The Art of Bathing and BlogTour Sponsor: V&A Baths

Lady Lilith Dante Gabriel Rossetti
Photo Delaware Art Museum

Soaking in a hot tub is always that one moment of solitude and reflection that I enjoy ..

(when I have the time, that is).

Not exactly spending hours, like in those moments heightened in shows such as Downton Abbey, where the Crawley sisters spend many hours lingering before their vanity mirrors, at bedtime, brushing through their lovely locks.

No, not that, but who says that "a little pampering can definitely go a long way?"

So as someone that really only imagines moments through visuals,  and perhaps with my studies of Art at Christie's in London somehow at the front of my mind with my recent trip back, the many scenes of women bathing that have been captured by master painters throughout history somehow seem a perfect way to continue from yesterday's post on The History of Public Bathing, with some of our wonderful BlogTour London supporters.

So when did we begin to bathe in private?
In ancient Rome, the social gatherings of the public bath houses were comparatively a epicenter for gathering and social life engagements, and of course, just as today, there were many levels of luxuries and classes which didn't necessarily intermingle. The privileged few, had their needs tended to throughout the day and would help wash and care for them ... 

1/The Baths of Caracalla - Lawrence Alma-Tadema, 1899 2/ Woman Leaving the Bath-1901 Picasso
3/A Woman Bathing her Feet & 4/The Bath - both Jean-Leon Gerome

For some, through the use of the evolution of "plumbing" and aqueducts, the wealthier few began to enjoy the luxury of even more intimate moments in private.

From the works of Jean-Léon Gérôme, one of the most famous French painters of his day in the turn of the 19 century to the next generation, such as Pablo Picasso, many great artists have tackled the theme of this intimate and sensual moment.

1/Le Bain Turc  Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres c.862  2/ The Bath - Alfred Stevens, c.1867
3/The Roman Baths - Fyodor Bronnikov c.1858  4/ After the Bath - Frederic Bazille 1807

Iconic images, such as that of "Le Bain Turc" by Ingres are almost ingrained in our subconscious of woman lounging, bathing and almost sensual ritual of personal embellishment.

So another visit while at the Design Centre at Chelsea Harbour with BlogTour London, as we moved from Samuel Heath covered on my post here, to the Victoria and Albert Baths showroom, swiftly brought me to thinking about how much care also goes into the creation of these pieces and how the trends for moving forward in all of these different brands has indeed been about the embellishment and smaller details.

VICTORIA + ALBERT BATHS SELECTED FOR BESPOKE DESIGNER MOSAICS

The Mosaic Bath Company selected Victoria + Albert Baths to incorporate their bespoke decorative mosaics which were hand finished and the result of hours of precision craftsmanship by experts skilled to apply each tile by hand was really stunning! Just as we approached the showroom, it was the first thing that caught my attention.

The Victoria & Albert Baths showroom at Chelsea Harbour Design Centre / Detail of Bath with mosaics

One main special quality of Victoria + Albert baths, are inherent to the defining qualities offered by the unique use of QUARRYCAST®, a stone-rich alternative to cast iron and acrylic. Uniquely comforting, the baths are warm to the touch, 100% naturally white and hand finished.

Great stylized bathroom accessories, and the special new Piano Gloss finish against the crisp QuarryCast white, were just great final touches to our showroom visit.

Piano Black gloss finish Barcelona and Black finish Barcelona 64 Basin

but if you are curious how many can fit in these great tubs at 1 time, why not check out the post on Bloggers Behaving Badly from a few days ago.

Thanks again to our many supporters for the amazing event coordinated by Modenus and the sponsors below.