details in the set dressing.
I located a pair of present day bookends that are a close match so it is possible that single elephant seen on the show was one of a pair. Perhaps one one on the show was a 1930's piece but you can have the more recent pair below at an affordable price on eBay : https://www.ebay.com/itm/Urban-Trends-Trumpeting-and-Sitting-Up-Elephant-on-a-Platform-Bookends-Set-of-2/391923951377
Bertie Wooster’s Glass Bowl
In this screen capture from Jeeves and Wooster we see an interesting glass bowl on the coffee table on the set of the Bertie Wooster flat. This glass bowl is seen on the table throughout the series. Recently I decided to search for one on eBay and found one very like it
It is a Davidson cloud bowl: https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_nkw=davidson+cloud+bowl&_sacat=70031
The Halcyon: Deco Photo Frame
Here is an interesting 30's style art deco photo frame prop you might have noticed in Episode One of ITV's The Halcyon. Lady Priscilla Hamilton is seen holding the photo frame while she waits to see Mr Garland in his office in a scene from the first epidode of the ITV series. If you are interested in collectibles from the era you can find similar frames on eBay. Below is one example I saw on eBay today.
Reference: http://www.ebay.com/sch/Art-Deco/69471/i.html?_nkw=deco+oak+photo+frame&LH_PrefLoc=2