Sophisticated, refined, intelligent, and beautiful, Maria Hammer-Tuttle enchanted the audience with her personal stories about the exquisite objects in her extraordinary collection featured in her book on September 13, 2023, at The Virginia Robinson Gardens.
A tremendously beautiful book, Object of Desire is a celebration of the hunt for and the joy of living with objects we accumulate that are precious, not only for their beauty, uniqueness, and craftsmanship, but also for their connection to the past and the future, and for their resonance with one another. The foreword is written by famed ceramicist and author Edmund de Vaal, who wrote the book, The Hare with the Amber Eyes. The photographs are by the renowned and very talented photographer Miguel Flores-Vianna. A sumptuous book with exquisite layouts, poetic text, and surprises on every page, it is a true feast for the eyes and the soul.
Education chair Adrienne Horwitch warmly welcomed the guests and past Presidents of the Friends who were in attendance. The founder of the Friends, Joan Selwyn, then introduced her friend and distinguished speaker, Maria, saying, “There are some people we admire, people who set high standards for us to follow. Maria is one of those people. One of the first women to lead a law firm, she has had a significant impact as a leader and a philanthropist, focusing on efforts on the arts, education, sciences, and international affairs.”
Joan continued, “As the wife of Bob Tuttle, who was the American ambassador to Britain, Maria represented the United States from 2005 to 2009. My husband Paul and I had the pleasure of visiting Bob and Maria at Winfield House, the residence of the US ambassador in London. We were able to see firsthand how they brought their own style to this famous residence, stirring people’s imagination by introducing contemporary art for the first time in this traditional residence. They beguiled people with their style and their grace. Maria’s extraordinary book about her three homes is highly personal, reflecting her love of life, family, and the arts. Maria has extraordinary taste, and a fine eye for beauty in art and in life.”
Maria said that Objects of Desire, her second book, (her first book was Winfield House)was conceived, written, and photographed during the pandemic. She said, “I like to write and that is one of the reasons I became a lawyer.” The book is a reflection on the tangible objects important to her that give her joy. In their first house in Bel Air, Bob and Maria made a vow to each other that they would only buy things they both love. She said, “We love the hunt; we love to go to antique shops, auctions, art fairs, and souvenir shops in exotic locations.” After ten years, Bob wanted a house with a view, so they moved and built their dream home.
Maria showed stunning interiors of their home. In the entry hall on top of a beautiful cabinet, rests a charcoal drawing attributed to Pablo Picasso, an early work from the 1890s. It is the first piece that Bob and Maria purchased together. “We bought it from the best art gallerist in Los Angeles, Mark Selwyn,” said Maria. Nearby is a hand-hammered silver vase by contemporary artist Hiroshi Suzuki.
In another vignette, down the hall, a horse from the Tang Dynasty is juxtaposed with an Anselm Keifer painting that relate to each other across the centuries. A miniature Jeff Koons necklace, a gift from her husband, is still in its plexiglass box. “It is the only present I’ve never opened because I really like it as a little sculpture,” added Maria.
In the living room, two large, carved giltwood swans grace the walls. They were part of an auction from a great English country house, and “I fell in love with them.” Maria placed them high on the walls on plexiglass bases, and they seem to float in the room. Another favorite object is a silver and gold bracelet by Line Vitrine. Clever and original, Line was born in Paris in 1913 and had her own business before WWII. The bracelets feature a visual pun, representing what she is trying to say with letters, symbols, and drawings. The bracelet says, “Words are silver, but silence is golden.” Before she died in 1977, Vogue called her “the poetess of metal.”
Most all objects outlive us. Maria showed us her grandfather’s pocket watch and her father-in-law’s cigarette box. Both are obsolete, but Maria values them for their sentiment and their beauty.
In the dining room, a delicate, white porcelain ice bucket in the shape of an ostrich egg designed by Francois-Xavier Lalanne is another favorite as is a 19th century copy of a celadon vase with gilt bronze mounts in the style of Louis XV. A hauntingly beautiful last self-portrait by the late American painter Milton Avery rests on a console table.
In the bedroom, a delicate drawing by Balthus, made around 1970, also from Marc Selwyn Fine Art, is displayed above a French lacquer commode that Bob and Maria bought on their honeymoon in Paris. Another object that fascinated Maria is a folded plate in alabaster by the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, bought in Beijing.
The pool house reflects a change of aesthetic. A Ron Davis painting shares the space with two low tables made by Ettore Sottsass, a leader of the Italian Memphis group, who created colorful and eccentric furniture in the 1980s. The tables were bought in Milan on their honeymoon.
Out on the loggia, off the living room, is a sculpture of an elephant with an obelisk by the Cuban-born French designer and architect Emilio Terry, who designed Carlos de Beistegui’s beautiful Chateau de Groussay, one hour away from Paris. Terry designed large 18th century follies in the huge, park-like gardens. He made a model of another folly — the elephant holding up the obelisk — but the folly was never built. The maquette came up for auction at Sotheby’s in Paris, and Maria fell in love with it but wasn’t able to get it. Several years later, on Christmas day, it was under the tree. Her husband had seen it in the window in an antique shop in Paris and got it for her as a surprise!
Maria then showed us pictures of their pied-a-terre in New York City. She said that the most important page in her book shows a hardcopy book reproducing letters. “Our dear friends in London, Richard and Ruthie Rogers, made it for us. We were moving to Paris, and these wonderful people wrote to a large number of our friends in London and asked them to write us a note to tell us what we would love to do in Paris.” (Richard was a famous architect; one of his projects was the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and Ruthie is the owner of the Michelin-starred River Café in London.)
In the kitchen is a sculpture by Edmund de Vaal. Maria said, “I just love walking in every morning and seeing it.” In The Hare with the Amber Eyes, Edmund writes of a time in the early 1990s when he was living in Japan and visiting his uncle Iggy who had inherited a large group of netsukes, one of which was a hare with amber eyes. Iggy would tell him poignant family stories. (They were descendants of the Ephrussi family, living in Paris and Vienna, and were like the Rothschilds.) When Iggy died, Edmund inherited them. An object that is inherited makes it different and carries a responsibility. He wanted to know what these objects had witnessed and lived through.
In the foreword, Edmund says, “I’ve always loved books about houses. And collections. There is something inexhaustible in the ways in which writers set out to describe what they choose to live with, where they found the objects and the art that speaks to them.”
He quotes the writer Virginia Wolf, “How you put things together in the world is a kind of storytelling. It is not just the things that carry stories with them. Stories are a kind of thing too. Stories and objects share something, a patina.” In her beautiful book, already in its second printing, the third house featured is a beach house near a tiny town north of Los Angeles. All the attendees were moved by Maria’s fabulous lecture.
The guests then enjoyed a delicious tea, catered by Gino Vigil, near the Display Rose Garden. Jeanne Anderson’s magnificent floral centerpieces, featuring exotic orchids, roses, lilies among other flowers in different color combinations and containers, were a feast for the eyes. The soft, painterly floral tablecloths in conjunction with Jeanne’s artistry created an enchanting scene.
An array of finger sandwiches — egg salad, cucumber, ham and cheese, and smoked salmon — along with scones, marmalade, croissants and miniature lemon tarts, chocolate cake, and petits fours made for an elegant tea. A vibrant green salad with garden vegetables and a shallot lemon vinaigrette was also served.
Maria generously donated her book to all the guests in a very elegant tote. The image of the golden swans she was so enthralled with was printed on the front of the bag.
After this glorious lecture, a guest then remarked, “I must admit that after the most interesting lecture and looking at the exquisite Objects of Maria’s Desire, I came home and took a stroll through my own home and looked at ‘my objects.’ Oh well, they are not exactly in the same category! The more I looked, I saw the family treasures, the many memories from travels, the impulsive buys, many gifts of friendships and all my beautiful books. Regardless of values, we all have our own Objects of Desire, and now I have a new one, and that is Maria’s beautiful book.”
We are so grateful to Joan, Jeanne, and Adrienne for organizing such a magnificent start to our new season of Education lectures, each one so enriching and memorable to all who attend!
Post and photos by Linda Meadows
Friends of Robinson Gardens Board Member
Editor of the Happenings
Patti Reinstein
I was so sad to have missed this wonderful event but the book is an exquisite love song to collecting that which speaks to you.
Clare Wagner
I’m sorry I missed this program also. I can tell it was a very special event.