Art of Decoration - Forgotten Books

ART OF DECORAT I ON

MRS H . R .

I

PI

I AWEI S

AUTHOR OF‘T HE ART OF BEAUTY T HE ART OF DRESS CHAUCER FOR CH I L DR EN

‘CHAUCER FOR ScHOOL s

’

ET C.

OF T HE

NI VER S I T

WI TH N UMER OUS I L L US TKA T I ONS

fl u nh u n

CHATTO AND WI NDUS,P I CCAD ILLY

1 88 1

A ll rig/bi s res erv ed

C ON T E N T

1mm

THE SEAR CH . AFTER BEAUT Y.

CHAPT ER I .

PAGET HE ART R EVOLTT HE NATURAL BASI SBEAUTYEXQU I S ITE OBSTRUCT IVESART I S FOR THE PEOPLE

CHAPT ER I I .

SURROUND I NGSUN INTELL IGENT ADOPT ION

_HARMONY

pECORAT I NG

WHAT A R OOM SHOULD BE

CHAPT ER I I I .

OL D QUEEN ANNE STYLEGR I NL lNG GI BBONS

'

i i

QUEEN ANNE WALLS .

CH IPPENDALEQUEEN ANNE COSTUMES

CHAPT ER I V.

NEW QUEEN ANNE STYLECOLOURLESS L IVER I ESNATURE’S PROTEST

i mam aBuok.

A RE TR OSPE CT OF

CHAPT ER I .

EARLY ENGL I SH FURN ITURET HE MEAN I NG OF FURN ITUREA FOURTEENTH -CENTURY R OOMT HE DEVELOPMENT OF ART

CHAPT ER I I .

NOONT IDEGOTH IC AND R ENASCEN CE WORKA T UDOR R OOMR ENASCENCE ‘ T ASTE ’

T HE WORSH I P OF WRECKGHASTLY ORNAMENTBLACK AND WH ITE I N ITS PLACER ENASCENCE I NFLUENCE ON DRESS

CON T EJVTS .

CHAPT ER I I I .

T HE GROTESQUE AND R APHAEL ORNAMENTA POMPEI IAN ROOMR OMAN ORNAMENTGROTESQUE OAK CARVINGT HE GROTESQUE AS A BACKGROUNDA GRAVER MOODA CHARLES THE F IRST R OOM

CHAPT ER I V.

T HE AFTER -GLOWBOULE AND H I S WORKA L OU IS QUATORZE R OOMT HE GARDEN I N THE HOU SECOLOURA SC I ENT IF IC BACKGROUND

CHAPT ER V .

T HE DECLI NE (L OU I S QU I NZE)L ACQUER AND PORCELAINOR I ENTAL I SM I N DRESSA L OU I S SEIZE ROOMA WH ITED SEPULCHRE .

MARQUETER I EART I STS WHO EMANC I PATED ART

CHAPT ER V I .

P SEUDO-C I .ASS I CI SM

AN EMP IRE ’ROOM

EMP IRE DRESS AND I M ITAT ION GREEKS

i x

«with 25003.

GENERAL AP P L I CA T I ONS .

CHAPT ER I .—ON PL ACE AND T ONE.

ARRANGEMENT OF THE ROOMI . A R ENASCENCE ECLECT IC ROOMI I . AN EIGHTEENTH -CENTURY ECLECT IC

ROOMI I I . A MODERN ECLECT I C ROOM

ECLECT IC ROOM S

, BALANCE£ROPOR T I ON

SYMMETRYi I GHT AND SHADE

CHAPT ER I I .—ON WAL L S .

COLOUR OF THE BACKGROUNDT APESTRYEMBROIDERED WALLSL EATHERS ILKPAPERPAI NT AND STENCILL INGM I RROR I NGCEIL I NGS

CHAPT ER I I I . —ON WI NDOWS .

T RANSPARENT WALLSMED I/EVAL PAI NTED GLASS

CONTENTS.

MODERN PAINTED GLASSCOLOURED WI NDOWS AT HOMEAMATEUR EFFORTSGLASS PART IT IONS AND SCREEN S

CHAPTER I V.—ON M I RROR S .

PALLOR NOT L IGHTWHAT NOT T O DO

OL D MIRRORSPAINTED M I RRORSM IRROR-FRAMESP ICTURE- FRAMESUSE OF CoNVEx M IRRORS

CHAPT ER V .-ON MOVABL ES.

PR INC IPLESCOMFORT AND CHAIRSCOMFORT AND BEAUTYMATER IALS AND FRAMEWORKCOLOURWEIGHTSOFAST ABLES

CHAPT ER VI .—ON MOVABL ES (continu ed) .

CARPETSCURTAINSBOOKCASESPLATE AND CUTLERYP IANOFORTESDOORS

xi

xii CONTENTS.

CHAPT ER V I L — ON F I RE-PL ACES AND F I RES .

MANTEL -P I ECESGRAT ES AND STOVESSTOVE ORNAMENTSVVROUGHT J RON

CHAPT ER V I I I .—L I GHT I NG AND

VENT I LAT I ON .

BECOM I NG L IGHTSL AM P-FORM SCONCEALED L IGHTSPUM PS AND P I PESANT I-SMUTSDRAI N VENT ILAT ION

CHAPT ER I X .—ON T HE BEAUT Y OF FREEDOM .

AR S LONGA, VITA BREVI SCHORDS I N COLOURBECOM I NG COLOURSHELPERSHELPERS WHO H INDERT HE OL D MASTERS’ M I SCH I EFR EFORM FROM BELOWM I SU SE OF P ICTURES

CHAPT ER X . ON OUR ST REET S .

T REESOUR CH IMN EYSCOLOURED HOUSESSTREET NOMENCLATURESTREET NU I SANCES

CON TENTS. xiii

CHAPT ER X I . CONCL US I ON.

I ND IGENOU S ARTHELP I N AMATEURST HE COURT PAINTER .

A WORD ON ARCH ITECTURE

L I S T OF [L L OS TRA TTON S .

FI G.

I . D IAGRAM OF COLOUR2 . SEVENTEENTH -CENTURY CABINET, BELONG ING T O THE

R EV . H . R . HAWEI S

3. FROM AN OL D WOOD -CUT,circa 1690

4 . NEW QUEEN ANNE T ABLE5. F LORENT I NE F IGURE I N T ERRA-GOTTA , F IFTEENTH CEN

TURY6 . L AMP -STAND

,I TAL IAN

,S IXTEENTH CENTURY, FULL OF

ANATOM ICAL I MPOSSI B IL IT I ES7 . KN I FE -CASE

,DATED 1564 : AN I NSTANCE OF THE BATHOS

OF AR T

8 . S IXTEENTH -CENTURY CAB INET : AN INSTANCE OF THEWORSH IP OF WRECK

9 . CAB INET SHOWI NG ARCH ITECTURAL FASH IONS I N FURN I T UR E

I o. L I NE OF BEAUTYI I . I M ITAT ION ROMAN1 2 . I M ITAT ION GREEKI 3. HENRY V I I I . HAT14. FROM EARLY T APESTRY I N THE POSSESS ION OF THE R EV .

H . R . HAWE I S

15. T RUNK-HOSE, W ITH SHORT WAI ST AND TABS DER IVEDFROM THE CLASS IC

16 . ETRU SCAN F IGURE,FROM A VASE

I 7118 . EARLY GREEK F IGURES

19 }2 0 . PEASE-COD BELL I ED DOUBLET, FROM BERT EI . L I

L I ST OF I LLUSTRA TJONS.

F IGURE OF HERCULES, SHOWI NG THE MUSCLES WH ICH MAYHAVE OR I G INATED THE R OUND T AB

T ABS : FROM A PR INT BY HOLLAR .

R ENASCENCE VERS ION OF A CLASS IC FASH IONEM PIRE VERS ION OF THE SAMEA CLASS IC FASH ION (FROM R OMAN BU ST)N I NETEENTH -C ENTURY RENDER ING OF SAMER APHAEL ORNAMENTR APHAEL ORNAMENT FROM THE L OGG IA AT THE VAT ICANR APHAEL ORNAMENT FROM THE L OGG IA AT THE VAT ICANFR I EZE OF PAINTED WALL, I N THE HOU SE OF GERMAN ICU S

,PALACES OF THE C/ESARS , ROME

PAINTED WALL, FROM THE HOU SE OF GERMAN ICUS,

PALACES OF THE CE SARS , ROMEPAINTED WALL, FROM THE HOUSE OF GERMAN ICU S

,

PALACES OF THE CzESAR S, ROMEENGL I SH L ADY , AFTER HOLLAR , 1640

DOUBLET, ABOUT 1646 , T IME OF L OU I S QUATORZESNUFF-BOX, L OU I S QU I NZE ORNAMENTCLOCK, L OU I S QU I NZE ORNAMENTL ACQUER CAB INETORNAMENT UPON BENARES BRASS VASEGEORG IAN HOOP, DER IVED FROM OR I ENTAL SOURCE ( 1750 )COSTUME, T IME OF L OU I S SEIZE ( FROM A CAR I CATURE,

( in . 1 786, ENT ITLED ‘ MODERN ELEGANCE ’

T ABLE, T IME OF L OU I S SEIZEWHAT HELEN OF T ROY WOULD APPEAR I N A CoNVEx

M IRRORVENET IAN M IRROR -FRAME‘ EMP IRE ’ M IRROREARLY R ENASCENCE FRAME, BELONG ING T O R EV . H . R .

HAWE I S

T HE UPHOLSTERER’S DARLINGSEVENTEENTH -CENTURY CHAIRGREEK CHAI R : PROTOTYPE OF THE COMMON ENGLI SHFORM

I TALIAN R ENASCENCE CHAIR : THE DECADENCE .

FOURTEENTH -CENTURY SEATS

P AGE

L I ST OF I LLUSTRATI ONS.

CHA IR OF DAGOBERT, I N THE L OUVRE , DATED ABOUT 630CHAIR OF ASSYR IAN CHARACTER ON A BAS-REL I EF FROMXANTHU S

,I N THE BR IT I SH MU SEUM

STOOL, I N SCULPTURE,FROM N I NEVEH

ANCI ENT SELLA, OR L OW SEAT

CHAIR OF SESOSTR I SSEVENTEENTH -CENTURY CHAIROL D FRENCH SOFA I N THE POSSESS ION OF L UKE I ON I DES,

GREEK SOFA

}R OMAN FORM SS ILVER T ABLE AT WINDSOR CASTLE , T IME OF L OU I SQUATORZEDES IGN FOR A BOOKCASECANDLEST ICK

,I TAL IAN

,S I XTEENTH CENTU RY

ANC I ENT KN IVES AND FORKS‘ COTTAGE ’ P IANOFORTE, W ITH DECORATED BACK .

NOVEL DES IGN FOR A P IANOFORTE , S IDE V I EWBACK V I EW OF THE SAMEI RON BOLT

,FRENCH

,ABOUT 1550

GEORG IAN L OCKI N LAID P ILLAR I N THE CHURCH OF ARA CCEL I

,AT R OME

I RON BOLT,S IXTEENTH CENTURY

M IRROR WITH WROUGHT - IRON FRAMET HE GOLDEN CANDLEST ICK, FROM THE ARCH OF T ITU SOUR CH IMNEYS

xvii

AR T -DES I GNER S [N EN GL AND .

S t. Ethelreda, Abbess of Ely, embro ideress Of th e celebrated Opu s Anglicu m . Seventh centu ry.

Dau ghters Of Edward th e Elder, em broideresses of note. N inth centu ry .

St. Du nstan (Archbishop Of Canterbu ry) , goldsmith , painter, anddesigner.

Early tenth centu ry .

Matilda, qu een OfWilliam th e Conqu eror, su pposeddesignerOf th e Bayeu xtapestry.

Dam e L eviet,Dame Alderet Of Winchester

, em broideresses to Qu eenMatilda. Eleventh centu ry .

Alw idand L eu ide, em broideresses to Qu een Edgitha. Eleventh centu ry .

Edgitha, w ife Of Edward th e Confessor. Eleventh centu ry.

T H I R T EENT H CENT URY.

John Of St . Omer, cou rt decorator to Henry I I I .

VViI liam T orell, goldsmith and statu ary in metal, &c.,temp. Henry I I I .

and Edward I . , died 1300 (designed Qu een Eleanor’s tomb R ichardde Cru ndale did th e marble-w ork ) .

William th e Florentine,cou rt decoratorto Henry I I I .

Alexander th e carpenter, andJohn de Spalding, MasterAlbericu s, scu lptor.

1 2 53.

MasterR obert de Beverley, m ason, WestminsterAbbey, and h is brotherRalph . 1 2 67- 8 .

Fergu s, abrazierOf Boston (gave two bells to Crow landAbbey ) .William Of Sens (France) , architect at Canterbu ry.

XX A Kj -U E Q I U ZVE KQ 1 1 V

Odoricu s, designer Of R oman inlaid pavement in England, 1 2 67 (Westm insterAbbey) .

William Of I reland and Alexander Of Abingdon, Scu lptors (Eleanorcrosses) .

FOUR T EENTH CENT URY .

William ofWykeham ,architect of Windsor and Winchester Cathedral .

132 4—140 4.

\Va1ter le Bole, mason, 1342 , w ith costly livery fou nd h im ,w orked at

Westminster.Andrew le Glasswrigh t, Of Great Yarm ou th .

John of Oxford (w orked at Westminster 5 Edw . I I I . )Master Yevelee, chief mason there, I 388 : R obert Kentbu ry , T homas

L ippynham , and T homas Badingtou ,masons.

Adam de Witteneye, abedderOf stone .

G. daT revigi. 1304—1344

}CarversT oto . 1331—135 1 .

William de Notyngham , afterwards Of Norw ich (\Nilliam Brasiere) , and

descendants, fou nders. 1376 .

MasterJohn Of Glou cester, bell - fou nder. ( 2 0 Edward

R ose de Bu reford Of L ondon, em bro ideress to I sabella, qu een of Edward

I I . Early fou rteenth centu ry .

Hawkin L iege, from France, scu lptorOf Qu een Philippa’s tomb inWestminsterAbbey .

F I FT EENT H CENT URY .

R ichardde VVh ittington, L ord Mayor Of L ondon u nderHenry V . arch iteet Of nave OfWestminsterAbbey . William Colchester, headmason,

John R u sse, and R ichardKnappe, masons u nderWh ittington, receivingcostly l iveries.

SirR eginald Bray .

MasterPageny, designedforHenry VI I . was to have made h is tom b .

T orregiano (w h o broke M ichael Angelo’s nose) , w orkerin marble, bronze,

andw ood, scu lptorofHenry V I I .

’

s tomb u nderHenry V I I I . (th e chapelwas bu ilt by Englishmen, Of equal talent, u nnamed) . 1472 - 1552 .

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AR T -DESI GNERS I N ENGLAND.

SEVENT EENT I I CEN TURY .

John Dw ight, M.A.,Christ Chu rch , Oxford, potter and inventor Of

Fu lham porcelain in England. 167 1 .

Nathanael Stone, Of Exeter: scu lptor of variou s tombs at Westminster,

probably Of Mary Stuart and Qu een Elizabeth .

N icholas Stone, m astermason to James I . , scu lptorOf th e tomb of Villiers,WestminsterAbbey .

Henry Stone, called Old Stone, ’ painterand stonemason. D ied 1653.

J . Fu ller, painter, and son F u ller, coach -painter.Henry Gyles Of York , glass-painter. Abou t 168 7.

PeterPau l R u bens.Francis de Cleyn, masterOf tapestry w orks. D ied 1658 .

Gibson, th e dwarf, page to Charles I . ,and portrait-painter.

Hu bert de S u eu r, scu lptorof equ estrian statu e Of Charles I .

John Baptist Gaspars, designer. D ied 169 1 .

William L ightfoot, architect. D ied 167 1.

Marchant,Brown

,T assie

,P istru cci, cameo w orkers.

SirChristopherWren, architect. 1632 -4 7 2 3.

Grinling Gibbons,w ood-carverand scu lptor. 1648—1 72 1 .

L au reans, Watson, &c.,pu pils Of Gibbons .

Francis Place, (amateu r) designer. 1645- 17 2 8 .

T obias Norris,John C lark

, William Newcom e, H u gh Watts, H . Oldfield,M iles Grey, &c. , bell-fou nders .

Monsieu rR otiere, graverOf th e M int and scu lptor. Abou t 1677 .

Wise, Raym an, andBarak Norman, fiddle-makers and inlayers .

E I GHT EENT H CENT URY.

John Hakew ell, artist and hou se-painter. Died 1 79 1 .

James Wyatt, Adam s (brothers) , Sir W. Chambers, James Gibbs,Vanbru gh , William Kent (first landscapegardener) , architects .

John Baker, coach -painter.AngelicaKaqm ann (painted cabinet panels) . 1742

- 180 8.

ART-DESI GNERS I N ENGLAND . xx i i i

John Flaxman, John de Vaere, Webber, Angelo Dalm azzoni, Angel ini(designed forWed OOd

’s pottery).

T . Chippendale and h is son, Baker, Capitsoldi, Ceracci, C ipriani (decorated Carlton Hou se) , Coit, Collet, C . Cotton, Davy , A. Heppelw h ite

(pu blished in 1 789 designs for Empire fu rnitu re) , Hym an, Johnson,J . L innell, Matthias L ock (pu blished designs Of fu rnitu re Of everykind) , and Copeland, P ergolese, P igalle, Sheraton (pu blishedan ex

tensive D ictionary Of h is trade), T otham, Voyers, Wilton, Gillow ,

designers for fu rnitu re .

Banks, John Du ke, th e Forsters, th e Fendts, fiddle-makers and inlayers.

Moser, modellerOf BOW china, originally achaser.T homas Frye and h is dau ghters ( paintedBOW) . 1 7 10 - 1 76 2 .

JohnBacon, scu lptor (modelled forL ambeth ware) . Abou t 1 760 .

N I NET EENT H CENT URY.

[I nalist 50 mixedandnecessarily brief it is impossible to mention allnames, and it mu st su ffice to qu ote thoseartists best known, as originators,not imitators, Of a school, and th e firms best able to employ goodw orkmen. ]

SirJeffrey Wyatt, orWyattville, architect to George I V.

Joseph Paxton, architect.Crace and Co . (afashionable firm , middle Of th e centu ry ) .Evans, Of Shrew sbu ry, glass-painter.C layton andBell, glass-workers.

W. J . Aitchison, architect (has designed for fu rnitu re) .Gillow and CO. (afirm Of decorators, employing skilled labou r) .M inton CO.

Owen Jones, art designerand decorator, au thorOf valu able w orks on art.P u gin, architect, designer, and writer on art, on Gothic and Mediaevalprinciples.

J . M . Whistler, artist designerof th e Peacock R oom and fu rnitu re on

Japanese principles.

Cottierand C0 . ,decorators, and w orkers in decorati ve glass.

Pow ell and C0 .,glass w orks Of all kinds, inclu ding stained glass Window s

William Morris, art designer (in all branches) , scho larand poet.Bu rne Jones

,artist, designerof stained glass, &C.

,forMorris and C0 .

x xiv AR T-DES[GNER S I N ENGLAND .

WalterCrane, artist ( has designed forem broidery , wall -papers, &c. )Charles Eastlake, keeper of th e National Gallery (has designed for plate,fu rnitu re, &c. )

Bu rges,architect anddecorator, on Mediaeval principles.

Helbronnerand CO. (depOt fortextile fabrics Copied from ancient sou rces) .James Fergu sson, architect andau thorOf valuable works.

OF THE

NI VER S I

CHAPTER I .

C he iflrt fi t h u lt.

OST people are now al ive to th e importance of

beauty as arefining influence . T h e appet i te

forart isti c instruct ion is even ravenous . We

cannot be too thankfu l that it is SO, for th e

vacuum can be fi l led as eas i ly as th e purse can be

emptied . J ust now every Shop brist les with th e ready

means : books , drawings, and objets de’ w rz’u from all

countries are w i th in everybody’

s reach , and all that is

lacking is th e COO1 powerOf cho i ce .

I t wi l l be my endeavourto po int o u t in these pages

that cho i ce remains, and to warn my readers that beauty

and art , l ike pure water, re ly upon th e t idal flow of new

thoughts they lie in no stagnant pOOl. T h e m ind wh ich

bl ind ly accepts fashions s imply because they are fash ion

able, W i thout trying to d iscrim inate in w hat th e new is

better than th e Old, m ay be said to resemble those cagedrept i l ian jaws , champ ing without d iscret ion flesh, feathers,and blanket at once .

4 THE SEARCH AFTER BEA UTY.

No doubt th ings are rapid ly mend ing in domesti c

art. People brought up in that fog which th e French

Revo l ut ion left u s floundering in, people w h o loved

sunsets and flowers and mus i c m ay be,w h o sketched

scenery , enjoyed Byron,and went punctual ly to th e

Royal Academy— but scarce ly not iced the irow n wal ls

and carpets ( I speak of th e mass of ‘ gentee l ’ soc iety

thirty years ago)— these people woke up some t ime

s ince to th e influence of surroundings on th e mind and

temper. They began to resent th e discomfort andugl iness which the ir indifference had attracted round

them ,and they inaugurated akind of Reformed Fai th

in art .

How long S ince d id th e c logged whee ls begin to

yield to individual efl'

orts ? Wh o was th e first hero w h o

pul led up and burnt h is cheerfu l’ patterned Brussels

,in

scarlet and sour green ? Wh o first so ld h is draw ing

room ‘su i te — h is velvet sofa backed with cotton— h is

six smal l chairs with torturing backs, tw o arm - chairs,

v i le marquetry table, and gi l t console ? T h e orthodox

ch i ffonier’

of unmeaning shape, with m irror~back that

reflected ou r frightfu l bod ies in one focus, and mirror

doors that made fu n of ou rdetached legs in another

and all th e floriated false curves and flourishes ground

(not carved) in mahogany and glued wherever theywere l ikel iest to be knocked off— all th e false ‘

em

bossed mou ld ings (also glued on) , recal l ing noth ing, intheirvacant misconstruct ion of Classi c types, bu t human

teeth , or emblems of d isease ingenious ly connected

where are these horrors now

They are all relegated to th e seas ide lodging- house,

6 THE SEARCH AFTE R BEAUTY.

At present ou r eyes seem bl inded by prej ud ices

rooted so long ago that w e have forgotten the ir orig in.

We Shou ld never have asked whether th e cu lture of

beauty is good for u s, had w e observed that beauty

s imply means th e harmonious adaptation of each th ing

to its purpose and to th e purposes of th e rest ; that

th e mere forces of nature, such as growth,c irculat ion,

balance , and all o ther laws resu lt ing from eternal at

traction and repulsion, are th e parents of curves and

colours , wh i ch have no moral s ignificance unless w e

impart i t . And w e shou ld never have pushed cu l ture

too far i f w e wou l d have taken ahint from th e humblest

creatures which select the ir habi tat ions and adapt their

array to circumstances .

T o be heal thy and happy,w e must have beaut ifu l

and pleasant th ings about u s . I f w e canno t have trees

and flowers,mountains and floods , w e can have the ir

echoes— arch itecture, paint ing , texti le fo lds in chang ing

l ight and shade.

Every nat ion reflects its surroundings in its art,

Wh i le its art is spontaneous,not Scho last i c, and that is

h ow schoo ls of art have grown up . Art m ay be said

to be good wherever natural laws d ictate i t , and bad

in proport ion as i t sets natural laws at defiance ; th is ,wh ether there be any consc ious attempt to copy nature

or not . From th e Ch inese effects ind irectly derived

from the ir transparent atmosphere,their dazzl ing and

invo lved fo l iage, and the ir strange beasts, down to th e

quaint home ly art of co lourless Iceland , i t seems as i f

nature were work ing through u s everoutward .

Thus Art, i f w e w i l l suffer i t, becomes a natural

THE I VA T URAL BASI S.

chroni c le though w e can hard ly est imate progress by

any part icular cu l t .‘ T o -day ,

energy runs rather to

books than carvings, bu t p icture and language are

equal ly th e expression of thought . T h e ancients talked

and looked about them : w e write and read .

But sure ly of late one kind of express ion has been

undu ly neglected,and th e pictorial k ind to which w e

u sual ly apply th e term Art is better than mere language

because i t can please th e eye without mak ing incessant

demands upon th e brain. I t uni tes u s more complete ly

with outward nature it can del ight athousand eyes and

hearts at once ; it draws u s ou t of ourse lves ; and its

N ariableness is infini te . Art properly appl ied shou ld

counteract th e influence of books, wh i ch nurse th e

modern bent towards privacy and sel f- contained reserve .

As to th e k inds of art which are right and proper,

every age has its part i cu lar wants and its part i cu lar

expression,but no age which tru ly loves beauty wi l l

confine its art to very narrow l imits th e more it studies

beauty th e more elast i c it finds i t . And i f w e wi l l givescope to th e impulse and not bind i t in with bi ts and

bearing-re ins,’

it wi l l take care of i tself independent lyof a schoo l ’ andall orthodox l ines .

Therefore, people w h o formulate, and w h o fo l low,a

fash ion wh ich is not th e natural Out come of th e t ime,are not to be rel ied on as teachers of what is absol utely

good and bad in art. They are sure to be hoodwinked

by the ir prejud i ces,and see ing bu t one smal l side of

beauty themselves,they are apt to try and make every

body be l ieve that no other side ex ists .

And everybody is apt to bel ieve it, because, when

8 THE SEARCH AFTER BEAUTY.

w e don’

t much care, it is convenient to have some one

to th ink for u s, and th e sheepwalk is soon beaten ou t in

anew direction with as l i tt le profi t as everto th e sheep .

Wh en th e mass agree in overshoot ing th e mark, some

sensible person po ints ou t that th is is not all th e world

cons ists of— that afew other ideas remain to be worked

u p— and areact ion s ets in with avio lence proportioned

to th e previous excess .

Such is th e history of every fashion, as I have else

where shown :1:th e rise— usual ly from abasis of good

sense— th e apogee, and th e decadence, in which th e

original mot ive is lost, as sure ly as th e message in th e

old game of ‘scandal

,

’ then reform ,and da capo.

This is what is happening now . We tore Lou isQu inze (as th e fi nale of Lou is Quatorze) to pieces t i l lh e became abhorrent : then came th e invariable reco i l

from ornate rto simple forms : bu t it is as easy to vu l

garise poverty of thought as splendour, and when w e

see what Bri t ish vu lgari ty made of a schoo l based

On th e «most gorgeous interpretations of classi c types

(found in l uxurious Athens and Rome) , w e might pre

d i ct what it wou l d do rfor a schoo l never very good

from th e first, being based on a servi le copy of early

Greek modes (temp . Napo leon I .

— without of course

any of th e natural condit ions which evo lved th e modes

of early Greece) .

These F irst Empire copies are what w e are copy

ing now under th e imaginary name of ‘ Queen Anne .

’

I shal l present ly compare them w i th th e genu ine

T his inevitable tendency has been Spokenof in m y books T fie Art ofBeau ty and T fieArt of Dress.

THE NATURAL BASI S. 9

fashions in th e reign of that queen. And these copies

of o thercopies are an affectat ion quite as art ific ial as theimitat ion Lou is Qu inze curves w e have j ust done w i th .

T h e fashion is n ot th e natural growth Of ou r age, for

Bri tain is now in no ascet i c or squeamish mood . Wi thou t th e renewing of fresh vigourand new thoughts every

fash ion becomes vu lgarand effete, as abody d ies when

th e blood ceases to c ircu late in it. Hence th e present‘ aesthet ic ’ craze, when it does not represent individual

thought and effort, is as poor and parrot- l ike as any

other craze that had led inte l l igent creatures astray .

QBeau tp.

An Object is beau t i fu l orth e reverse according as it

pleases th e eye, andacombinat ion of objects is beautifu l

or th e reverse accord ing to the ir harmony wi th each

other. A l l this depends as much on gracefu l Shadows

as on l ights .

I n paint ing apicture, th e art ist has to consider, I st,co lour (which incl udes form) ; and, keep ing (wh ichgoverns co lour) .Techni cal ly speaking, by

‘Co lour’

is meant not so

much any part i cu lar t int or t ints, as th e arrangement ofall t ints in an agreeable composi t ion : by ‘ keeping ’

is

meant an arrangement so sk i lfu l that th e ey e is not

confused by th e variety of incidents howevermany, but

fal ls at once on th e main point of interest to wh i cheverything works u p, and at once rece ives a defini te

impress ion of th e ensem ble as co l d ’

or h ot,’

tender or

severe.


A room is l ike ap icture ; i t must be composed w i th

equal ski l l and forethought ; but unl ike a picture, th earrangement must revo lve around to a po int w h ich is

neverstat ionary, always in mot ion therefore th e keep

ing’ becomes aproblem farharder than th e co lour.T h e main po int of interest to whi ch th e decorat ions

shou ld work up, is th e inhabitants bu t as they can

never be reckoned upon, th e picture must be composed

as i t were without th e subject,l ike a poem withou t a

po int ora story without an end. This must be done by

keeping th e tone of co lour down. That is to say , one

part must not be so much more decorated than another

as to put th e rest ou t of tune th e general tone, orcor

responding val ue of contrasting t ints must be equal ised ,in subserv ience to th e l iving be ings that are yet to come

in. St i l l,there Shou ld be keep ing — some m inorpo int

or nucleus where interest centres,and where th e ch ief

colours m ay be grouped , en attendant th e main object .

I t has always seemed to m e that in th is co l d country

th e fireplace is th e most natural nucleus and i t is pro

bably because th is has been unconsc ious ly fe l t,that

people range the ir best ornaments, th e biggest m irror,th e c lock , th e cand lest icks, &c. upon th e mantel - Shelf.

I n summer, some bay -window or Shady niche m ight

be th e best nuc leus,where th e flowers in gayest pots

,

th e curtains of softest fo lds , might be grouped : and in

some such spot of main bri l l iancy th e inhabitants, w h o

wou l d be sure to gravi tate th i ther, wou ld be th e better

thrown up and set off.

People always go to th e prett iest and brightest part

of th e room , by instinct -at any rate young people wi l l

BEAUT Y. I I

(Bulwer observed that,in some note of h is anent th e

sunny and shady s ides of a street) and i f th e prett ies t

part of th e room is also th e most comfortable, they W i l l

stay there .

Group therefore th e easiest and best - shapen seats

where yo u w i sh people Oftenest to sit : place there th e

ornaments of finest co lour— an oriental jarof turquo ise

and orange,a brazen shield

,a fine Clock, flowers

,or

whatever makes th e brightness of th e room ; then th is

Shrine,so prepared for hab i tation,

must have its main

co louring carried ou t by other parts of th e room,and

th is w i l l be th e less d i ffi cu l t where th e ornaments are

many and ant ique.

Every standard scheme of co lour,Egyptian

,Greek

,

orwhat not , is based upon an intu it ive knowledge of th e

ru les of harmony andsuch knowledge is best stud ied at

th e fountain-head , Nature. Remember, a landscape isth e finest of allbackgrounds— perfect in i tsel f ; andwhen

l ife is introduced, st i l l perfec t : perfect from afar, per

feet on c lose scrut iny. And from nature w e learn that

i t is not th e poverty or s impl ici ty,but th e variety and

closeness of invent ion,wh ich makes a work grand .

Thus in th e co lour-art as in th e s ister art, mus ic , w e

m ay attain th e most varied effects by happy comb ina

t ions . T h e ru les of art are wide,not narrow

,and w i l l

adm i t all tastes hence,many schoo ls contribute to th e

general fund of beau ty, all good in theirway , and y et a

certain k ind m ay appeal to th is m ind or that,more

than another k ind ; for ind ividual Opinion must be adm itted to be free, even where i t rej ects ‘

th e betterpart . ’

No co lourharmony,

’

says Rusk in somewhere ,‘ is of

1 2 THE SEARCH AFTER BEA UTY.

h igh order, unless invo lving indescribable t ints and i t

has also become an ax iom that to sat isfy th e eye and

produce harmony of co lour, th e presence of all th e three

primaries l— blue, yel low andred— is required, eitherpure

T hose w h o do not u nderstandth e technical terms inArt m ay be gladto know that th e mixtu re Of th e primary colou rs makes th e secondary

colou rs th e mixtu re of th e secondaries forms th e tertiary hu es thu s

R ed

Blu e PrimaryYellowR ed

Blu eBlu eYellow }Green Secondary Complementary Colou rs, as seenYellow

0on diagram below .

R edrange

Green

Orange }CI trm e

R u sset T ertiary

P u rpleGreen )OlI ve

meals-Monajx R ed

F I G . I .— Diagram of colour.

14 THE SEARCH AFTER BEA UTY

strength of e last i c bu i l d , its dainty contrasts of purple

and white and red, w i l l teach u s more than all th e

manuals , perhaps more than all th e p icture gal leries . I

shrink,myse l f

,from dissect ions and Ske letons , even of

th e rainbow , for i f w e are not born with an eye for

beau ty, they cannot give it u s . No study of counter

po int can give u s an earformus i c,no spectrum analys is

pleasure in a dragon-fly’

s mai l . Watch ing Nature,

pract is ing combinat ions learnt from h er, is th e real

schoo l and in all th e finest decorat ive works w e find th emasses d istributed in such away as cou ld have beenderived only from th e bas is of art— Nature.

Stothard kept a co l lection of butterfl ies wh ich h e

s t u d ied for hints upon co lour and texture. Blake

s tro l led ou t and quest ioned th e flowers and dew -dropst i l l every blade and grain had forh im its fairy, its spec ial

vo i ce . Some co lour- students have kept birds’ eggs for

th e same purpose ; and every bit of ore, every she l l,

every feather has its own perpetual lesson foro u r eyes

and minds i f w e wi l l but Open them .

) And val uable as

are th e ru les of art, pressed from th e experience of ages

of th inkers, Nature w i l l Oftt imes deny them all, and send

th e primrose to prove that ye l low and orange m ay mix ,with or without l ight green— its blossom and leaf ; or

th e l upin, that blue and l i lac are a happy combinat ion

orth e tu l ip, that scarlet and crimson and wh i te m ay be

divided by faint blue ; and hal f h erkingdom to te l l u sthat in spite of green be ing unpopularw i th th e mil l iner

and upho lsterer, it is th e co lourabove all others wh ich

goes with all th e rest— th e peacemaker, on whom they

all re ly.

BEA UT Y. 1 5

When w e are planning ou t th e picture w e mean to

l ive in,th e room that w e wish to make abackground for

th e h ighest created animal, humani ty, it is certainly

worth whi le to take ou r best pains i f art is anywhere

importantper se. And I am by no means sure that th e

total neglect ofart- lore and th e pat ient study of aflower

ortw o wil l not resu lt in someth ing noble and beautifu l,

howeverunl ike otherpeople’

s work . One th ing is certain,

that aroom where th e main decorat ions are composed of

th e careful lest product ions o f antiqu i ty— say , at least

before I 7oo— w i l l be more easy to keep in harmony

than avery modern room , however cost ly its ornaments,

because co lours were less shrewdly d ist i l led, more cloudy

and soft ; and i t wi l l be more interest ing, because th e

ornaments were made under th e‘

influ ence of compara

t ive leisure and freedom leisure to observe nature,le isure

to reason from nature to art, le isure to conceive,and to

work at th e new - born idea unt i l th e workman got to

love i t, before send ing it forth to th e worl d . Neverwasth e saw of th e wise k ing Of Spain truer than now

Give m e old wood to burn, old wine to drink, Oldbooks

to read , and old friends to talk to when referred to

house- decorat ion. T h e modern productions made after

th e old manner, as by M inton, Dou l ton, and at Valery,with laboriously d immed t ints and carefu l crooked

nesses , are as d ifferent from th e real old th ings as atame daisy is from a wi ld one— and always rem ind

m e of avery artfu l lady acting th e wood -nymph, asort

of Venus in abonnet and ve i l There is no spontaneity

in them,th e effects don’t come because they must, bu t

because they are cal cu lated on so that,howeverwel l a


thorough ly modern room is arranged , it wearies, and

wants freshness .

T h e detai ls of furni ture are l i tt le less important,though they are certainly not more important, than dress,by reason of the irintimate propinqu ity to ourselves. Thismust infal l ibly have been fe lt by students of beau ty in all

ages, and helped th e format ion of every schoo l of art.

T h e human surroundings react so cont inual ly upon th e

cu l tured mind that w e are inc l ined to endorse th e old

I tal ian not ion (at I taly’

s apex of cu lture) of a beautifu l

dress as a genu ine e lement in th e perfection of th e

ind ividual ;1 and in Old England I tal ian sent iment on

Even th e ou twardappearance of m en and w omen and th e habits ofdaily life w ere more perfect, more beau ti fu l , andmore polishedthan amongth e other nations of Eu rope. T h e dw ellings of th e u pper classes fallratherw ithin th e province of th e history of art

,bu t we m ay note h ow far

th e castle and th e city mansion in I taly su rpassed in comfort, order, andharmony th e dwellings of th e northern noble. T h e style of dress variedso continu ally that it is impossible to make any complete comparison w ithth e fashions of othercou ntries, all th e more becau se since th e close of th e

fi fteenth centu ry imitations of th e latter w ere frequ ent. T h e costu mes ofth e time, as given u s by th e I talian painters, are th e most convenient andmost pleasing to th e eye w hich w ere then to be fou nd in Eu rope bu t w e

cannot be su re i f they present th e prevalent fashion,or i f they are faithfu lly

reprodu ced by th e artists. I t is nevertheless beyond a dou bt that now here was SO mu ch importance attached to dress as in I taly. T h e

people was, and is, vain and even seriou s m en among it looked on a

handsome and becoming costu me as an element in th e perfection of th e

individu al . At Florence, indeed, there was abrief period w h en dress wasa pu rely personal matter and every m an set th e fashion forhimself and

till farin th e sixteenth centu ry there w ere exceptional people w h o still hadth e cou rage to do so

,and th e majority at all events show ed themselves

capable of varying th e fashion according to their individu al tastes. I t is a

symptom of decline when Giovanni delle Casawarns h is readers not to be

BEA UTY. 1 7

this matter found some echo,as w e m ay j udge from

Chaucer’s emphat i c not ice of persons’ dresses .

(Furni ture is a kind of dress

,dress is a k ind of

furni ture, which both mirrorth e m ind of the irowner)and

th e temper of th e age ; wh i ch both m inister to o u r

comfort and cu l ture, and they ought to be cons idered

together.

Exqu isite O bstru ct ih ca’.

R ight and del ightfu l as i t is to cu l t ivate beauty, i t isno doubt possible to carry th e ‘ l ust Of th e ey e too far

l ike other th ings Those ‘ aestheti c ’ fo lks w h o worsh ip

S ignorel l i, and sit among blue china and green paper

mourning over th e 19th century and yearning for th e

Past l ike th e lost Ch i ldren in th e Wood for th e departed

uncle,somet imes make u s th ink w e m ight be cloyed with

beauty ( if th is be its haunt) , t i l l w e would hai l tripe and

onions on J udson- dyed Ch inaforarel ief.

There are otherco lours in th e rainbow bes ide green

and blue : th e present is as good in its way as th e past .

Such teachers are farfrom helpfu l,save that they Show

u s that i f Taste means sens ib i l i ty and j udgment, there

m ay be unheal thy sens ib i l i ty and prej ud iced j udgment— and both m ay be affected . One of th e reasons why

average cu l ture does not progress very fast , is because

those w h o m ight gu ide i t seem to study nature w i th such

reso lute obl iquity of vis ion,and pract ise speaking th e

S implest th ings in th e obscurest language,and ‘ pose ’

singu larorto depart from existing fashions .

’— l e R enaissance in I taly

(Bu rckhardt) , translatedby S. G. C . Middlem ore.


and att itud inise so sedulously, that pat ience gives way

before them and Culture gets blamed for th e fo l l ies of

its disciples. Bu t whi lst w e accept th e fact that rotten

grass m ay taint a fairstream , w e must not therefore give

up th e stream north e grass in th e meadow,but rather

try to set th e balance straight by cutting down th e u n

heal thy products .

T h e past certainly produced more beau t i fu l works

than w e do , and I hope to Show,in abrief retrospect of

ancient rooms, h ow much w e m ay learn in th e old

schoo ls. There are many reasons why i t did so though

I doubt whether early art conscious ly aimed at being

beaut ifu l and pleasing (as, e .g. , Renascence art d id) , so

much as it aimed at being helpfu l and instruct ive, turn

ing to edifying account every flat surface within reach .

One reason is,th e old art ists had ample t ime anda

l im ited demand ; now , there is a large demand , and

l im ited t ime al lowed . They worked by hand where w e

work by mach inery and th e d ifference between th e one,

which bears evidence of an ind ividual m ind , over th e

o ther, which is qu ite uninte l l igent, must be clear to all.

T h e force that with u s runs into genre pictu res only and

perhaps l iterature, then ran into bronze- cast ing, stone

cutt ing, wood- carving,andmissal-co louring for carvings

were th e books of th e people ; art was the ir common

l ibrary, SO to speak ; hence it was so large ly used to

expound rel igious precepts. Undersuch circumstances

w e can u nderstand h ow th e personal rel igion of th e work

m an,or superst it ion i f w e choose to cal l it so, often

rendered h is work conscient ious as wel l as quaint.

St i l l, th e past was dirty and cruel, ens laved and

EXQUI SI TE OBSTRUCTI VES. 9

suffering ; w e are better, moral ly, social ly,phys i cal ly,

though w e do not so much apprec iate ornament . A far

larger communi ty is c iv i l ised , able to afford luxuries, and

in a great hurry for them . And though re l ig ion does

not enter into th e artisan’

s scheme of work,and h e can

nei ther be terrified norbribed into fervour, yet on th e

whole w e are safer,heal th ier

,freer

,happier than everw e

vvere .

Not that there was no bad,scamped work then as

now ; or vary ing qual i t ies in tapestry and wainscot , of

which th e bad spec imens have perished whi lst th e few

best have survived . Not that everyone in S ignore l l i ’s

day was as great as Signore l l i . Ro tten grass has existedfrom th e beginning of th e world . Bu t i t is in ou rpower

to weed away what is bad in all departments of l ife ;and i f w e appl ied as much pressure to th e labourers as

w e might i f w e ourselves knew righ t from wrong ; i f

w e appreciated th e val ue of conscientious brain-work

and honest study of nature in art- products as most

cult ivated people don’

t, w e might now have resu l ts as

beautifu l as everou rancestors had, and farmore numer

ou s. T h e supply always in th e long ru n equals the

demand . When w e know what w e want,w e shal l get

it , bu t no c lass of persons so material ly h inders th e

who lesome and wide-reach ing reformat ion in domest i c

art as th e c lass w h o sit aloof and say that art is not for

th e people bu t for th e e lect ,1 that th e lgth century is

dead to beauty and th e case hopeless— for they not onlycause th e Phi l ist ines to blaspheme, and make th e new

efforts rid icu lous, bu t they exerc ise a numbing and

See Mr. P oynter’

s letters in th e Tim es.

C 2

2 0 THE SEARCH AFT ER BEA UTY.

depress ing influence on those with whom th e carryingo u t of th e reform great ly l ies, th e better- educated trades

m en, w h o lose heart even with good intent ions .

? llrt is for the abru pie.Changes must emanate from th e publ i c , not from

the irservant, th e producer: fori t is they w h o pay for i t ,

not any e lect body . T h e painter paints for th e RoyalAcademy, bu t it is th e people w h o buy h is pictures .

T h e mus ician composes an opera— th e people support

or condemn i t . T h e poet wri tes , and th e people

publ ish h is work if h e expresses their thoughts— not

w i thout . Emerson puts it quaint ly, that w e love‘ those w h o tel l u s what w e know ;

’

and th e main

val ue of art lies in its educat ion of th e people , th e

drawing o u t in noble form what is already there.

Natural ly, th e upho lsterer cannot afiord to be independ~

ent o f th e people— h e must supply the ir demand,and

give them as l i tt le for the irmoney as they wi l l accept .

And here is th e po int— what do th e people want and

care for in domest i c art ? forwhat they ins ist upon they

w i l l assured ly get .

Educate th e publ ic that they m ay recognise what is

good,whetherin co lour, shape, orconstruct ion. Educate

th e workman that h e m ay be equal to th e coming

demand . G ive h im an interest in h is work . Separate

th e good art-workman from th e human mach ine w h o

spends h is l ife in mak ing only legs , or only scro l ls, or

some other fract ional part of a des ign which h e never

sees in its ent irety and therefore cannot contribute

CHAPTER I I .

é u’

rrou nnings.

HE importance of surround ings and the ireffect

on personal appearance is very considerable.

People certainly look d ifferent in d ifferent

rooms . Some look vulgar in one place and

refined in another, j ust as some look pretty in one dress

and plain in another. A pale person against apale wallpaperd isappears whi lst inawe l l - co loured room human

pal lor m ay be set off and made pleas ing . A person of

high co lourin aroom fu l l of hues which do not properly

contrast with hersel f ei ther derives so much reflected

glow that sh e becomes empurpled and fiery, orelse h er

personal ity is destroyed by th e surroundings over-ass im i

lat ing or absorbing h er, so that sh e becomes a mere

letterin an alphabet of vio lent co lour.

I n my book, th e‘Art of Beauty,

’

th e suggestion that

surround ings ought to be adapted to persons,and th e

co lours of rooms to their inhabitants, was much misun

derstood. A great deal of small fu n was made ou t of

my supposed assert ion that lad ies should dress up to

SURROUNDI NGS. 2 3

th eii rooms, orre- decorate them to S u it every new dress ,or refuse to d ine '

o u t withou t awarranty of th e co lourth ey- were expected to Sit against. Of course all th is

was w ide Of th e mark . What I d id say , and what con

t inned observation has confirmed m e in,is

,that rooms

being a background for human be ings, and co loured

surfaces having defini te art ist i c relat ions to one another,

d ifferent hues must be arranged w ith thought and ski l l

where j uxtapos i t ion to faces and complex ions is nu

avoidable, i.e .,not only in dress, bu t in th e wal l papers

and furni ture of rooms. Not that people are to adapt

themselves to their wal ls, bu t that the ir wal ls are to be

adapted to them not that there are to be special ni ches

and panels where fair beauties or dark beauties,or

ladies in red,green, or ye l low ,

are to sit,10 11

,or stand ,

bu t that a room ,in its decoration and general co lour

ing, is to be regarded as an accessory to th e main

Object, th e indiv idual , and to be so ski lfu l ly planned

that dark and fair, red, green, and yel low persons, are

equal ly wel l treated within it, and look equal ly wel l .

Normust th is be thought imposs ib le or impract i cable,forthere is no doubt that there are certain co lours which

are infal l ibly good backgrounds, j ust as there are others

which are unmistakably bad backgrounds : that these

are not few bu t many , and that they are not all blue

green orgreen-blue, very l ittle experience can teach— in

short, nearly every co lour and material m ay be com

bined into a harmonious who le with a l itt le care and

art isti c reflection.

One of my strongest convict ions, and one of th e first

canons of good taste in house decorat ion, is that ou r


houses,l ike th e fish ’s she l l or th e bird ’s nest, ought to

represent ou r individual tastes and habits,never th e

hab its of a class. F ishes are not all herrings, birds are

not all sparrows ; let u s,too

,accentuate th e variet ies

which exist among u s. There is noth ing so foo l ish ,noth ing so destruct ive to th e germinat ion of real taste

and art- fee l ing in England , as th e sheepl ike Engl ish in

clination to ru n in afloc k . Instead of us ing the irbrains

and eyes, people cry ou t,What shal l I do ? ’

orworse,What do other people do and d irect ly they find ou t

they do i t too, l ike babies . This mannerof proceed ing

reminds m e of a young lady whom I once taught to

sketch from nature . and w h o drew a l ine or two and

then asked m e,

‘ Where is th e next l ine to go- to ?

’

‘ Look and see,

’

was all I cou ld reply— th e very last

th ing sh e thought of do ing .

Why wil l not people u se the ir own faculties, and

j udge for themselve s what looks best here or there, and

so contribute someth ing new and indiv idual to society

Unintelligent Qflnontiu n.

I f y ou adopt otherpeople’

s ideas, y ou ought to have

some better reason than becau se someone e lse does it."T is poor feed ing where th e flavourof th e meat depends on th e cruets,

’

said Mrs . Poyser,and it is apoor

fashion which has not its own apology in grace andgood sense.

I t is marvel lous what mistakes w e m ay fall into

unless w e observe whether orno . Precedent defies Pro

priety . No thoroughly bad fashion would ever take a

UN I N TELL I GENT ADOPTI ON 2 5

firm ho ld on society were it not for th e indo lence of

those w h o can,bu t wi l l not

,th ink for themselves

,and

th e t im idi ty of those w h o dread what is new . For in

stance,one hears lad ies laying down th e law in th is

style : You must have old po int on yourmante l-shel f

it is indispensable. Everyone has it Yet good sense

tel ls u s that ade l i cate fabri c des igned to adorn a lady’

s

dress is as unsui ted to th e rough and dusty service Of

furni ture c lose to th e fire as apearl necklace or ostri ch

plumes. Why,therefore

,

‘ must ’

w e adopt a freak of

l uxury,founded on nei thergood sense norgood taste ?

Again, w e hear, ‘ F ire ornaments are qu i te gone ou t ;

you must stick aJapanese paraso l in th e stove, or fi l l it

with t inse l and waterl i l ies .

’ I t matters not h ow ou t

rageous th e not ion— primroses planted in th e fender,a

rockery of ferns,ascent fountain p laying up th e chimney,

orawhite sat in bow from th e register— th e argument is

always th e same : ‘ I am tel l ing everybody of it, and

they are all do ing i t

This is th e way in which fool ish fashions speedi ly

infec t awho le communi ty, because each person is afraid

to be independent,or l ikes to have somebody to th ink

forh er. I quote th e stove, because no otherpart of th e

house has been so tortured into a false pos i t ion or an

unnatural aspect ; yet why, in th is uncertain c l ime, afire-place is never to confess its name when not in u se

,

any more than aChairorapiano,I do not know.

I t seems to m e betterthat ath ing Should be candidly

acknowledged in disuse than made rid i cu lous by misuse,and i t is better to risk be ing cal led eccentri c than to

follow'

abad example yet, given that afire-place ought


reasonably to serve as aflow er-pot orafi sh pond in su m

m er, and that amante l - She lf ought to be dressed l ike a

lady,i f a fine were imposed on everybody w h o copied

h erneighbour’s work th e result wou l d be interest ing as

th e products of original m inds,forth e various methods,

i f not all good . wou ld h e certainly all new .

Good sense is th e bas is of all that is beaut i fu l , and

detai ls of ornament as wel l as th e ensem ble ought to be

th e natural resu lt of ou rhabits and tastes. W i thout th e

renewing of fresh vigourandnew thoughts, every fashion

becomes vu lgar and efl'

ete, as a body dies when th e

b lood ceases to circu late in it. Hence th e present

aesthet i c craze, when i t does not represent ind ividual

thought and effort, is as poor and parrot- l ike as anyo thercraze which has led inte lligent creatures astray .

People require teaching, he lping, forcing to deve lop

theirown resources and to evo lve theirown tastes . T h e

schoo lboy is punished forus ing a‘ crib ,

’

not because it

is wrong, bu t because it is h is duty to exerc ise h is brains .

And, al though afoo l ish opposi t ion to all reigning habits

m ay become equal ly weak , forpeop,le shou ld have th e

courage of the iropinions - courage even to echo i f need

be, without l im it ing theirspeech to acontinual echo

yet those would -be leaders are stumbl ing-blocks to pro

gress w h o say , This is‘ done, therefore do i t .

’

Nay , do

not go on nibbl ing at th e hal f- eaten grass— move ou

ward,to pastures new

,l i tt le lambs. l

HARMON Y 2 7

iharm u np.

T h e fash ionable practi ce of m odelling room s too

severe ly upona s ingle period is Open to grave object ions .

I t b inds fetters of iron on th e owner, w h o can never

work-in any new e lement,however beautifu l . I t seems

to destroy,

all l iberty of action ; and, moreover, when

th e room is inhabited, th e sense of propriety is outraged

by th e imposs ibi l ity of confining th e dresses of th e

guests— or,indeed , th e manners and customs— to th e

requ ired l imit . A newspaperorapiano is an anachro

nism in areal Queen Anne (no t Emp ire ’

) room ,and I

know Queen Annites w h o cons istent ly banish both .

T ea wou ld be an anachronism in aTudor room ; or at

least,i f used , it ought to be spoken of by its nat ive

name tcna (tea, with accented a) , as i t was in th is countrywhen i t first appeared

,being wri t ten c/zaw here I n 16 1 5,

and cniaby thePortuguese .

Sensi t iveness to anachronisms natural ly increases

With attent ion, bu t too severe cons istency— fair enough

as an ant iquarian freak— when elevated into a system

seems to m e intolerable,s ince ou r wal ls and furniture

were made for u s,not w e for them .

Sti l l,a happy l iberty must not be confounded with

outlawry—a feverish effort to be d ifferent from others

often resu lts in disagreeable eccentrici t ies— bu t that

some sort of harmony with surround ings is needfu l in

dress and h earing I Shal l strive to Show . I t stands to

reason that (short of preparing a spec imen room,

’

ora

museum for reference only) it is better to‘

al low some


lat itude to modern tastes and requ irements than to

tramme l all th e guests with laws and l iveries,orto have

to sufferin s i lence th e incongrui ty one has learnt to fee l

too acutely .

Without t iresome adherence to a given date, w e

must study uni ty of plan,and banish all real ly discor

dant e lements . For instance,aroom furnished not ice

ably in th e Georgian style shou ld not contain obtru sive

Victorian manufactures . A very Japanese room shou ld

not be marred by early Engl ish work,such as wou ld be

unl ikely to reach Japan. On th e otherhand, aGeorgian

room m ay contain Jacobean furni ture ; aJacobean room

m ay take hints from old Japan or Egypt, forobjects of

contemporary or earl ier date m ay be assumed to

have a possib le right in th e room,wh i ch those of a

later date cannot have by any stretch of imaginat ion.

S imi larly, Chinese art would be fi sh - ou t-Of-waterish in

an early Engl ish home . Chinawas not Opened up t i l l

th e s ixteenth century,and m odem Chinese work wou ld

be i l l - placed in a Jacobean room,as it wou ld d ispe l th e

i l lusion of ant iqu i ty, and at once betray that th e room

was Spurious, or that modern addi t ions and excrescences

were be ing added .

Such th ings might fairly be carried by th e present

generation into an antique dwe l l ing place, bu t they

wou ld always look ‘ou t of keeping and uncomfortable.

This makes, in my Opinion, a room avowed ly eclectic

eas ier to manage and more su itable to modern wantsthan any o ther. Good taste

,whi ch means sensibi l ity

and discriminat ion, w i l l decide what incongrui ty means,and what princip le or system is to govern th e arrange


th ing h e did not personal ly covet . His province is tohelp you in that mechani cal part wh i ch yo u cannot doyoursel f. He m av guide you ; h e must not subj ugate

you . He Shou ld be competent to save you from afiascoi f you are utterly incapable of th inking foryoursel f

,bu t

h e ought sure ly to harmonise your ind ividual Opinionswith th e general laws (broad as they are) of art whichh e is supposed to have stud ied , not to make yourhouse th e repl ica of another h e has done. A man’

s

house,wh i lst h e is in i t

,is a part of himself. Such

stipulat ions as profess ional decorators are apt to makethat

,havingundertaken to decorate yourroom ,

they are to

do i t in the irown way , and not to be hampered by your

prej udices,

’ 1 is,I th ink , aprincip le aprion

"

false, though

I canwel l understand th e professional views andreasons .

However ignorant th e customer, and however aecom .

plish ed th e decorator, th e customer’

s Opinions and wishes

are of th e first importance in this as in every other

province of trade, and th e ‘ publ i c ’ wi l l never improve

unt i l they are respected . What should w e say i f th e

l inen-drapertook a leaf ou t of th e decorator’

s book , and

i f when w e asked for red si lk th e shopman po l i tely

repl ied , Madam,I cons ider red s i lk unsu i ted to you ,

and I suggest green merino and i f yourprej udices are

opposed to th e laws of art,represented by th e present :

fashion and my stock, I prefer to decl ine your

We shou ld resent th is , though a dress does not last so

long as a new wal l - co lour, i t can be got rid of sooner.

There are certain patterns, as there are certain co lours,repugnant, l ike part icu laral iments, to certain constitu

Su ch strenu ou s conditions are laiddownin Hou se Decoration

(Art at Home Series) .

WHA T A ROOM SHOULD BE . 3 1

t ions and, al though constant interference by customers

in.

th e progress of th e work wou ld be very vexat ious to

any workman, yet h e has no right to obj ect to any

al terat ion demanded— to any exchange, e .g. , of a st i ff

foraflowing pattern, or abright co lour fora du l l one,when, th e work finished, i t is displeasin

’

g to those w h o

have got to endure it foryears.

T h e customerought to meet a tyrannical decorator

with Shylock’s d ignified answer, I t is my humour,

’

and

th e detai l of co lourordevi ce which th e decoratorwants

to pu t up, whetheryou l ike i t orno, may be regarded as

th e harmless necessary cat which every freeborn Bri ton

has aright to hate i f h e wi l l , as Shylock hints .

w hat a R oom sh u u in be.

T o Obtain a harmonious who le, you must not omi t

th e main element— yoursel f and th e premiss that your‘ prej ud ices ’

are not to count only fosters th e ape- l ike

propensi ty, already common, which w e ought to try to

get rid Of. We do not want any new rec ipe forcreat ing

apes,w e have too many. One is th e decorator’s preju

d ice ’

w hen h is stock - in- trade is l im ited . Beautifu l in

i tsel f,and sat isfying th e cul tured eye in all its parts, th e

dwel l ing-room ought to offer re l ief and sympathy in

colourand shape to all moods,all types . T h e domest i c

surround ings, l ike dress, have a defini te effec t on th e

spiri ts, almost on th e character; they m ay be sym

pathet ic or irri tat ing . Note their importance in a s ick

room ,for example, which any observant nurse w i l l

confirm . A wel l - co loured room is Cheerfu l , yet not

3: THE SEARCH AFTER BEAUTY.

obtrus ive ly gay ,

~calm -Wi thout depress ing th e spiri ts, soft

orri ch'

in tone without partaking toomuch of e itherco l d

or h ot t ints ; and offering no broad blank spaces to

fat igue th e mind or exerc ise i t to devise poss ible

add it ions, norpatterns which teaze th e eye to count and

fo l low their impertinent gyrat ions . I t shou ld , in fact ,be l ike a calm ,

pleasant expectant sm i le on a kindly

face, —not asour stare, noran obstreperous loud laugh .

CHAP T ER I I I .

QBI h 49 m m fi lm s fistpie.

th e gaudy red and gold monstros it ies of

twenty years ago (Lou is XV. fash ions vu lgar

ised ) m ay be l ikened to th e obstreperous loud

laugh , some of th e wou l d-be-aesthet ic modern

rooms, all spl inters and ashen t ints (George I I I . modes

vulgarised ) m ay be l ikened to th e sourstare. Grim and

ac idulated in co louring, co ld and form al in aspect ,dotted with heavy h igh chairs false ly fathered upon

Chippendale and “false ly model led on Greek forms,and

rickety l itt le tables and sofas glossy and spotty with

inlayingalmost l ike asnake’

s skin, and made with sharp

legs which seem to pri ck and st ing th e carpet— w e find

no large conceptions of beauty orpleasantness e i therin

th e true George I I I . room norits copy. Why are these‘

th ings cal led ‘ Queen Anne ’

u nless in jest because sh e

never lived to see su ch f u rnitu re

T h e artow h ich was popu larhere in thatqu iet'

qu een’

s

day was ch iefly Jacobean,for fore ign fash ions d id not .

cross th e s i lver streak as sw iftly as they now do ; and:

D

34 THE SEARCH AFTER BEA UTY

that was of a heavy,large , bu t right noble type . T h e

woodwork was cap i tal . T h e chairs were heavy, square ,ve lvet-covered , w i th tw isted orslowly curved legs , whi ch

wi l l bearany superimposed we ight. T h e we l l- seasoned

oak or chestnut-wood has th e hardness and po l ish of

F I G . 2 .

—Sevent : enth Century Cab inet, be longing to th e R ev. H . R . Haw eis.

bronze . T h e vast bed steads,chairs and cabinets, in

telligently carven. by hand (yo u . could not overturn t/zem

w i th yourskirts) l— which were in keep ing with th emass ive

dress of Anne’

s day— stood against oaken pane l l ing which

fors implepropriety of treatment, admirable construct ion,

and c leanl iness, is unparal leled . There is no such work

now . T h e jo ints which were meant to bear th e rough

OL D QUEEN ANNE STYLE. 3;

pol ishing wi th beeswax and Vinegar of s trong-armed ,old- fash ioned housemaids, have borne th e rougher

usage of neglect and defacement for 1 50 years, and st i l l

harbourno parasi tes between th e we l l - seasoned seams .

M eant ime increasing social weal th , securi ty,and

comfort were annual ly rendering strm gt/z in furni ture

less important, and efi ct,was more general ly sought ,

T h e odour of ' th e Renascence had not ,qu i te faded .

UnderLou is X I V. and h isrsu ccessorinFrance th e lu x u ries

of Imperial Rome’

seem ed more enviable as they were

betterunderstood ;'

th e’

pass ion fornove l ty and surprises

insp ired all that was be'

st'

and worst in th e fashions of

th e t ime andt h e‘

décadénce of taste moved~on through

a few beaut iful phases . T h e black oak with its splend id

honest l ights andshadows had long yielded .to th e ri ch

m argu em'z'

e - made gay with chased brass and ormo lu,

which was pecu l iarly French both in its artificiality and

th e cleverness of its del icate finish . Her'

Majesty‘

th e

Queen possesses specimens of th is work contemporary

w i th Anne,

‘but’ i t was -no‘

m ore ~Eng1ish than' the F loren-a

t ine m osaics w h ich w ere made in-th e s ixteenth century;and i t ought to be cal led Lou is What was

Engl ish,perhaps th e only fash ion w h ich m ay be cor~

rectly cal led afterQueenAnne,1was th e new invent ion

,

grained paint .

There are many rooms anddoorways of true Jacobean

and‘

Annean work‘

in Gray’

s I nn Square and that

district , which wou ld be worth preservmg in some more

Grainedpaint was known to th e ancient R omans, bu t this u npleasingclassic fashion appears not to have been popu larin England u ntil Qu eenAnne’s time.

36 THE SEARCH AFTER BEAUT Y

fashionable local i ty, and windows adorned with th e

wreaths and arch i tectural ornaments of Renascenceorigin

,giv ing on avenues of trees planted in lordly rows

accord ing to th e good old Engl ish taste. T h e orna

ments were grained over, whatever they were made of.

Paper for wal l -hangings was already in u se,humbly

emu lat ing th e designs of th e old leatherand s i lk wh ich

had long adorned ri cherwal ls, bu t its qual i ty was -not

y et sat isfactory enough to commend it to popu lar taste .

Paper-hangings are essential ly Engl ish— even Jacque

mart admits that . France rece i ved th e manufac ture

from u s,and present ly added improvements ; England

m ay have derived it from Holland or Spain,where

stamped paper-hangings are said to have been ‘ first

made about I 555. S tenci l l ing and whitewash were sti l l

extens ively used , as they had been forcenturies, whi lst

princes and th e weal thier c it i zens moved to and fro

against abackground of F lemish orEngl ish tapestry, or

s i lk , ve lvet, and gi l t leather, in carved pane ls ofoak,and

overhung with p ictures and mirrors . T h e finerFrench

Gobel in tapestry, appl ied to wal ls, screens, and chairs

of refined and easy form,was th e rage in France, where

l uxury reached its he ight under Lou is XV. , and meek

England fo l lowed France as close ly as sh e dared .

T h e rooms , therefore, which th e weal thy inhabited

during Anne’

s brief re ign and forsome tim e before and

after, were by no . m eans co ld or bare in tone . They

were brilliant ,1 eith er-with th e superb colouring and go ld

of Spanish leatherorF lemish looms , orwith th e sombre

l ustre of po l ished and carven wood . Pepys speaks of

hanging th e long chamber where th e girl l ies w i th th e


Bu t h is work ind icates a conscient iousness, afirmnessand fac i l i ty

,agrace of fancy, anda sympathet ic under

stand ing of b ird , beast , and flow er, wh ich m ay wel l

reflect th e habit of mind wh ich brought it forth, and it is

suffic ient to stand in th e beaut i fu l ly re - decorated Chape l

of Trini ty Co l lege , Cambridge , where th e Gibbons ’

carvings long unnot i ced now stand forth from a go lden

ground , to be struck with an almost passionate adm ira

t ion of th e dainty groups, as Evelyn h imse l f was .

L ike all tru ly great work , i t stands outs ide cri t i c ism .

We forget wh i lst looking at i t that th e canons of art

repud iate natural ist i c decorat ion, and that a frieze o f

undying flowers is ratherastonishing, and that l i l ies - of

th e-val ley,carnat ions, and blue -be l ls are not al i ke dark

brown, as Gibbons’ contemporaries forgo t that such

wreaths were ratherGoth ic than c lass i c , when they laid’

them round ~Wren’

s p i l lars . T h e fragi le stalks and

tremulous leaves engross ou rminds, th e wood is ali ve ,

and G ibbons remains independent of cav i l lers and

canons

I n Trini ty L ibrary, s im i larwork in pale pear-wood ,

standing forth in bo l d bouquets nigh a foot from th e

background , is even more marvel lous, and w e have th e

curious opportuni ty of comparing , in th e case of one

decayed bouquet, first-rate modern work with G ibbons’

ow n. An eminent English carver w h o has revived in

th e present day. some interest inwood- carving,undertook

to copy. exact ly th e decayed bouquet and th is h e d id

in somewhat boastfu l sp iri t , insistingw h en h e sent i t in

that h is own was superior to th e master’s . But vast is

th e gu lf between them . Gibbons’

leaves are th in as

GRI NL I NG GI BBONS. 39

paper,h is stalks as del i cate ly finished behind as before,

a th ird th e dens ity of th e copy : h is c u rves are more

subtle,h is po ise of dainty tw igs more nice andwondrous

th e comparison is most interest ing and instructive .

Gibbons’ finest work is at Chatsworth , where certain

nets of game seem to represent th e dy ing struggles of

soft - plumaged b irds with start l ing truth , a miracle of

carv ing ; and in St. Pau l’

s Cathedral, in St . James’

s ,

Westm inster, th e South Kens ington Museum , and o ther

places, there are fine examples of G ibbons’ sk i l l . Bu t

w h o evergoes to see them ? They hang enveloped in

th e gloomy atmosphere of unlove ly London,kil led by

th e du l l co louring of grained paint ing and senseless

d irty Renascence scro l ls and borders ; they are to all

intents and purposes lost.

T h e wondrous ski l l of th e young art ist , of whom

Eve lyn’

s descript ion is wel l known, working in h is

humble stud io neere Sayes Court ,’

commanded agood

pri ce, happi ly, wh i le h e yet l ived , to say no th ing of th e

m u nificent retaining fee , orpens ion, of 15 . 6d. aday from

George I .

,which G ibbons enjoyed during th e last seven

years of h is l i fe . What was m ore,'it created a schoo l of

ingenious im i tators , one of whom , Watson, w h o worked

underGibbons at Chatsworth , was bu t s l ightly inferiortoth e master;hence th e conscient ious hand -work inmou ld .

ings,Corinth ian capitals , ri ch door- frames, ped iments,

mante l -p ieces, and furni ture , wh ich renders Georgian

houses interest ing, was d irectly inspired by G ibbons and

th e finertaste of S tu art t im es . G ibbons d ied in 17 2 1

bu t i t is probable that latterly be rathersupervised than

executed h is‘

world - famed wreaths; His best Work was

THE SEARCH AFTER BEA UTY.

done in Charles I I .

’

s re ign, when h e was associated wi thWren

,l ike ade l icate bindweed around an oak.

T o return to th e ord inary furni ture of James I I . andAnne .

cant on Qflnne

Among th e humblergentry w h o could not afford th eri ch carv ings and French m argzw terz

’

e, th e wainscoted

rooms, whether wh itewashed or no,were Jacobean in

the ir furni ture : but papers of a th in poor kind, in

tended , as I have said , to im i tate th e punched leather

and stamped ve lvet in the ir spotty, ratherpatchy pat

terns , covered th e wal ls of th e less carefu l ly bu i l t

apartments . F lock paper w as supposed to represent

ve lvet rathersuccessfu l ly . T h e woodwork, when carving

l ike G ibbons’

was not access ible, was s l i ced at th e edges

into s l ight arches and angles , somet imes pretty in form ,

bu t hard ly pretending to art in the irrude s impl ic i ty of

des ign and execut ion,save in th e moderat ion of th e

curve, and th e graining began to creep into every avai l

able place w i th its base and fac i le tricks - even real oak

was smo thered under its more fash ionable semblance,

as false flowers later were thought more stately than

real ones . Stucco began to s imulate wood rel iefs’

whereverit was poss ible . I t had been large ly used for

ce i l ings, and for ornament ing caskets, &c. , all through

th e Reformat ion t imes ; now i t covered p i lasters, doorpanels , mantel- shelves, &c . , st i l l retaining th e beau t ifu l

designs derived from class i c art a'

nd mod ified by six

teenth century genius ; bu t no doubt los ing sp iri t and

grace. T h e windows were sti l l often latticed , and th e

QUEEN. ANNE WALLS. 41

wal ls remained thick enough to form deep window-seats

and doorways but th e newerfurni ture was farsmal lerandweaker thanwhat was made in th e prev ious century

,

and inlaid p ieces, mounted in brass, began to be sought

as th e new French fashion. The irmechani cal excel lence

covered amult i tude of s ins .

Not that th e app l icat ion of brass and ormo l u to

furni ture, nor inlay ing w ith co loured woods, was pecul iar

to Queen Anne’

s t ime,nor even ind icat ive of i t

,for

noth ing was pecu l iar to i t but th e grained paint . I n th e

fifteenth century th e I tal ian ‘ intars iatori ’ caught from

ancient stone m osaics th e idea of mosaic in woods .

Inlay ing was not rare in th e s ixteenth century, and in

’

th e curious Spanish p iece comb ining organ and cabinet

wh ich stands in th e South Kens ington Museum among

th e old mu sical instruments, w e m ay j udge h ow perfect

th e manufacture had become as early as 1 560 . There

w e see m argzzeterz’

e so sk i l fu l that it does not try (nor

even attract) th e eye at a few paces’ d istance . Curious

mark ings of th e natural wood seem to break -u p th e

plain surface, and these streaks and spo ts fal l into

designs of ru ined temples, scro l ls, and b irds with surprising effect onl y when you are qu ite c lose to ~th em . Bu t

all through th e seventeenth and e ighteenth centuries

wood inlayings,w ith more andmore vu lgarandattract ivepatterns

,were common in France. and in th e later

e ighteenth century began ’ to creep across th e Channe l

into th e houses of th e Engl ish midd le Classes, only

because th e cond it ion of th e c lasses improved , and a

larger number of people were able to‘

bu y tables and

cabinets. T he finest m argnelerz'

e co l lected by Anna


maniacs belongs to th e Lou is Sei ze period , and is s igned

with foreign names . Chippendale cop ied it.Brass and ormo l u scro l l - edges attached to all parts

of furniture ,came into vogue in France and I taly about

temp . Lou is XIV. T h e designs lasted into Anne’

s

re ign as they have lasted into Victoria’

s . Bu t th is kind

of e laborate furni ture was too cost ly to become common

for a long time , about th e middle of th e e ighteenth

century,when th e des igns were already deteriorat ing,

and they can neverproperly be said to be long to Engl ish

as much as to French art. I shal l show later h ow th e

excessively ornate style grew o u t of th e homel ierby th e

natural process of increas ing l u xury and sk i l l,and what

th e décadence under th e Grand Monarque ’ became

through gradual vi tiat ion of th e eye .

What people now cal l Queen Anne ’ fashions with a

charm ing ind ifference to th e tramme ls of dates, are th e

fashions of th e three Georges, Marie Anto inette (underthat queen French furni ture and decorat ion whi lst st i ll

sumptuous became refined and moderate) , and espec ial ly

everything which came in during th e Empire (Napoleon Now as Anne d ied in 17 14 and Napo leon re

s igned h is crown in 18 1 5, there are just 100 years of

perhaps th e most remarkable changes anddeve lopments

in“ domesti c sent iments, and hence art, wh ich ever

occurred inacentury, allnamed afterAnne whose tastes ,stri ct ly speak ing , be longed to h er fathers generat ion.

I f people wou ld bu t let poor Anne rest in h er grave !

T h e confus ion”

h er ghost has created is l ud icrous .

Only th e o ther day I was shown a French m irror

(Lou is XIV. ) by some real ly cu lt ivated fo lks as,

‘ Queen

Anne you know— genu ine Chippendale

CH I P P ENDAL E . 43

fi bippcu haic.

Chippendale th e e lder was a cabinet-makerwh oflourished about th e middle of th e last century , long

afterAnne’

s re ign. He was no creator, l ike Bou le, bu t

h e was a cap i tal workman. His jo iner’

s work was ex

cellent,h is u se of glue and veneerproperly smal l . He

was'

th e authorofmany of th e most elaborate Lou is XV.

patterns in England : frames, tab les , commodes, pede

stals, allofth em ingenious, all of them adapted from th e

French , and contrad i ct ing all sense of purpose in

frames, tables, commodes and pedestals : not astraight

l ine anywhere , not a moment’

s rest for th e eye , all

wriggling curves l ike bewitched vegetat ion, g iving birth

in unexpected p laces to human heads,beasts and b irds .

Noth ing so l ike a bad dream ever caught th e fretfu l

and s ickly popu lar fancy . His books of des igns were

publ ished between 17 52 and 176 2 .

He also adapted h is workshop , to th e prevai l ingtaste when i t t urned pseudo -Greek, Dutch, and pseudo

Ch inese, andmanufactured many good , andas many base

andbad,art i cles of furni ture . His meretricious s imula

t ions of bronze stands, (in wood , th e impossible curves

strengthened by internal wires ,) were turned ou t amongh is bureaux and chairs,

‘

really we l l and durably con

structed , w i th mere servi l ity to th e customer’s purse, not

w i th . any art ist i c independence of princ iple . Ch ippen

dale was a c lever tradesm an ; h e is overrated by bl ind

enthus iasts t i l l one almost fanc ies h e was a shopkeep ing

d iv ini ty. We hear tw ice as much of h im as w e do of


Gibbons, w h o was an art ist,not a carpenter. Bu t h e

wou ld have been thought noth ing of ina country of real

art ist ic discrim inat ion l ike France and I taly.

Furni ture and dress natural ly echo each other in

fashion. And w e cannot too firmly assert (for th e bene

fi t'

of accurate minds) that as'

th e Renascence waned,

thenew fash ions in England aimed at nove lty and su r

prise as d id contemporary m odes in France, without th e

insp irat ion wh ich centred in th e re ign of Lou is XIV . ,

orth e sk i l l and fancy wh ich ran riot under Lou is XV .

Those new fashions which were not again d irectly

c lass i c, were strik ing,‘ loud ,

’

even garish . When th e

leather hangings were torn and tarnished, they came

to be'

replaced by papers of stronger and stronger

patterns, w i th no great improvement in qual i ty. I n

many old Georgian“ houses w e can study th e Haunt ing

peacocks and imposs ible flowers which d isported them

se lves al i ke on wal ls and hoop -wide sacques . There

is an interest ing spec imen of th is wal l - paperat Ashley

Park,against w h ich th e d im , faded old Georgian m ar

qzzetem’

c d isappears . For th e b ird s and scro l ls on th e

m argzzelerz’

e are smal l and by comparison qu iet in t int .Those on th e wal ls are l ife s i ze — poorly co loured

,i l l

drawn, garish and vu lgar, but Queen Anne.

’

(13 118 8 11 91111112 fl ost u m cs.

T h e ephemeral rages for certain periods and styles

to Which th e fashionable world has ever been subject

m ay be'

various ly accou nted'

for. Often they seem to be

born of air,and changed bv'

abreath : with no tang ible


unostentatious dispos i t ion,never had sovereign less inf

fluence upon th e aesthet ic tendencies of h erage .

I n dress , in furni ture, in plate , in arch i tecture,in

nearly'

every department of art, though allpseudo - class ic ,Charles I I .

’

s t ime stands h igh . T h e period wh ich m ay

be said to have begun with George I I I . , boast ing some

reforms in dress, Ch ippendale’

s goods, and Sir Joshua

Reynolds, had also much to please an art ist’

s eye . T h e

period between th e tw o invo lved areacticn against th e

corrupt l uxury of th e court,and made i tse l f fe l t as to

fu rnitu re,’

in:straigh t l ines and d iscomfort — th e fashions

imported from Ho l land : as to dress, inwhalebone, buck ;

ram , and ° unw ield iness,a d irect contrad ict ion to th e

beauteous - lriz'

sser ell/fr wh ich had ou trun i tsel f short ly

.before . . Perhaps th e. fash ionable fals i t ies were a sort of

protest against1too much candour. How art istical ly

h ideous th e .react ion was, avery l itt le thou ght makes

clear. L et u s see what th e fashions during Anne’

s l i fe

actual ly were . Born in 1664, Anne m ay have seen th e

undulat ing negl igence of sat in and pearl - clad beaut ies

gl ide about h ercrad le m ay have worn some Le ly- fash ion

herse l f before h erfatherre igned. At nineteen (when sh e

married)'

sh e m ay have sported th e new ‘Fontange,’

or

comm ode ironi cal ly so cal led . Sh e m ay have rejo i ced in

a ‘

paire of lockes and curls ’ wired out on end. Sh e

probably decked h er pleasant freu nd/ic/z face with th e

stars and th e black coach and horses which are seen

inall the ir grace and expressiveness in engravings of

th e period . This is th e more l ike ly, as th e mass lof

patches was no new fashion in 16 83, bu t hadbeen th irty'

years in vogue st i l l th e scorn of sat i;

QUEEN ANNE COSTUMES. 47

rists. Bu lwer in h is ‘ Art ific ial Changel ing,’

16 50 , first

al ludes to th is . I t is we l l ,’

h e says, ‘ i f one black patch

w i l l serve to make the ir faces remarkable, forsome fi l l

their visages ful l of them ,varied into all manner of

shapes and figures ; some of which I have i l l ustrated in

T h e Art of Beauty ’

(figs . 63 and whi le th e author

of ‘ God’

s Vo i ce against Pride and Appare l ,’

in 16 83

(th e yearof Anne’

s marriage) , declares that th e blackpatches rem ind h im of plague

spots,

‘ and methinks th e

mourning coach and horses allin black

,and plying on the ir

foreheads, stands ready har

nessed to whirl them to Acheron.

’ Anne probably squeezed

h erwaist into a V form (as in

fig. and walked o u t in th e

c l umsy garb buried in furbe lowswhich w e m ay admire in many

old prints, or even sported th e

mascu l ine coat , waistcoat, and

walk ing- cane he l d about 1700

to be th e‘ height of taste,

’

and Fro . 3.- Fro

.

m an

é

old wood—cu t,slung at h er s ide a l ight rapier

,

arm 1 90 °

and tucked h er. cocked hat under h er arm,l ike other

ladies .

At any rate, these were th e vagaries of fashion’

in'

Anne’

s'

you th . A t its quietest, th e costume of ord inary

mortals was terribly st iff, heavy, and inconvenient not

to say unc lean, cons idering th e m ass of powderscattered‘

in th e airby th e men’

s periwigs alone . Anne’

s retiring


nature and complete subservience'

to th e Duchess of

Marlborough,w h o was too much given to th e state

intrigue to trouble hersel f with costume,m ay have

incl ined h erpersonal ly to th e least obtrus ive forms thenfashionable ; but i t must also have led h erno t to dis

regard th e mode .

’

T o those w h o , possessing early e ighteenth century

furni ture,are properly des irous of dress ing in harmony

w ith it,I m ay suggest th e kind of att ire be longing to

the ir favouri te period , by quot ing advert isements of

losses in th e reign of Anne. Here is one :‘ A black

s i lk pett icoat, with aredand whi te cal ico border cherry

co loured stays , trimmed with blue and s i lver ared and

dove- co loured damask gown,flowered with large trees

ayel low sat in apron trimmed with whi te Pers ian, and

musl in head c loths with crowsfoot edging double ru fl‘les

w ith fine edging, a black s i lk furbe lowed scarf,and

Spotted hood .

’

(From th e ‘ Post Boy ,

’ November 1 5,

1 709 )Here is anothercost ume , advert ised forin 17 1 2

‘ Agreen s i lk knit waistcoat, with go ld and s i lver flow ers

all over i t , and about fourteen yards of go l d and s i lver

th i ck lace on it’

(no mean quantum for one waist

coat andapett i coat of ri ch strong flowered sat in, red

and white, all in great flowers or leaves , and scarlet.

flowers with black specks brocaded in,raised h igh l ike

ve lvet orshag .

’

I f th e resu lt is somewhat vulgar in its tasteless

d isplay of inappropriate co lours and immoderate orna

ments , it wi l l not be my fau lt bu t th e fau lt of Queen

Anne . Thus and thus Queen Anne was robed, and

QUEEN ANNE COSTUMES. 49

th e m en were as many- co loured and as refulgent as th e

ladies

T h e ch ief feature , however, of woman’

s dress, during

th e who le space of Anne’

s l i fe, was th e s ingular in

del i cacy, which m ay be stud ied in th e pictures and th e

sat ires contemporaneous by those wh o wish to copy th e

costume. Scarlet shag flowers and scores of yards of

go ld braid wi l l be powerless to rev ive th e t imes of Annewithout this feature. T h e who le bust must be u nflinch

ingly exposed as it was when R i chard Buxton publ ishedh is book,

‘ A j ust and seasonable Reprehension,’

and

when another d ivine prayed,Lord

,hast Thou any

mantoes for ladies, made afterTh ine own fashion,wh ich

shal l cover all their naked shou lders,and breasts , and

necks, and adorn them all over —where are they ?’

Anne l ived through tw o periods of th e com m ode, that

terrifi c ed ifice of gummed lace shoot ing up from th e

head crestw ise, of which Add ison, in th e charac terof th e

Spectator,’ wrote in th e year17 1 1 I rememberseveral

lad ies that were very nearseven feet h igh that at present

want some inch es of five and wh ich sprouted short ly

after higher than ever,l ike lopped trees that gain new

v igourto sprout by lopping. And th is Queen pres ided

over th e introduction of th e great hoop petticoat which

Hogarth a l i tt le later cari catured or d id not cari cature

(see page 1 57 ) as also that ugly modern patten with aring beneath th e so le, so much th e reverse of an im

provement upon th e anc ient c log . Sh e d ied in 17 14.

T h e head -dresses th eng

w orn were,for th e most part,

almost as large as cou ld be grappled with by th e

strength of th e sp ine . T h e wigs of th e m en floated to

E

1

50 THE 'SEARCH AFTER BEA UTY.

th e waist , and ,w ere

.

so powdered that their coats were

as white as amil ler’s the irfaces besmeared with snuff.’

T h e ladies wore cush ions and powder asWel l as larged isfiguring patches

,surmounted by heavy caps

,w i th

broad lappets spread over th e shou lders and formal ly

p inned in place.

CHAPTER IV.

new (12 112 8 11 al lu re £ 11112 .

HOSE sated and o u t of pat ience with orna

ment, whethermismanaged or s imply super

abundant,have been known to fly to s impl i

c i ty and plainsurfaces forrepose . Owen Jones

so sought refuge from ajaded appet i te forcolbu randform .

A fashion for plainness and simpl ic i ty in decorat ion is

convenient in more ways than one . I t is convenient to

th e new -made virtu oso, w h o l ikes it because i t m ay

imply that h e cou ld have done th e contrary if h e had

chosen ; convenient to those born without taste, for i t

saves them fiascos convenient to th e impecunious, for it

saves them money convenient to decorators w h o have

crept into not ice by good luck, not merit, l ike th e clever

doctor in Grimm ’

s fairy tale, for i t saves them trouble .

Hence th e running popu lari ty of th e so - cal led Queen

Anne ’ furni ture and scheme of decoration,now provided

by every upho lsterer.

But alas ! i t is poss ible to be sated with simpl ic i ty ,not to say d iscomfort . A lready w e are beg inning to

E 2


rebe l against th e plain square patch of wal l painted

grey, or drab , or some of those name less earth - t intswh i ch th e aestheti c ’

are vowed to . We know that th e

key-note of all these Queen Anne ’

rooms is qu iet andmortal ly severe .

’

T h e chairs are few ,hard

, square and

heavy, and covered with d ingy ve lvets laboriously made

to look poorand imperfect in w eband recal l ing in co lour

mud— m i l dew— ironm ou ld— no th ing c lean or heal thy .

We know that there is not to be a low oreasy chair in

any room . We know that th e windows must be smal l ,w i th poor l i tt le oblong panes, because windows bore a

tax during th e who le e ighteenth century. We know

w e must expect only smal l beve l led mirrors in mean

l i tt le frames— orconvex ones which make ou rfaces seem

bloated with toothache or ho l low with atrophy— ou r

figures spent and wasted , as with a sore d isease . A l lth is w e know— th e papers on th e wal ls, th e co lours in

th e carpet . T h e ‘ inescapab le ’ blue china, th e one ortwo

autotypes,photographs , oretch ings alone permitted u s

th e bare, comfort less bed-roo‘m furni ture ; th e austere

d ining-room furniture— th e who leforou c/zeprotest against

shaped and blazoned vu lgari ty ; w e know it is aesth e

tic,and let u s be aesthet i c orw e are noth ing.

Bu t is it pleasurable ? is it beaut ifu l ? is it ‘becom

ing

( tolu u rless fl ibcrics.

A l l these fashionable rooms resemble each other.

T h e Queen-Anne-m ad decorators (some consp icuous ly)have bu t one idea and drive i t to death . One hears


But though ou r unregenerate hearts m ay s igh for rel ief

and someth ing ne i ther blue-green nor green- blue, w e

must no t be unj ust . These rooms are so convenient ,afterall They are less offens ive than th e old redand

go l d bus iness. You can move eas i ly among th e sparse

u rnitu re . T h e l itt le jo ints and inlaid spots are very

nice ’

and th e l i tt le emascu lated legs v ibrate sympa

thet i cal ly at atouch , so s l ight are they— poorl i ttle naked,

FI G. 4.— N ew Queen Anne tab le .

sh ivering things There is someth ing weakly and femi

nine about th is style, which goes to th e heart,sure ly .

Yet th e inoffens iveness, unwarmed by some character,

some Ch ic, is in i tse l f somet imes an offence . T h e hearts inks alittle as th e eye ranges from right to left vainly

seeking someth ing which does not weary it, but th e

mono tony is too oppress ive and i t l ights at length uponsome natural object, some shrub orflowerwhich Queen

NA TURE’S PROTEST . 55

Anne has not tampered with in its artless, obst inate ly

characterist i c growth and co lour.

fi at u re’

s aeratest.Nature is unmoved by ou r crazes and ou r fashions .

Nature only has courage to be herse l f, to assert h erown

indiv idual ity, to fo l low h erown way , and neverto be a

bore, in spite of dynast ies . T h e cactus orazaleawhich

c lothes th e hi l ls ides of Turkey or A lgiers with pink or

scarlet flame, th e rose-garden in ou r own England

,th e

go lden common al ight with furze in bloom , th e apple

orchard and th e buttercup -field,rebuke u s forou rfo l ly .

Co lour and l ight and sunsh ine and shadow, all were

made forou rpleasure, and th e du l l l ines of decay,suit

able in the irplace, ought not to be ou rmain surround

ings . Dirt m ay be val uable to depress some forced or

u nnatural effect : bu t d irt is not th e only thing that is‘ni ce.

’ Co lour is not in i tse l f object ionable, bu t only

o u r ignorant u se of it. L et u s not give up who lesome

brightness norwho lesome pleasure, even underRoundhead ru le : for (as w e earl ier showed) when th e natural

balance is destroyed misch ief ensues.

L et u s press not only shadow bu t sunshine— not

only straight l ines bu t curves— not only sympath ies bu t

contrasts, into ou rservice where w e want them : and be

charged with no burdens of oughts ’

and ‘ musts’

which

Nature herself contrad icts .

CHAPTER I .

atarip fi nalist) f u rnit u re.

HAT does th e upho lsterer mean by ‘ Early

Engl ish ’? He st i cks i t into every advertise

ment h e attaches it to all objects , bookcases ,coalscu ttles

,lace and duplex lamps ; to all

periods,but espec ial ly th e decade andahalfru ledoverby

Queen Anne , and that otherdecade andahal f, a centurylater, governed by Napo leon I . Modern oak

”

sett les,carved by mach inery ; mahogany and o therchairs made

about 1 835 everything that looks eccles iast ical and all

ugly co lours— are now cal led ‘ Early Engl ish .

’

For in

stance . a ladder chairfor l ibrary u se,plain oak

,is cal led

superior’

th e same th ing defaced by ab i t of mach ine‘ carv ing,

’

of course unpainted , bu t heavi ly varnished,

becomes Early Engl ish,

’ though in old England paintwas everywhere and varnish not invented a wal l

painted with an even t int of mud - co lour— anyth ing

co loured d irty grey or drab— is therefore Early

Engl ish and as upho lsterers, not content w i th th isabuse of terms

,are now sending o u t advert isements

60 A RETROSPECT OF ROOMS.

st uffed with ant iquarian lore worthy of P am /i, let u s

exam ine th e four or five dist inct periods of Engl ish

history in wh ich domest i c art took adefini te form , and

not g ibber about superiorfourteenth century table forks

and twelfth century po int lace— which I have actual ly

seen advert ised .

T h e‘Early Engl ish period is, orwas, supposed pro

perly to coverAnglo- Saxon andAnglo-Norman t imes inth is country . On th e quest ion of furni ture w e can hardly

d ivide th e tw o . T h e Medizeval period m ay be placed

about 1 2 00 - 1 50 0 ; th e Renascence, 1 500 —160 0 , though

th e loudness of its echo did not fai l for fu l ly ahundred

years more. T h e Modern t ime must be defined as

extend ing from 1 700 to 1 880 , bu t for c learness’

sake w e

w i l l make ad ist inct ion between th e Modern t ime (sayup to 1 8 50 ) and th e present day .

are Slamm ing of f u rnit u re.

I n its natural and general sense, furni ture (Fr.

m obz’

lz’

or) means movables— property easi ly transported

from place to place, as d ist ingu ished from a house and

lands. On th e habits and wants of ac lass depend th e

quant ity and qual i ty of th e furni ture hence th e fo l ly of

mak ing up ideal obj ects and christening them after

certain periods, without some knowledge of what was

then invented .

I t has been po inted ou t that th e first art i c les which

began to furnish and make home- l ike th e strongho l d of

th e sett lerwere hutches or chests to contain smal l goods- clothes, money, l inen, orwhateverstores h e possessed

6 2 A RETROSPECT OF R OOAJS .

and agrave reproach to ou rown unconscientious work

m en.

I h e m ighty, wel l - seasoned oak safe , carved by th e

rude Le ightons andWattses of early England in des igns

w h ich seemed to add new strength, not to weaken th e

tough fibre,is st i l l adm irable, st i l l worthy. T h e carved

geometri c patterns, even w hen not supplemented by

compli cated iron mounts, represented bars crossed and

re- crossed to redouble force. T h e mai led knights in

Goth i c arches, which w e often see carved around old

hutches , seemed to form adoughty outer barri cade, and

not adornment only . Such a cho i ce of ornaments hasbeen shown by Owen Jones to be th e resu lt , perhaps

unconscious, of afine sense of propriety in'

every race,

however savage , wh i ch possesses any art at all. T h e

paddles of th e Tah i t i orNew Z ealand is lander, and th e

doorposts of h is hut, are as eminent an example of

matu ral good taste/as many works of advanced c ivi l isa

t ion.

As publ ic securi ty increased,people amassed more

possessions, and cared more for them . ( L ike dress,

furni ture is a kind of progressive chroni c le th e art

appl ied to i t b lossomed ou t with every pause,fol lowing

each step onward . After too ls and weapons,th e hutch

,

bedstead , bench , and c/zaz'

r(abacked bench accommodat

ing several persons— th e qual i ty -hence an old church

pew ,

’

pu lpi t, professor’

s chair,and domest ic seat ) were

th e first decorated obj ects in furni ture . T h e wal ls, th e

dais, last of all th e cei l ing, were next furnished w i th

decoration, which cou ld be speed i ly suppl ied orremoved,

such '

as tapestry, canopies, and mats under th e feet,

THE MEANING OF FURNIT URE.

'

63

’

and th is decorat ion took very much th e place of o u r

li terature, and ou rpictures . Asgrim is described in th e‘ Njalssaga

’

as ordering th e board to be arranged and

th e tapestries hung up when h e sees F los i and h is band

approach ing, to whom h e chooses to be hospitable .

A long with th e wal ls, in places of worship ’ he l d

secure, such as the House of God and th e house of a

great lord , th e windows were decorated as amatter of

course, be ing part of th e wal l . Songs of love, legends

of piety, lessons of wisdom , to l d with th e who lesome

nai’

vete’

of a ch i ld , Spoke to th e heart from every avai l

able surface throughou t th e fresh , eagermorning of art.

31 f ou rteent ljscttént u rp nou m .

They loved co lour, th e Engl ish people, though they

were not parti cu lar abou t hav ing it qu ite clean —wh ich

is no doubt an acquired taste ;‘ l

’

appétit vient en

mangeant .’

I n th e fourteenth century a good deal of

luxury was common in ,

‘w orthy

’ houses . Christ ine of

P isahas sung th e splendours of royal res idences : ‘ les

aornem ens des sales, chambres d’

étranges'

et riches

bordeu res agrosses perles d’

oret soye aouvrages d iversle vaisellem ent d

’

or et d ’argent, et autres nobles estore

mens, n’

était se merve i l le’

s non.

’

T h e cupboard,once as

s imple as th e table, a plank on trest les,had become

stat ionary,andsprouted more she lves, carven andpainted

in th e rich Goth ic tracery to harmonise with th e gay

co lours of th e hangings and dresses . Et iquette began

to order th e chamber and ‘al thynge cleanlye aboute’

it —this_meant further art-deve lopment .

‘ Cu pboord


c loth , with basyn,ewer, candle l ight, and towel l ,

’ d ishes

of pewterorsi lver( there was no ch ina) , cups, and kni ves— these were th e minorfurniture which th e artists made

beaut i fu l w henever they had th e chance : in fact, all

these things glowed and breathed with such pleasant

thoughts and histories as w e frame in pictures and

suspend on wal ls, and improved furni ture was aecom

panied by mended manners . T h e bed, in Edward I I I .

’

S

t ime, had become‘ bien et ri chement encou rtiné,

’

su r

rounded by go ld -bright carpets su rqu oy on marchait ’

— fabu lous luxury l— at least on those occas ions of

fest ive ostentation when ladies of position ‘rece ived ,

’

afterth e birth of a ch i ld . Et D ieu scet les au tres super

flu z despens des festes, baigneries, de d iverses assem

blees, selon les u saiges de Paris 5. accouchées ,’

says

Christ ine and th is gives u s some not ion of th e advance

in comfort, if not culture, among th e upperclasses when

leisure and safety waited on their pass ionate love of

carving and co lour, on which society was as dependent

for ideas and pleasu re then as it now is on books .

Hence th e ri chness of subjects in old work, th e al l us ive

pictures in which ideas were condensed almost con

fu singly at t imes, because they del ighted every c lass of

anon-read ing publ i c .

T h e da'

rs, then, furnished with a chay ere or bench

of honour to accommodate th e most important person

orpersons present , was th e main feature of am ediazval

room . A l l th e househo l d glory centred on th e dais .

T h e best hangings were hung above and beh ind it,precisely l ike Her Majesty’s throne . Below,

benches

accommodated th e m ez'

m'

e,both strangersand househo ld .

A FOURTEENTH - CENTURY R OOM . 65

I f a carpet adorned th e dais, th e rest of th e room was

strew ed with straw . T h e benches were cush ioned when

necessary ; and when th e ‘ board ,’ furnished only w i th

th e clo th , th e prec ious sal tce l lar,and th e ‘

sotelté’

at

each course and th e s ide - board ,’

and perhaps th e

credence forth e tasterri ch w i th lace - l ike carv ing,were

set, all th e furni ture of th e t ime deemed necessary to

l uxury is enumerated . A gay , rude scene it was,w i th

Oriental bro ideries bought from pass ing chapmen,fres

coes , and tapestries home -made w i th lov ing sk i l l , daz zl ing

p late , and j ewe l - laden garments , all a l i tt le tarnished by

th e need of constant v igi lance

Se au cu ne chose y verrasQu e so it desh onete ou vi laine .

D irty indeed , i f not malodorous ! T h e‘ l i t t le hounds ’

growled overth e b iggerbones thrown beneath th e board,

th e lesserones , fi sh bones , &c ., being left upon th e c loth

or removed on th e sodden ‘ trenchers ’

of hard bread .

T h e hawks brought by guests sat hooded on th e perch

at one end of th e room ,and under foo t th e muffled

sounds of horses stamp ing in th e stable beneath bore a

fi tfu l accompaniment to th e mournfu l j ingle of th e

minstre l ’s c i to le . Dinnerover, and the board l ifted , th enoble company, or such as were ne i ther exc i ted nor

s tup id from th e meal , danced , m en and lad ies ho ld ing

each o ther by th e finger,orsang, orone amongs t them

most felyngly speketh of love ,

’

T h e s tory o f A u cassin

and N ico lette is re lated , w i th aSo lemn refrain now and

then,l ike a Gregorian chant ; wh i lst th e maidens ply

th e cease less d istaff wh ich h inders no j est or tender s igh .

F

66 A RETROSPECT OF ROOM S .

Near th e w indow,blazoned with th e story of False

Arcy te , hangs a caged crow (raven) tw i ttering to th e

sett ing su n,wh i le ayoung knave pushes past th e worsted

arras sh ie ld ing th e door, and lowers th e cand le - beam by

its pu l ley from th e carved and painted rafters . Present ly

th e storied wal ls are l ighted only by th e flaring torches

stuck in brackets and th e great’

ye l low cand les,and on

th e table- dormant th e chess-boards of m alach ite and

crystal , of go ld and i vory, are set for th e eagerplayers .

Th is sobers all i t is wel l if check ’

and mate ,

’

spoken

by bearded or by rosy l ips , lead to no m isch i ef as th e

night wears on, and th e wh i te moon sends abeam through

th e rich panes across th e murky atmosphere .

I f th is be Early England,h ow absurd it becomes to

name thus objects unknown and made by pro cesses ih ~

conce ivable to h er hand icraftsmen, and possess ing none

of th e qual i t ies wh ich m ake Early Engl ish works prec ious

s impl ic ity and earnestness of idea and execut ion.

Med iaeval work I S na'

i‘ve l ike a ch i ld ’s . No doubt, to

prefer a ch i l d s work to aman’

s is a matter of op inion.

T o forge ch i ld ish work is as rid icu lous as i t is im poss ible ; but th is is w hat modern traders do w hen they

fo ist on th e obtuse publ ic im i tat ions of ancient work

underancient names .

1

«Elbe E nvelopm ent of‘

Ent r.

Of course, in inferior houses l i fe was sti l l pretty

rough ; but, in taking th e history of furni ture as a

chronic le of progress , w e natural ly turn to th e castles of

th e pioneers of l uxury— th e ri ch . Abou t th is t ime th e

T HE DEVELOPMENT OF AR T . 6 7

increased demand of agrowingpopulat ion for furni tureis suggested by

'

th e su b-d iv isions in th e names Of art isans .

A t first th e art ist, scu lptor, carpenter, were one m an ;

now w e hear of carpenters, h u ch iers or coffer makers ,m enu is iers or jo iners

,chessboard -makers, and whee l

wrights (Mah ier, awheelwright , made in 14 1 5 awhee led

chairin walnu t wood for th e Queen I sabeau de Bav i’

ere)—all probably d ist inct from th e ym aigier, or regular

scu lptor,or th e portrey o u r w h o contributed quaint

Goth ic paintings to th e cathedral porch or ni che or

th e monk ish geni us w h o carved or i l l um inated in h is

qu iet cel l formoney for th e Lord ’

s sake .

Then probably i t was th e ambi tion of ri ch fo lks to

possess th e works of spec ial ists l ike P etrot ( 1360 ) and

Lucas th e chess - board makers, Mah ier th e whee l

wright , and many more, as w e love to have apicture by

B irket Foster or Landseer— someth ing to po int ou t to

visi tors, to chat about i f not to worsh ip . We hear of

G iul iano du Maiano andh is nephew Benedet to ,

‘scu lptors

and jo iners,’ dev is ing nove l ties

,invent ing inlaid work

and new k ind s of m argzzoterz'

e— a deve lopment wh ich

speaks vo lumes for th e change in soc ial cond it ions .

I t was not unt i l th e peri ls and v i c iss i tudes of feudal

cond i t ions were at an end that nat ive talent had a fair

chance to perfect i tse l f,wondrous ly as i t had surv ived

d iscouragement , l ike a flower u pris ing in th e m idst of

frost and vic ious influences .

ll There is very l i tt le. doubt that original ly carv ing

was s imply used as a foundat ion for painting ; perhaps

because th e art of painted shad ing had not yet become

as effect ive in variegated co lour as nat ural shadows cas tF 2

68 A RETROSPE CT '

OF '

R OOMS .

Lby‘

raised figures . AS th e co loured Shadows and inter

med iate t ints were more apprec iated,th e rel ief of th e

carved ornament was certainly he ightened , and th e

detai ls more e laborated . Thus w e can understand

s culpture be ing more popu lar than paint ing , which could

not yet produce so vivid an effect and w e m ay be l ieve

that painted scu lpture o ffered all that roundness and

Ch iaroscuro wh ich flat co louring lacked t i l l almost th e

period of A lbert Durerand Ho lbe in


T h e varying character of th e furni ture emanat ing

from I taly, France , Germany, &c. , is a subject too large

to attempt an - exhaust ive treatm ent of here . France ,

th e adjom ing country to I taly, was th e firs t to introd uce

north of th e A lps th e rev ival o f c lass ic types,and to

France m ay be said general ly to belong l ight and re

fined compos it ion to Germany amore redundant and

sturdy s tyle ; w h i le insu lar England , always a l i t tle

tardy in accept ing new v iews,brought th e warmest

apprec iat ion and earnestness to ex cuse h er de lay and

h erruder im itat ions .

Spain,where th e Renascence took early roo t , made

good u se of h er great weal th at first ; but , l ike every

o ther country wh i ther th e exot i c , class ic ism , has been

forc ibly transplanted , th e decadence: soon set in, in th e

shape of extravagances of style and ornament even

more fantast ic than w e find in H enri IV . arch i tecture or

E l i zabethan costume . When Saracenic art began toin

flu ence th e art of Spain,in th e later Renascence , many

curious hybrids were produced . We get many pieces of

extreme beauty in which th e barbari c e lement has its

charm , such as th e chestnut -wood coffers and secretaires

bound w i th metal work and inlaid w i th ivory ,th is

again stained or painted to resemble gems— extremely

p i cturesque and gorgeous,w i th playful Renascence

h ints and amore refined exce l lence of design than th e

ponderous oak re l iefs of England before Mary Tudor’

s

t ime, painted redand blue.

GOTHI C AND RENASCENCE WORK. 7 !

QBOtlJit ant fi rnafi ccnt c m ark .

Such terms as ‘ puri ty of taste,

sound percept ion,

’

&c. ,suggest that op inion on art

,l ike d igest ion, m ay be

mod ified by hab i t and cu lture, and as w e know that in

art, as in food , ‘ l ikes and d is l ikes depend on th e as

s im i lat ive pow er,it is c learly unreasonable to expect

everyone to agree . No tw o people see th e same th ing

qu i te al ike th e lens of th e eye i tsel f changes w i th years ,becom ing less sens i t ive to certain co lours : certain s ides

of beauty, as of truth,appeal to certain m inds , and th e

cut-and- dried credo w e are taught as to schoo ls and ru les

is therefore somet imes a serious h indrance to o u r con

fessed enjoyments as i t has been to many new deve lop

ments of genius . Every code of law s becomes obso lete

in t ime .

f I t ought to be adm itted that taste is free : then none

o f u s wou ld be afraid to be happy, and buds oforiginalityw ou ld break th e sheath of precedent

Some persons enj oy nearly all the art of th e R e

nascence,wh i lst o thers enjoy very l i tt le of it

,caring ch iefly

for th e Goth i c,and bo th have j ust reasons

,forth e fi tness

of as choo l l ies less in its theories than in th e emot ions

i t is able to wake in th e spectator. Insp ired w orks are

to be found in all schoo ls ; a face or a flower carved or

painted w i th such v ital force of emo t ion that it comes to

l ife as w e look at it, h igh and pathet i c thoughts wh ich

reach and st ir u s, even (somet imes) through th e mos t

imperfec t expression,because th e sp iri t is stronger than

th e letter/ ll

7 2A RETROSPECT OF R OO/llS .

I n th eDresden Gal lery, h ow often w e find one m an

stricken dumb before th e S ist ine Madonna, and bl ind to

Flo . 5 .—F lorentine Figure in terra-cotta, fifteenth century

GOTHI C AND RENASCENCE WORK. 73

th e Madonna of Ho lbe in,wh i lst h is ne ighbour sees

nought in th e eyes of Raphae l ’s Ch i ld norMother save

th e stare of peasants, bu t is start led , awed , choked by

th e gesture of Ho lbe in’

s Babe, too young to know that

He is bless ing m en,orto d irec t h is own div ine impu lses .

Wh o shal l say which m ind is wise or foo l ish for being

complex ioned this way or that ? L ike ac losed chamber,th e heart has its resonant note, and taste (wh ich means

cu lture of fee l ing) should be cdacatcd, not treated l ike

th e com prach icots that V i ctorHugo romances abou t .

I must confess to often enjoy ing early art more than

advanced art when S impl ic i ty has given place to se l f

consc iousness ; and I preferGoth ic = in all stages to pure

c lass ic in England , where th e class i c is always ou t of its

e lement , whetherin arch i tecture ordomest i c art, whether

s imple orwhat is cal led grotesque . T h e great names in

th e Renascence are balanced by many med iaeval names,

l i tt le, if at all, less great , cons idering th e cond i t ions

underwh ich they worked — artists w h ose knowledge of

des ign,nay ,

ofanatomy, seems as complete andfacile as

any to be found in c lass i c orin Renascence art.

I n th e fourteenth century,whenGoth ic art hadreached

its h ighest development of e last ic love l iness,sy mpat/zz

'

qac,variable, free , with no laws rig id enough to pinion th e

art ist’

s ind iv idual i ty,rel i cs st i l l rem aininwood and s tone

and c lay to attest th e -real em inence of th e art s tandard ,not only magnificent towers and flow er-wreathed arches ,but b its of statuary in wood and stone and terra- co tta,such as m ay be stud ied in th e . C luny (fig. . 5 is an in

stance) , w h erein th e mature treatment is worthy of th e

later, oreven th e o lder, days .

74 A RETROSPECT OF ROOMS

I n I taly, when th e Renascence cannot be said to

have begun, though i t was qu ickening into l ife ,in th e

fourteenth century, w e have th e works of AndreaP isano ,

AntonioVeniziano, and th e Gadd is, in bronze ,marble ,

and

fresco ,and present ly Jacopo de l la Querc ia,

S ignore l l i , ,

Brunel lesch i , De l lo th e furni ture maker and decorator,Luca de l la Robb ia, Donate l lo , th e Canozzi, and amul

titu de of geniuses w h o dared to apply themse lves s imul

taneo u sly to arch itecture ,scu lpture

,paint ing

,decorat ing ,

and go ldsm ith’

s work , and fe l t it no shame to be able to

master more than one branch of art. I n England ,though sh e was cons iderably beh ind I taly , w e have

many scarcely remembered names W i lliam on keham

d irect ing th e bu i ld ing of W indsor Cast le, Winchester

Cathedral , and New Co l lege , Oxford ; John of St .

Omer, - T orregiano , To to , Trevig i , W i l l iam th e F loren

t ine,fore ign set t lers teach ing many pup i ls ; Tore l l th e

go ldsm ith , w h o worked in metals, from Queen E leanor’

s

chased tom b in Westm inster Abbey down to be l l

found ing, and th e obscure artist , W i l l iam ,Aust in, o f

London,of whom F laxman, speaking of R ichard Beau

champs’monument inS t. Mary’

s Church ,Warw ick , writes,

‘ T h e figures are so natural andgracefu l , th e arch i tecture

so rich and de l icate , that they are exce l led by no th ing

done in I taly of th e same k ind at th e same t ime, al

though Donate l lo and Gh ibert i were l iv ing when th istomb was executed , in th e year

Muti lated fragments of beautifu l scu lpture, fu l l of

fee l ing and ski l l , are y et vis ible in th e Lady Chapel ofE ly Cathedral in th e statuettes carved under th e

Episcopate of B ishop Gray, 133 1 to 1349, by m en w h o

GOTHI C AND RE TVAS CE I VCE WORK. 7 5.

stud ied in I taly under Guarini th e younger. Most

del i cate tars iaand inlay ing l ike Benedetto daMaiano ’

s,

embro idery l ike Pao lo da Verona’

s, inlaid work for

banners l ike Bott ice l l i ’s,j ewel lery l ike Francia’

s, before

Franc ia d ied of amazement at Raphae l ’s greatness ( i tis said ) , v ind icate th e excel lence of what w ere once

laughed at as Goth i c ‘ Congest ions ,

’ by th e arrogant

Renascence masters . But when art had attained th is

po int sh e had noth ing more to learn,no th ing more to

struggle and blunder after; th e goal was w on,

'

and

henceforth Art became a toy rather than ' a re l ig ion,

and sought rather to magnify m an than ah igher th ing.

I n arch i tecture,th e Florid Goth ic tore fancy t o tat ters

forabrief spe l l , and now ,when ski l l and apprec iat ion

were both ripe for'

a new object,waifs from th e buried

old worl d struck th e art- lovers wi th de l ight. ' T h e

grandeur of s impl ic ity (when s impl ici ty is grand) wasrefresh ingly manifest . Th u s cam e th e react ion.

I t is only when th e journey has ceased to be a

s truggle that w e can afford to turn and look back at th eroad w e have - traversed , and at th e far- off scenery

beh ind . Th is le isu re to rest a l i tt le marked th e trans

ition from th e w i ld exuberance of Goth i c art to th e

refined vagaries and Pagan sel f- su ffi ciency of th e

Renascence, as of one w h o qu i ts th e open fie lds fora

gorgeous and we l l-kempt garden. I t was as though th e

morning ’

s work was ended w i th th e morning’

s freshness ,and th e playt im e of afternoon was , at hand .

T h e playt ime began very happily, and full of enth u

Siasm .

76 A RETRO .SPECT OF R OOMS.

911 Gf u h gr 12 0 0 111.

We m ay say that in E l i zabeth’

s t ime th e decorat ive

arts had reached the ir apogee.-T h e l uxury of great

houses was unsurpassed,w i th"porphyry ch imneyp ieces,

and s i lverfiredogs designed‘

byCe l l ini painted w indowsfrom Germany orFlanders

,

‘ceilings and cornices amass

of co lourand ri ch car‘

v ing,the wal ls al ight w i th Cordo

van leatherof surpass ing magnificence, go ld , si lver, and

co lour,or tapestry from Genoa, Fontainebleau , A iras .

T h e tables were loaded w i th Venet ian glass,L imoges

enamels, and fine l inen ; th e cupboard1w ith superb

plate, and bronze as beaut ifu l then there were th e bo ld ly

co loured earthenware of I taly,and embro ideries on

every chair and bench , whether of fi l igree carv ing or

gauffered de l i cate leather— e m broideries designed by.

art i sts of cal ibre su ch as G iu l iano d’

Agnolo ,Vasari ,

G iu l io Romano ,and worked amid th e le isurely concen

tration of convents .

An anonymous authorquo ted by Mr. Waring wro te

to Catherine de’ Med ici in 1 587 anent th e excess ive

magnificence of l uxury : I t is only about - th irty or forty

y ears ago that th is excess ive and splendid mannero f

bu i ld ing has come into France ; ti l l then .o u r fathers

w ere content w i th agood compac t h o u sef a pavi l ionoraround tower, a lower court

’

for dom est i c pu rposes,and other rooms necessary to lodge themse lves and

their fam i l ies, w i thout making superb bu i ld ings,

’

great

T his w ord is u sed for the Oufi c, orside-table, even by Evelyn, when

speaking of Charles I I .

’

s dining hall .

7 8 A RETROSPECT OF ROOMS.

l uxury used by accozcc/iees,and fixes th e date of various

forms of furni sh ing

I w ell rememberit, as you had beenAn absolu te princess, since they have no more ,

T hree several cham bers hu ng, th e first w ith arrasAnd that forwaiters th e second crimson satinForth e meanersort of gu ests th e third of scarletOf th e rich T yrian die acanopyT o coverth e brat’s cradle ; you in stateL ike Pompey’s Ju l ia.

Again,h e speaks of ari ch bedchamber

T h e Silverbathing -tu b,th e cam bric ru bbers,

T h e em broidered qu ilt, th e bed of gossam er

And damask roses.

Comfort as w el l as grandeur was then thorough ly

we l l understood— th e beds of embro idered ve lvet su i ted

we l l th e velvet nightgown of th e maiden Queen ; th eopen fireplace cast its heat across a ‘ fringed ru g on th e

hearth ; th e heavy chairs were soft ly cush ioned ; andrich canop ies and curtains protected from draughts of

dooror blazoned w indow th e s t i l l more blazoned andj ewe l - laden fairones in ruff and farth ingale .

There is no scene more e laborate ly ri ch than such achamber as E l i zabeth m ay have sate in

,watch ing th e

dances of th e pageantry of gods and goddesses thatloyal ty had prepared for h er divers ion ; for all thatgenius, sk i l l , weal th , knowledge, and love of case cou ld

do had then been done . There is an interest ing re l i c ofcontemporary , nay , earl ier work , a com m ode once belonging to Bishop R id ley, martyred underMary, now in

th e possession of Cotsford D i ck, Esq. T h e workman

A T UDOR . ROOM .

ship , and th e contrast ing colou rs'

of th e woods it is made

of, are equal ly beaut ifu l . Such a com m ode Shakespeare

m ay have leaned on in th e chambers of th e great in

London where h e walked , and spoke,and caught h is

shrewdest thoughts ; though th e rude provincial cham

bers,crooked , dark , low p i tched , where in h e was bred

up or wooed h is Anne, d id not boast of inlaid S labs or

bronzes,nordoors that ag irl cou ld pass through w i thout

stoop ing .

We have not y et found th e period in Early England

w hen co lourwas repugnant ; for u p to th e Renascence,i f not throughou t i t, bri l l iancy of effect with in doors was

he ld so far from incons istent w ith th e grey weather ou t

s ide, that no effort orcost was neglected to enhance it,as ak ind of compensat ion orapology . T h e gayest and

ri chest costume , and co louring as bright and ub iqu itous

as that w h ich adorns th e A lhambra, were cherishedw herever they cou ld be obtained within doors . W i thoutdoors , of course , th e rain soonreduced all co lours to one .

There was a t ime— brief, happi ly— when a react ion

against co louroccurred but this was hard ly an Engl ish

react ion i t took place abou t 16 2 0 . But w e m ay as

we l l real ise c learly that , whatever h e th e charms of

dingy hues and uninterest ing ornaments,curved or

angular, they are by no means ‘ Early Engl ish,

’

or

indeed Engl ish at all.

fi rnas t znt c

T h e Renascence was a glorious branch ing forth of

new thoughts, andnew energy. T h e d ist inct ion between

80 A RE TROSPE CT OF ROOMS.

beauty and ugl iness per so only then began to be

thoroughly apprec iated , and th e adm irat ion of phys i cal

beauty seemed to burst into l ife l ike a newly found

facu lty. But th e Renascence had its seamy s ide .

7 I n M ed iaeval art th e ‘ moral ,’

or subj ec t was para

mount , in Renascence art th e impress ion on th e ey e was

paramount , and i deas were subj ugated to sensat ions, sothat paint ing and scu lpture were reduced— or raised

to th e leve l o f th e s ister- art , mus ic , where in, not ideasbut emot ions only ,

’

are conveyed andappealed to .

Art no longersought to preach , to instruct , to e levate,

in th is or that department ; sh e was no longer th e

Spiri tual gu ide , genial , home ly, earnest,bu t a so ft

m inisterto pleasure and excitem enty T h e art ist himse l f

was no longera humble workman in an apron - h e had

become a gent leman. T h e sacred stories wh ich s t i l l

remained popular along w i th th e pagan ones, were so

ch iefly becau se they were such cap i tal subjects .

’

T h e

dy ing or dead Christ was a magnificent chance for

e laborateanatom i cal study andperspect ive ; th e Ho ly andpure Madonna, or Susannah , lent a first—rate excuse for

exhibi t ing th e fairrounded forms of abeaut ifu l woman,

and if in h ernew gu ise sh e did not look so very pure,

sh e earned Phryne’

s own pardon— sh e was so handsome .

Forbuyers w h o d id not care to envelop their admirat ion for beauty 1n th e odour of

.

sanct i ty th e bo l destPagan subj ects were always ready. Venus and Cupid

,

at all ages and underall c ircum stances , nymphs pursued

by Satyrs , Leda, Danae, even portrai ts of wel l knowndames complete ly d isrobed , such as T i t ian

’

s Vani ty,

’

or

robed so as to increase th e Sho ck, came to be fash ion


by a Goth i c tower: gal leries c l imbed above gal leries,much l ike Arthur’s fabled palace at Camelo t .Skel ton describes th e quaint picturesque ri chness of

Tudorerect ions,

Bu ilding royallieT heirmansions cu riou slie'

With tu rrets andw ith tou resWith halles and w ith bou resStretching to th e starresWith glasse w indow es and barresHanging abou t theirwallesClothes of goldandpalles,Arras of rich arrayFresh as flowres in May .

And I have already quo ted th e contemporary complaints

against th e nove l splendourw hich came in fash ion,in

A TudorRoom .

’

SirAnthony Brown raised . these strange and gorge

ou s pi les in England when Henry emulated Franc is I . in

encouraging art in every branch , both by inv i t ing foreign

artists andemploying nat ive ones to decorate h is splend id

wal ls , h is d inner- tables, w ives, and horses with precious

metals and sumptuou s co lours. Henry was probably a

m an of taste, for h e = could S imultaneous ly adm ire th e

Goth ic architecture of Sir R i chard L ea, th e Tudor

mans ions of h is barons, and th e foreign innovat ions of

Ho lbe in and John of Padua.

Inigo Jones himself had to compound with th e con

servative Engl ish tastes, and mix Goth i c w i th h is Greek

forsome t ime afterh e became eminent and one cannot

help wishing that th e Goth i c cou ld have ass im i lated

some of th e new l ights without dy ing in th e process, so

RENASCENCE ‘ TAS TE .

’83

that England might have retained h er own pecu l iar

style of nat ive art . Bu t rel igious prej ud ice gave th e

coup de gréco, and th e classi c exot i c strengthened its

roots all over England , at first fu l l of vigourand beau

t ifu l,presently decaying through its own radical u nfitness

forou rc l imate, and want of understand ing on th e part

F10 . 6 .— L am p—stand , Italian, sixteenth century : fu l l ofanatom ical im possibilities.

of art ists w h o tried to improve upon th e c lass i cs . T h e

sc ient ific and much - tried Wren was th e las t w h o reared

fine c lass i c structures in England . Noth ing can be

weaker,baser

,more corrupt than th e Henri Quatre

arch 1tectu re : and a great m ass of th e art appl ied to

G 2

RE TROSPE CT OF ROOM'S.

Fm . 7 .—Knife~case , dated 1 564 an instance of th e bathos of art.

86 RE TROSPECT OF R OOz’

lI S .

F I G. 8.

—Sixteenth century cabinet an instance of th e worship of wreck .

THE WORSH I P OF WRE CK. 87

domestic purposes was'

worse than w eak,in its deter.

m ined subversion of purpose , and straining after falseeffects ; it was ignobly grotesque. I have sketched aknife- case ( 1 564) and a, . lam p

- stand , from one‘

of th e

South Kens ington Handbooks, where th e misuse of th e

fashionable anatom icalk novirledge in th e attempt to .be

nove l produces an effect on:

th e mind as unpleasant asany

‘

,T w o - headed N ight ingale .

"

(And th is .was what

th e R enascence'

beganito'

do~fordOm e’

stie ornam enQUnder th is d egraded class must be . noted that

singu lar tendency w hich w e'

seem to trace,and wh i ch

m ay be'named

(t he filam ent}; 0 t iterrrlt ,‘

—as false amot ive as th e love of d isease and.disg.u st into

wh ich i t developed th e 'reaction frOm th e love of beauty.

- I m ay instance some of th e furni ture , howeverfine in

detai l , wh ich recal led tombs, l ike th e funereal ornaments

wh i ch lad ies decked themse lves with ; cop ies- from sar

cophagi adapted to ,tureens and flow erstands, a

'

rch itec

tural cab inets l ike do l ls’ churches,s u rm ou nted

'

by that

strange long-popu larornament,which can mean noth ing

but th e broken pediment of a Greek temple— though

th is can scarcely have been general ly understood , s ince

th e l ines of th e S ide-angles do not always“

correspondw ith - those of th e centre ones .

Such avalue. set on actual deform i ty, such adm irat ion

fornot th e beauty wrecked but th e wreck i tsel f, m u st be

degraded andev i l,th e bathos of discrim inat ion or

‘ taste .

’

But on th is pivo t turn many works of em inent

88 A RE TROSPECT OF ROOMS.

seventeenth century art ists , publ ic bu i ld ings, Secretaz

'

res and cabinets ( the ir m inute repl icas) , chests,j ewe l lery, &c. ,

because all th e worl d was m ad abou t

ancient Rome and Greece, whose demo l ished greatnesswas j ust coming to l ight . D iscriminat ion seemed

moribund if not defunc t . Anything wou l d do . to playat

be ing c lassi c w ith , j ust as nowadays anyth ing wi l l do to

play at being Queen Anne w i th . .What e lse could be

expected of people wh o parod ied in the irvery dresses of

velvet and lace (as I shal l show) th e hero’

s iron cors lets

and shou lder-pieces, and fo isted th e girt- u p c/zz'

tom'

a of

marble goddesses on a farth ingale and stomacher?

When th e pass ion forant iqu i t ies thus deve loped into

th e worsh ip of wreck— and when th e worsh ip of wreck

was pushed a l itt le fartherby th e craving forexc i tement ,th e resu lt was so dismal that i t is '

amoral ini tse l f. T h e

jaded appetit es , t ired of pleasure, demanded anew sh ock,

andwh i lst some of th e p ioneers, l ike Conser. at ives,strove

to confine - th e sprouting fash ions exclusively to c lass ic

precedent, .oth ers, .like w i ld Rad icals,ran forward and

devis ed a<sch ool .ofghastly ornament to produce th e last

w eary t i ti l lat ion.

ahastlp abatem ent .

T h e passion forbringing monum ental ideas into every

domest i c detail affected co lourwith form natural ly . I t

was great ly encouraged by Lou is XI I I .,under whom

they scu lptured everything— th e caskets , th e mante l

shelves, th e doors, th e very trees in th e garden— into

.co l umns, arches, or geometri c figures

,th e e lements of

90 A RE TROSP E CT OF ROOMS.

ments inWestminster Abbey whereon ske leton Death s

wrest le and box forth e moribund .

Of course all contem poraryart was not morbid or

d isgust ing ; and even i f w e pu t ou t'

of court those many

immortal names which made th e early Renascence al iving movement— D urer, 'Ho lbe in, Leonardo ,

M i chae l

Ange lo and th e . rest'

— th e average . . des igners show a

wondrous ly h igh standard of abili ty and sense of grace

and humour; -R enascence : grotesqu e cou ldhave hard ly become so popularhad i t not been that th e

knowledge of proport ion,fn

'

otab'

ly'

offthe 'an'

im al frame,

was to agreat extent Common property . .

Many were th e elegant pieces of furni ture now to be

seen in museums, such as th e Clu ny ,

l and private collec

t ions,whereon th e and engaged

co l umns (forall mimicked arch i tectural structure) were

covered with mytho log ical and'

oth erscenes carved with

incred ible de l icacy or etched . w i th marvel lous sp iri t and

freedom though th e accurate proportions only increased

th e do l l ’s-house look ‘

of. them . Many Were th e works on

which th e grotesque union of animal l imbs w ith ‘

foliage

or she l ls was c lever and decorat ive without be ing dis

agreeable, as infigs . 2 8 and 2 9 , pp . 10 9 , 1 1 1 .

T h e fi tfu l vagaries of domest ic decorat ion andarray,in dead - co lour. and mock horror

,did not h inder th e

Renascence from being an epo ch of supreme sk i l l in

co louring ; wh i le . in many cases w h ere ftas te . seems

ent ire ly at'

fau lt , as in'

. the above-named cab inets, th e

construct ion is exqu is ite, th e treatment fascinat ing by

mere l i tt leness, l ike ababy’

s hand,and w e waste t ime

E.g. ,Nos. 60 1 , 603, 594 592 Clu ny Mu seu m , described on p . 168 .

GHAS T I . Y ORNAMENT.

Fxc . 9 . Cabinet showing architectural fashions in furniture .

9 1


purple sky overhead : so in ashrine o f go ld and crimson

and end less danc ing patterns. Bu t per se black and.white are lugubrious and dul l , and when over-done, as

they certainly were at one time, are most coffi n- l ike and

grievous.

Th is gloomy development of pagan taste ended in

areact ion ; of course, heal thy opinion reasserted i tsel f,F lorent ine mosai cs revived

,th e ebony sepulchres were

brightened up w i th gi ld ing and torto iseshel l , into l um i

nous co lour— Rubens h imse lf d id not d isdain to furnish

des igns forsuch cabinets, i f report sai th true .

Ruskin,mourning overth e death of th e noble Goth icl

‘

.period , speaks strongly about this want of co lour. T h e.

winterw h ich '

su cceeded was co lourless ‘

as it was co ld

and al though th e Venet ian painters st'

ru'g'

gled long"

against its influence, th e numbness of th e arch itecture

prevailed over them at last, and th e exteriors of all th e

latter palaces were bui lt only in barrenstone . Stones;of Veni ce,

’ i i i . 1 7 .

fi rnasrru rrGlu flu rm r 0 11 EDrrsg.

I n a series of papers published in th e ‘ Queen in'

th e autumn of 1 879 , I traced th e origin“

, rise,and'

progreSS'

of costume, and'

showed h ow it was influenced by th e

spirit of the t ime. Fashion, in all its variet ies, springs

from a bas is of good sense, rises to extravagant pit ch ,and then fal ls into an ugly decadence lead ing to avio lent

react ion.

This bas is of good sense is general ly th e ‘ becoming ’

See Qu een, Nov. 6,1879 I n and Ou t of Far/tion.

RENASCENCE INFLUENCE ON DRE SS.

(th e ,fi tt ing, .

th e requ ired) forced up from that much discussed primal instinct to emphas i ze one

’

s own i‘

nd i

vidu ality wh ich certainly exists, rooted beneath th e

instinct of imitat ion. Furni ture and dress fo l low a l ikecourse wh ich m ay be represented by acurving l ine, th el ine of l ife, as of beauty, andth e u ps anddowns are deter

FIG. ro.— L ine of beau ty.

m ined by th e inexorable laws of ( 1) vi t iat ion of th e ey e,

and (2 ) th e need of du e rel ief.

Natural ly, amovement so strong and universal as th e

F IG . n .— Im itation R om an. FI G. 1 2 .

—Im itation Greek .

Renascence of art could not fai l to have a marked

influence on costume as i t had on domesti c decorat ion,

educat ion,and manners ; bu t I never saw its extra

ord inary resu lt in English dress observed or explained


before my paperappeared in th e ‘Art Journal ’ of May1 8 80 .

I t d oes not seem to be general ly understood that th e

tw o mest grotesque fash ions which ever caricatured u s

were th e resu lt of trying to fi t th e class i c dress to

England . T h e-

figu re of Queen E l i zabeth,or Imi tat ion

Roman (King’

s . L ibrary,Bri t ish Museum

,reproduced

inmy Art of Beauty .

’ p . amere c lothes-prop where in

every l ine of th e human frame was contrad ic ted , or

th e far less grotesque form seen in fig. shows

u s one c lassi c fi t in ex trem z'

s . T h e Imitat ion Greek

( fig. 1 2 , t ime of th e F irst Empire) , in h erpuny miserable

array, suffering as painfu l ly from too l i tt le clothing as

h erancestress had suffered from too much, shows u s th e

other. Both represent th e last and worst stage of th e

fashion j ust before reaction.

T h e Renascence broke upon I taly first, then England ,at a t ime when th e costume was especial ly stiff and

art ific ial, and occupied very great attention,be ing held a

genuine element in th e perfect ion of th e individu al ;1 and

i t is curious enough to observe th e way in which th e

Renascence was m irrored in such walk ing mounds of

s i lk and S lashes as figs . 1 1 and 1 5 (from Fairh olt’

s

Costume in and h ow l i ttle it reformed th e

dress in e ither country. As th e ant ique . scu lptures were

unearthed , and Greek influence orRoman art projectedi tsel f through Roman influence upon Art in England , w eperce ive an abort ive attempt to im i tate th e anc ient

Roman habi l iments .

’

T h e dresses were no inte l l igent

translat ion of th e claSsic into an Engl ish form,as was

See note, p. 16 .

98 A RE TR OSPE CT OF ROOMS.

stomacher and farth ingale . We m ay see th e popular

vers ion of th e c lass i c fo ld (roam s) clearly in fig . 1 1 . T h e

very halo of saints, or th e protect ive plate of statues

m istaken forahalo, seems to have been at t imes aimed

F IG . r4.— From early tapestry in th e possession of th e R ev . R . H . Haw eis .

at in hat (fig. 13) or pickardil (fig. T h e double

gird le, with robe drawn through i t, was apparent ly not

understood , and th e raz'

son d’

e‘

tre of every port ion of

classi c attire— real ut i l i ty, was unobserved but th e fu l

ness at th e h ips adapted itse l f comfortably to th e drum

RENASCENCE I NFL UE I VCE ON DRESS. 99

farth ingale inwh i ch th e fashionable ladies strutted,think

ing themse lves very c lassic - looking, no doubt, aS’

th ey

chirped in Greek and Lat in and viewed th e mytho log i cpageants that E l i zabeth loved . T h e early tapestry here

engraved from ap iece in my possess ion forms a curious

l ink between Goth i c and Renascence t imes, bu t u nfor

tu nately th e detai ls,c lear in th e original , have been

destroyed in th e engraving . I t probably represents th e

Marriage of th e Virg in ; and th e figures, robed in th e

fash ionable costume,are c learly s tri ving to be mistaken

for anc ient Romans. T h e bride’

s dress proves th e

m isconception of th e c lass i c double g ird le. Sh e wears

tw o gird les upon th e h ips to bear up th e weight of h er

skirt , with a close Oodz'

ce,hav ing its own (a th ird ) waist ,

above ; amant le in wh i ch th e broad co l larcan only be

intended to s imulate fo lds,i f it means anyth ing

,and he ld

up by th e bride ’

s -maid in th e med iaeval manner. Sh e

wears smal l tentat ive ruffs at wrist and neck ; h er

maids are dressed in a k ind of Ho lbein costume, not

so u ltra- fash ionable as the ir privileged'

.m istress . T h e

plai ts of fair hairare rather med iaeval,rising

’

u p'

from

th e ear. One of ' the most amus ing detai ls - is th e re

cogni t ion of th e Greek hair- kno t over th e brow. These

royal t ies are determ ined to have some such lump,and

have carefu l ly fabricated in i t some other material : in

th e bridegroom ’

s case i t is affixed to h is tu rban,h is crown

sh ining above ; in th e bride’

s, i t looks somewhat l ike a

smal l - tooth comb. T h e mock- sandals are very clear;and observe th e busk ins ! T i t ianesque s leeves go oddly

enough w i th th e cl ing ing tunic of Greece and Rome ,

and the leaf- shaped dagges’

(purely med iaeval ) fal l overH 2

10 0 A RETROSPECT OF ROOMS.

th e so ld ierly cors let which resembles fig . 1 8,page 10 2 .

T h e bridegroom’

s mant le c lass i c in front,Goth ic beh ind .

T he B ishop , ne ither Pagan, Jew ,

norCatho l i c in garb;g ives them th e bless ing used al ike by Pope and Jewish

h igh - pries t , w i th two fingers . Compare th e long plai ted

beards of th e ch ief personages w i th th e short and s imple

beards of th e fo l lowers, Romanso ld iers ; th e Goth ic ‘ table dor

mant,

’

th e l it t le hound gnaw ing

th e rejected bones,and th e general

absence of perspect ive,w i th th e

advanced Renascence costumes .

T h e s imple roast fowl with larded

bacon lie on a lord ly s i lver d ish,

and th e loving- cup goes round in

th e bridal party ’

s honour— we wi l l

trust th e latter have had or w i l l

afterwards get someth ing to eat .

But Renascence influence onFI G. 1 5 .

-T runk-hose, w rthtabs derived dress went farther than th is . Men

quadrupled the ir apparent muscle

by branstu ffed trunk - hose (fig . cut into long S lashes

wh ich recal ledth e warrior’s plated pro tection, as in fig . 1 8 ,

t i l l the iroutl ine emulated , then exce l led,th e grotesque ly

deve loped figures wh ich gest i cu late 0 11 Greco - Etruscan

pottery (fig . T h e very lace was . forced ,to be

arch i tectural , th e heavy Spanish rose- po int grow ing more

raised and more so l id as i t seemed to recal l a marble

basso -rel ievo . Strange ly enough , th is was th e decadence

of amode f0unded on art-research and enthusiasm for

th e grandantiqu e.

10 2 A RETROSPE CT OF ROOM'S.

cal led th e fal l ing wh isk,

’

seemed to echo th e shou lder

p i eces (fig . wh ich in laterGreek took a st iffer form

(fig . but th e rou nd tab in th e centre, l ike th e round

stomacher, can, I th ink, only be attribu ted to some vague

F I G . 1 7 . F I G . 1 8 . FI G. 1 9 .

Earl y Greek figures .

remembrance of th e convent ional drawing of hero ic

mu sc les,cal led rectu s and oO/z

'

qu u s externu s (fig.

I n fact,there is hard ly any detai l of cost um e

be long ing to th e classics, wh i ch w e cannot see echoed in

England between th e fifteenth and nineteenth centuries .

T h e smal l shawl- l ike h imat ion (au n sxo'

m ov) had its

counterpart in th e float ing scarf so often seen in

Renascence p ictures— at t imes foo l ishly combined w i th

a st iff bod i ce, as in‘ Tit ian’

s .Daughter’

raising th e

casket above h er head, and th e Magdalene in R u bens

’

s

Descent from th e Cross —and a s im i lar scarf came in

vogue in Empire times . T h e slashed shoe of Henry VI I I .

and th e h igh shoe of Cromwe l l were both cop ied from

th e c lass ic , as I showed in my ‘ Ped igree of Shoes ,

’

in

th e ‘ Art Journal ." Sandals were s imulated by trim

m ing , as in th e nineteenth century they were S imulated

T h e Ai sth etics of Dress, ’ Art 7ou rnal, April , May, andJu ly, 1880 .

R ETVAS CE I VCE INFLUENCE ON DRESS.

by emascu lated ribbons ; wh i le th e hair went through

various metamorphoses, in wh ich one c lass ic fash ion

succeeded another. T h e browband , with s ide- curls or

F I G . ao .

—P ease-cod be l lied doub let, from Bertel li.

w i th th e bu l l - front ,’

a very common Roman hairfashion, which always comes to th e fore during a c lass ic

fi t, was one of th e S tuart modes . Ou rd ifferent renderings

of th e h igh Greek knot in E l i zabethanandinNapo leonict imes, is c learly shown in figs . 1 1 and 1 2 , page 9 5. Bu t

104 A RE TROSPE CT OF R OOI VS .

as old Rome hersel f mod ified old Greek decorat ions

according to h er own passw n for ornate sel f- display,so

F I G . 2 1 .

— Figure of Hercu les, showing 2 2 .—Tabs from aprint by Hol lar.

th e m usc les which m ay have orig inatedth e round tab.

th e costumes of E l i zabethan pseudo - classi c ism developed

in th e direct ion of bu lk ; wh i le those of th e Empire,

F I G . 2 3 .—R enasc

f

en

fie version ofaclassic F IG . 2 4. Em pire version of the sam e .

as ion.

ratherSpartan than Roman, developed in th e contraryd irect ion —noth ingness .

Very d i fferent vers ions, too , of that prett ieroldGreek

hair- fash ion vis ible on some Syracusan co ins— th e kno t,

with ciirls beside th e face— m ay be compared in figs . 2 2

CHAPTER I I I .

«t he ®r0 trsqu c fi apbari © r11ar11e11r.

HAVE before hinted that ind ividual opinion

ought to be respected , and I m ay hope for

th e indulgence of a few when I say that th e

grotesqueness of much class i c art,notably

that which was so popu lar during th e Renascence,

makes i t unpleasant and unbecoming in rooms intended

fordai ly u se . This is espec ial ly v is ible upon th e wal ls,

for which many forms of art,charm ing e lsewhere

,are

unsu ited . Wal ls, though they m ay be bright , shou ld

never be obtrus ive . They are abackground , not ap i c

t u re ; they sh ou ld contribute rest to th e ey e, because

they are constant ly on a leve l wi th i t, and w e cannot

escape their infl uence . T h e grotesque l is an e lement

which is interest ing when it comes unexpected ly and

natural ly, l ike"

capri ces in a sweet nature, ortrials in l ifewh ich can be conquered andgot over; but a l i fe (ora

1 T his w ord is said by some to t e derived from th e excavations or

grottoes ’at R om e, in which paintings w ere fou nd of acharacterremark

able enou gh to coin aterm for.

GROT E SQUE AND RAP HAEL ORNA MEN T . 10 7

friend) ent irely made up of trials'

and'

capri ces wou ld

be into lerably vex ing, and too much Of grotesque art isinto lerable anywhere bu t espec ial ly

in a room one much inhab i ts, and

where in one shou ld always find

so lace,calm

,and de l ight . T h e in

congru i t ies even in c lass i c ornament ,such as what w e cal l Pompe i ian,

c leveras that is, and c leverly as R e

nascence art ists (nay , Raphae l h imse l f) caught u p th e same tri ck and

manner,are to m e t iring and u nsatis

factory,l ike an uneasy dream , even

when insp ired by th e hand whose

supreme Sk i l l in th is fashion,nove l

in h is day ,gave i t for all t ime h is

name . T h e mere ly fanc ifu l scro l l

w ork,and th e end ive ornaments (an

advance upon th e acanthus) del ivering themselves in unexpected placesof chubby boys or grimac ing heads

,

b irds ornondescript dragons, orforming faces by the ir own curves even

when beasts and b irds are not ih

trodu ced,as in fig . 2 7 , are d ist inctly

object ionable, I th ink, except in

smal l quant i ties . T h e present cu t,

from a painted pi laster in a we l l

known church,is suggest ive of fu l ly

six grotesque faces,and orig inal ly, I

am persuaded that th is suggest ive


ness was intentional . M uch of th e so - cal led ‘ Raphae lornament

’

on I tal ian pottery,friezes, &c .

,is wonderfu l ly

c lever, good in co lour, and admirable in its prec is ion,

ingenu ity, and neat adaptat ion to th e Shapes of th e

objects it covers. St i l l, a l i t t le of i t goes a long way ,

and I shou ld as l i t t le l ike to l ive in aroom so decorated ,even by Raphae l , . as I shou ld in th e gay rooms at

Pompei i , so smal l that one cou ld never get away from

th e '

clever l i tt le wal ls .

’

T h e horrible creat ions miscalled ‘ Raphael ,’ wh ich

come into vogue by fi ts every few years— imposs ible

conglomerat ions ofb oys , ribbons, swans, butterfl ies, and

bone less dragons, m ixed up without regard to re lat ive

proport ions and we ights , on cu rtains,'

gowns, ch intzes ,teacups , pane ls , t i les, even bonnet strings— are st i l l less

adapted to S itt ing-rooms than th e prototypes .

‘ Sten

cillingand freehand arabesques are best su ited to long

corridors and passages,where th e images are qu ickly

passed and forgotten after th e momentary impress ion

A t th e same t ime, since'

h ou ses ought to reflect their

owners’ taste , if people l ike th is k ind of th ing they shou ld

be al lowed to have it ; and w e m ay fairly al low that ,when good of its kind , i t has 'a certain charm in certain

places . Some people l ike it forits odd ity ; some for its

end less variety of l ines and t ints others l ike i t for its

asSociations with bright I tal ian days and brighternames .

T h e stud io of Mr. A lmaTadema, painted by h imsel f, isperhaps th e best example in

'

England of modern P om

peiian art . T h e celebrated corridors in th e Vat i can at

Rome, painted under Raphae l’

s immediate supervision,

are probably th e finest known instance of th e Renascenceadopt ion of this kind of ornament .

GROTESQUE AND RAP I I AEL ORNAMENT. 1 1 1

FI G. 2 9 .

- Raphae l ornam ent from th e L oggiaat th e Vatican.

1 14 A RETROSPE CT OF ROOAI S .

T h e common proport ions for th e decorat ions are adado about one- s ix th of th e height of th e wal l , on which

broad pi lasters hal f as wide as th e dado d ivide th e wal l

into three ormore pane ls . T h e frieze which uni tes th e

p i lasters varies in w idth , bu t i t is often’

one- fourth th e

he ight of th e wal l from th e top. Owen Jones bears ou t

my v iews in saying that ‘th e upper space is frequent ly

white,and is always subjected to am u c/zless severe treat

m e nt t/zan t/zeparts‘

below’

(rememberth e above -suggested

law of grav i ty) , generally represent ing th e Openair, and

upon th e ground are painted those fantast i c architectural

bu i ld ings wh ich exc i ted th e ire of V i truvi us .

’

Co lours which do not contrast strongly, such as

yel low'

and red,are divided by shad ing

,au natu re]

,and

somet imes th e inherent I tal ian love of spectral i l lus ion

made th e p i lasters and friezes of th e old world qu i te

decept ive, as in Sou th I taly i t st i l l tries to make th e

wal ls external and internal w e have all seen false vis tas

containing lad ies s igh ing on bal conies , w indows through

which peep sly maidens , and scenes w i th fountains and

woods depicted where by no poss ib i l i ty such th ings

could real ly be. T o th is style w e Britons shou ld be

more lenient ifw e remembered that th e schoo l was doubt

less founded on th e love of air, flowers . and outdoor

amusements .which th e I tal ians have ever nursed to

th is extent , that when i t was too h ot to go forth , th e

ever- shady garden was to be had with in, even in th e

very bedroom .

I n th e Roman house of Germani cus , of which th e

wreck remains with in th e palace of T iberius, h is son,

by whose fi l ial p iety i t was preserved , w e have th e finest

A P OJI P E I I AA'

ROOM . 1 x5

known examples of th e'

soc alled"‘

P om peiian ornament ’

—aname wh ich sounds part i cu larly absurd appl ied to

Rome where i t probably flourished best ; w e ought to

g ive up th e name P om /wile” now forGreco-R am rm,as th e

schoo l was probably Greek , and every one knows th is

decorat ion was not confined to th e fash ionable watering

place near Naples , though Greek workmen . m ay have

worked there ,as they d id in Rome .

I t is l ike ly that Roman decoration both with in and

w i thout th e house surpassed th e Greek in magnificence ,

if not in purity of taste ; and that when th e R omans

faced the irbri ck and stu cco bu ildings sw ith marble, and

preferred e laborate mosaic to gth e Greek co loured - plaster

floors,they also improved upon th e Greek - wal ls and

cei l ings .

L et u s rebui ld th e rooms im th e house of Germanicus

from its present re l ics . How charm ing they are, in sp ite

of all th e art- canons wh i ch forb id natural i st i c decora ‘

t ions ! Decept ion has clearly been aimed at in th e

painted p i lasters that stand all round th e room ,and

pretend to upho ld th e roof ; also in th e framework of a

verandah wh ich seems beyond them,support ing rich

festoons of flowers and fresh coo l fru i t,tied w i th ribbons .

T h e perspect ive is adm irable th e verandah seems c losed

w i th s i lk or l inen panels . T h e p i lasters— whose round

ness cheats th e ey e, and extends th e apparent area of

th e room as amodern m irrordoes— ru n up into del icate ly

worked cap itals ; th e ce i l ing is covered w i th exqu is ite

stucco rel iefs, such as P lato speaks of in Greece , w h i te

ornearly wh i te . T h e dado represents a tempt ing seat ,l ike abroad w indow' s i l l i t is about tw o feet h igh, su p

1 2

1 16 A RE TROSPE CT OF ROOMS.

posing th e height of th e wal l e leven, and is broken by

th e bases of the co l umns,painted l ike proj ecting dragons .

T h e central frieze unites these s lender co l umns by abroad neu tral - t inted band a foot and a hal f deep , on

which com ic freehand sketches of th e l ife of th e t imeare painted in brownish co lour. T h e spaces above th is

frieze ,~betw een th e col umns

,migh t represent th e open

sky— a common hab i t— save that gro tesque scro l ls such

as Raphael loved break up th e l ight co lour with wavyl ines .

F I G. 36

—Frieze of painted wal l , in th e House ofGerm anicus, Palaces of th e Caesars .

I nanotherroom (fig. 3 1 ) th e s imu lat ion of aerial per

spectives is carried still. farther. Apparent openings in

th e wal ls guarded by hal f- opens h u tters . (of course glass

w indows d id not ex ist) d iscovervarious domest i c scenes

there , inwhat m ay seem anupperbedroom , slaves prepare

th e basins for ablut ions or lovers murmur in the ir

bower; or,‘

strangest of all, gl impses ofru ined temples

and.bas i l i cas flatter th e Roman sense ofpower. Why e lse

were ru ins painted on these royal pane ls These ancient

1 18 A RE TROSPE CT OF'

ROOJI S .

Parrhasiu s dece iving Z euxis qu ite bel ievable . This sort of

immemorial; andt hey got‘

it from much -vaunted Greece .

I n th i s anc ient dwel l ingnoth ing is'

so astonish ing as

th e likeness o f its decorat ions to those'

of modern nat ive

work ; and Bri t ish j ustice mu st admit that th e ancient

Roman work is no better . than good modern Romanwork of th e kind,pace sapient enthus iasts . Admirableas was some

'

of i t,much was had ; probably pri ces

varied , l ike talent ; and w e find figures carelessly

co loured and o u t of drawing, though every touch of th e

brush and th e compos i t ion i tse lf prove that th e art of

paint ing wasas advanced as th e art of scu lpture ; that 13

to say ,i t cou ld dece ive th e e} e, and sk i l l can go no

farther thanthat . I n Pompe i i and at Rome both . th e

bad and‘

good mural paint ing al ike show th e alert

prec is ion of th e accustomed hand .

Yes,th e rooms w i th all the ir fau l ts are charming .

T h e panels w i th theirfalse'

openings,thorough - sh ining,

capt ivate,

u s , and th e myth ic sea- scenes, where in m er

maids ridealmost aud ibly through th e waves, seem for

amoment natural enough v iewed through awe l l paintedarch . And th e doorways, also arched and l ined w i thstucco bas re l iefs l ike th e ce i l ing (rel ics of such stucco

are c lose at hand ) , are pretty , furnished , in th e m ind’

s

eye , by ri ch hang ings of . bro idery such as th e Phryg ian

women made,and wh ich came to be pri zed under th e

name off /zrygzozzze

I n yonder cornerw e seem to see a fine cande labrum

of b 1onze , such as th e Naples ~Museum preserves , now

green with burial , o r black ”with ‘I USt, 111m bright as

A P OJWP E11AN R OOM. 1 19

1 2 2 A RE TROSPE CT OF 180 0 2115 .

such vio lent j uxtapos i t ion) , stood in Rome and Pompeuwondrous benches and chairs , cushioned w i th co lours

to correspond with th e wal ls . T h e general form of these

was ch iefly s imple,afterGreek precedent, bu t th e deco

rat ion appl ied in bronzerepcu sse'work, inlaid woods , and

mother- of- pearl , was most e laborate and entertaining .

Chairs of Greek form are su itable,therefore

,to a

modern Pompei ian room,veneered or carved in wood

and mounted n i th bronze c laws,and here Mr. Ch ippen

dale comes in usefu l ; smal l tables of marble and precious

woods, inlaid w i th mosaics s im i lar to th e ant ique which

afterwards inspired Bou le ; smal l stoo ls , and vases and

tazze of prec ious stone, and bronze or g i l t statuettes of

pures t m odel . T h e lamps , l ustres, and cand lest icks

ought to be in harmony w ith t he w e l l - known class i c

forms— serpents, goats, bu l ls th e couches shou ld exh ib it

rams ’ heads support ing festoons of flowers,caryat ides,

Corinth ian columns, and ri ch bro ideries . T h e floor,however, presents amore restfu l colou rm g; mosaics of

beau t ifu l des ign in marbles (whose fine co lour bore no

proport ion to th e paint on wal ls glowing in I tal ian su n

l ight) m ight be replaced in England by co loured matt ing

and rugs of qu iet tone . I n avery brightly variegated

room,fu l l of minute details, some part— floor

, ce i l ing ,orhang ings— must be of aqu iet orse l f- co lour, otherw ise

th e effect wi l l be distress ingly lack ing in repose forth e

hunted eye. I n th e old Pompei ian rooms repose was

fo u nd in '

th e white mass o f festive garments , or in

th e dark mass of shadow cast by a bri l l iant su n'

on

variou s parts of th e rooms. Had it not been so, th e

art isti c sense wou ld have felt and ‘revo l ted against th e

A P OMP E I I AN 180 0111 . 1 2 3

burden of too much broken co lour. A fairspace of onet int

,or a quiet tone in m ixture, is indispensable some

where.

fi om an dBrnam cnt.

What is cal led Roman ornament , so dear to th e

si xteenth century arch itec ts,is far nobler broader in

concept ion than Pompei ian, because th e acanthus leaf is

in itself‘

so splend id a subject , w hether suggested as in

Greece , or cop ied close ly as in Rome . T h e free u se of

th eacanth u s (th o ugh sprout ing imposs ible Loves andb irdsand beasts) and adherence to natural forms g ive th e

curves and fo lds new and remarkable interest . T h e

frieze of th e Roman Temple at Bresc iaalmost convertsu s by its natural ist i c grace , j ust e nough convent ional ised .But Roman ornament is almost always over-e laborate

and when th e fau lts of th e style are magnified and

stereotyped by mach ine carv ing and exac t measure;

ments, w e find that th e acanthus is avery cheap way of

produc ing an effect .

Perhaps th e v i le stone cap i tals seen in every cheap

new church,and th e v i ler at tempts at vegetat ion in

plasterwh i ch are turned‘

ou t by th e thousand and fixedon o u r ce i l ings by th e m i le

,have made many of u s unj ust

to th e fathers of th e schoo l . St i l l,th e best of i t is t iring ,

through its perpet ual suggest ions of broken ideas wh i ch

e lude u s as w e try to grasp them ; and in certain states

of heal th orbrain exc i tement th e branch ing stems would

curl and boys nod and gest icu late, th e name

less beasts snap'

and j u t the ir tongues wi th a horri ble

m onotony of movement .

1 2 4 A RE TROSPE CT OF ROOMS.

Grotesqu e QBak ( tam ing.

Many people imag ine that th e meri t of old oak is its

ugl iness, and that i f you c lap agrinning’

lion’

s head upon

th e cornerof your table,oragriffi n upon agarden seat

,

you wi l l ’

render it more valuable— in fact,Early

Engl ish .

’

Bu t th e popu lar l ion’

s head hai ls from

imperial Rome,where i t had areal s ignificance . Used

as w e u se i t, however, it is for th e most part ne i ther

val uable nor pleas ing. There is an incongru i ty in

plac ing such an object among th e hyper- refined l uxuries

of an Engl ish draw ing-room,which has no assoc iat ions

with th e arena, and no de l ight in beast -figh ts . I t is

foo l ish,therefore ignoble . And th e ignob le grotesque

which Mr. Rusk in has so often and so vehement ly con

dem ned is th e outcome of affected taste and false feel ing,wh i lst influenc ing in no wholesome degree. if at all, th e

moods and i deas of those to whom it pretend s to be an

aesthet i c aid.

Where th e med iae val art ist placed i t , as agargoyl or

bracket ou tside th e cathedral , th e grotesque figure had a

meaning andabeaut i fu l one . I t was th e image of ev i l

and of fo l ly which o u rbettermoods might cast ou t. Or

i t ind icated th e amus ing and pardonable s ide of human

weakness not all bad. Only when -th e rel igious sense in

art was confused or crushed by pagan ideas (wh ich in

the ir nat ive places had had some S1gnificance), d id th e

hideous masks of beasts ordemons begin to haunt ou r

wal ls, o u r chairs, ou r beds, ou r very backs, plates,pots, trinkets, in thoughtless andmeaningless profusion.

1 26 A RETROSPE CT OF KOO/PI S .

cannot be hung upon i t, p ots do not tel l against i t ;mass ive bronzes do ,

but ne i ther books nor flowers . I t

is sure to be over- exci t ing ore lse sepulchral .

A fou l dragon orgrim mask impl ies an ugly though t ;an ugly thought suggests d isease, crue l ty, or i l l -humour.

What orig inated th e ru l ing princ iple of Ch inese art i t is

d ifficu l t to surmise ; forit brist les with hideous objects ,from which no place is sacred

,l ike threats of danger at

every turn. But , as w e cannot omit an al lusion to th e

Ch inese inou rremarks on grotesque art, howeverrare now

is Chinese decorat ion on a large scale in th is country, w e

m ay add that , what with the irvivid co louring and the ir

rest less, often ungracefu l forms , Chinese decorat ive

products form as bad abackground forEngl ish faces in

Engl ish rooms as is poss ible to conce ive . We have not

th e tropical sunl ight needed to create broad and massive

shadows, which in the irnat ive land (as w e showed anent

Pompei ian decorat ion) no doubt counterbalance the

bri l l iant co lours and intricate des igns and Engl ish

costume is quite incongruous with th e quaintness of th e

style .. Ru skin says , in comparing Engl ish gro tesque with

Ch inese gro tesque (th e intentionally h orrid) , Ou rEngl ish

masks are only s tup id ly and loathsomely ugly , by ex ;

aggerat ion of feature or of defect of feature . But th e

japanese masks ( l ike th e frequent monsters of Japanese

art) were invent ively frightfu l , l ike fearfu l dreams and

whateverpowerit is that acts on human m inds , enabl ing

them to invent such , appears to m e not only to deserve

th e word demoniacal , as th e only word expressive of

its character, bu t to be logical ly capable of no other

defini tion.

’ Someth ing , however, m ust be al lowed for

THE GROTE SQUE AS A BA CKGROUND.

th e surpris ingness of. anon-hab i tual type o f face and

gesture .

I ought, however, to add, to avo id m isconcept ion,

that in its place Chinese art is worthy of humble study .

As co lourists th e ‘ Ce lest ial s,’ when left to their old

trad it ions and unspo i l t by modern commerce, are u nsu r

passed in vigour and quaint harmony, though they

seldom arri ve at th e beauty often found in japanese

art .

cam ber flau nt .

T o return to England . T h e transformat ion visible

in Engl ish tastes and habits, when th e first force of th e

Renascence had spent i tsel f, was most extraordinary .

T h e stride forward had been tremendous . T h e new

schoo l of grotesque had rooted i tsel f in ou rso i l (j ust as

th e birds and th e flies of th e old world introdu ced in th e

new co lonies have exterm inated indigenous form s )certain masks, caryat ides, wreaths, &c . , settled into

standard English patterns ,’

wh ich have never s ince lost

the irpopu lari ty and th e love and observation of beauty

per se seemed , as w e have said,to be a newly added

facu lty . Everyth ing was sacrificedto th e impress ion -on

th e eye , and ideas were prized only as th ey . m inistered

to th e fee l ings , whetherof admirat ion, orhorror, orcom

pass ion, orothersent iments . I n th is way i t seems to m e

that th e art of th e Renascence was who l ly sensual .Refinements rece ived from France and I taly in

creased , no doubt , th e general average of domest i c

comfort, decorum ,and l uxury

,here ; bu t many super

A RETRO¢PEOT OF R OOAI S .

flu ities both in dress and decorat ion were dropped

qu iet ly,as good sense

,forks

, and th e stern ru le of th e

Pro tectorsupervened . Jewe l led incrustat ions, andmasses

of precious metal went o u t of fashionwith th e overgrown

ruff and tru nkh ose, and a certain sobriety of co louring

w i th better thri ft characterised goodly houses inhabi ted

by reasonab le people .

I t is as amus ing as i t is interest ing now to trace in

Eve lyn’

s invaluable D iary th e orthodox opinions of

Wren’

s enl ightened friends on th e subject of that old

Engl ish art which w e st i l l cal l Goth ic,as Eve lyn first

d id,in spit e of th e protest of many ant iquaries . P os

sessed by th e flame and glamour of th e Renascence,

Royal ist and'

Puri tan uni ted in forget t ingthat th e new

schoo l was“

Pagan, and without meaning or fi tness in

o u r cl imate and for o u r fai th ; wh i lst th e o lder schoo l

was so exclus ive ly Christ ian and Engl ish that th e term

Eng/{slit Goth i c’

has had to be co ined to d ist ingu ish i t

from Norman‘

and Saxon art. Noth ing which was not

c lass ic th'

en sat isfied ‘ people of taste ’

:‘ T h e anc ient

Greek arch i tecture,’

says Evelyn,

‘ answers'

all'

th e perfect ions requ ired in a fau l tless and aecom

plish ed bu i ld ing: such as for so many ages were so

renowned and reputed by th e universal suffrages of th e

civ i l ised world ,’and wou ld doubt less have st i l l subs isted,

and m ade'

good”

th eir claim ,had not th e Goths and

Vandals subverted‘

and demo l ished them , introducing in

the irstead a certain fantast ical and l i cent ious mannerofbui ld ing, which w e have s ince cal led .Moa

’errz orGot/zit

congest ions’

(what an exquisi tely d isdainfu l word for

th e glorious creat ions of thought and . fancy, free as a

30 A RE TROSPE CT .OF ROOMS.

aqu iet hou s'

ewifely grace through doors bu i lt'

with‘

all

orthodox ped iments and brokenarches afterth e mannerof Inigo jones . Her cottage-headed windows had

roomy seats capital ly pane l led ; h er mante lp iece was

ch isel led by th e hand of Old Stone : h ereasem ents were

latt i ced with lozenge- shaped panes of glass not over

c lear. A l l th e bo l ts and hinges were worthy , honest ,

so l id , unm istakable , andhence often arrived at beau ty4 if

by beauty w e mean what gives pleasure,and i f all fee l

ing of re l iance and sat isfaction is pleasurable . Her

po l ished floors shone with ‘e lbow grease ’ l ike h ersturdy

furni ture ; h er Engl ish -made tapestry (des igned by

Rubens) , from th e Mort lake works so warmly supported

by Charles, was in places overhung by a few p i ctures,

h erportrai t, nodoubt, by Dobson,if .not Van Dyck— w e

can '

see i t now ,and h er w hole character in h erpleasant

face— ora landscape by GasparPouss in.

T h e broad , w e l l - bu i l t room is fu l l of sunsh ine , w h ich

l ights up its dark ish co louring , greenish h ang ings , and

l um inous reflect ions .

See, th e d ining-room boasts a cei l ing decorated in

grotesque by De Cleyn1 th e table is laid for a merry

party ; th e w ide fireplace is al ight w i th wood embers

reddening th e tal l fire- dogs ; yonder cupboard fu l l of

ch inais hal fopen bas in andewerawai t th e guests in th e

farther corner of th e room th e draped table is already

surrounded by square- backed,square- seated chairs, and

garnished with tal l greenish glasses and s i lver- hand led

forks andpointed knives their leather case IS Visible on

th e s i deboard . T h e sal t- cel larst i l l ho lds its old place in1 T here is su ch aceiling at Holland Hou se.

A CHARLE S THE FI R ST ‘ROOM . 13 1

th e centre of th e table. I t is'

repbzzsse’

go l d . Against th etapestry represent ing stand tw o

‘ long sett les, w i th a .carpet ’

(couches , or flat sofas) .

How clean th e rooms.

are kept'

co’

m pared w i th th e‘o lden

t ime,’

now that carpets are so common,and

'

so comfort

able'

t’

oo ! T h e s i lver‘ trenchers and bowls

"

sh ine w i th

labou r,'

th e big glasses shine and th e flagons, down to

th e black jack’

of warbou illi and th e heavy greybeard

bes ide the master’s chair; and th e sides'

of th e room ,

and th e faces of th e guests glance back from ascore of

surfaces 1n the irown co lours . T h e napery 15 white, we l l

cared for; and abun’

dant . ‘

T h e blue and white po ts on

th e she l f hold afew new pipes forth e m en,already fond

of th e new - imported weed ! andnow th e we igh ted brass

c lock , engraved w ith th e fash ionable sunflower and

scro l ls, strikes loud on its c lear- toned be l l .

From hence opens h er s leeping apartment,agoodly

room too'with its grave matronly air

,its easem ents

and wainscots, its vast oak bed (a l i tt le hearse- l ike

now w e th ink) dark with beeswaxing, having a heavy

canopy carved ins ide and ou t w ith the convent ional

lozenge, sunflower, andGreek key pattern,

’ w ithout anyadd i tion of paint once

'

so popular; carved andglossytw isted posts andth e head ri ch w i th Renascence co l umnsand lion heads, amongst wh i ch its date 15 traceable m

we ll-wrought let ters. H igh backed chairs stand bes ide

al so a foot- stoo l, a tab le, and th e l inen press from wh ich

th e snow-wh ite l inen is removed to th e lavender- scenteddrawers in th e locked chest . Yonder a fine carved

hanging press contains h er c loaks and gowns, a cab inet

ho lds h er trinkets and'

sm aller cloth ing, hood , mu ff, andK 2


rid ing-whip,c logs

,

and long gloves . I n one corner we

see th e rod with which h ermaiden smooths th e wide ex

panse of counterpane day by day . Here hangs aconvex

mirrorwherein all th e room is d iminished w i th one coupd

’

cez'

l bu t on h er table a s i lver-mounted mirror stands ,wh ich belonged to h ermother and was very cost ly and

precious l ikewise th e pomanderof s i lver, efl‘icacio u s for

all s i ckness .

T h e upperpart of th e wal l and th e ceiling'have been

whitewashed . A smal l portrai t by Ho lbe in of h er

grandfatheris set in th e chimney-piece in ebony . Here

lie th e Caxton Bible,and t h e prayer-book bound in

torto iseshe l l with s i lver clasps,we l l used during those

sad days of forbidden services and vigi lant spydo'

m

when Royal ist and Roundhead were. b i tterest and crue l

lest in th e cause of chari ty and Christ ’s mercy.

There are th e heavy brass cand lest icks in fine re

pozzsse’ metal

,ho ld ing th e home-made beeswax candle

st i cks.

stuck on the ir spik es— too cost ly these to burn

recklessly. Tab i thaandAb igai l dare not leave aspeck

or spot on th is or that . Against th e wall hard by th e

graven Venice m irror, hang pens, brushes, sc issors, some

tucked in straps, some hung on nai ls, acarcanet of beads,and th e hour- glass .

T h e bro idery- frame for c-rew el-work (or‘ croo l ’ sh e

cal led it) of which curtains and co unterpanes themselves

are neat ly made by h er, must not be forgot ten, nor th e

l u te and inlaid sp inet she thrums Palestrina’s new

mus i c on.


as though th e over- indulged eye was impat ient of evena

draw er’s bottom undecorated .

T o th e Renascence w e ow e at least one curse, stucco ,

whi ch perhaps hai led from old Greece, where th e bri ckhouses were plastered with i t ins ide and outs ide : and it

came to be appl ied to innumerable purposes when th e

del ighted workman saw h ow great cou ld be th e effect

with h ow very l itt le labour. Gleefully h e mou lded in

re l ief every frame, conso le , casket h e cou ld get ho ld of,

and painted and gi lded th e de l icate patterns which arose

in a few hours where carved oak wou ld have chal lenged

h is brawny wrists formonths . Most of th e large p ieces

in this material have natural ly perished,but smal l coffers

and frames, a few consoles and tables, st i l l exist as

monuments to h is de l ight .

Even wh i le w e condemn th e schoo l w e must ownthat many of th e surv iv ing works in s tucco that looks

l ike wood , as we l l as wood that looks l ike st ucco , are

beaut ifu l in their way . T h e ‘eonsoles

’

(what a name

fora table beneath a m irror, ye v i ct ims of a crumpled

mult iform,fu l l of fancy . T h e table ,

such

as that on p . 2 90 ,is certainly handsome, even e legant;

howeverw e m ay quarre l w i th the l i tt le gasping supports

too l ike s laves distressed by a sense less burden, and

wo‘men

’

s bustswhich vanish into wreaths and scro l ls in

no pleas ing fash ion. We l ike and hate these th ings at

once th e schoo l is fau lty, but'

th e performance is

superb .

BOULE AND H I S WORK.

‘

135

QBUU I B ant his m ark.

Afterwards Bou le came along , w i th’

h is splendid con

ceptions of co lo u rand permanent material ; and aided

by th e'

m u nificence of Lou is X I V. ,h e brought inawho l ly

new kind °

of manufacture'

in perm dam and dazz l ing

woods , overlaid with tortoisesh ell and ivory, inlaid with

metal , brass or s ilver,stained by heat or acids

,further

engraved by th e burin,and final ly mounted in chased

brass or ormo l u . Th is kind of work is pecu l iarly

French, and it d id not reach England for

'

long after.

F ine specimens are preserved by Sir R i chardWal lace

,and in th e Louvre, &c . ,

wh i ch w e shou ld adm ire

more had w e not been exhausted by th e vulgar i l l-m ade

cop ies of Lou is XIV.

’ t imep ieces wh i ch bespatter every

c lockmaker’s shop and inso lent ly bear th e great k ing’

s

name . A l l th e seventeenth century furniture goes withRaphae l ornament ’

in wal ls , hangings , or p i lasters , for

all th e art of that century was fo u nded'

m ore or. less

direct ly upon th e exhumat ions of imperial Rome ; andth e most e laborate carv ings in brass and ormo lu had a

d im relation to th e beaut ifu l bronze mounts wh i ch m ay

be studied in the Naples Museum .

M uch of it was gaudy and meretri c ious in effect

much of i t was su fficient ly so to be abso l ute ly vu lgar,l ike most modern cop ies of : it. Ebony false or true, be

gemmed with lap is,carne l ian,

s i lver and malach i te— or

the irparod ies— general ly has a frivo lous look comparedw i th th e solid

,honest

,unpretent ious (y et h ow masterly !)

decorat ion of th e o lder secretaires . and h u téh es . And

136 A‘

.RE TR OS P E CT OF ROOMS.

yet th e irreproachable sk i l l and sp iri ted talent lav ished

on these costly works of doubtfu l taste in th e decl ine of

th e Renascence about th e re ign of Lou is XIV . somet imes

force one to admire what one cannot al togetherapprove .

Dangerous precedent ! T h e laborious marquetry in

woods wh ich hard ly bore th e sunl ight trophies ’

of

mus i cal instruments, or rust i c implements, or amorous

emblems decked with gay ribbons th e clever chasings

in ormo lu which crept about th e fantasti c tables and bulg

ing commodes that seldom confessed their real purpose— like the irowners th e sat in-wood wardrobes sprinkled

w i th minute inlaying orpainted by Angel icaKau ffmann—all these th ings savour of t ime misspent . T h e ‘

tro

ph ies must somet imes have warped and come u p— they

always faded th eplaqu es of torto iseshe l l , orporcelain,

orChinese lacquer must have suffered acc idental b lows

with dumb perpetual unforg iveness ; they were not

framed as furni ture shou ld be, to meet th e stress of t ime ,

to be equal to all emergenc ies, andendure achance blow

with equanimity. This k ind of jewe l lery-work is better

su i ted to lad ies ’ ornaments , work -boxes,tea- trays and

book- covers,than to garde-rober and secretaires which

must not only ho l d secrets bu t protect them . Sti l l i t

was by no means inconsistent w ith th e levi ty and l uxury

o f th e courts where it attained its highest popu lari ty,for

,I have laid down as an axiom that th e true art of a

period reflects th e character of th e period as a home

shou ld reflect th e ind ividual characterof th e

Lou is XIV. , however, and th e art ists whom h e drew

about h im , were genu ineArt- Protestants, with adefini te

ideal of science as m inister to pleasure. T h e k ing en

138 A'

RE TROSPE CT OF ROOMS.

ceives ou rshou lders a fo lded riband seems to ru n,i tsel f

bound down by cross ing smal ler ribands . How we l l ;

made are these chairs, though spring- seats were unknown!

How we l l - seasoned was th e wood , whose jo ints have

nevergaped ! T h e arm - chairs have a luxurious cushion,

kept from s l ipping by astu ffed ridge orsupport around

th e seat .,T h e arm s are padded just where o u r e lbows

require it, not in a huge shapeless l ump l ike aChrist

mas'

pudd ing dropped incont inent ly there (as in every

modern stu ffed arm - chair) , but a 511n pad,th in enough

to obey th e m i ld curve of th e embrace th e chairseems

to suggest . None of th e ‘so l i c itous wriggl ings ’

of to

day’

s device, espec ial ly of modern ‘ Lou is XIV.

’— hideous

monsters , fu l l of coarse, false mou ld ings and forgotten

rozsom d’

etre— but aqu iet,tempting beckon, w i th asmi le ,

1 love y o u ; come and let m e make yo u comfortable ,

and wreathe you with th e w ee- est, delicatest flowers in

th e worl d ! ’

Moliére su rely . not i ced th e pecu l iar att i tude of these

chairs when h e made one of h is P n ‘cz

’

eu ses R idz'

cu les say ,

Mons ieur,ne soyez pas inexorable ace fauteu i lqu ivous

tend les bras il y a u n quart d’

h eu re,contentez u m peu

l’

envie qu’i l ade vous embrasser

W i th sofas and chairs of such dainty descript ion,

want ing litt le save th e scent to be crystal l ised banks of

flowers, each one of them — hand- carved , painted , -g i l t,

(andfurthergraced wi th pale s i lk , orfine Gobel in,intrinsi

cal ly works of art— th e bri l l iant saloons of th e Grand

Mozzcirqzze, D ieu were ranged .

On th e floors of shining parquetry redo u bling th e

faint curves andangles above, lay s i lkenmats and carpets

$4’

LOUI S'

QUATORZ E ROOM 139

of rare web. On“

th e cei l ings paintings by th e firstmasters contended for'ch ief pri ze w ith beams de l i catelycarved and g i l t by art ists nearly as great , that formed

their frames— such ce i l ings as w e see'

inl’Versailles, orin

'Venet ian palaces.

’On th e wal ls were tapestries defy ing

paint ; or if not tapestries, ve lvets and sat ins of nobledes ign

,parted in pane ls del icately mou lded andg i l t

,and

Parterre’

s andWatteau ’

s p ic tures oragain, th e Spanish

stamped and wrought leathers with grounds of gold Ofs i lver toned down by pel l uc id varnish andenri ched by

flowers and arabesques in colourwhich pages of black

and white ’

cannOt do'

j ust ice to .llWe

'

h earof ‘gauffered

h ides,

’ ‘go ld and s i lver on an orange grou nd , With th e

queen’

s c ipher —of orange mount ings,g i lded orsi lvered ,

on av io let ground— blue , sea-green,redand go ld

,black

and s i lver formourning hangings ; and histori c scenes,

orre l igious, portrai ts, animals, and armadas‘

were thus

i l l um inated . When th e raised leathers came in, stamped

in h igh re l ief, b irds and fo l iage stood’

forth alive w ith

co lour,glorious.

Hebe «Bat t en in the tanner.

Neverwas such encouragement g iven to floral orna

mentat ion. Gaston,Duc d’

Orléans, e stabl ished '

h ot

houses in th e‘

L u xem bou rg,andat Blo is atrue bo tanic

garden, for th e so le purpose of supplying th e needle x w ith

sweet t ints‘

and form s . With astrange crav ing fornature

in that vortex of art, th e garden. was brought indoors in

a thousand ways . F lowers w ere rather interpreted than

cop ied from nature,as is fi t and right they

'

spro u ted in


raised groups both on th e garments of th e court ly people,th e sofas they lo l led on and th e wal ls they wh ispered by .

T h e best art ists were employed to paint , carve, bro ider,inlay , and engrave th e rare flowers as they opened in

du e season, and to des ign from them th e beaut ifu l ly

convent ional ised wreaths which covered th e sumptuous

leathern wal ls,and whi ch remain to u s

,here and there ,

th e best resu l t of th is flow er-worship : th e finest of all‘ background s ’

for th e supreme decorat ion of a room,

humani ty. I shal l present ly show that th e scheme of a

Lou is XIV. room did not ignore th e l iving fo lk .

As i f go l d and co lourin profusion did not fu l ly carry

ou t th e royal conceptions of brightness,mirrors were

used for to tally nove l effects . Some of u s don’t l ike

m irrors. Wou ld -be teachers . sneer at plate glass, and

recommend u s. to cut them into l i ttle bits,or cover them

w i th she lves forbooks and blue po ts . Lou is XIV. knew

th e val ue of glass . Lucas de Nehou , d irectorof th e glassfactory near Cherbourg , rece ived royal orders to excel th e

fine Venet ian work , and h e obeyed. That England al

ready d id so,w e hear from Eveljn w h o saw at

Greenwich ‘ glasse blown of finer ‘ m ettalf than that of

M urano at Venice ;’and at Lambeth ‘ huge vases of

m ettal as c leare, ponderous, and th ick as Chrystal , also

look ing-glasses far largerand better than any that come

from Veni ce and Bishop Sprat, in‘

h is H istory of th e

Royal Society,’

speaks of Engl ish Glasse, finerandmore

servi ceable form icroscopes and telescopes,’ thanany foreign

glass. This was a l it t le in advance of France.

Present ly th e mirrors were enlarged , and superadded

to by sect ions of glass, and glass inlayings, forming

142 A RE TR OSPE CT OF ROOMS.

saloons, w'

ere matches in.brigh tness and softness , and

vivacit y . A m an in amodern evening dress s i tting on

an old Lou is XIV. chairis an ungainly object , th e harsh

du l l fabri c and graceless l ines i l l befi t so dainty acouch

F1G. 34.

-Doub let, about 1 646, tim e of L ou is Quatorze .

a woman m a. stuff gown and a plaid shawl looks

equal ly horrible . But people th e gl i ttering rooms with

rainbow dames and. damo iseaux , in .coats of amaranth

ve lvet, oryel low and s i lver, with muffs and swords , and

fluttering canions of riband m idpoint. d’

A/encon of fairy

COLOUR. 143

l ightness, trains of s i lk " cot/cred”

with more than athousand yards of ribbon

,

’

says M’

m e . D’

Au ln’

oy ,snow-White

ar‘ms

,bright eyes made brighter by patch and mask

and I th ink w e get th e m ost dazz l ingG pictu re of c ivi l ised

ski l l and knowledge of effect,based

!5

on Nature herse l f,that can be found in th e w orld

’

s . h istory except ing

old Rome.

But th e decl ine of taste which -Louis XIV. had been

able to stem , orat least make pretty, wi th th e aid of

m en of immense ab i l ity, progressed w i th double speed

w hen th e king grew old, and th e c ourt inconce i vably

corrupt , and Bou le’

s’

successors ministered to th e v it iated

eye .

I t is remarkable to lo'

ok through th e’ innumerable

Gayetés’

of L e Pau tre, engraved about th e m idd le of

th e seventeenth Century,andsee h ow no possible depart

ment of decorat ionWas left uncons idered by th e almostfeverish industry of th e art ists so

'

warm ly encouraged .

L e Pau tre was bu t one o f ahost h e was pupi l of AdamP h illippon,

jo inerand cab inet-maker and also des igner:

and h e has left des igns for bu i l d ings of all k inds,

decorat ions w i thou t and w i th in, o f eve 1y sort ; great

vases in which invent ion seems at t imes del irious but

always c lever carriages , al coves, pulp its, troph ies,mirrors

,splendid ce i l ings ; beds l ike shrines, and tents ,

and fonts ornate gal leys worthy of Cleopatrahersel f ;suggest ions forall k inds of workmen gardens, fountains—h e cou ld not leave th e very

‘

grass-

plats'

alone , but

must cover them w i th . curiou s arabesques ‘

to be carried

o u t in co lou r, vegetable or m ineral . ' Th is elaborate

completeness . of concept ion gave'

no do u bt '

a'

total ly

144 A RETROSPE CT OF ROOMS.

novel and constant ly adaptable interest to constructions

of allsorts, and w e can understand h ow many enthus iasts

m ay have thought they were cu lt ivat ing th e beau t i fu l

when they were only making artificiality ascience.

211 i t ientil‘

it QBat I tgt nu nh .

Now ,aword abou t th e crowning grace inadecorated

room— th e l iving inmates .

T h e scheme of co lour perfected under Lou is XIV.

was most ingenious and unl ike any previous ly attained

by art. I n aroom completely furnished and inhabited ,th e human figures must have provided th e exact co lo

phon or foreground which human figu res sh ou ld do

bri l l iant in dress and ornam ents,al ive with French

vivaci ty of gesture . Bri l l iant as was th e background of

wal ls and furni ture, th e h igh po l ish wh ich then became

th e fash ion m u st have softened all th e edges of co loured

wood or dark, and-b roken up th e planes urfaces themselves by th e reflect ions of pass ing objects thus in

certain l ights, th e most strongly- t inted furni ture must

have receded and faded into an indefini te glow,l ike a

nebu lous atmosphere of co lourabout th e main figures,

themselves alone opaque . Sharp po ints of co lour such

as sunl i t edges of brass mounts orgi l t cup ids wou ld l ight

up here and there th e nebu lous glow created,and form

a background as soft and forgetfu l of hard l ines as anyCarlo Do l c i pi cture as any court ly, se lfish l ife . I n fact,it had th e very texture of a p i cture, and many of these

disjo inted .brazen mounts were but as last touches of a

ski lfu l brush, enunc iating th e corners and project ing

146 A RE TROSPE CT OF ROOM'S.

of'

art'

; marqueterie '

of every .kind ;and enamels,l ike

raised . or inc ised . carv ing, all‘

attain th e effect of broken

co lour by one means or ano ther; for unbroken co lour

is always badco lour. Oriental co lour, evenwhen plain, is

always unequal,for th e same reason— th e sens i t ive ey e

demands it. Bu t on cons iderat ion,th e mot ive of h igh

po l ish in seventeenth - century decoration (wh ich however

has never, to my knowledge, been po inted o u t before)w i l l be found to be th e softened and indefini te effect

produc ible ; th e c learerde l ineat ion of figures in th e fore

ground,by reflect ions caused by them , which thro w

them forward,w hi le throwing th e background in arrear.

I n paint ing apicture,these cal cu lat ions always enter

in and th e i deais worthy of French w it .

CHAPTER V .

©1132 EDet I ine (310 1115 191111151)

UST contemporary w ith ou rQueen Anne wereth e fash ions in dress and furniture which by

th e natural process vu lgarised th e French

king’s grand concept ions ; when ski l l and

knowledge of effect had arrived at a po int when they

cou ld go no farther, and thus began to decay . Hence

ou r strict jacobean hab its merged into those wh ich

gradual ly came over th e Channel and were much th e

reverse of stri ct ; and th e curious, and most ungainly,med ley of Puri tan starch and French lev i ty repre

sented in Engl ish costume, I have described briefly

under Queen Anne Dress .

’

”Th e floral decorat ion which w e parti cu larly connect

w i th Lou is X I V.

’

s t ime— ah airy,easy adaptat ion of

garden images to every purpose”— was carried pre sently

to a vex ing extreme . Under Lou is XV. there was no

end to th e eccentri c it ies of th e end ive fo l iage and th e

anthem ion. I n th e hands of th e first masters, end ive

l ike acanthus cou ld be moderate and therefore gracefu lL 2


but when freedom of handl ing was degraded into l i cence,every pupi l exaggerat ing (which means d im inishing) th echarms made popu lar by h is master, what was th e

resu lt PrlA cari cature. Not a l ine was al lowed to be straight

forms were more and more d isgu ised to su i t th e fretfu l

appet i te for nove l ty, and to create perspect ives for th e

F I G . 36 .

—Clock, L ouis Quinze ornam ent.

ey e. T h e ch i ffonier and cabinet bu lged,squatted ,

shrank, in curves so unexpected and unnatural that they

seemed pos i t ive ly to wriggle . These caprices weakened

th e construction,and drawers wh ich had not a straight

l ine anywhere left cavit ies of waste space that had to be

concealed or excused by add i t ional useless ornament .

1 50 A RE TROSPE CT OF R OOAI S .

claimed at once, no real ly powerful effect was gained

anywhere.

Present ly areact ion sei zed th e frant i c ornament , and

underMadame de Pompadour, w h o, with all h er crimes ,was a capi tal patroness of art

,th e endive was pruned ,

th e festo ons of flowers and fru i t reduced to some sort of

d iscipl ine,th e co lours of marqueterie and theirdes igns

mod ified , or at least a cho i ce was offered by th e trade,between tenderness and vio lence .

I n England , where th e l uxury of Paris was mim icked

under Charles I I .,w e learn from Evelyn’

s descript ion of

th e dress ing -room of Madlle . Qu erou aille, Duchess o f

Portsmouth , what weal th had long commanded . That

w h ich engaged my curios i ty,

’

h e says,‘was th e ri ch and

splend id furni ture of th is woman’

s apartment,now twi ce

or thri ce pu l led down and rebu i lt to satisfie h erprod igal

and expens ive pleasures, wh i lst h erMajesty’

s does not

ex ceede some gent lemen’

s lad ies in furni ture andaecom

m odation. Here I saw th e new fabriqof French tapissry ,

fordes igne, tendernesse ofw orke ,and incomparable imita

t ion of th e best paint ings , beyond anyth ing I had ever

behe l d . Some pieces had Versai l les, St . Germain’

s,and

otherpalaces of th e French k ing w i th hunt ings , figures,and landskips, ex otiqfowls, and all to th e l ife rare ly

don.

Then for Japan cab inets,screenes, pendu le clocks ,

great vases of wrought plate,tables, stands, ch imney

furni t ure,sconces, branches, braseras, &c. , all of mass ive

s i lver,and o u t of number, bes ides some of HerMaj esty

’

s

best paint ings .

’

[ACQUER AND PORCE L A I N . 1

Elatqu t t ant fi nt t clain.

Eve lyn’

s al lus ion to Mr. Bohun w h o u sed Japanscreens for wainsco t ing has been quoted : and about

that t ime, in Paris at least , th e new d iscovery,Japan

lacquer,began to e lbow as ide th e e laborate Bou le m ar

qu etry w i th its ratheroppress ive glow . Co l lectors v ied

with each o ther in securing p ieces for the ir coOZ'

nets,

makers in devis ing new u ses for th e p ieces . I t was

qu iet, y et l uminous, and qu ite novel . Among Bou le ’

s

own works rare spec imens of Oriental lacquer hadalready crept in,

avery Gam elyn of furni t ure,one day

to rise up and drive all before i t . But th e spec imens

were very few onaccount of th e d iffi cu lt ies in reaching th e

Oriental markets . Present ly i t occurred to some one to

pane l ebony w i th smal l plagu es of prec ious lacquer, and

then th e rage for lacquer became so h ot that , regardless

of cost,de lay, destruct ion,

China,Japan, Ind ia and

Pers ia were ransacked for boxes , screens , trays, anyth ing wh i ch cou ld be broken u pand adapted .

’

UnderLou 1s XV. th e pass ion reached its height,for

th e pressu re had been so great that incessant efforts had

at las t resulted in an ingenious subst i tute forgum lac.

T h e fam i ly Mart in (orig inal ly coach bu i lders) had madethemselves immortal by the ir imitation, th e oernz

’

s

M orten. Now everyth ing was driven into th e new groove,and here co‘mmenced th e inundat ion of snuff-boxes, book

covers, carriage- pane ls, in fact everyth ing that cou ld be

lacquered,made of pnpz

'

er stu ck w i th mother- of

pearl ch ips, from wh ich w e so long have suffered .

1 52 A'

RE TROSPE CT OF R OOI lI S .

HerMaj esty th e Queen, and various co l lectors such

as Baron Gustave de Ro thsch i ld,possess fine spec imens

of oernz’

s Morten. By- th e -bye, Mr. Waring in h is val u

able bo'

ok ~on"Decorative Art,

’

speaks of th is materialas though

‘

it were th e man’

s name . None of'

th e

Mart ins were christened ‘Vernis .

’. M uch of

'

th is manu

factu re'

wasvery perfect , and very bri l l iant . T h e black

w i th raised go ld ornaments was first cop ied : then th ered lacquers were counterfe i ted ; afterwards gai ly i llu

m inated pane ls were made by L e S ieur S imon Et ienne

Mart in th e younger, w h o obtained th e excl u s ive right, by

a decree of Counc i l on February 19 , 1 744,of manu

factu ring during twenty years lacquer work of every

poss ible k ind .

3Madame de Pompadourencouraged th e manufacture

of oern‘

z

’

s Martin. T h e Dauph in em ploycd'

one of th e

Mart ins forseven years in lacquering h is apartments at

Versai l les :and th e sums of money paid by th e French

Royal Fami ly for th eir’

w orks was tru ly vast .

There is no doubt that in certain c irc les there was aperfect frenzy foreveryth ing Oriental

'

1 50 years ago,as

there isi

to some extent now. Whetherth e extraord inary

popu lari ty of th e ‘Arab ian N ights ’

m ay be cons idered

th e cause , orth e effect, orwhether th ey'

had anyth ing to

do with -it at all,I know not ; but i t is noteworthy that

they -were first translated from th e Arab ic in I 7O4— ‘ into

French . ofcourse,then/English , andMoorish goods were

as highly pri zed as everything else that came from th e

East .

T h e crowds of nmgots which nodded on every shel f

with their rest less mock-gaiety,so that no room was

L ACQOER AND POR CELA I N. 155

complete withou t nzezgots, were kept in countenance by

th e Ind ian and Japan lacquerbeneath andabove them .

And when fine lad ies had fi l led the ir houses w i th such

product ions there remained but one step from inte l l igent

apprec iat ion to fo l ly . Fora t ime noth ing was to lerated

that was not Oriental .

® t itntalism in lat tes;

As I have eversaid,people’

s dwe l l ingsand theircloth

ingfo l low al ike bent , much as cynics sneerat th e thoughtof dressing up to one

’

s furni ture and as all outward

decorat ion is symbo l ical of th e inner m an, so c loth ing ,and furni ture wh ich is a kind of c loth ing , are h ighlys ignificant . Natural ly, therefore, th e inhabitants o f theseoriental ised rooms began to make themse lves as s imi lar

as poss ible to th e background they pri zed , as th e flat

fi sh forces i tsel f to resemble th e seabottom ,though for

a di fferent reason. Lad ies wore noth ing but Ind ian

musl ins and ch intzes,nainsook

,and nankeen. I n fact

such was th e demand , to th e detriment of Engl ish trade

i t was thought,that in 170 0 an Act of Parl iament had

been passed to proh ibi t their introduct ion ; but Acts of

Parl iament cannot cure ‘th e madness of th e people,

’

and w e all know what a m ighty and organised trade

was smuggl ing in th e last century . These As iat ic goods

soon had to be made at home to supply th e market ,hence cal ico - print ing

, in im itat ion of Ind ian cottons,was invented in 1764 ,

Bri t ish mus l in in 1774 . T h e ever

popu lar ‘shawl pattern ’

was of course derived from

India; turbans became common,with th e true upstart


plume, howeverabsurd in England , andwere worn even

at d innerwith ashawl swathed round th e waist . Shaw ls

became apass ion with fair col lectors : to pu t on ashawl

wel l was asc ience, and a

‘shawl- dance,

’

in wh ich th e

eccentri c Madame de Kriideneramong o thers exce l led ,became as much th e rage as private theatri cals have

s ince been. Madame de Stael sai d of i t : ‘ Neverhavegrace and beauty produced amore extraordinary effect

F I G. 38 .

— Ornam ent upon Benares brass vase .

onanumerous assembly . This foreign dance has acharm

ofw h ich noth ing that w e have seen can give afairi dea i t

is athoroughly As iat i c m ixture of indo lence andv ivac i ty,

of sadness and m irth .

’

I n th is dramat ic dance of course

an Ind ian shawl played an important part in th e att i tudes

of th e dancer, w h o strove to g ive h erfigure th e antique

cast ’ as we l l as th e oriental .

Bu t all th e deve lopments of th e prevai l ing fashion

were not so gracefu l as th is. SirJosh u aReyno lds shows

1 58 A RE TROSP E CT OF R OOJI S .

factories poured forth shoals of mock nankeen ch ina,

hawthorn and m ayflow erpots, servi ces of Chinese dev i ce

such as wi l low pattern,

’ copied from’

th e Ce lest ials down

to th e very marks . Old Lowestoft'

and Leeds com

m enced forging Oriental ware w i th wondrous fide l i ty.

Every cupboard , every clock, was plaistered with poor

copies of Oriental scro l ls, pagodas, and patchy co lour

ing. Pug dogs w ere large ly imported from As ia and

reprod uced in pottery as they d ied . Monkeys and

parrots became fash ionable, be ing Ind ian so did Negroservants, yclept Cyrus , Pompey, andMahomet ; and id le

lad ies employed themse lves in smearing vases with a

kind of paste in raised patterns, s imu lat ing more orless

correctly Oriental ename ls . Astonishing monsters,p ink

cats,green dogs, red l ions, such as M inton now cop ies

,

date from this t ime, and gave their names to many inns

and streets.

Th is rage m ay be dated in France a l i tt le before th is

country took it up , for w e are always a l i tt le behind

hand in appreciat ion and in encouragement of m anu fac

tures— bu t when w e once begin w e do i t thoroughly .

I t was th e dregs of that bl ind admirat ion forOriental

co louring with no understand ing of its princ iples, w h ich

c lothed Engl ishwomen in such horrible m ixtures at th e

begm nm g of th e present century, a fau lt wh ich French

women with the irbet ter natural taste, and complex ions

wh ich repud iate garlsh hues, were unl ike ly to fal l into .

Hence England soon w on an unenviable ce lebri ty for

never'

knowing ‘ h ow to dress ,’ that is

,never study ing

h ow to combine forms and t ints ; bu t ou rwomen were

then thoroughly tired of th e‘

grave fashions of th e imitat ion

A LOUI S SE I Z E ROOM . 1 59

Greeks , and strove to fi t th e severe tone of thought to

enjoyab le co lours wh ich the irc lear sk ins made poss ible—hence such to i lettes as w e m ay quote from a book

fifty ors ixty years old. What do w e see first ? a fancy

straw bonnet , l ined and trimmed wi th rose co lour, an

orange shawl , and a l i lac mus l in dress . T h e next wears

ablue bonnet, l i lac oz’

sz'

tc,and a p ink dress . Now w e

fo l low a lady in a coo l green mu sl in dress, a wh i te

shawl chequered w i th peach - blossom and green, th e

bonnet peach blossom . Here,ou r companion exclaimed ,

is an exception to .your ru le i t is imposs ible that ‘

tw o

co lours cou ld be better contrasted orharmonised . S tay ,w e repl ied , let u s see th e lady

’

s face, and ascertain

whether th e same harmony is preserved throughout th e

costume . We accordingly qu ickened ou rpaces,passed

th e lady, looked in h er face,and saw— bright amber

co loured bows ins ide h er l i lac bonnet and broad strings

of yel low ribbons with ared stripe

M eanwh ile, taste was changing in Paris, and w e wi l l

cross th e Channel to examine th e new development of

art .

31! 31 0 1115 5 2 138 15 0 0 111.

T h e prevai l ing fashion under Marie Anto inette was

refinement, err/ant tont, and i f at t imes this redeemed

style was open to th e charge of affectat ion or insip id i ty,

w e must not be too censorious considering what preceded

and what fo l lowed i t .

After th e lacquer craze, came th e craze forporcelain. L ouis Quinze had patriotical ly founded and

160 A RE TROSPE CT OF R OOIWS .

made fashionable th e porce lain manufactory of France ,and even in h is t ime porce lain had been pu t to nove l

u se, bu t it was in th e succeed ing re ign that th e rage

for it cu lm inated , when th e manufacture was in per

fection and taste had overleapt th e po int of good

sense.


crystal,form th e chandel iers and girando les which th e

u tmost care and deftness can hardly keep c lean. Here

is a table of th e new mahogany wood , that m ight be

th e queen’

s own,around whichplaqu es of fragi le porce lain

are set amid bas -rel iefs of metal of th e utmost fineness .

T h e legs (can w e cal l them by so coarse a name are

F I G . 41 .

—Tab le, tim e of L ouis Seize .

sl ight bu t elegantly proport ioned , th e smal l feet ch eck

with concentri c rings th e s l im sp irals j ust stou t enough

to bearth e weight of th e top— Japan lacquerframed in

lace - l ike bronze, all too del i cate to burden with anyth ing

heavier than a Sevres snuff-box— or one Sevres teacup— and th e gent ly curving tray beneath, enc los ing th e

A L OU/S SE I Z E R OOI I I . 163

go l den semblance of a wicker basket . T h e classic

e lement is present in th e dainty bas~rel iefs and th e we l l

chased busts at th e corners bu t th e resu lt is not c lass ic;i t is only play ing amorous ly at class ic i sm . How

d i fferent is th is c leverness from th e earl ierFrench trans

lations from th e grand antiqu e ! h ow much more triv ialthan th e robust sc ience of th e s ixteenth century ! H ere

is a c lock , of course porce lainandgo ld ,with the tenderest

greenand pink splay ing into each other; ,a Corinth ian

p i l lar supports an u rn'wre

'

athed’

w i th ros’

eswand tw o

de l icate ly model led nud it ies support both . Everybody

is deb i l i tated , and requires support , bu t‘

it should be

po l i te,not obtrus ive— ln fact th e hands need no t touch ,

as longas they are ready. There hangs apictu re of th e

Watteau schoo l , pastoral , insip id , w i th its g entle in

s inuat ion ; latet angnz'

s z

’

n lee/fad,however we l l - kempt

th e turf. An escrz'

toz'

re shows u s a s i lver inkstand of th e

1neV1table pattern, festoons o f flow ers : and'

ribbons , bu t

calm ,not wh irl ing l ike those in L ‘

ou is tXV .

’

s t ime ; T h e

escrz'

toz'

re wears s im i lar ornaments,and its ormo l u

caryat ides are works of firstrate sk i l l . H ere is a'

tazza,

th e bas in painted outs ide in broad rays of Olen de rot

and turquo ise, ins ide w ith loves of surpass ing grace that

float on c louds and wreaths of roses,charm ingly t inted

th e who le mounted in minutely ch isel led ormo lu , de

scrib ing agarland of t iny grapes and blossoms , sustained

by boys with fishes’

tai ls,h al f syrens

,hal f c up ids ,

mode l led w ith ab i l i ty and knowledge which would shame

ou rs i lversm iths .

T h e frames of th e porce lain- trimmed chairs and

1 I n th e au thor’s possession.

M 2

164 A RE TROSPECT OF ROOMS.

sofas are no longergo l d as in th e previous reign. Whitepaint

,varnished and rel ieved by faint l ines of lilac or

blue in th e del i cate mou ldings , echo , l i ke th e faint co loured

carpet and s i lken wal ls, th e co lours of th e ch ina that

eneases evervth ing, and for wh ich th e furni ture has

become a mere mount. A l l th ings revo lve around th ism ock s imple fash ion, th e dainty flu tings, amorous

troph ies , and draped urns recal l ing th e ant ique, piece ,meal . Truly, here is lavishness and fast id iousness in

exeelsz'

s ; tru ly,‘ good taste ’

is in its glory— bu t i t is aglory of clay . I n all th is, says a c lever French wri ter,w e read apo l ished gal lantry, and see th e last smile of

that society about to d isappearin storm and bloodshed .

’

Some suppose that th e cab inets, and vases of scented

flowers were who l ly made and completed in th e Sevresmanufactory when a special staff of experienced work-i

m en were retained to prepare them forroyal presents .

A vis i t to Sevres to see th e process of making even a

smal l vase with th e fine snow-wh i te c lay w i l l g ive u s

some ideaof th e cost l iness of a fash ion wh ich covered ,not only th e court beaut ies but th e chairs they sat on

,

’

with porce lain p i ctures painted by acknowledged art ists

in th e severely protected royal m anu factory z— nay ,

their very carriages were incrusted with them . Th ere

was some reason then for agonies of fear for the

panels, su ch as some lad ies suffer in a new glossycarriage . Mm e. Dubarry ment ions th e equipage of

Mm e .Beaupre ° —‘ Nous la v imes paraitre dans u ne

vo it ure dont les panneaux étaient en porcelaine ornée

de pe intures déli c ieuses, les encadrements en cu ivre

surdoré .’

T h e subieets of th e paint ings were end less ;


agardenwith flowers more fragi le than theirprototypes,

wh i lst they were s leeping l ike Mm e. Recamier in bedshung w i th th e rarest Po int d

’

Aleneon,and so t ired of

id leness that do l ls had to be made and guests stripped

to furnish go ld lace for the ir craze for zm tzez’

stz'

ngl

whi lst one—half of Franc e was lapped in useless l uxury ,th e o therhalfwas starving.

T h e shepherds and shepherdesses in de l i cate rainbow

garb meant no real s impl ic i ty and rural innocence :

affectation is most corrupt and sel f- conscious w hen i t

beg ins to s imu late puri ty with such . strenuous efforts .

T h e sweet Greuze heads which smiled down on th e

shepherds impl ied no fact of human experience, hard ly

even an attainable i deal , but a cyni cal adm iss ion that

ch i ldhood i tself was not what it seemed . I t matters not

let u s eat and drink , to -morrow w e die, was th e moral of

it all. Why e lse, h ow e lse, cou ld Greuze have painted

L a Cru cne Casse’

e ? Neverwas a face more sweet,more

myst i c, bu t Greuze preached no ideal state, no appeal to

worth , to love orto p i ty, bu t wrought in amood wh ich

strikes an English mind l ike a sick fancy,none th e

heal th ier forbeing a pretty one,at any rate pecu l iarly

French th e pearl’

in th e fish .

1 Untw ist ing—«th e fashionable rage,

’.du ring w hich ladies scarcely

stirred w ith ou t . tw o . little w ork -bags, one fi lled w ith gold fringes,tassels,

orany golden tru mpery they cou ld obtain, th e other to contain th e goldthey u nravelled, w hich they sold to th e Jew s. T h e D u e de Coigny one

night appeared in anew and m ost expensive coat su ddenly a lady in th e

company remarkedthat its gold bindings w ou ldbe excellent foru ntw isting.

I n an instant h e was su rrou nded m short, inafew moments th e coat wasstrippedbf its lace, its galloons, its tassels, its fringes.

’- I llu m z

'

nated Boo/é

-A WHI TED SEPULCHRE . 167

T h e earthquake which shou ld have com e in Lou isQuinze’

s t ime, overwhe lmed Lou is Se i ze and MarieAnto inette . I t is d iffi cu lt to read of th e miseries of th e

downtrodden peasants without fee l ing that even th e

bloody Revo lu t ion was a d iv ine retribut ion for offences

t hat b lackened earth i t is d iffi cu lt to read of th e meanness

of crue l ty wh ich tortured th e Royal Fam i ly in the irm isfortunes w ithout ind ignant ly real ising that th e blow fel l

on th e wrong people . Debarred from pen and ink,

toi let necessaries, even th e sc issors and kni tt ing need leswhich m ight have begu i led th e weary prison hours

, th e

Capets were crowned martyrs by their sufferings .

‘ At

th is t ime th e king’

s- coat became ragged , and as th e

Princess E l i zabeth h is s isterwas mend ing it,as sh e had

no sc issors th e k ing observed that sh e had to b i te off th e

thread with h er teeth .

“What a reverse ! ” said th e

k ing, looking tenderly upon h er “

you were in want o fnoth ing at your pretty house at Montreu i l . ” Ahbrother, sh e repl ied

,can I fee l regret of any kind wh i le

I share yourm isfortunes ?

nau tqu ctcrit .I canno t c lose my survey of th is l uxurious period

withou t a few words on th e marqueterie wh i ch was

brought to such perfect ion after Lou is Quatorze,and

wh i ch is now so often th e favouri te pursu it of co l lectors .

Th is k ind of furni ture is obst inate ly cal led QueenAnne,’

l ike most o ther th ings nowadays ; andpeople are mostly

surprised when to ld that theirvery e legant draw ing and

bed-rooms are Lou is Se ize.

’


S trong as is my preference'

forJ’Goth ic, orvery early

Renascence furni ture and decorat ion, because of its .

robuster excel lence! I must own that in th e seventeenth

and e ighteenth centuries furni ture reached its acme ;neverbefore were ri ch fancy, unsurpassed sk i l l of hand ,andknowledge ofeffect pressed so lav ish ly into th e servi ce

of beds , cabinets and wal l- coverings , as I showed in a

Louis Quatorze Room .

’

\\Furni ture cannot go farther

than certain exquisi te ebony construct ions in th e C luny

M useum at Paris , carved from one end to th e o ther,mounted in s i lver, set w i th precious stones, and t iny

bas-rel iefs st i l l more precious. Nay , furni ture ought not

to go so far,since su ch ornamentat ion u nfi ts i t forits

purpose, and makes i t l ike agenre picture, mere ly a toy ,

not meant to be handled

Nos . 60 1 , 60 3, 5941 and 59 2 m th e above museum

are examples of what cabinets can be,and shou ld not

be.

“ They are th e very netwrd of furni ture . T h e detai l

is . exqu isite , th e ensem ble seen from afar disappo int ing,

from th e darkness of th e wood ; as for the ir ut i l i ty, itmust always have been nz

'

l, l ike that of th e wh i te ele

phants of old.

Ebony cabinet (seventeenth centu ry) , No . 594, C lu ny Mu seu m ; abou tfeet high , projecting from

'

th e wall abou t 2 feet. Designs su ch as

Benvenu to Cellini’s fill th e tiny panels on th e face,all in low relief th e

frieze how everis adorned w ith ebony figu res completely raised from th e

grou nd, like dolls fastened to it. Architectu ral ornaments occu r at th e

sides of th e cabinet, su ch as Corinthian colu m ns w ith gilt capitals. I voryreliefs are inserted in p laces ;

'

and in th e lower part L imoges enamelpictu res are set at each end

,su ggesting th e qu ery, mu st not this cabinet

have' beenmou nted onapedestal , to bring these del icate enamels level w ith

th e eye ? I t has been impaired by th e additions m ade to it by Faivret, tow hich noted e

’

be’

nz’

ste L ordNelson sent it from Spain to be pu t in order.

170 A RE TROSPE CT OF ROOIWS .

powerto arrange very beaut ifu l rooms, whetherplanned

after th e dainty elegance of th e Lou is Se i ze t ime , or

after th e somewhat broader and richer manner of an

earl ier date, provided these good people do not destroy

th e soft chequered co lourof th e furni ture by pal l id wal ls

wh ich they fond ly cal l ‘ Queen Anne,

’

or contrad ict th e

vo l uptuous curves inseparable’

from th e fashions of th e

three Lou is’s , by th e stric t angles of ‘ Emp ire ’

objects ,wh ich

,however neat ly fluted

,po l ished or inlaid , have a

character pronounced enough to be qu ite o u t of har

mony w ith works of any other period .

fi rtis ts who e m ancipatcn 311 1.

Lou is Quatorze appears to have been th e first to

recognise inasubstant ial mannerth e fact that i f w e want

firstrate art in o u r carpets, furni tu re, plate, &c.,w e must

employ firstrate art ists , and make it worth the ir whi le

to g ive thoughtfu l study to such a branch of des ign.

Thus th e names of that great k ing’

s art-attaches have

come honourably down to u s alongs ide I tal ian names

su ch as Benvenuto Cellini’

s : am ong them are Lebrun ;Mignard Andre- Charles Bo u le,

‘ c ise leur et doreur du

roi,’

w h o carried ou t their concept ion and created a

schoo l ; C laude Balliu . th e go ldsm ith ; Ph i l ippe Po i tou ,w h o im i tated Boule , and inj ured h is mode l wi th th e

best intent ions, when th e king was growing old.

Many honourable names temp. Lou is Quinze,en

cou raged by royal bounty, are famil iar. Me issonier, w h o

carried end ive and roeaz'

lles to th e last exaggerat ion ;

ARTI STS WHO EMANCI P A TED ART. 1 7 1

Caffieri, sprungfrom a race of d ist inguished scu lptors

and a scu lptor h imse lf,whose bronze work adorns

furni ture in th e possess ion of SirR ichard Wal lace andBaron G . de Rothsch i ld h is rival

,Crescent , Mart incourt

and h is more famous pupi l Gou th iere, chaserand g i lder

to Lou is Sei ze,and Gal l ien

, fondeu r- cz'

selenr,w h o made

iron rai l ings andregal t im ep ieces and many more, w h o ,

l ike Quent in Matsys,raised th e basermetals to th e rank

of gems by the ir exquis i te del i cacy of treatment and

knowledge of des ign ; again, Clodion, w h o worked in

terra- cotta; Renaud, w h o mode l led snu ff- boxes down

to Dav id,whose influence on th e first qu arterof th e nine

teenth century was marked enough .

We have been ch iefly referring to French art because

France is th e imm ed iate source of most of o u rfash ions ,and in Franee far more substant ial patronage was

afforded by royalty to th e pro duction of art fordomest ic

u se . I taly,st i l l weal th ierin great des igners than France,

has hadno great direct effect on Engl ish art,because h er

influence has for th e most part fi l tered through France,o u rnearestneighbou r. Ce l l ini

,Primat i ccio ,

and others ,res ided in France

,warmly encouraged by royal ty, and

no doubt lent an I tal ian breadth and grande u r'

to th e

French Renascence school. E l izabeth , tak ing example

by h er fatherand Franc is I . , and subsequent ly Charles I . ,

supported art by invi t ing over F lem ish and I tal ian

art ists and encourag ing th e buds o f nat ive talent ; bu t

Engl ish art ists of real cal ibre have sel dom devoted

the ir talents to anything so base as th e home surroundings,

‘

th ou gh they be royal . S ince the Renascence fairly

17 2 A RE TROSPE CT OF ROOMS.

set in, art ists have not poached on th e archi tects’ manor,

.wh i le arch itects have left furni ture to art isans— no t all

round m en l ike m edim val art isans— and th e home has

been left o u t in th e co ld as a No man’

s land .

’ Grin

l ing Gibbons is th e so le example of an ind igenous growth

of talent , fairly su ccessfu l in founding a schoo l of carvers,

and fairly paid as wi l l be c learon comparing English

with th e carefu l ly kep t German, French , F lemish , or

I tal ian l ists of accomplished and talented art-workmen.

F laxman worked for Wedgwood , and W'

edgwoodwas pot terto HerMajesty th e Queen,

’

and cou ld afford

to ru n up th e Duchess of Port land ’

s bids for th e Bar

berini vase to gu ineas ; bu t F laxman was not

recognised by royalty in th e bus iness, and it is curious

to compare th e payments of Josiah Wedgwood to John

F laxman— for bas -re l iefs of th e Muses and Apo l lo ,

Bacchus and ' Ariadne, &c. , 10 s . 6d. apiece portrai t

busts from 16s . to 42 s . and th e l ike — with th e lav i sh

payments in th e reign of Lou is XIV. by th e Duke of

Orleans forth e mere su bjects for art-designersfi flow er

paintings by Robert, 10 0 l ivres each , andafterwards re

boug/zt forth e Crown.

My l ist of art-designers in England wi l l show that in

th e e ighteenth century w e had afew names of note w h o

m ay rank as decorators, bu t th e l ist is sad ly meagre .

Ou rarchi tects were eminent they decorated ou rstreets,nevertheless w e cannot compare London wi th Rome andF lorence, where th e greatest art ists spent glorious efforts

on th e outs ide and ins ide of th e cost ly palazz i . Bacon

model led for Lambeth ware, while F laxman des igned

CHAPTER VI .

fi seu h necfliassit ism .

NDER th e bi tter regim e of Revo l u tionaryt imes l uxury was not only gracefu l ly abne

gated for a l i ttle w h i le— it was forgotten.

They changed all that . There was to be no

more affectat ion, no more st i l ted refinement , no more

j est ing beneath mock decorum . Nobody was betterthananybody e lse ,and th ev shou ld not have more everyth ing

was forced into asevere , uncomprom is ing mould . St iff

backed reformers said they d id not want easy chairs, sothey took them away from those w h o d id . They said

love of dress was wicked , ri ch s i lks nonsense,people

did not have them in old Greece so they burnt them for

th e go ld in them , and let de l i cate women die of cancer

and bronch it is in h igh -waisted mus l in wh ich cou ld not

keep them warm . They forgot , no doubt, sometimes

that Athens was old Greece as m u ch as Sparta, and in

the irvigorous sweeping away of all that they considered

need less and bad, they swept away much that was very

PSE UDO-CL ASS I CI SJI . 1 75

good . This is . th e'

u navoidable resu lt of every v io lent

react ion,and many innocent often sufferforone gu i l ty .

What isch iefly. cu r1ou s .1n . th e h istory of-Engl ish andFrench art is that , however eccentri c th e fash ion

,h ow

everextreme th e reco i l from that to th e next, all is done

in th e name of th e c lass ics . Whenw e walked about under

amountain of padd ing and buckram , andbu i l t ou rblack

secretaires l ike temples and ou r bed s l ike monuments,

w e copied th e classi cs when w e threw away whaleboneand we ight forth e gracefu l laz

'

sseraller of Charles I l.

’

s

t im e,with short waists and flowing robes, and began to

m ix Ch inese pane ls and I tal ianmarqueterie w i th ou rold

oak ,i t was sti l l th e c lassics w e were fo l low ing . When

l uxury seemed frant i c w i th rainbow co lours and.curves

of endless vegetat ion, w e had ac lass ic reason for-it and

when we suddenly sat down inachemise on th e hardest ofchairs and went in sedu lously for th e barest

, st i ffest,

co ldest of forms in dress and furni ture , st i l l w e said i t

was a return to th e classic, and th is unhappy word hasto bear th e burden of all ou r fo l l ies .

I t is constant ly forgotten by persons wh o praise th efurniture and costume o f th e Empire period

,that beauty

,

refinement , grace, are terms who l ly opposed to th e sp iri tof that terrific reaction. T h e changes

,

wh i ch w e refer toLou is XV I .

’

s re ign but for wh i ch Mm e . de Pompadouris primari ly respons ible, be ing great ly harassed by

dreams of th e ant ique,’ were indeed arefinement upon

forms whose redundance was becom ing foo l ish and

vu lgar; bu t th e later reformat ion ’

in'

art wh ich came

afterFrance had turned at bay ,was by no means in th e

d irect ion of beauty, bu t of truth, straightforwardness,

176 A RE TROSPE CT OF ROOMS .

plainness, equal i ty . Have done wi th your elegances,

your j ests, your love-making, your corruption, your

phantasmagoria, th e nat ion seemed to say : strip off all

these s u perflu ities , look u s in th e face, and be s imple .

l ike Socrates ; and i f you are not s imple yo u shal l die .

1

Then h ow fervent ly people tried to be s imple, and to

hate refinement , and w eal th , and th e noblesse— it was

important enough in France ; and England , sobered

across th e water by a lesson wh ich might have been

appl ied nearerhome, cried ou t that l i fe was earnest and

th e lust of th e eye impertinent, as th e Puri tans haddone .

L ike them sh e flung away all sh e had that was merely

pretty and pleasant, and fanc ied that self- cast igat ion

was in i tsel f virtue .

I t was a stern, start led,palpi tat ing mood as of

people stand ing before th e tribunal of death ; i f th e

works done undersuch pressure were beautifu l it was by

acc ident ; they only strove to express outward ly th is

vehement alterat ion in feel ing by copying in detai l a

social state which seemed to them strong, s imple, grand ,rude, and trusted that th e ou tward l ife wou ld react back

again upon th e inward and raise up a new generat ion

wrth old Greek virtues . Of course th e who le th ing was

wrong, hal f- sane, l ike adru nken'

m an suddenly sobered

by ashock whom th e shock i tsel f m ay unbalance .

9111 atrnpit c fl au nt.

Then again, it is forgotten that th e meagren'

ess and

bareness Of th e domest i c fashions at that t ime m ay have

1 Fraternité, égalité, ou lamort, ’was afavourite inscription onNeversfayence at th e time of th e French R evolu tion, and there w ere others fiercer.

1 78 A R E TROSPE CT OF ROOMS.

hand ; th e tea- caddy, th e wel l - used work-box,and th e

tal l corner- clock with its severe round face and class i c

ped iment s l ight ly spatterdashed with mock Ch inese

sketches— here is ou rsurvey of aregu lar Empire room

in England . A l i thograph of a c lose- capped motherteach ing h er ch i ld to pray, andth e black paperprofi les of

o u rlost re lat ions (aplain honest’

remembrance of them

as they sat in ou r l ight , as usual— no fu lsome flatteries towake cri t i c ism orvani ty) —completes th e inventory. I t

is s imple is it beautifu l ah that word has not so much

meaning now — w e forget whether these th ings can be

cal led beauti fu l th e canons of taste were all banished

lost— gui l lot ined perhaps, afew years ago . We are very

grave stri ct people. T h e fatherdoes not l ike to see th e

ch i ldren s toop ; that means weakness, wh i ch must be

checked . T h e motherdoes not l ike h ergirls to enter th e

room w i thout gloves that is too famil iar; and i f there

was aho le in one— AhMost of u s w h o have had o ld fashioned relat ions or

friends in ch i ldhood , can remember th e curious st igma

attached to th e w ords proud ,’ vain,

’

selfish,

’

affected .

’

Such terms meant much more to them than they do to

u s , th e spiri t of th e t imes was so severe, emu lat ing class ic

patriot ism ,primit ive candour. T o say a woman was

vain impl ied areal fau l t of heart , not mere consciousness

of beau ty to say sh e was affectedwas to impugn both

h er s inceri ty «and h er taste. Even in Miss Austen’

s

nove ls w e fee l th e influence w e get no hint of a

hero ine’

s face but w e are to ld sh e was remarkable for

a cand id mind , forgood - sense, and ad ispos i t ion so

decorousas to be pos i t ively arct i c . Duty, not enj oyment , R

AN ‘ EMPI RE ’ ROOM . 9

was th e aim of l i fe . we constant ly find people approved

forbeing candid ,’ wh i ch probably meant s incere, we l l

mannered . We never hearthat anyone is ‘ unse lfish,

’

th e ant ithesis cal led up is too v io lent . Marianne 1

adm its that h er loveris mercenary , dishonourable, pro

fligate , and a dastard —but sh e defends h im against th e

ghast ly obloquy of selfishness ! What is proper’

was

th e bugbear, for i t bad been aquest ion of l i fe and death

and hard ly any gaiety was held proper, as once i t hadbeen scarcely safe. Pride was a sin

,for Egal i té had

taught u s so in letters of b lood .

When I h ear people praise that t ime, so stony and

so grim,from th e harsh unbecoming costume w h ich I

have e lsewhere cri t ic ised , down to every detai l of

awakened l ife , I am certain that they do not understand

i t . I n France Dav id and h is part isans played at be ing

Greek as ch i ldren m ight play in a churchyard . But th e

false, st i l ted fash ions that covered London and Paris

w i th pseudo- class ic convent ional it ies in th e very wors t

taste'

becam e qu i te unmeaning in th is c l imate where th e

sap ient arch i tects bu i lt Greek temples with

of course nearly rectangular, terraces darkened by co lon

nades,changed every teakett le to a c inerary u rn, even

to th e name, coalscu ttles to sarcophagi , and beds to

hearses. T h e ‘ propriety ’ wh ich refu sed a t ired ch i ld a

chairwith aback if th e seat was overfourinches w ide, and

d iscouraged all freedom of act iv i ty and se l f- forgetfu lness

or pleasure in everyone young and old, has much to

answer forin th e inheri ted de l icacy of many of ou rg irls

and boy s .

1 M iss Au sten’s Sense and Sensibility .

N 2

180 A RE TROSPE CT OF ROOJI S .

«Em pire Erase ant6

Elrnitat ion g reens.

People often ask what I th ink of th e costumes o f

th e Empire,

’

and whether I consider that i t w i l l su i t

such and such an one . I f they had read one -hal f what

h as been wri tten against th e ‘ I m i tat ion Greeks,’ my

readers , at least , wou ld not ask such aquest ion. St i l l,

as exam inat ion and re -exam inat ion again and again of

mot ives and habi ts is always serv iceable)’

I m ay give

here abrief descript ion of ( I st) what th e Emp ire dress

was and (2 nd) why i t cannot su it anyone, i f to ‘su i t

means to ‘ beeorne,’

and to become impl ies concealmentof defect , accentuat ion o f good po ints , and protect ion

from th e e lements , for these are th e three main requ irements of c loth ing, and th e Emp ire Dress fu lfi ls none of

them,norever d id , orcan and (3rd) why th is fash ion,

nevertheless , possesses a k ind of beau te’

du diable, and

does not m isbecome a certain few .

T h e dress, l ike th e furniture , of th e Empire drew its

insp irat ion from anc ient Greek art , and,be ing areact ion

from a total ly d ifferent k ind of costume in th e last stages

of decay, caught th e fancy of th e more educated classesunder th e art ist i c d irect ion of a m an of extraord inary

orig inal i ty and force of character,Jacques Lou is David

th e French painter and po l it i cian. Indeed , th e who le

nat ion was then eager to reverse all that had beenpopu larunder th e old noblesse and to cleanse both th eins ide and th e outs ide of th e plat ter, andwarmly seconded

th e efforts of th e art ists to bring in anew schoo l of art .

H ence, manners and habi ts, furni ture, ch ina, plate,

1 82 A RE TROSPE CT OF ROOI I I S .

feet,s l igh t ly longerbehind than in front orat th e sides .

A smal l sash or g ird le confined th e fo lds of th is loose

gown somewhat above th e wais t , underth e arms, often

brought across th e shoulderto keep i t in posi t ion,and

t ied before or behind . For outdoor wear, a straigh t

scarf (a faint and shrunken echo of th e Greek h imat ion)was cast about th e shou lders . T h e s leeves were nil, for

ashape ly arm brooked no d isgu ise . T h e smal l bonnet ,he lmet - shaped , offered a s l ight

,very s l ight protect ion to

th e eyes and th e shoes without heels were rather h igh

and t ied with a smal l h ow on th e instep . By th is

vio lent react ion from th e prev ious fash ion,now cal led

Queen Anne,’ wh i ch was aregu lar domino

,agracefu l

woman could appeargracefu l , a clean skin cou ld assert

i tse l f as dark or fair— in fact, one cou ld detect apretty

woman at aglance .

Bu t— and th is is noteworthy— one cou ld also at a

glance detect an ugly one. A word for th e poorplain,

or plainish , ones ! T h e c l inging low gown w as u m

m erc ifu l to an attenuated frame,st i l l more so to one

unduly robust. T h e large w ide foot had no retreat th e

th in redarm no sh ie ld th e sk in Spo i l t by th e long u se

of bad paints , th e hairworn th in and broken by years

of pul l ing overan unc lean cush ion large enough to we igh

someth ing cons iderable— these had nei ther pity nor

pal l iat ion. I f th e beauties were‘beauteous then

— th e

plain were l ikewise most deplorably and hope lessly

unattract ive. Woman in fact was severe ly, savage ly

Hersel f !

This was at th e t ime of th e Revo lu t ion, about 1793.

Sir Joshua Reynolds has left u s some very gracefu l

EMPI RE DRESS AND I M I TA TI ON GREEKS. 183

examples of what th e beauties of h is day looked l ikeunderth e reformed costume before i t be came aserv i leplag iarism ,

and th e prom ise was fairerthan its fu lfi lment .A long p lain gown, th e severi ty of wh ich was broken by

an Indian scarf swathed about th e waist, or fal l ing fromshou lder to foot— th e somewhat undefined waist reveal

ing th e curves of afine bust without aggress ive d isplay

of charms, norany attempt to deny the irexistence— th e

who le contourof th e figure acknowledged , but softened

by th e natural fall of loose fo lds , wh ich adapted them

selves to every att itude gracefu l ly enough when th e

attitudes were gracefu l . Gil lray shows u s th e ‘other

s ide of th e carpet ,’— h is coarse cari catures give u s th e

vu lgar and i l l - shapen gestures and frames, which

natural ly went s ide by s ide w i th beauty— h e shows u s

h ow l i tt le chance had those many w h o are neitherhand

some nor ugly,of rece iving fair cred it for their smal l

meri ts in a garb so painfu l ly candid , and h ow th e

smal lest approach to vulgarity or defect became nearly

as d isagreeable as its extreme !

Those were indeed sad ly trying times bu t so strong

and stern was th e nat ional inc l inat ion then, suddenly

roused o u t of supine subjection and laisser-aller, that

beauty was less cared forthan virtue and, consequently,though th e beaut ies were in c lover, th e plain ones had

to be and were accepted as facts— very numerous and

unm istakable facts— ou th e ground that beauty was of

minorconsequence per se. There is someth ing fine in

th is semi - Spartan mood ; bu t it was overstrained , andtherefore false

,l ike most react ions when too vio lent (th e

Puri tain reaction is a simi lar instance) ; and whenever

1 84 A RE TROSPE CT OF ROOMS

beau ty, as beauty, is undervalued , th e loss is felt in all

departments of l ife— progress in all refinement and

cu lture is temporari ly numbed and impeded , and in

many ways th e who le communi ty suffers . I t is qu ite

terrible to see, now looking back, h ow th e temper per

vad ing th e art reform in David ’s day ,wh i le produc ing

many worthy contribut ions to art, seemed to ki l l ornipth e vital energy of th e sense of beauty, so that upon

David ’

s removal th e a’e’caa’efl ce of that fash ion was ugly

as d isease, hope less l ike a fire unfed , and barren l ike

ashes (wh ich every de’m a’efzce is not) , containing w ith in i t

no germ of new l ife, yet incapable of checking its own

d ismal decay. For th e sp irit of those days, whetherin

po l i t i cs, art, or domest i c l ife,was harsh , severe , self

castigat ing in its des ire for truth , s impl ic i ty, and j ust i ce ,and it o u t l ived too long its original m z

’

son d’

e‘

tre. T h e

inj ury to trade,th e inj ury to art

,th e inj ury to character

even,wh ich beganw i th th e bloody R evolu tion,

can hardly

be over- est imated ,andmuch domest i c suffering , especial ly

amongst th e young, sprang from th e then begotten

prej ud ices and straight-backedness . Things have only

recent ly begun to recover th e shock . Not,w e must

observe, that th e spiri t of th e t imes was bad in its act ion

on th e t imes but i t was destruct ive of future advance

ment and new cu lture, l ike amoral stun.

But to ou r Emp ire Dress . Napo leon’

s reign m ay

be said to have begun in 180 0 , and ended with h is

abd i cat ion in 1 8 15, though h is influence lasted much

longen

T h e I m itation Greek dress in its stage nearest to th e

Greek, its first stage and its best, was a l ittle past for

86 A RE TROSPE CT OF ROOI I I S .

othera formal made bodice,’ gauged and fitted T h e

materials— mus l in,cotton, or th e th innest s i l k and woo l

— were general also . T h e he lmet- shaped bonnet had

set t led down into a popular form . Of course it had

grown larger, and its worst feat ures , by th e natural law

of fash ion, vitiat ion of th e eye, were all magnified . T h e

shoes had shrunk into th e most inadequate protect ion

forth e foot . T h e s leeves,unendurable quite short , now

reached th e wrists in a s l ight g igot form (th is, later on,

was more and more exaggerated ; it commenced only

w i th th e s l ight rounding necessary to fi t th e shou lder

jo int) . Pett i coats , indispensable in w inter, set th e gown

o u t in awonderfu l ly u n-Greek manner and th e mi l l iner,t ired of plain skirts, which d id not pay h er,

’

and were

tru ly very mean- looking and ins ignificant , had begun to

decorate th e extingu isher with horrible loops and

festoons and lumps, after h er t ime-honoured hab i t .

People must have looked very l ike bott les with arms and

feet then, and th e topknot carried ou t th e i dea of th e

cork rather wel l : not that th e topknot was not Greek,

forit was Greek but,with that burlesque of agown, it

gave j ust that touch of distastefu l g ingerl iness, semi

knowing, bu t usual ly ind icat ive of vacancy, which acork

hal f o u t always gives a bott le. From 1 80 0 to 1840

variat ions of this costume were worn by all classes .

This was th e decadence of th e I m itation Greek fashions

th is was th e true Dress of t/ze Empire.

No doubt, when people praise th e Emp ire dress, they

often mean th e original copy of th e Greek dress, not th e

ordinary dress of th e t ime of Napo leon I ., wh ich was

th e copied copy of some copy of th e first copy, and th e

EMPI RE DRESS A I VD I M I TA T I ON GREEKS. 187

last effect was of course as wide of th e mark as th e final

whisperin th e old game of Scandal . ’

But there are people, strange to say , w h o real ly l iketh e grotesque vagaries of th e popu lar m i l l iner of th e

Emp ire— they ignore, as sh e d id , th e Greek e lement

they l ike th e vast coalscu ttle bonnet w i th its steeple

feathers, they like th e bott le- shaped gown, they l ike th eflat , unmerc iful , use less shoes w i th v i le bi ts of Pers ian

ribbon on them m is- called ‘sandals — they l ike th e

mean materials, they l ike th e huge co llar up to the ir

ears and th e vast festoons on th e sk irts - they l ike th e

harsh and i l l -assorted co lours— and what th e M erveil

[ew es perpetrated in th e way of combinations of co lour

only caricatures give one any j ust not ion of !

And now I w i l l show w hy these people l i ke all th is,and why I — wh o cons ider that costume th e worst and

th e most try ing that ever came in vogue , not except ing

th e E l i zabethan or th e costume of Rufus’s t ime, bothgrotesque

,but having th e meri t of ri ch materials and

carefu l decorat ion— can understand the ir l ik ing i t .

There is aquaintness about th is dress wh ich seems

to su it some persons —ch i.

efiy young g irls w i th unformed

figures, bu t some grown women too . I have e lsewhere

remarked that l ines in themse lves have a language of

the ir own, apart from the wearer.

1 And th is bot tle

shaped costume bears m e ou t. There is a prec is ion,

a brev i ty,a kind of abru ptness in th e lines of skirts

,

plai ts, gaugings, &c. , wh ich has th e same k ind of

charm at times to the eye as an abrupt or saucy

answerin th e mouth of apret ty woman somet imes has

See T /ze Qu een, Nov. 6 , 1879 .


to th e ear. I ly adieearaetere, aFrenchman wou ld say

and th e unexpected re l ief from th e sweet monotony'

of

complaisance and natural y ie l d ingness (whether th e

yie ld ingness be of a fabri c to th e figure, orof am ind to

anothermind ) is pleasant, as achange, th e more because

i t is not real ly beaut i fu l . As w e t ire of all good and

p leasant th ings,w e love change, even to th ings worse

,

fora l i tt le wh i le ; but i t is only that w e m ay be able to

turn back and enjoy th e good th ings with renewed zest .

And j ust as th e saucy gu ia’

proqu aannoys on repet i t ion,

so th e odd,quaint habi ts which deny or cari cature th e

body annoy th e eye afterabrief whi le, and i t returns

refreshed to fee l h ow much more sat isfying and agreeab le is th e uncontorted frame, l i ke th e kind ly, softened

manners .

That word kindly ,implying kinsh ip

,harmony, a

natural tie or connect ion in its derivat ion,is not m is

appl ied to dress . T h e Emp ire dress,l ike th e rams -horn

shoes or th e whee l farth ingale,was not kind/y in th e old

sense of th e word,for i t denied th e natural l ines and i t

was not kind in th e new sense, for it exposed and drew

attent ion to every defect

I have seen young girls, and especial ly very l itt le

girls, w h o are natural ly rather bott le- shaped,look

charming in th is Empire dress, when s imply made, and

when they are sufficient ly nice- looking to be able to

bear i t . But, I repeat , l i tt le girls were not dressed thus

during th e Empire— th is was th e adult w oman’

s dress .

I have also seen elderly lad ies with a certain Puri tan

d igni ty of carriage look very we l l in i t : certain lad ies,neitherold norvery j uvenile, with wel l -model ledgracefu l


No cost ume is good which has no folds, or which

dim inishes he ight as a short dress and alow neck invari

ably do . Beaut i fu l as are th e l ines of th e normal femaleform ,

th e l ines of long fo lds real ly add new graces to i t ,as any art ist w h o has great ly stud ied th e frame wi l l te l l

you . I f a dress deprives th e frame of its smoothest

curves and its easiest att i tudes, without adding any new

grace,and without conceal ing stru ctural defects, that

dress is artisti cal ly bad and indefens ible ; and it seems

to m e that th e Empire dress had all these fau l ts .

Therefore, wh i le I l ike i t for l i tt le girls, because it corre

sponds to th e ch i ld ish waistless figure and active habits

infini tely betterthan an attempt to import shape ’ by

corset orbel t— I can never th ink it becoming orsu i table

in any way to th e mature figure, which is complete ly

d ifferent from th e ch i ld ’s , and whose every l ine and

curve and att itude is in opposi t ion to th e l ines of th e

costume .

There were other object ions to th e Empire dresswhich I have intent ional ly not dwelt upon, my concernbeing ch iefly with beauty, and my convi ction firm that

w omen wi l l risk every peri l in orderto be pretty. Thesewere inde l i cacy ( I have heard my grandmothersay my

grandfather wou ld neveral low h er to wearabod ice less

than four inches deep , an unfashionable depth which

w i l l speak for i tsel f) , and danger through co lds and

cancer ( th e latter was fearfu l ly common,owing to

women’

s efforts to obtain a smal l waist across th e upper

ribs— curious union of th e old Norman love for ‘ a

m yddel smal,’ w i th th e class i c ind i fference to i t) : ob

jections which I do not th ink th e artist David was in

EMPI RE DRESS AND I JI I TA T I ON GREEKS . 19 1

any way respons ib le for when h e forced on th e pseudo

c lass i c fashions .

T h e fashion of hair- dress ing, in its best and most

ideal ised form of that t ime ,m ay be stud ied from certain

portrai ts by Sir Thomas Lawrence, e .g., th e DowagerCountess of Darnley (Nat ional Gal lery, Room w h o

wears th e knot h igh , bu t of no exaggerated s ize,norof a

d isagreeable hardness and smoo thness. Upon th e first

introduction of Greek modes a large number of hair

fash ions were adopted from th e many statues,statuettes

,

and co ins belonging to Greek terri tory, which show them

clearly, andGreece cou ld boast of very e laborate fash ions

of hair- dressing in h er late t ime . Bu t in England or

France they were never jo ined to th e ind ispensable

mant le as in Greece, and they were most unsu itably

combined with stays,long waists, pinched in by four

inch bel ts, fu l l pett i coats, and m ighty gigot s leeves

( 1830 which fo l lowed th e short waists such as

ju l iet’

s ment ioned above. SirThomas Lawrence shows

u s many heads, e .g.

‘ Psyche,’ Mrs. Arbuthnot . &c.

,

cropped and denu ded of hal f the ir natural locks,under

some mistaken idea that th e Greeks wore l i tt le curls all

over the ir heads l ike young ch i ldren. There is no

reason, as far as I see, to suppose that Greek women

past young girlhood wore short hair.

I f people wil l be wise, and go to th e fountain head

whence th e art of th e Emp ire drew its inspirat ion,they

w i l l find abeaut ifu l costume, adm i tt ing of great variety

in mannerof arrangement, not great variety in texture,and no variety at all in cu t . T h e l ines of th e long

under-robe and of th e pep lum,th e length and grace of


fo lds, depth of shadows , &c. , are determined ent irely by

th e human form and its chang ing att i tudes ; ergo, th eform must be very cand idly exh ibited ; and ergo, th e

charm of th e dress depends upon th e beauty and graceof th e wearer.

This of course can shock no one in these days of eelskin dresses, which are far more open to cri t i c ism than

th e we l l - fo lded Greek costume . Sti l l , I do not see why

th e features of th e form need be cons idered more shock

ing than th e features of th e face,and areasonable mood

on th is subject is j ust ly to be encouraged .

’

T h e pecu l iari ty of th e Greek dress was its fu l l ex

press ion of th e form beneath,and th e ease with wh i ch it

adapted itse lf to every att i tude . T h e main feature of

th e dress was th e h imat ion (mant le orve i l) , wh ich was,

in fact , held to const i tu te th e ent ire dress, wh i le th e

under garment or garments only supplemented it, and

w ere neverworn w i thout i t,at least ou t of doors . I n

early Greece,to have walked without doors in th e tunic

w i thout th e h imat ion wou ld have been held abreach of

propriety ; to walk o u t in a th in h imat ion,w i th not/ting

oefl eotk it at all, was fu l l dress . Therefore, th e anc ient

Greek never exhibi ted that meagre aspect which cha

racterised th e Emp ire ’

or Im i tat ion Greek and,

therefore, th e modern hab i t of copy ing port ions of th e

Greek costume without du e knowledge of th e val ue and

funct ions of each garment, and without unders tand ing

th e costume as a m kole,must always seem to those w h o

have stud ied Att i c manners aso lec ism of amost u ncom

fortable kind .

I t is c lear that so simple and fi lmy a garb as th e

194 A RE TROSPE CT OF ROOI lI S .

But th e average was probably higherin Greece than

i t is in England as to general bu i l d and robustness .

T h e Greeks were afine race, and th e Saxons are afine

race ; but in England th e breed is so m ixed that there

are as many s l ight, weakly frames as strong and hand

some ones, and th e Greek dress would be much less

merc ifu l to th e former than almost any other costume.

One th ing is noti ceable in England,that some

persons by nature are far longerorshorterwai sted than

others : many too are of an errat i c bu i ld . Yo u wi l l findpeople hav ing fat arm s but th in legs , orpeople with very

sk inny throats yet with a fu l l bust , or vice versei. T h e

types almost seem to have got confused, as i f th e mou lds

had been broken up and put together wrong . I n such

cases i t wou ld be agreat pity not to supplem ent and aid

extraneously defects wh ich m ight spo i l th e tou t ensem ble

o therw ise real ly handsome and pleas ing, but without re

versm g th e feat ures of th e type . Now, h ow can one

coat fi t everyone I t cannot, and w e can have no

nat ional costume in ou r country, least » of all can w e

sat isfactori ly employ th e Greek one . I t is because w e

cannot— because ou r needs are too confl i ct ing and ou r

types too numerous— that th e Greek costume, w hentried in England and France, has invariably degenerated

into some h ideous monstrosi ty . I n th e s ixteenth century

w e see what i t came to in E l izabeth’

s state dress in th e

nineteenth w e see in such old- fash ioned books as th e‘ Ladies’ Magazine,

’ ‘ L a Bel le Assemblée,’ ‘World of

Fashion,

’

&c. ,w h ich I pray my readers to exam ine in

th e Bri t ish Museum . I t is rad ical ly unsu ited , in its pure,proud, original form, to this country and it is acostume

EMPI RE DRESS AND JMJTA T I ON GREEKS. 195

that cannot be taken ‘ by halves,

’

for th e simple reason

that as soon as i t is ‘ improved upon ’

or‘ adapted

,

’

it

ceases to be itse lf.

I am ,in fine

,perfect ly assured that, in spite of these

facts, as facts they are, no one w h o is reso lved to wear

th e Emp ire dress,and to th ink i t ‘

sui ts ’

h er,w i l l be

deterred by advi ce or threats. People love ask ing for

advice ; they rece ive i t gratefu l ly, and as one w h o has

found a treasure ; bu t in h er heart every woman is con

vinced that sh e knows better than anyone e lse on mos t

subj ects, and especial ly on dress , and th e less sh e has

stud ied th e surer sh e feels ! I can only adj ure those

w h o real ly care forwhat is beaut ifu l not to carry on th e

beante’

o’n diable experiment too long at a t ime . There

is apiquancy in th e costume, but i t is apiquancy that

must be hand led wisely— l ike acrab .

T HE

CHAPTER I .

ON P L ACE AND T ONE .

filt rangmnrnt of the fi nnm .

HE k ind of room you have to decorate is of

more importance than many peop le suppose .

A wel l proport ioned room w i th handsome,not obstru

'

sive,corni ces , real ly wel l des igned

mante l - sh e lves,and wal ls of th e right he ight in propor

t ion to the ir length , certainly lends importance to every

object brought into it . A poorly proport ioned room,

such as w e find in th e majori ty of suburban residences ,bu i lt by some dealerin brick and mortar w h o knows no

more of des ign than amonkey,— wi l l be found to ex er

c ise adestruct ive influence upon th e fu rni ture, however

good. T h e large th ings wi l l look c lumsy without look

ing handsome ; th e smal l,ins ignificant w ithou t being

n nonnes . T h e ch imney mirrors w i l l overpower th e

fireplaces ; th e doors w i l l be refractory whatever they

are dressed in th e meagre, m iserable ni ches w i l l adm i t

of no furni ture save what is meagre l ike themselves,

2 0 0 GENERAL AP PL I CA TI ONS.

and you wi l l neverget real ly fine l ights and shadows

upon anything.

I t is for th is reason that many of th e old houses

bui l t by th e brothers Adams,by Inigo Jones

,and

others of the irt ime, have become popular with persons

of taste , despite th e many d isadvantages of old houses

they are often so

.

fine ly planned and so we l l bu i l t that

they add l ustre to th e internal add it ions , forarch i tecture

received much at tent ion in England during th e decadence

of th e Renascence . Hence too arch i tects, such as

Mr. Norman Shaw, Mr. Street, Mr. Gi lbert Scot t ;&c.

,prefer to bu i ld in th e style cal led Queen Anne ,

wh ich admits of co loured bri ck,and ins ists upon deep

,

properly proportioned ni ches, corni ces, and mante l

p ieces,and we l l - shaped w indows, doors , and door

entries . Many of th e houses ab0ut Charles Street,Berke ley Square ,Wimpo le and Harley Streets , are thus

adm irable, and it is best before furnishing to get th e rind

of th e house right if you can.

I f you cannot (and many persons are too complete ly

at th e mercy of ignorant bu i lders and land lords,not

to say cheap leases and o ther domest i c cons iderat ions) ,

you must do th e bes t yo u can in furni ture as you have

to do in dress, by conceal ing as we l l as reveal ing. Yo u

can hardly spo i l areal ly fine room,as you can hard ly

d isgu ise abeaut ifu l woman that is one of th e reasons

why Annam aniacs, w h o secure good old houses, have

such avery easy task to furnish them ; bu t you m ay

am end apoor room w i th mu lti tud inous hangings and

pretty and interest ing obj ects, all cal cu lated as to t int

and shape to harmonise with each other i f not with their

2 0 2 GENERAL APPL I CATI ONS.

any s ingle i tem wh ich can put th e remainder ou t of

keeping , th is union forms th e most sat isfactory, because

elast i c,background for changing e lements , j ust as a

l iberal sp irit often reconci les conflic t ing op inions on a

common ground of peace . I t has ano theradvantage , in

al low ing ofal terat ions,imposs ible inaroom that severe ly

represents acertain period . T h e first ru le is, not to have

too much of any one thing— d irectly there is a prepon

derance i t must be iso lated,and suggests a co l lect ion

intact . T h e next ru le is,to keep th e key of co lourlow ,

by avo id ing too - v iv id spo ts ormasses, yet th e tone must

be rather warm than co ld . I t is wonderfu l , when th e

e lements are sufficient ly varied , bo th in character and

co lour,h ow bright th e new add i t ions m ay be

,or h ow

quaint,or h ow s imple, without d isturb ing th e repose .

T h e myriad curves and co lours in an Ind ian shawl do

not break th e harmonious tone ; only here, or there,one broad mass of soft self- co lourrecreates th e ey e . I n

ashawl it is in th e midd le— in aroom it m ay be on

cei l ing, orfloor, or wal l— solnew /zere th e ey e w i l l ins ist

u pon it

An ec lect i c room ought not to be b u i l t on any s triking

arch itectural style ; that in i tse l f wou ld cause adisson

ance. Goth ic , or Oriental , or Renascence arches andmou ld ings wou l d demand to be carried ou t by s imilar

furni ture . But as th e common Engl ish room cannot

lay c laim to th e d igni ty of ‘ arch itecture ’

at all, corni ce,pane ls, windows, mantel- she lves being all equal ly non

descript, th e eclect i c style of decoration is fac i l i tated . I n

fact, to put it briefly, extremes meet. Imperfect con

glomerations are‘ confusion worse confounded,

’

bu t i f

ARRANGEMEN T OF THE R 0 0 1”. 2 0 3

th e med ley is suffic ient ly great i t forms harmony someh ow l ike aChristmas pudd ing.

There are tw o systems of arranging an eclect ic room .

T h e room m ay avowed ly embrace a period extend ing

over certain centuries w ithout pretend ing to be a‘ period ’

room ; it m ay have its prevai l ing character

med iaeval,orRenascence, ore ighteenth century i t m ay

be rude orrich . Say th e med iaeval e lement be preferred

then th e co louring of th e wal ls shou ld be s imple, yet

gay tapestries ofworsted andplain surfaces of paint m aybe th e background to all th e objets a

’o vertu produced

up to,say 1 50 0

— such as old oak, pict ures of early

schoo ls,crystals and po ttery and th e furni ture, though

modern forcomfort ’s sake,shou ld be mass ive

,and bu i lt

after th e Goth i c precedent of s imple construction with

decorated surfaces— th e usefu l purpose being always

honest ly admitted in th e ornament . I f Europe and th e

East are ransacked formed iaeval work , old ivory orinlaid

chests,and cabinets

,th e variety wi l l be found enormous

and th e mixture not incongruous . I n such aroom a

huge m irror of plate -glass wou ld be absurd ; not so

spring seats,wh ich do not assert th e modern element

not iceably by theirout l ine .

I . 21! fi rnagt znt c Qt t lct tit fi nnrn.

T h e Renascence period offers as wide a cho i ce bu t

th is pseudo -class i c t ime is ou t of harmony w i th Goth ic

work. I t is complete ly d ist inct, and Renascence des ignsresent th e prop inquity of those for wh ich th e term

Gothi c ’

was co ined in contempt in th e s ixteenth cen

2 04 GENERAL APPL I CA TI ONS.

tury. But th e work of at least tw o centuries, all th e

worl d over,is ready to hand , Northern and Southern

interpretat ions of that overpowering movement ; more

over th e old world m ay contribute, for genuine class ic

fragments in marble, bronze, or glass, m ay mix with

Raphae ls and M uri l los on th e wal ls,Vandykes, and

D urerprints, autotypes of th e old masters’ sketches, and

even photographs of fine pic tures,as wel l as Venetian

glass, Brusse ls and Arras tapestry, old Oriental t issuesand pane ls of leather, or leatherpaper. Taste demands

that th e tables and chairs shou ld be in harmony, and

here som e of th e Emp ire furni ture (a c lass ic rev ival ) ,comes in properly

, and far more gracefu l ly than when

iso lated in a drear and scanty Emp ire room,i.e . good

inlaid tables , sofas, w ine coo lers , &c.

T h e Paris ians are part ial to eclect i c rooms of this

kind,espec ial ly those w i th th e Renascence stamp, as

we l l as Renascence rooms furnished after ag iven date.

Such seem pecu l iarly fi t for th e present day , wh ich in

its th irst for know ledge among both m en and women,

its increas ing luxury, its material ism ,and its love for

th e ant ique, is indeed a second Renascence t ime.

I I . 21111 it igbtrrntb-sflrnt u t p Ql’f t lt ctit

fl own.

T h e Louis XIV. fashions are, again, who l ly d ist inct

th e m ixture of Bou le work and pietm o’

nm w i th pure

c lassi c types or Goth i c work wou ld be a revo l ting

med ley, and th is is what an eclect i c room should not

be.Louis XIV. fashions, however, go with Oriental

2 0 6 GENERAL APPL I CA TI ONS .

inhabitants i t should indeed aim at being noth ing but a

background . Then noth ing wi l l be incons istent, not

even big mirrors . A seventeenth- century screen m ay

be used to iso late an Imperial Roman bust , a Sevres

tazzam ay rest upon a modern Turk ish cloth,an early

Moorish secretaire m ay support an Ind ian box,Berl in

and Worcester pots m ay mix discreetly with F lem ish

grey,Chinese hangings and Goth ic tapestry, modern

Engl ish curtains m ay hang bes ide th e old bul l ion and

velvet of a century ago , and s ixteenth- century m arble

and oak m ay s tand on nineteenth - century rush matting,

and what acomfort i t is i f i t m ay

I I I . 2B manh u nt QEClEt tit fl own.

An avowedly modern room (one in whi ch modern

upho lstery prevai ls) always seems to.m e inj ured by th e

introduct ion of ant iqu it ies, which , l ike pecu l iarshades of

co lour, and certain c lasses of ornament, always requ ire

carry ing ou t of th e picture . They inj ure th e modern

manufactures by putt ing ou t the ir l ight (according to th econnoisseur) , or by

‘ looking shabby ’

(accord ing to th e

Ph i l ist ine) and afterall they almost d isappear in their

places, lost and overpowered by th e more se lf-assert ing

shapes and dyes of mach ine- cutting and d ist i l lat ion, l iket im id waifs hunted about and pecked to death .

Thus a modern eclect i c room m ay admit modern

Oriental objects in suffic ient ly smal l quanti t ies,Indian

,

Chinese, Afri can, and th e l ike, modern German,Swiss

,

and Russ ian carving and casts, I tal ian mosai cs, Dou ltonware, M inton

’

s ch inaandt i les,and all th e best efforts of

A .MODERN E CLECTI C R OOM . 2 0 7

th e nineteenth century. But amed ley overstepping th el im i ts of a few hundred years, unless forsome very good

reason,becomes unpleasant , because th e incongru i t ies

are powerfu l enough to strike even th e most ignorant .

T h e d ist inct ion between an ec lect i c room furnished

upon some reasonable system , and a room furnished

afteragiven period , must here be noted . T h e one is

real ly amedley, d irected w i th taste ; th e other repro

duces a scene whi ch a contemporary might have viewed ,and must have no anae/zronism s .

flBaI antr.

I n laying down abstract ru les for beauty, and for

d ist ingu ish ing what is beau ti fu l in form from what is

ugly,w e must remember that two great laws ch iefly

determ ine th e lines and dimensions of curves, th e fo lds

of garments , &c .

- one is th e law of gravity, th e other

th e law of balance . I t is th e law of gravity,orattrac

t ion downward,which draws a th in fabri c into smal l and

del icate plaits as i t hangs, andath i ck one into large,round,we ighty ones ; i t is th e law of balance comb ined with

grav i ty wh i ch sends o u t th e tree- boughs into tortuous,w ide-reach ing arches, which neverthe less do not uproot

th e tree. When th e Japanese acrobats came to England

some years ago ,and cl imbed into strange groups,

balanc ing ladders and chairs at angles apparent ly im pos

s ible, at least new to Engl ish spectators,w e stared w i th

unobservant eyes that never had marked h ow a s l ight

flowerbalances its stems of blossoms, d irect ing its arms

th is Way or that as i t seeks th e su n,and sett l ing its

2 08 GENERAL AP P L I CA TI OI VS

main stal k orbody into th e precise att i tude which shal l

support the ir weight w i th least d istress and strain— a

s ight which w e m tg/kt have marked and learnt a lesson

from , as th e Japanese d iscovererof those strange group

ings doubtless d id . They are art ists at heart,th e Japa

nese , because th ey love and study nature so deeply and

th e feats of those cl imbing jugglers, and the irsurpris ing

knowledge of th e proper distribut ion of we igh t,now

famil iar to the ir Bri t ish im i tators , were founded upon

th e natural laws of balance which th e flowerobeys .

Many people possess, unconsc ious ly, asense of pro

portion and balance, which is technical ly cal led an eye

forform ,

’

a correct eye j ust as others possess asubt le

apprec iat ion of th e value (orbalance) of t ints, also cal led

an ‘eye for co lour.

’ Both are derived from observat ion,

consc ious or not,of natural effects . Of some it is a

b irthright by others it m ay be acqu ired , l ike Jacob’

s .

These persons always know when a certain com b ina

t ion of curves and co lours ‘ looks right ;’ they fee l in

stinctively when su ch a curve, mass, or‘ tone ’ wants

supporting by such another; they can never to lerate a

lop- s ided or top

-heavy effect,and wil l say ,

‘ th is must

be so,I know not why .

’

I n real i ty, th e ni ce sense of

balance orproportion is satisfied orou traged by right or

wrong (i.e . natural orunnatural) posi t ions or qual i t ies ;and persons w h o ,

by nature or grace— and th e first is

best— possess th e happy inst inct , are certain always to

surround themse lves with th ings beauti fu l and pleasant ,as a plant selects th e nourishment it wants from th e

medley of ou tward forces, and draws in its nat ive blue or

red from th e sun’

s white rays .


everyth ing is to be symmetri cal ly arranged , with chairs‘to correspond ’

and tables ‘to correspond ,

’ placed at

regu lar intervals along.

th e wal ls . Balance must not be

confounded with symmetry , and monotony, e i ther in

co lour, shape orplace,is as fat igu ing to th e eye as i t is

d isastrous to th e happy impress ion of th e room .

As an explanat ion of my meaning I m ay say that ,g ivenavast black arm oireat one end of th e room

,which

,

bes ides possess ing l ight and shade of its own,throws a

deep shadow on th e wal l , a s l ight ebony table at th e

corresponding end of th e wal l wou ld throw th e room

o u t of balance ; but supposing you have ne i thergrand

piano,cabinet , nor o ther heavy mass which you can

place there , th e tab le m ay be m ade to balance th e arm oire

sat isfactori ly by hang ing above it some large picture in

dark tone , or heavy m irror, or nest o f books— books

always tel l dark .

’On th e otherhand , pu t a case that

th e vast arm oire is not black,but l ight in co lour

,amuch

smal ler p iece of furni ture of m ore pronou nced tone m ay

fairly balance it— an ebony table, adark lacquercab inet ,&c. A black c o fferm ay be balanced by ablack Japa

nese e’

tagere fou r'

orfive t imes its he ight and breadth , i f

th e amount of black, inc lud ing shadow,dispersed in th e

open e’

tagetfe is about equal to that condensed on th e

v is ible surface of th e co ffer. A large'

m ass of bright

co loured material , such as an Ind ian table- clo th,w i l l

often balance adark mass in wood ; a mass of go l d

m ay be balanced by a mass of scarlet,orwh ite if th e

room is sombre, andso on— as longas th e re lat ive strength

orval ue of th e tw o masses strike s th e eye as equal anda

room so p lanned and snot/y balanced wi l l be farmore

BALANCE . 2 1 1

interesting,'

becau se fu l l of surprises and d iscoveries,

than any room laboriously matched corner by corner,

s ide by s ide.

ibrnpnrt iun.

I t is very difficu lt,of course, to make . plain by de

scription what can only be real ly proven’

by’

exp'

erim ent

Even in th e most accustomed and sk i l fu l hands fth ings

have a knack of looking different'

in'

different‘

places,

larger or smal ler accord ing to their s urround ings in

most u nexpected fashion. T h e proport ions- ofroom s have

a strong effect upon certain detai ls of. furni ture hard lyto be made c learon paper. I have known cases where

such large machines as S ideboards and wardrobes,wh ich

looked'

massive and impos ing in large rooms,became

suddenly dwarfed and debased by being transferred to

smal l rooms— a result who l ly outside th e range of su p

posi t ion,for one wou ld natural ly imag ine that a th ing

wh ich looked large in a large room,wou ld look con

siderably larger in a l i tt le one . But i t is a fact that

proport ions,which are no doubt re lat ive at all t imes,

often res ist th e ru les w e th ink to govern them by .

P ictures,too , are very surpris ing occas ional ly. They

w i l l not show up wh ere yo u th ink they are l ike ly to ,

j udg ing from th e pos it ion of th e w indow w ithout trial .

Somet imes they w i l l persist in look ing right when

brought in contact w ith a quant i ty of bright - co loured

porce lain wh ich onglzt to put th e co lours ou t ; and in

look ing wrong when y o u have got j ust (what you

su pposeJth e right t int beh ind them and about them,

P 2

2 1 2 GENERAL APPL I CA TI ONS.

and th e l ight stri king at th e proper angle— ah ! they

are as unmanageable as Brigham Young’

s wives . I

once had an infini ty of trouble with a marble bust , for

which I had prepared acorner of surpass ing snugness,

against some d im tapestry, and with in reach of dark

Cordovan leather, which I be l ieved wou ld counteract th e

co l dness of co lour; and th is obstinate bust abso l ute ly

dec l ined every . natural - seeming place, and at last sett led

down in th e inost unl ikely place behind a door, where i t

shone and breathed as it wou ld do nowhere e lse . I n

anotherroom I . had th e same trouble with that bu st . I

prepared a s im i lar corner behind th e doorsuch as I

thought i t l iked,with th e same background

,th e same

angle of l ight , th e same pedestal,in vain my bust now

se lected th e Cordovan leatheras aroosting- place, against

wh i ch i t had previous ly so obst inate ly dec l ined to be

v isible . I find i t imposs ible to lay down general laws in

certain cases as to what co lours and forms w i l l go to

geth er,for somet imes every theory w i l l be upset and a

who le room d isorganised by a sudden mystery,wh ich

one w ou ld fondly fancy a l i tt le study and thought m ight

easi ly so lve .

.épnnnetrp.

Formy ow n part I obj ect to much symmetry in a

room ,though I

,demand balance . I am distinct ly

annoyed if, on find ing a bust of Apo l lo in one corner,I

perce ive its mate D ianain th e oppos i te corner. Most5 pairs ’

are d ifficu lt to d ispose of. They require tact to

escape ins ip id i ty— and Apo l lo in one corner shou ld be

2 14 GENE RAL APPL I CA TI ONS.

of l ight is worth hal f adozen extraornaments, and that

is why w indows cut in unusual p laces are often so pretty

there are surprises for th e ey e in store . H idden lamps

are often most usefu l for th e same reason. Forwhat

were th e u se of aT it ian in th e dark , orof a jade bowl

so set against th e l ight that i t looked black, or some

rare cameo in coral laid against ap ink surface, that de

stroyed its co lourand made i t almost d isappear? T h e

plac ing of obj ects betrays th e taste (orth e want of i t) in

th e owner of a room far more than th e quant ity of

prec ious th ings h e ranges around i t, orh is reckless u se

of them on h is d inner- table.

Every object in th e room shou ld have its'

com fort

seen to,l ike a guest from whom yo u expect pl easure

andprofit . Aftersee ing to th e l ight in its face, th e back

ground must be cons idered : every brightly- co loured

th ing should stand against its complementary co louror

some co lourwhich throws i t up ; somet imes apaler or

darkershade of its own co lourw i l l do th is better than a

complementary. Some pecu l iar reds and greens are agood background foreveryth ing— ch ina, p ictures, prints,books, and flowers— although ne ither d ingy nor dark

,

T h e greens are no doubt appropriated by QueenAnnites

th e reds are outs ide ‘

th e pale,’

and perhaps none th e

worse for that .

CHAPTER

ON W'

AL L S .

atolou r of the Backgrou nd

HE co lourof th e wal ls is so important an i tem

in th e general good or bad impress ion of a

room . that no beauty of m inor objects can

atone for a bad background ; but a good

wal l - co lourmay redeem the m inorobjects

T h e wal ls are a background not only to furni ture

but to faces,not only to faces but to dresses, and they

ought to harmonise w i th th e main p ieces of furniture ,

which themselves become part of th e wal l as they

mod ify th e background . Wal ls shou ld be bright w i th

o u t vy ing w ith co lours brought against them ,i.e. th e

co lours used must be toned do wn by th e adm ixture of

umber orwh ite with th e p igments ; or they shou ld be

dark,w ith an indist inct pattern wh ich breaks up th e

flatness of plain co lours, and throws them back l ike dis

tance . T h e co louring of th e wal ls , whetheron th e who le

pale firdark, must neverbe co ld , as no after- decorat ions

2 16 GENERAL APPL I CATI ONS.

check th e gloom ; thus white or grey shou ld never be

used unless flanked by a dado of warm h u e,such as

po l ished oak pane ls,whose ri ch brown is eas i ly rel ieved

by p ictures,brasses or m irrors, or a stenci l led dado

enclos ing medal l ions orstripes,whose co lours counteract

th e ch i l l above . Panel l ing of marquetry (always warm

in tone) , ora s implerk ind of inlai d wood , was some times

surmounted by apiece of wh i te wal l arched into awh i te

ce i l ing in old Dutch houses,but cream orsome dul l red

t int are better. Marble pane ls,po l ished l ike those wh i ch

l ined th e passage where th e threatened Domitian paced ,hop ing to catch th e reflect ions of dangerere i t reached

h im,m ight be oftener used in wealthy houses . T h e

co lours of marble m ounted in wh i te or black are too

love ly to be overlooked,and veneer is so easy that th e

expense wou ld hard ly exceed many ugl ierwal l- coverings .

T h e ancients veneered panels w i th lap is lazu l i , malach i te

and ivory . T h e Neapo l i tan G iovanni daNo la insertedplaques of marbles among h is love ly wood - re l iefs in

furni ture . What cannot money do jo ined to a l i tt le

taste and imag inat ion but England possesses more

money than w i ts .

T h e possessors of fine embro ideries and shawls l ike

Mr. A lfred Morrison m ay emulate h im in fram ing them ,

l ike p i ctures, on th e wal ls . I n th is case a plain wal l

beneath, of a co lour w h i ch sets them off,is preferable

to an e laborate pattern which gets confused w ith them .

T h e same is true of p ictures . But th e frames of

pictures often form adestructive e lement inwal l co lour

they are too angu lar, they present too strik ing amass of

glossy go ld , and thus as often k i l l th e p icture as not .

P i ctures ought to be used as panels more than they are


so fine a background in any soft co lour, and with care

it m ay be kept very c lean. I t must not be brushed ,but w iped with a soft damp cloth

,wh ich brings off th e

dust in l i tt le ribs. Dark amber,blue , or crimson is ex

trem ely ri ch , and, when carefu l ly adapted , hard ly dearer

than th e costly papers which rich people buy.

Moreover,i t can be taken down,

and c leaned or re

dyed , or replaced , as a cost ly paper canno t . This is

one of th e advantages of tapestry which I have remarked

under th e head of Curtains ; i t is not only abeaut ifu l

ornament, but so warm through its be ing loose, and th e

layer'

of airbetween it and th e» wal l becoming warmed,

that a tapestried room m ay be inhabited w i thout a fire

somet imes more comfortably than a th in-wal led,paper

hung room w itk one . Of course I do no t mean a longneglectedold chamber, which has grown damp andmusty

from want of u se. A l l hang ings wi l l co l lect damp ifthey are allow ed to bu t tapestry we l l cared for

,cleaned

occas ional ly with bread or benzo le, and kept aired , is

not as musty as d irty paper no damper or dust ier,or

fust ier, ormustier than th e carpet and is free from th e

risks of arseni c, wh ich analysts know occurs in all paper

hang ings , of whatever co lour, wh ich give off dust when

rubbed or crumpled.T h e colouring of old F lemish tapestry is very fine ,

and throws up everyth ing placed against i t . I th ink

p ictures shou ld not be hung against i t, on th e princ iple

that one picture should not be hung on ano ther,not

because it wou ld not set them off ; though in th e seven

teenth century people were not so part i cu lar, bu t hung

theirpictures over theirtapestry as i t pleased them .

TAPE STRY. 2 19

@ape§ ttp.

Tapestry cons idered as furni ture, both usefu l and

ornamental , m ight occu py avo lume and those interested

in th e progress of th is beaut iful art shou ld study M .

P inchard ’

s long- prom ised work,or, in Engl ish , Jacque

mart, orMrs . Owen’

s‘ Book of Needlework

,

’

and then

compare some of th e very early p ieces in th e South

Kens ington M useum w i th th e love ly breath ing female

forms recent ly to be seen upon th e Gobe l in looms , which

have all th e v igour of paint ings , all th e l um inous trans ,

parency of flesh , wh ich Rubens taugh t th e world, andth e accu rate drawing of strict academ i c study.

Many persons have a rooted avers ion to tapestry

because, they say ,i t harbours dust and insects, and is

not as sat isfactory in any way as paint orpaper. As to

th e dust and insects, such an object ion might apply to

curtains, if they were left up long enough but tapestry

does not mean necessari ly dirty tapestry, and it appears

to m e that i t is more sat isfactory than paint because i t

has ap i ctorial des ign, and than paperbecause i t can be

removed and cleaned . Th ere is no background better

than old tapestry, because th e co lours have grown d im

enough not be obtrus ive . Early tapestry, l ike early

w indows, was made in somewhat flat des igns w i th a

strongly marked o utl ine ; and this pure ly decorat ive

k ind of treatment does not make an apparent breach in

th e wal l by confu sing th e perspect ive . Later tapestry,such as that des igned by and after R ubens, aimed rather

at deceptions, which are far less satisfactory to th e eye

2 2 0 GENERAL APPL I CA TI ONS.

unless framed as an avowed picture, and when they

were new must have been far less beaut ifu l than they

are now in faded age . T h e fash ion has th e prest ige of

ant iqu i ty, for th e origin of tapestry hang ings in th e

remote Eastern past is unknown and no one wh o has

used it can deny that i t gives great warmth to aroom ,

not only by covering draughty ch inks, but by creat ing a

space of warmed airbetween i tse l f and th e wal l . This

is on th e princ iple of several th in garments be ingwarm er

than a s ingle very th i ck one - even though th e lat terbe

th i cker than th e three comb ined— because of th e inter

vening layers of warmed air.

Through all th e changes which vis i ted ou r wal ls up

to th e product ion of wal l - papers,tapestry l ived and im

proved th e inonkish art ists first des igned for tapestry,among them cruel Dunstan himself. They probably

actual ly wove i t . Raphae l and h is pupi ls were not abovedraw ing th e great cartoons now in th e South Kensington

Museum ,and many s ixteenth century and seventeenth

century des igns— nay , many 30 0 years earl ier,l ike those

match less feats of th e loom at Berne, andth e fine p ieces at

Chartres— were amb i t ious enough . Battles, process ions,hunts

,feasts th e subjects had no end

, andwere perhaps

th e largest and most important art ist i c product ions t i l l

canvas superseded panels forp i ctures .

There were great tapestry manufactories in F landers,France, I taly, and England from very early times . Those

in France date back to 10 2 5, when a manufactory was

working at Po i t iers, and in th e e leventh century S cand i

nav ian tapestries are spoken of. A l l these were probablya kind of embroidery like Saraceni c tapestry ; it was


QEm hr’

oiorrro 119 11115 .

T h e good old Engl ish fashion of embro idery, so

fashionable now, ought to inspire art istic id lers to feats of

ski l l. We were ahead of France and I taly in th is sk i ll

with th e need le when w e were ahead in noth ing else .

I n th e s ixth and seventh centuries w e had schoo ls of

art- embroidery. Near E ly an Anglo - Saxon lady had

establ ished anumber of young girls, w h o worked with

h erfor th e benefit of th e monastery ; and also in th e

seventh century St . Eth elredaj virgin and queen, and

first Abbess of E ly, presented to St . Cuthbert a sto le and

amanipl'e wh ich sh e had marvel lously embroidered . An

anecdote re lated by Matthew of Paris,1 2 46 , shows u s

that th e standard of th is Engl ish work was maintained .

‘ About th e same t ime th e Lord Pope, hav ing observed

that th e ecc les iast i cal ornaments of some Englishmen,

such as th e choristers ’ capes and th e mitres, were em broi

dered in gold thread in avery des irable fash ion, asked

where those works were made, and received answer, in

Engla‘

nd . Then said th e Pope :“ England is veri ly a

garden of de l ights for u s. I t is tru ly a never- fai l ing

spring, and there where many things abound , much m aybe Accord ingly th e same Lord Pope lostvery l itt le t ime in demanding in

,

the name of Ho ly

Church those embro ideries in go ld which h e preferred to

all o thers, by sacred and sealed briefs, ademand wh ich

agreed very wel l with those London merchants w h o

traded in this work .

Panels down th e who le wal l, orsmal l panels let into

EMBROI DERED WALLS. 2 2 3

frames, of embro idery on ve lvet,in e i ther s i lk or woo l ,

wou ld be a real ly beautifu l ornament and occupat ion.

Gradual ly th e furni ture might match th e wal ls in soft,

convent ional des igns— why not th e ce i l ing too A paleblue sat in ce i l ing, amaroon wal l, with chairs and table

covers correspond ing with such tints as were introduced

on th e panels, wou ld be high art without reproach,andth e wooden frames of th e pane ls m ight be fastened at

their crossm g by a smal l painted arch itectural rose . I t

cou ld be ’removed bod i ly on chang ing res idence .

I suggest,however, a stronger tw isted s i lk in pre

ference to th e art- schoo l floss, for th e purpose of sat is

factory wear,to repay th e labourgiven.

itcathrr.

Cordovan leather, l ike some of th e old Norwich

leather, is a fine background,bu t d iffi cu lt to obtain.

Many old fam i l ies have ro l ls of i t rotting in the ir lofts

and l umber-rooms in a style wh ich makes apenni less

co l lector’s blood bo i l . These old leathers look wel l set

in large orsmal l pane ls . What leather can attain to in

co lourand des ign I have shown in aLouis XIV. Roomlet m e beg th e aroused possessors of old p ieces to have

them properly repaired , o i led ou t, and mounted by firms

w h o w i l l not tamper w ith them or repaint th e surface .

I have seen screens of old leatherent ire ly painted over,in curios ity-shops, in co lours wh ich set one

’

s teeth on

edge ,and w i th ade l i cacy and precis ion of hand worthy

an e lephant w i th apaint - brush t ied to h is hind - leg, and

trained at Hengler’

s . This is barbari ty nearly as


grievous as ‘restoring ’

th e pictures of th e old masters,and every art ist knows what tkat means.

Of course with wal ls so ri ch and sombre as thosecovered with s ixteenth - century leather, th e ce i l ing

shou ld be ri ch as wel l , otherwise th e contrast wi l l be too

strong .

I t is rather depress ing to know that th e beaut ifu l

peacock -room painted by Mr. J . M . Whist ler for Mr.

Leyland was worked upon a fine co l lection of old

Norwich leather, which , however ugly’

in some eyes,

was undoubted ly too precious to be thus destroyed .

Leather was at one t ime used as carpets. T h e

inventories of th e Duke of Burgundy and Isabeau de

Bavaria incl uded ‘ leathers for laying down in th e rooms

in summer t ime ’

T h e Cluny Museum contains

some fine painted leather pane ls taken from an old

house in Rouen,representing Rome seated and bearing

V ictory, and o therRoman subjects . T h e cost was very

great on account of th e sk i l l required in work ing. An

entry from th e Royal accounts of Charles VI I I . is

curious 1496 . T o Jehan Garnier, sadd ler, res id ing at

Tours , th e su m of 4 l ivres 1 5 sous T ou rnoys, granted to

him fora large white ox-

skin del ivered and cons igned by

h im to apainterwhom th e King had sent for from Italy ,whom th e said lady (th e Queen) had ordered to make

and paint th e hang ings of h erbed— iiij. l iv. xv . S .

’

é ilk.

Many of th e old houses of George I l I .

’

s t ime st i l l

wearth e s i lken hang ings put up when th e houses were

2 2 6 GE I VERAL APPL I CA TI ONS.

of Morris s papers, copied from old e ighteenth - century

ones, themselves copied from damask and leather pat

terns,are very good . T h e well -known grey pomegranate

is real ly very fine indeed . A certain dark-red poppypattern, where in th e flowers mingle dimly w i th a l i tt le

go ld,l ike su n rays in water (procurable at E l l iott

’

s,Vere

Street), has avery good effect , and throws up pi ctures

and ch ina we l l . No paper shou ld have a very pro

nou nced and dist inct pattern,as that d iminishes th e

apparent s ize of th e room by bringing th e wal ls near to

th e ey e. Remember th e feverish creat ions in paper

temp. Queen Anne ! Ind istinctness,l ike darkness

,

or l ike d istance,throws them back . J effreys

,Is l ing

ton, whose place is worth a visi t , has brought ou t

some very fine wal l-papers,some of them designed by

Wal terCrane in fine Renascence and original patterns.

T h e peacock frieze m ay be ci ted , and th e imitat ions of

s ixteenth - century leathers, and bronze and marble bas

re l iefs for friezes and panels,&c. ; many of them are

su i table for ce i l ings, especial ly th e w i ld roses, on gold or

s i lvergrounds .

R ed of abright soft tone is anadmirable background—a tone much l ighter than maroon, not unl ike a very

deep salmon co lour. I t is made of Venet ian red mixed

with whi te . Woollam s and C0 . sel l i t inaplain, unglazed

paper, andnoth ing canbe ni cer, especial ly foralarge and

ratherdark room that needs brightening up . I t is also

good forstaircases , and o ld carved frames are charm ing

on such awal l , to say noth ing of old pictures .

Pale p ink forwal ls— th e common ideal of aj uveni le

bride— used to be thought becoming by lend ing are

PAP ER . 2 2 7

flected flush to th e complexion. I do not, however,th ink it has that meri t , and dark furni ture looks as i l l

against pale pink as against wh ite and go ld . I n aroom

as l ight - coloured as that , all th e woodwork— say frames

of chairs, &c.

- shou ld be pale,as in Lou is XIV. and

Lou is XV. furni ture, w ith de l icate g i lt mou ldings and

faint sat ins, to be as l i tt le obtrusive as poss ib le.

19am ano .étont iiling.

Painted ord istempered and stenc i l led wal ls are not

suffic iently in u se in England . They are clean, and do

not,or need not, cost as much as many a dear paper.

I n old I tal ian bedrooms one find s th e wal l invariably

painted and roughly stenc i l led in patterns on th e stu cco .

I n old England,of course, a painted wal l was th e com

monest , e i therplain,orworked into p ictures and frescoes

of quaint beauty— th e ‘storied wal ls ’ which suggested

conversat ion, po inted aj oke, and pleased and instructed

ri ch and poor, growna u ps and ch i ldren.

One s imple old pat tern, imitat ive of c lo th hang ings,is always effective . A precept in th e twent ieth yearof

Henry I I I . ordained that ‘th e k ing

'

s great chamber atWestm inster be painted a green co lour l ike a curtain

,

that in th e great gable or front isp iece of th e said cham

beraFrench inscript ion shou ld be painted, and that th e

k ing’s l i tt le wardrobe shou ld be painted ofagreen co lour

to im itate acu rtain wh i lst th e queen’

s chamberwas

covered w ith h istorical paint ings . Panel l ing was then

in u se, and Henry I I I . ordered that h is queen’

s bedroom

should be freshly wainscotted and l ined, and that a l istQ 2


orborder should be made, we l l painted wi th images of

ou r Lord and angels , with incense- po ts scattered over

i t ,’

&c.

— this was on a spec ial occasion of fest ivi ty .

W i l l iam th e F lorent ine and John of St . Omer were

art ists brought by h im to England ; these are among

th e first names of decorators preserved in ou r records .

Good washable paint is th e cleanest and heal th iest of

coverings forwal ls .

Distemperis so cheap , whi le i t is as sat isfactory in

effect as flatted paint , that people real ly m ight indulge

oftener in th e luxury of a c lean coat for the ir rooms .

T h e d irt iness of fashionable houses in London, in spi te

of th e efforts of th e best servants (though some I fancy

count on th e lad ies do ing the irwork for them) , is real l y

d istress ing to those w h o are part i cu lar, or used to th e

country. T h e fires,th e outdoor traffic

,th e gas, make

th e cluster. unequal to cope wi th th e enemy,D irt, w h o

cl ings to th e wal ls, doors, sofa- tops and chair seats,as

we l l as— oh,horror - th e corners of stairs and passages

,

espec ial ly in dwel l ings where th e mistress is e lderly or

shorts ighted. And as most rooms can be re- decorated

w ith inaweek i f several workmenare employed,hostesses

ought real ly to regard th e cost they infl ict on guests w h ocome in clean gowns andgo home w i th th e trains so i led

all round ; and have the ir rooms swept properly every

day ,and reco loured (at least th e lowerpart) every other

year. Cleanl iness is one of th e most becoming of orna

ments.


they are,at least as to th e fabri c . Tenants seldom

bu i ld theirown houses, and are usual ly averse to spend

ing too much money on abu i ld ing they only possess on

lease .

Bu t w e might make someth ing better than w e ever

do of ou r cei l ings . Paint is not too expens ive to obtain,i f i t gives pleasure forfive, ten,

or twenty years to th e

owners ; and as a wel l - painted ce i l ing lasts extremely

we l l and gives atone to th e room wh ich no o therdecora

t ion does , I m ay offera few h ints on th e subject .

Ce i l ings shou ld always be co loured ; for a darkish

ce i l ing throws no co ld reflect ions down,and material ly

he ightens th e room . T h e old Georg ian ce i l ings of de l i

cately mou lded plaster used to be whitened : bu t th is

was part of th e general fash ion of bare material wh ich

came in with th e Renascence, because th e ant ique carv

ing and stucco re l iefs were often found bare ; but th e

class ics, and th e med iaeval art ists in the irbest t ime, not

only knew bu t never disregarded th e importance of

co lour. And such Georgian ce i l ings are better,even

when t inted in a few faint co lours,than left white

,

though outstand ing ornament, happi ly, always i tse l f

forms variat ions in t ints by natural shadows .

Those w h o have seen th e magnificent cei l ings in

Venet ian palaces must admit that al though they would

be too heavy and oppress ive fora smal l drawing-room ,

i t is more comfortable to see someth ing pretty when w e

look up than ablank surface of whitey-grey paint. They

are most ly formed on th e s implest art-principles , cross

beams which support th e roof, and which natural ly form

panels that ask fordecoration.

CE I L I NGS. 2 31

These panels once formed , any amount of ideas o ccurto u s . T h e beams must be carved , then painted , theng i lt in charm ing contrasts of co lour th e intervening

spaces m ay be treated in plain co lour, or dotted w i th

bosses more or less e legant,or fi l led w i th p ictures of

su i table subjects . Th is form of ce i l ing appears to m e

th e most beautifu l , and capable of th e most de l i c ious

variat ions .

T h e fash ion of treat ing th e ce i l ing as an open roof,and paint ing it with c louds, inhab i ted by th e heathendivini t ies e itherforeshortened in mid-airortreated in th eflat

,is one wh i ch I fee l is false in taste ; but w e have all

seen ce i l ings so splend id ly painted that one forgets to

crit icise. Raphae l , Mi chae l Angelo , and theirsuccessorsdecorated ce i l ings of th is kind st i l l v is ible in Rome.

These are ch iefly su i ted to banquet- hal ls and ballrooms ; bu t asmal l port ion of th e ce i l ing painted l iketh e sky with afew swal lows is farfrom d ispleas ing in a

summerdrawing-room . I t ough t, however, to be painted

by I tal ians used to th is k ind of work, orunderth e super

vis ion of an art ist of cal ibre ; otherwise th e birds w i l l

have impossib le wings, wi l l st i ck to th e ‘ ground ’

and

not move ’

ahair’

s breadth .

People se ldom not i ce ce i l ings now they are so used

to find noth ing there to see yet th is expanse of surfaceshou ld never be neglected by th e decorator. T h e

co lourof wal ls dem ands carrying ou t above . I n modern‘ Emp ire -Anne ’

rooms th e d ivis ion of th e cei l ing into

compartments by laths laid across has become common,and th is is no doubt a step in progress, only th e wh i te

ness remains d istressing, and th e uniform i ty of the


paral lelograms,echo ing th e window - panes , creates no

fresh interest . I f th e laths were left brown, and th e

spaces intervening bore a s imple arch i tectural ‘rose

’

projecting,or s imply painted in a few co lours

,th e eye

wou ld be refreshed . Coats of arms at once occuras a

su itable decorat ion ei therforth e ce i l ing-panels orforth e

po int where th e laths cross they can be bri l l iant ly

co loured w ithout be ing obtrus ive,because all co lours are

darkened by shadow at that elevat ion.

T h e anc ient decorat ions of th e ce i l ing of St . A lbansCathedral are painted very rough ly on laths in co lours

,

brown predominat ing. Such decorat ions might eas i ly be

done by idle sons and daughters, or wou ld make a

cap i tal su bject fora Bee .

’ A ce i l ing-bee would be more

to th e purpose than a spel l ing-bee,as the aim wou ld be

th e accompl ishment of a common object, instead of a

few outw i tt ing and bew i ldering th e rest.

T h e I tal ians have aknack of so co louring flat cei l ings

as to look l ike domes avery ingenious effect requ iring

th e nicest calcu lat ion of distances ; there is one in th e

museum at M i lan which is painted in browns and greys

wh ich,whatever ou ropinion of th e taste

,must be con

fessed successfu l .

I n Belg ium I saw a ce i l ing close ly covered with

smal l oriental blue saucers,wh i ch formed aqu aint raised

pat tern pleasing in i tsel f ; bu t as soon as w e real ised

that they were saucers w e could never be persuaded of

their safety , and a vague anx iety pervaded ou rmove

ments beneath that cei l ing ever after. Anxiety of th e

kind is incompat ib le w i th good taste.

T h e French palaces which contain fine cei l ings are


main co lours of both e i therpure orin combinat ion e.g. ,

aVenet ian-red wal l andan o l ive- green ce i l ing m ay have

a frieze of orange containing these reds and greens , th e

green nearest th e red, th e red nearest th e green or, th e

frieze should partake not i ceably of th e tert iary c itrine

which is formed by th e admixture of orange and green

(see D iagram ,page Those w h o do not know what

o l ive-green is m ay look at an o l ive.

A plain redcei l ing somet imes has th e happiest effect .

I t requ ires carrying ou t by red in th e furni ture . A go ldce i l ing contrasts beau t i fu l ly w i th almost any co loured

wal l , and does not bring th e roof down. Paper is less

expens ive than go ld-leaf, and lasts better than one

wou ld expect . I have tried i t wi th apurple wal l , bring

ing th e go l d a foot down, l ike a frieze . Mr. A lmaTademahas tried it with th e u pperhalf of the wal l go ld

also, and th e effect is admirable . Some of Cott ier’

s

cei l ings are very fine.

As hard ly anything lasts worse thanawhite orcream

cei l ing, th e addit ional expense of th e first outlay is not

lost in mak ing th e ce i l ing a work of art and if gas be

not used , such acei l ing wi l l last avery long t im e, allth e

co lours toning down equal ly and unnot i ceably. T h e

improvem ent to aroom w i l l never be d isregarded by

those who have once tried th e experiment.

CHAPTER I I I .

qtansparcnt m alls.

HE windows offer a large and attractive field

fordecorat ion,so attract ive and so usefu l that

noth ing but ignorance of th e Capac i t ies of

glass can be o u rexcuse foroverlook ing i t .

I t seems s ingu lar that at a t ime when art was st i l l inth e crad le

,that branch of its deve lopment wh ich culm i

nates in painted glass shou ld have beenmost encouraged ,most advanced , and m ost popu lar. G iotto had scarcely

breathed ; Cimabue was discovering th e laws of paint ing

which gave permanent l ife to wood and stone but

many art ists only a l i ttle inferiorwere combining co loursin glass whi ch w e st i l l adm ire and copy.

T h e reason of th is is I th ink clear. When a wal l is

heav i ly decorated,as th e wal ls in ‘

houses of worsh ip ’

were from very early t imes, the blank left by aw indowand w indows must be admi tted— is at once fe l t, l ike a

shock to th e eye . T h e more ri ch and intricate th e


co louring of th e wal l , th e more th e blank is fel t, and th e

early windows w hich were only protected by a curtain

or a shutter, before glass was invented,were probably

an ey e- sore to th e eagerdecorators as wel l as apunish

ment to th e sh ivering inhabi tants . As soon as they

devised ash ie l d w h i ch did not exclude l ight they began

to decorate i t . T h e Romans used a transparent stone,

lapis specu laris (m i ca? ) and horn in th e second century .

T h e Moors and Pers ians used del icate wood - tracery in

the irwindows even without glass, because th e eye de

m anded i t as much as to create shade— in fact a transpa

rent shutter. T h e Ch inese devised a th in stu ff glazed

with varnish orlac, po l ished oyster she l ls, and horn. I n

Goth i c archi tecture, when th e wal ls are incru sted w i th

carving, asu dden break in th e ornament , wh i ch wou ld

be caused by aplain cu t window, wou ld be, I th ink , dis

tress ing , as is ahard , unsoftened edge in api cture ; th e

shock is lessened by th e internal arches be ing splayed

off, and decorated with shafts and arch -mou ld ings

running into elaborate patterns, these enc losing glass .

Thus th e windows in Goth i c arch i tecture are carefu l ly

planned, both in form and in co lour, to vary th e scheme

o f ornament on th e wal l wi thout too sudden ajar. They

were actual ly transparent wal ls .

I f they so cal cu lated the ir framework , it is imme

diately clearh ow theireye wou ld have resented avast

window of plate-glass, rectangular, co lourless , l ike a

breach in th e wal l . I t is natural that co loured glass

shou ld have been employed both to carry ou t th e ad

jacent co lours and to uti l ise new spaces for th e restless

imaginat ion, more especially as coloured glass existed


arch , and abo l ished th e old tapestry curtain. These

w indows represented geometri c patterns, or pictures, asdesired : in th e latter th e figures were made of small

p ieces of sel f- co loured glass ski lfully jo ined by leaden

seams, bu t th e faces were painted in ename l co lours,and burnt in.

T h e first th ing that strikes th e eye in th e windows

of th e best period of co loured glass is,that

th e p ieces of glass are so arranged and distribu ted as to

form akind of general bri l l iant mosai c of broken co lour,

which del ights th e ey e from afar as a sunset does, th e

colours harmonis ing and playing into th e perfect who le.

This mosaic- look at once suggests th e orig in,wal l

mosai cs : i t is so pronounced as to be almost confus ing in

very oldwindows bu t as th e art advanced there was no

change in th e schem e,though bet terdraw ing and better

co lours were introduced th e ent ire fie ld was we l l and

equal ly covered , and at a l i t t le d istance no pattern was

d iscernible to m islead orat once content th e eye. On a

nearerapproach th e pat ches of broken co lour separate

into subj ects of increasing interest and charm,each l itt le

pic ture framed in stone- tracery d ist inct and we l l -con

trasted, y et all th e subjects be ing about equal in valu e

of co lour. T h e Bible heroes and ange ls are clearly

defined , treated with a s impl ic i ty often amusing . I f you

c l imb up c lose to th e w indow,or .reach i t by wal k ing

along th e clerestory —as h ow many apoor m an, or u n

lettered noble, must have done l istening to th e good

priest’s exposit ion of th e looming meanings —xm ore and

more details appear : minute figures start into being ;every bit of co lour fal ls into robe or crown orwing, and

MEDDE VAL PA I N TED GLASS. 2 39

is doubly accounted for de l icate borderings,naive

detai ls overandabove th e mere vis ib i l ity of th e subject

start le u s into fresh admirat ion and surprise . A strongopera-glass shows th is w ithout th e trouble of ascent .

Yet on dropp ing th e glass,and moving faraway again,

th e soft, shape less, bu t beau t ifu l mosaic mel ts into su n

rise orsunset, or dusky co lour once more— ah indistina

gu ishable who le . Thus th e old windows offer three

po ints of view in which to be thri ce admired .

Some people fancy that th is is ow ing only to th e de

fective knowledge and sk i l l of th e oldart ists ; but it seems

probable that on th e contrary th e glass-painters knew

and felt th e double interest attach ing to co lourperseand

co louras th e veh i cle of thought,and succeeded in givm g

botk in the ir treatment of window- decorat ion. T h e diffi

cu lty of fu singlarge sheets of glass in old t imes m ay have

part ly accounted forth e absence of large masses of plain

co lour; st i l l they must have known (as w e know directly

w e try th e experiment) that smal l p ieces of glass can be

arranged in a far more interesting and surprising m an

ner than large sheets . Even latt i ced windows are more

beaut ifu l than b ig panes, because th e pattern of th e

leading carries decorat ion intoaplace where w e modem s

admit none. T h e co loured cathedral windows are often

masterp ieces of art- ingenu ity wh i ch, w i thout great ly

exclud ing l ight,invest th e who le gorgeous fabri c of

Goth ic arch i tecture with a ‘ d im re l ig ious charm , no

doubt ind ispensable to harmony when th e cathedrals

were new,and internal ly co loured throughout as richly

as th e A lhambra i tsel f ; bu t even now , in the ir sem i

whitewashed cond i t ion of renovated old age, th e old

40 GENERAL APPL I CA T I OIVS .

windows remain th e one l ink of l iving co lourthat revives

th e keynote of th e who le.

naoorrn painter: 45 1115 5 .

Now that w e have unl imited command of knowledge

and methods, w e find that th e treatment of windows as

oil-paint ings, with rounded figures and apparent pro

m inences, is false in mot ive and bad in effect , and w e

are forced to go back to th e early masters for hints

whenever w e wish to succeed . We find that small

pieces of glass, orageneral treatment of as imi lareffect

to that of smal l p ieces of glass,are necessary to give

that repose in mere co lourwhich th e old windows pre

sent when v iewed from a d istance. A transparentp icture, equal ly v isible far or near

,wearies ; it also

d iminishes th e apparent s ize of th e bui ld ing, as a too

consp icuous wal l - paper does ; and draw ing th e eye

from detai ls of scu lpture nearit , which ought to be j ust

equal ly vis ib le, no more, no less, des troys the uni ty of

th e ensem ble. We are driven back to th e old mannerof

trebl ing pleasure by interest ing th e eye from three po ints—distance , in mere co lour; prop inqu i ty, in co lourrang

ing i tse lf into subjects and dev i ces ; close scrut iny,w i th

afield-glass , in m inute , unend ing detai l of tenderand

quaint handwork .

T h e costly Muni ch windows in Peter House, Cam

bridge, are an instance of th e worst blunders in w indow

decorat ing ; they create a breach in th e wal l, and th e

treatment is too finikin to excuse th e faults in style .

Burne Jones’

s lovely window in Christ Church,Oxford,

2 4: GENERAL APPL I CA TI ONS.

field - Cathedral . which are among th e'

finest exist ing of

th e F lemish I tal ian schoo l,and many more .

dolou roo m innows at h om e.

I n England , where so much of l i fe is of necess i ty

passed indoors in Londonandall large towns , where th eoutlook is so uninterest ing or so ugly as to be commonly

outs ide th e quest ion of taste— why do w e u se so l itt le

painted glass ? Why have we not fair pictures to look

at,stories wri tten in l ight and co lour

,to give th e in

mates some more pleasurable ideas than black chimney

pots or w et s lates ? I n early England co loured glass

was th e most beaut ifu l ornament they cou ld devise for

the ir windows, th e crown of the ir superb arch itectural

effects ; it was too cost ly for any but princes and th e

Church,and in th e Church i t survives to show u s what

they meant by it— but i t had no exclus ive ly re l ig ious

s ignificance, it was assoc iated only with beau ty and

weal th . I n Chaucer’

s Dream w e read of

A chamberpeyntFu l of stories olde and diverse ;

and of th e fairbird wh ich , in its fearof th e aged knight,took wing, missed th e opening,

T hat backewarddowne h e felFrom aw indow richely peynte

With lives of many divers seynte,

and broke th e window. And Chaucerspeaks of an I s le

Where wal and gate was al of glasse.

That th e beauteous carvings abounding in th e arch i

COLOURED . W’

I NDOWS A T HOME . 2 43

tectu'

re of th e fourteenth century‘

were co loured to

im itate nature,Chaucer’s words m ay again be quoted to

prove l ikew ise th e decorat ive conce its,’

as b ird - shaped

weathercocks, wh i ch with beaks open‘ against th e air’

produced asound l ike birds s inging.

Forevery yate, l of fine' gold,

A thou sand fanes, ay tu rningEntu n

'

e'

d had,andbriddes? singing

D iverse and on ect-e3 fane apaireWith open m ou the, again th e aire.

And ofa su te ‘ w ere alle th e flonres,Of u ncou th5 colou rs, du ring ay,T hat neverbene noneG sene in May .

A las, May’

s co lours do not‘ dure for aye . Stephen

Hawes also describes this u se of fanes

Aloft7 the tou res th e golden fanes goodeDyde

”w ith th e wynde make fu l sw eete arm ony.

I t is qu ite certain that co lourand gl i tterwere sought

by all w h o cou ld afford i t,and i t was afforded by th e

Church in honour of God,as it was by th e weal th ier

c i t i zen in honour o f himsel f. Why have w e, ri ch orno ,

forgotten th e charm s of co lour, and espec ial ly trans l ucent

co lour,and banished i t from o u r home surroundings ?

Why does th e care less eye adm it th e most glowing t ints

on sofaand chairseats without fee l ing th e want of it on

o u rblank spaces of co ld wal l,and, above all, in ou rvast

vacant w indows

Because, most persons wi l l say , painted glass exc ludes

th e l ight, and all l ight that can be got is ind ispensable

Gate .

2 Birds.

3 Each .

5 Strange, foreign.

3 S u ch as are never.9 Did.


in aLondon street . This object ion does not apply to

th e many country-houses where co loured windows wou ld

be avast improvement,but i t is certainly true of many

town- streets . I t is, however, answered by th e fact that

much of th e good modern glass, such as th e pale d iaper

patterned kind provided by C layton and Be l l , Morris ,and Powe l l— and providable by any intel l igent glass

manufac turer— does not exc l ude l ight. I n certain pos i

t ions it occas ional ly even adds l ight,owing to th e refrac

t ive property of uneven surfaces . I t is not as interest ing,of course

,as glass artist i cal ly painted in subjects

,but it

is very usefu l as ascreen, and often an ornament of con

siderable beau ty .

Sirnatou r QBFEorts’.

Bu t th e windows are alegitimate fie l d forth e exerc ise

of original taste -not only th e fram es and sashes,which

m ay be regarded as d ist inct from th e panels or shutters— but even those broad white panes wh ich w e dare not

always get rid of even when w e have begun to d isl ike

them,and to real ise that there is absolutely no view .

’

I fyo u have not th e surplus dayl ight to be able to venture

upon heavy, deep- t inted Tit ianesque subjects, th e plainbroad panes of plate-glass m ay be s imply, and as scan

tily as you p lease, outl ined in .ye l low , brown, or any

co lour, in sl ight subj ects which are better than noth ing,and which wou ld not interfere with th e rare impulse to

look ou t of th e window . People indeed do not look ou t

ofwindows great ly in London, th e reason be ing obvious

bu t,at any rate, with windows so slightly decorated w e


moved , th e effect is real ly very pretty of these trans

parent and s l ight pi ctures , j ust suffic ient to obl iterate

abad look - ou t w ithout real ly obl iterat ing a good one .

I t can be washed with care, whenever th e windows

require cleaning, and can be ent ire ly removed by tu r

pent ine . Out l ines in scarlet , or in brown and amber

t ints, are very effective for th is purpose ; and if w ished

th e ou tl ines can of course be fi l led in w i th transparent

flat co lourforari chereffec t .

Glass screens , by Powel l or Cott ier, are a commoner

w ay of mak ing abl ind without d isus ing th e plain glass

w h ich belongs to one’

s lease. These add cons iderably

to th e we ight of th e sash , but m ost difficult ies can be

obv iated by a l ittle ingenui ty.

® I ass partitions ant: .éstrrcns’.

Co loured glass worked after th e fashion of old

w indow s is not enough used for door- pane l s, and even

wal ls of rooms where l ight is wanted on th e staircase .

Many modern ze sth etic houses fo l low th e affectat ion of

dark staircases qu ite d isagreeably . I have m ade '

th e

ascent in red- brick mans ions in such obscuri ty that

every step had to be fel t for, and ideas of sp iders,

beet les, and mice are inseparable from this unwho lesome

darkness . I n such cases th e'

bu i lders ’ fo l ly m ay be

remed ied by awal l , orpart of awal l , bui lt of trans lu cent

glass, with a pret ty lead ing— not so trans lu cent as to

destroy privacy, of course ; and more than once I have

seen a landing 5 0 bui l t around as to form a charm ing

glass corridor, in fact a new room,more bi

'

illiant than

GLASS PARTI TI ONS AND SCREENS. 2 47

any other, and twice as sturdy as most. Thick glass,wel l leaded , is stronger than lath and plaster. T h e

sense of mystery,a strik ing e lement in Goth ic charm

,

m ay be conveyed to very humdrum places by we l l

arranged co loured glass . There is a sense of freedom

and space w ith in glass wal ls wh ich confess to someth ing

beyond,wh i lst soft ly ve i l ing what is there, and they are

more eas i ly vent i lated than o thers . How many aroom

would be improved by a ce i l ing of such glass, skyl ight

w ise,w hen th e windows are d istant and smal l ! and

numberless pretty, decorat ive dev i ces occur, in glass

pictures l ighted from beh ind at night, smal l i l lum inated

niches of bri l l iant co lour, to say noth ing of conservatories

and ferneries and balconies, so guarded .

Such tastefu l fash ions shou ld soon banish th e dul l grey

patch of ground -glass , starred or plain, that bui lders

always place on th e staircase, somet imes cheered up by

panes— of course most garish co lours— through wh i ch

w e m ay take a ‘ blue ’

orjaund iced view of sparrows

and cats on th e leads . But , in view of many dire fai l uresin Queen Anne ’

suburban vi l las ru n up by speculat ivebui lders, I must add, i f you cannot have first-rate stained

glass, adhere to s imple lozenge forms— avo id th e heads

of 'Dante, Chaucer, and Cetewayo , and all e lse that

requ ires an art ist i c training— and above all eschew th e

false old Engl i sh nrottoes wh ich are so dismal ly repu gnant to asch o lar such as Yee Sunne Flow ere ,

’

Yee

Pusse inne Bootes,

’

Yee Gurle withe yee Um brellah .

’

CHAPTER IV.

ON M I RR ORS .

{Ballot not itight.

BOPLE wh o love l ight are often sh y of the

increas ing fashion of co louring th e wal ls,cei l ings , and floors of rooms . They say

not untru ly that in London there is too

l i tt le l ight for u s to d ispense w i th any , and that all

co louring which tends to darken th e rooms is amistake

in a town. Bu t i t seems to m e that these people confuse

th e meaning of l ight and brightness . Mere pal loris not

l ight-giv ing— aroom papered,ce i led , and furnished w ith

white wou ld offer u s no more advantages during one

of th e rich brown fogs of ou rdearnat ive is le than one

co loured w ith howeverdeep acrimson orpurple. I f th e

windows are smal l and blocked by adjo ining wal ls , th e

internal reflect ion of s late- co loured skies (and remember

that white is not wh i te in aroom,it is every t int of grey ,

through shadow and d irt) w i l l not make th e atmosphere

more l uminous ; wh i le aroom furnished tasteful ly w i th


ward 10 0 years, and praised under th e fancy name o f

Queen Anne . At any rate i t is certain that you cannot

tie on your bonnet straight in th is k ind of house,for

you m ay wanderfrom room to room without find ing so

much as a span-w ide m irror; but yo u m ay be who le

som ely reminded of th e i l ls which flesh is he irto by that

convex horrorsupported by amost inadequate eagle,and

where in y ou see yourbrow orjaw swe l l s i ckeningly, your

Flo . 42 .—What He len of Troy w ould appearin aconvex m irror

eye burst forth oryourmouth protrude, accord ing to th e

pos i t ion in wh i ch you place your devoted head . Only

th emeanest spite cou ld wish th e youngest and prett iest

guests to see themselves l ike th is .

However low ou r Opinion of o u r friends’ looks, 0r

o u rown,tact forbids that w e shou ld placard it on ou r

wal ls .Queen E l izabeth banished h er m irror in h er

d ismal oldage because sh e d id not know h ow to grow

old gracefu l ly. How ever, whether this practi ce spring

WHA T NOT T O Do. 2 5 :

from s i ck vanity or misanthropy, I repudiate i t . I

humbly study th e art of beaut ify ing home, not ugl ify ing

i t , hence perhaps am beh ind th e t imes (wherefore I g ivethanks ) for in my op inion a good mirror is undoubt

edly an ornament,as I have shown in a ‘ Lou is XIV .

Room .

’ I t is one wh ich of course can be abused— th e

vast mirrors wh i ch invariably accompany th e coarse g i l t

consoles in th e house of every vulgar Croesus have

d isgusted u s all, and th e accidents to persons w h o have

ru n heed lessly into look ing- glasses, supposing them to

be openings to new ro oms; are suffic iently authent i c to

enjoin care in ith e arrangement of sheets reach ing th e

ground . Nevertheless , amirror, properly mounted and

pro tected , great ly adds to the size of aroom ; i t cer

tainly reflects ~l ight in almost any'

pos i t ion,i t opens

q uaint and unexpecte d V istas to th e ey e , i t doubles th e

number of fain faces present, and th e'

cu rio u s mystery

wh ich pervades th e world ‘ through th e look ing-glass ,’

inaccess ible, y et . so near, is not without its charm to

grown- u ps as wel l as to ch i ldren.

on: m irrors.

A mirrorof black glass, reflect ing objects only when

i t is mo istened, has been recent ly found in a newly

excavated house at Pompe i i ; therefore w e now know

that th e ancients were not ignorant of something bes ide

po l ished metal form irrors . Bu t th e secret was no doubt

afterwards lost , and fora great wh ile , and i t was only

gradual ly red iscovered . Mediazval m irrors were first

made of glass at .Venice, but though as early as 1 50 7


tw o Murano glassworkers, Andrea and Domenico,

declared before th e Counc i l of T en that they had dis

covered a method of making good and perfect m irrors

of crystal glass ,’ plates larger than 4 or 5 feet were

never made unt i l one hundred years ago, and they were.

always cast square or oblong unt i l th e end of th e seven

teenth century.

T h e Venetian glassworkers establ ished at Lambethby th e Duke of Buckingham , whose mirrors Eve lyn

praised , gave their plates a gent ly beve l led edge,an

inch in wid th , which adds to th e val ue and beauty of

th e glass cons iderably ; i t is of extreme d iffi cu lty in

execut ion, th e plate be ing held by th e workman above

h is head , and th e edge ground at a slig/I t angle .

Modern beve l l ing is too acute, and th e anc ient feats of

sk i l l in th e form of interrupted curves,and short l ines

and angles, are beyond o u rworkmen. Present ly figures

were sunk in th e style of intagl io, orgem - cutt ing,on th e

back of th e glass and left dead , so that th e s i lversurface

of th e mercury shows in wh ite ornaments at front , orth e

ho l lows were burnished in jewel - l ike patterns .

Glass was no doubt made in England long before

th e seventeenth century, bu t w e have no record of th e

workers . As early as 1447 John Pru dde , ofWestm inster,

engaged to execute th e w indows of th e Beauchamp

chape l at Warwick, and to u se no glasse of England ’

(wh ich sounds condemnatory) . Stowe '

and R i chardHakluyt speak of ‘ glasses of Engl ish making ’

in and

about 1 580 ,bu t these were for domesti c purposes , not

mirrors , and doubt less I tal ian glass was superior.

Buckingham’

s glass - factory must have achieved a


landscape,or fi l l bl ind openings with lad ies and lovers

upon balconies, pardonable only when w e remember th e

I tal ian love for pleasant garden- images everywhere !

Sti l l , aroom l ined with painted mirrors is real ly pretty,bri l l iant, and fest ive, as roses suspended in th e air, and

vis ited by busy b irds or bees, m ay fairly make i t . I t is

a fash ion so to tal ly independent of th e rig id canons of

to -day that it is unj ust to j udge i t by them . T h e ex

tended areaof th e wal ls dece ives th e eye in one place,

but th e objects painted on i t recal l th e mind to aright

sense of d istance and prevent acc idents to shortsighted

persons . There is a room so painted at th e Bri t ish

Embassy at Rome,and

,prej ud ice as ide ,

th e effect is

good . T h e s i lvery l ights reflected in th e mirrors are

intercepted by co lour,and all th e poss ible bareness of

th e vast sheet d isappears . F lowers in natural wreaths

are preferable to cupids and both are preferable to th e

destruction of mirrors orthe ir concealment by irrelevant

books and teacups ; but , as th e ey e is even more con

s tantly drawn to a painted mirror than an ord inary

p icture,by reason of its brightness

,taste demands that

th e paint ing shou ld be no th ing less than first -rate .

m irrorzftarnrs.

A mirroralways deserves agood frame , which shou ld

be e i thermassive ordispersed in fi l igree after th e manner

of th e old seams . T h e frame of so conspicuous an object

m u st be we l l des igned . Avaunt th e clumsy,writh ing

frames in go ld , nuggets w h i ch w e have ou r susp ic ions

of even when wrapped up in yellow musl in But a'

M I RROR-FRAMES . 2 5;

frame properly des igned to su i t th e wal l , e i therin gold

and co lour,orgo ld and certain woods, carved orpainted ,

can be made a seemly ornament . I f w e were amb it ious

w e m ight take h ints from many anc ient m irrors , or th e

frames of old pane ls. T h e bronze and ormo lu enrich

ments wh i ch came in under Lou is XIV. ,laid on ebony

and torto iseshe l l and white metal , are wel l appl ied to

m irror- frames,when they are moderate

,and do not

wriggle as w e look at them . A large m ass of g i ld ing

always looks better when variegated in co lour, as th e

e ighteenth - century French art ists fe l t when they deco

rated the ir palace panels and frames w ith go ld , of a

yel low oragreen h u e. T h e green was large ly al loyed

w ith s i lver,and s i lver i tse l f was employed forawh it ish

effect . Inlaid frames are general ly inoffensive, and m ay

be very gracefu l in des ign.

I th ink that much of th e contumely cast on large

m irrors is traceable to the ir assoc iat ion w i th vulgar

frames . I t is imposs ible to be l ieve that , had th e anc ients

possessed th e art of cast ing broad sheets of magnificent

glass, a d iscovery reserved for o u r century, they wou ld

have contemned on princ iple th is cap ital instrument for

surpris ingly beaut ifu l effects . No they made beaut ifu l

objects w i th the ir l imited fac i l it ies ; w e make h ideous

ones in sp i te of faci l it ies unl imited . Had th e art ists o f

th e Middle’

Ages, th e Renaissance , or even old Rome ,possessed th is secret

,they wou ld have mo unted their

great m irrors in pane ls wh ich wou ld have been th e

adm irat ion of th e world .

Most large look ing- glasses of th e least obj ect ionable

k ind nowadays are mounted in narrow beve l led frames ,


in im itat ion ebony with gi l t f evers, &c. , oras l ight go ld

rope, t ied in knots above somet imes a l i tt le co lourbeing

F I G. 43 -Venetian m irror-fram e.

fig. 7 2 , p . 348 , and many smal l

French and F lem ish Renas

cence show th e propertreatm en

and beaut ifu l as reflect ing glass .

{Birtu tczfrarnrs

Whi le on th e subject of frames afew furthersu gges

t ions m ay be u seful . T h e frames that w e al lot to

encounters a p i cture,and h ow jarring appears e i theran

obtrus ive , newly-g i lt marg in around a very dark old

orashowy frame around one whose charm l ies

y of colouring . . A frame covered

PI CTURE -FRAMES. 2 59

with aminute and weary ing pat tern in st ucco too oftensupports a subject fu l l of large figures

,and a ‘ bo ld

des ign as frequent ly effaces alandscape . Among art ists,

Mr. J . M . Wh ist lerand Mr. A lmaTademawere amongth e first to g ive inte l l igent attent ion to the irown frames .

A stro l l through th e P i tt i Palace shows u s that during

FI G. 44. Em pire m irror.

th e Renascence there was constant ly some intentional

connect ion between ap icture and its frame, as there was

between am irrorand its mount . T h e larger p ictures,especially those represent ing l ife- si ze m en and women,have invariably frames at least a foot in width and in

S 2


depth . T h e Madonna del la Seggio la of course has

much more ; and in most of them th e frame is a we l l

cons idered setting with appropriate ornaments . I n one,

Sch iavone’

s Cain andAbe l ’ ( Pi tt i Palace, No . th is

ideais carried almost too far, th e frame appearing almost

to echo th e subject . T h e u pperpart half ind icates afierce

hawk - l ike orow l- l ike head— l ike th e dream of a bird of

prey about to pounces —wh i ch admirab ly su its th e story

and that th is not ion is not quite fancifu l w e m ay reason

from analogy.

For instance, in No . 42 7 , w e find fishes s ugges ted in

j ust such a vague m anner. by th e scro l ls of th e rather

v io lent pattern ; and an owl’

s head is s imi larly formed

at th e j unct ion of th e fi sh - heads , in su ch away as that

you m ay s ee i t ornot see it . I n No . 487 th is ideahas been

sei zed and carried to excess ; very defini te fishes are

carved in heavy re l ief, proj ect ing six and ahal f inches

from th e wal l , and form a qu i te inappropriate mount .

Th is excess of e laborat ion in frames seems to have

fo l lowed th e general bent of decaying art. I n No . 42 9

dragons form th e corners to a frame for a Carlo Do l c i

quite th e reverse of . fierce. There are frames so l id,and

frames of dainty open-work frames wh i ch seem to suck

in,and curl round , th e p i cture, and others wh i ch , equal ly

heavy and broad , project th e pic ture forward and retreat

to th e wal l . There are frames wh ich are obtrus ive with

ou t deserving scrutiny, and others wh ich are real works

of art in the ir poeti c des ign and dainty finish without

be ing obtrus ive . Of th e latter kind avery pretty one

exists in th e UffizjGal lery, j ust wi th in th e doorof th e

room which leads ou t of th e Tribune to th e right hand ,

2 62 GENERAL APPL I CA T I OI VS .

perfect lygracefu l andappropriate , sett ing forth e portrai tof abeau t ifu l woman.

u se of donor): m irrors.

I m ay now add, that a convex mirror in itsplace, i. e.

so hung as to reflect d istant objects only,and never

come in contact with th e face, is a pretty ornament .

There is someth ing dainty and amus ing in see ing th e

l i l iputian world all al ive and changing , moving across

th e convex surface, as one enjoys an ingenious mecha

nical toy ,c lock, or money-box , wh i ch nods at you ,

or

crows; orwhat not. When a ch i ld, I he ld i t agreat and

dreamy del ight to wal k about th e floorgaz ing through

ad im inish ing glass, and try now and again to ru n down

th e l itt le ho l lows in th e carpet of my father’s paintingn

room . Van Eyck is fond of dep ict ing aconvex m irrorin

h is gravest pict ures , and its inly- p ictured reflect ions carry

th e spectator odd ly into Van Eyck’

s t ime l ike adream

w i th in adream ,as y ou seem to catch th e m ovement of

w indows or trees or seated m en oe/I indy on,being real ly

for th e moment in that room where in th e Virg in s i ts and

rocks h er Ch i ld .

I f introduced at all in ou rrooms, th is convex m irror

must not be regarded as a look ing-glass, of wh ich i t

possesses no qual ificat ion, but s imply as an ingenious

toy wh ich sets its l itt le panorama go ing for o u r mirth,

and scm etim es'

redou bles aray of l ight.

CHAPTER V.

ON M O VAB L E S .

ibt intiplrs’.

fu rnit ure,or rather movables— for anything

that clothes th e room in any way is its fu rni

ture— w e general ly understand chairs , sofas,

and tables ; and a few words must be sepa

rately given to these necessaries , for whatever else w e

add, these w e cannot do w i thout .T h e construc t ion of these mechanical aids ought to

be as logical as that of a great cathedral . Dress i tsel f

shou ld be log ical . T h e requ irements of a chairmust be

cons idered, and they are ( I ) to support aheavy body,

( 2 ) to be sh ifted w i th fac i l ity, (3) to be ornaments of a

m inork ind in themse lves, (4) to afford a pleasant and

‘ becom ing ’ background to th e human be ings l ike ly to

come in contact w i th them .

Noth ing is more easy to say ; no th ing is less easy to

find. T h e forms of chairs constant ly deny th e object

forwhich they were intended there are, however, some


wh ich are log ical ly wel l - designed and only spo i l t by

extraneous ornament , therefore I need not do more

thanxdraw my reader’s attent ion t o th e fact that wi thou t

be ing an arch i tectural parody, l ike much French seven

teenth - century fu rni ture,chairs , sofas, and tables ought

to be arch i tectural ly planned , and every thoughtfu l

arch i tect knows that beauty springs from ut i l i ty,not

empty sent iment .

«Eornfort ano Qhairs.

T h e des iderata in a chair would not seem to be

many,but one th ing w e m ight fairly suppose indispen

sable— comfort . Yet th is is th e last th ing chair- buyers

th ink of. They are so ostentat ious,or so

‘ aesthet ic,

’

or

so st ingy,that they ask ‘ I s i t spec ious ? ’ ‘ I s i t th e

newest h igh art ? ’

and ‘ I s i t cheap ? ’ before they sit

down in i t and wonder I s i t comfortable ?

Now,before all th ings

,a chairshou ld be easy. Yet

I have known people own aset of chairs for ten years

w i thout no t ic ing that they are so h igh that . your feet

cannot reach th e ground unless y ou sit on th e edge,or

so low that th e adj o ining table almost comes to your

shou lder; that th e backs are agonis ing from knobs and

excrescences j ust where they shou ld be k ind to your

blade- bones,oruseless through be ing set too far from

the seat .Some people never lean back . E i ther from early

old- fash ioned ‘ dri l l ing ’

ora long- formed hab i t of sel f

defence , some ladies sit bo l t upright in every k ind of

seat . T o .people superior to human weakness , such as


art,

’

and th e modern W indsor chair, manufactured by

steam in c igar-box mahogany,and heav i ly varnished ,

as w e have seen them in th e drawing -rooms of weak

aesthet i cs, is an affectat ion which has not even orig inal i ty

to recommend i t .T h e exact angle at which th e back and th e arm -rests

j ut from th e body of th e chair must be carefu l ly caleu

lated , and cal cu lated as faras possib le to agree with a

F I G. 46 .

—T h e upholsterer’s darling.

numberof pos it ions, not one only . For instance,achair

stu ffed so as to rece ive th e shou lders comfortably,but

leav ing aho l low in th e middle of th e Sp ine (a common

fau l t) is adapted to very few posi t ions, and soon so fu r

ther t ires a t ired body that h e or sh e soon qu its th e

chairto try another. Again, a chair stuffed to support

the smal l of th e back, but too low to rece ive th e thrown

back head , is another imperfect instrument of rest : th e

COMFOR T AND CHA I RS. 2 67

posi t ions it accommodates are l imited , hence th e l im i t ofusefu lness, and th e chairmust be supplemented by otherk inds .

And both these chairs are sure to be ugly . They

are sure to be ‘ l umpish ,’

as Caliban’

s sea-beast,with

abrupt,ungainly project ions of velvet and buttons

,and

th e legs w i l l sure ly echo th e immoderate curves .

T h e most usefu l and comfortable, as wel l as inex

pens ive, chair is of as imple form,wh ich by th e aid of

suspended cushions or otheradd i t ions can be adapted

to agood many needs and such loose cushions, in l ieu

of over- stu ffing, add to th e art ist i c beauty andvariety of

th e seat , as we l l as th e l iberty of him w h o s i ts there in.

Arms are ad ifficu lt quest ion. They are so ugly as

aru le when stuffed in one place only— they are so hard

when not stuffed— they h em in one’

s e lbow as one l ifts

i t,they h it it as it returns— that I have come to th e

conc lus ion that they are very se ldom of serv i ce . I n

modern makes they are perhaps least offens ive when in

th e form of s imple square cush ions attached to a rai l ;they are no doubt most beaut ifu l when handcarven,

as in th e Charles I . chairs . However, in th e t ime of

Lou is XIV. they managed to attain stuffi ng w i thou t

los ing th e curve with in ; and I suppose w e m ight again

attain i t . T h e Lou is XIV. chairs earl ieral l uded to are

comfortable and pretty. So wou ld be th is fine chair,dated abou t 1690 ,

i f there were a loose cush ion for th e

back ; though th e do lph in arms are too suggest ive o f

avery anc i ent and fi sh - l ike sme l l . ’ There are tw o fine

chairs w ith del icate do lph in arms in th e Cambridge

Univers ity L ibrary.


Formy own part, I incl ine to th ink chairs and sofa’

s

ought to be made in but one ortwo forms, with framed

FI G. 47—Seventeenth century chair.

GENERAL APPL I CA TI ONS.

pleasant . T h e gown can do without th e chair, i t is to be

hoped,th e hand can d ispense with th e teacup but th e

assoc iat ion, howeverbrief, has given its l i tt le pleasant

mark to th e soc iable ensem ble,as a sweet phrase or

chord contribu tes to th e who le song, and it is not

necessary that th e chord shou ld be perpetual— o u

contraire.

Ergo,teacups and chairs are worth making pretty .

I pray those readers whose Op inions on th e propriety

of art - dress ing have been at all moulded by French

sent iment , to observe that th e cal cu lat ion of a coquette

is not to be confounded with th e inst inct of th e art ist i c

temperament . They m ay exist together,bu t they are

not one and th e same,happ i ly

,and do exist apart .

That there is no vice in try ing to please , wh i lst there

is a k ind of crue l ty in ind i fference to th e feel ings and

l ikings of others,whether th e l ik ing of th e eye, orany

other bent to whi ch they have grown sens it ive. And

observe also that avu lgarlanguage o f t ints and trimm ings

such as that suggested in a certain wel l - known French

book is as far from being des irable— perhaps even pos

s ible— in c lean Engl ish society as it is destruct ive of th e

heal thy balance on wh ich real beauty hangs .

Noth ing w i l l so soon d iscourage (by making super

flu ou s) any morbid pri cking vani ty in cho i ce, as having

all detai ls fairly beautifu l and wel l - planned in th e

background .

’

MA TER I AL S AND FRAMEWORK. 2 7 I

mat erials ano f ram ework.

I t is matterforregret that ou r ideas are so bom e’

es,

and o u rupho lsterers so obst inate, e lse why are th e m a

terials forou r chairs l im ited to wood , iron, and stu ffs ?

There are many materials . bes ides wood which are very

wel l adapted for ou r seats,

'

and m ay be mounted on

wood , if you w i l l , but at th e same t ime exh ib it ing new

shades of co lour, and offering abroad fie ld to art.

For instance , why is not ivory oftener used forsu ch

purposes ? I do not demand an ivory chair like that

on wh i ch th e great Rameses I I . is seated in th e bas re l ief

of Kh elabsh ee, in Nubia, of which there is a cast in th eBri t i sh M useum ,

and in wh ich i t is easy to surm ise whence

th e ivory chairs came , from th e faces of th e bearers— in

ternal A frica. But ivory, oreven bone, m ight be used.

inlaid in large masses, and, mixed with ebony,mock

ebony , or jo ined by m etal , wou ld not only form in

i tself amost elegantand p i cturesque aspect , but it wou ld

offera surface for decorat ion such as no painted wood

can do . Ivory in plates a few inches long m ight be

painted and g i l t, as in H ispano -Moorish work,where th e

co louring lasts we l l, protected by outstand ing edges or

it m ight be etched w ith s imple arabesques,or smal l

human figures,as in th e smal l seventeenth - century

I tal ian cab inet -work,which

,rough as they are

,are most

effect ive and picturesque . Th is idea is one wh i ch th e

larger furni ture firms m ight take up w ith advantage ;and occupat ion m ight be g iven to hundreds of needy

art- students w h o cou ld scrape in a l itt le landscape or

2 7 2 GENERAL AP P L I CATI ONS.

figure with greater faci l i ty and less risk than paint ing

t iles and teacups .

Embossed leather, such as th e James I . chairs, m ight

be des igned for chairbacks and seats .

Brass of course wi l l occurto all Grecomaniacs as a

beau tifu l ornament to ou rchairs and tables . I n th e t ime

of th e Emp ire th e Im i tat ion Greeks actual ly adopted it

from th e schoo l they worshipped . They bu i l t mahogany

chairs,

of a semi -Greek

shape,or stradd l ing stoo ls

and. tables , and adorned th e

feet with l ion’

s claws in brass .

This was a good idea,and

w hen th e brass was new it

had a pretty effect, but , l ike

those love l ierbrasses coveringth e exqu isi te seats wh i ch

adorned Pompe i i , th e co lour

fl ies,not into adel icate green

mou ld , bu t into a d ingy

FI G. 48 .

—Greek chair : proto type ofthe co lourless rust,in which no

com m on Eng lish form .

pattern I S remarkab le and

no mode l l ing worth not ice .

T h e marqueterie chairs w ith lyre backs (a form

derived from old Greece and Rome) , imported so large ly

from French , I tal ian, and Dutch workshops in th e last

century and subsequent ly cop ied here, are somet imes

gracefu l , espec ial ly th e l ight yel low satin-wood, and

m ight be adapted to moderate stu ffing . Some of th e old

I tal ian chairs, speck led w i th ivory andpearl inlay ing, are

quaint and decorat ive, though not always easy,e .g.

, th e

2 74GENERAL APPL I CA T I OI VS .

advantage, and th e designing might occupy many a

deserving bu t needy art-student.

F I G . 50 .—Fourteenth -century seats .

T h e famous chair of Dagobert , of whi ch acopy is

preserved in th e South Kens ington M useum ,m ay offer

F I G5 :—ChairofDagobert, in th e L ouvre, dated about 630 .

MATER I ALS AND FRAMEWORK. 2 75

h ints : th e seat .when furnished wou ld be qu i te curved .

So m ay th e more ascet i c fourteenth -century seats eu

graved .

We - ow e manyf

lovely des igns to India,whence

I taly original ly received th e art of marquetry . T h e

e laborate Bombay carving is very effective,

'

like blacklace On end, but it does notlook we l l dusty

,and in L on

don it is seldom otherwise .

Some of th e Oriental bamboo

chairs are extremely pictu r

esque .

Veneering is u nsatisfac

tory in theory, but so many

fine effects have been pro

du ced through veneer, such

as tars ia work,from class i c

t imes to o u r own, that w e

must not be hypercri t i cal .T h e ivory wardrobes

ment ioned in th e“

4 5th Psalm , F I G . 5 2 .

—Chair of Assyrian characterwhatever they . were

,must

gr

iill

s

n

fis

bfiézfigom Xanth u s

,1n th e

have been veneered . Venet ian

p i l lars cased in malach i te and lapis lazu l i , recur to u s as

suggest ive of effects forportions of modern seats. Old

Egypt, l ike old Greece,is fu l l of h ints

,wh ich w e m ay

study in th e Bri tish and South Kens ington Museums .

T h e smal l inlaid Roman sel lacan be eas i ly cop ied , and

forms apretty stoo l or seat , cush ioned . T h e old Greek

fo ld ing- stoo l , th e scu lptured seat (ev ident ly cush ioned

and fringed) of N ineveh, need not d ismay an inte l l igentT 2

2 76 GE I VERAL APPL I CA TI ONS.

modern upho lsterer; and i t is reasonable, whi le demand

ing sumptuous w al ls to enclose Beauty, to claim someth ing l ike splendourforth e seat that shal l enthrone h er

,

and chryselephant ine effects , without go ld and real t usk ,are obtainable by wel l - chased brass and bone

,which

exc i te no cupid ity wh i lst improving ou rrooms .

A l itt le trouble on th e part of th e present publ ic and

F I G . 53 in scu lpture,from N ineveh . F I G . 54.

-Ancient se l la orlow seat .

the ir suppl iers,a l i tt le educat ion,

and enthusiasm for

someth ing h igher than th e immed iate money return,

wou ld g ive u s nineteenth - century objets de vertn worthy

to rank with those of Louis XIV . orany otherperiod of

art- encou ragement . And i t wou ld ‘

pay ,

’

for those w h o

care for beauty of des ign and‘construct ion are usual ly

ready to g ive agood pri ce fori t , and they set th e fash ion

gradual ly. Such furni ture as I have suggested would be

a more consistent env ironment than Spartan shapes,

which are rad i cal ly u nfi tted for frames enervated by


otherunheal thy habits, which I fearcannot be suddenlygiven up .

A real ly comfortable sofaor chairoften puts to fl ight

abad headache, abad backache, orabad humour, and,

th is admitted,I m ay go on w i thou t hesi tat ion to exhort

th e publ ic , if only forth e sake of those w h o have to l ive

with them ,to co l lect every varie ty of chairand sofa that

is comfortable, so as to allow of varying pos i t ions and

rel ief to the irpoor skeletons and further,for th e good

repute of art in England, to see that th e chairs and

sofas are pretty objects in themse lves . Note thatl ump ishness in stuffi ng does not add to comfort— six

inches depth of wadd ing is in real i ty no whit softer than

tw o inches . T h e obj ect of stuffing is to destroy th e

hardness of th e internal wood - frame and,so long as th is

is effected , th e resu l t in comfort is th e same whatever

th e depth and too great a mass of woo l,so much

indeed as to demand ho ld ing in place by buttons, is no

more but considerably less l uxurious thanasmal lermass

wel l laid withou t buttons . These drops i cal velvet and

sat in monstros it ies , whi ch th e ord inary upho lsterer turns

ou t by th e thousand, u se up more material to cover th ehumps of horsehair, last no better, and are h ideous ; agood spring- seat covered with a little woo l

, and hand

some s i lk or tapestry, uninsu lated by buttons, requ iresless material and is farmore comfortable.

cttoI ou t .

I have already givenafew new ideas forth e ornament

ing of th e frames, introducing new co lours and ah igher

COLOUR. 2 79

c lass of decorat ion. I m ay now suggest that th e colourof

th e cover of a sofa or chairbe never harsh nor evenvery bright , as i t shou ld always be subservient to th e

various and qu i te incal cu lable hues whi ch w i l l be con

tributed by whoever s i ts upon it. Helbronner’

s and

Morris’s ve lvets and ch intzes are therefore very rel iable,as they are always fine in co lour, Often in pattern

and if th e materials sent o u t by these firms are too dear,

even when we ighed with the irreal ly durable qual ity, itis agood plan to have old stu ffs dyed to match patterns

of the irs , wh ich can be done by every sens ible dyer,

and at areduced outlay of money.

T h e recent fash ion of covering chairseats with exqu is i te ant ique s i lk

-

s, old brocades, and de l i cate .featherwork,

is a waste of good th ings wh ich were better appl ied

e lsewhere . Not that chairseats m ay not be beaut ifu l .

T h e del i cate Gobel in tapestries wh ich cover Lou isXIV. chairs and lounges are quite in place, pic torial

as they are,because Gobel in tapestry is a strong

serv iceable fabri c, and soon tones down in flat co lour

bu t i f th e decorat ion of th e room , as somet imes

happens,depends upon th e chairseats, if these are gemsfinerthan th e robes of th e lad ies

,or th e hang ings of th e

wal l , there is ev ident waste of force go ing on when th eroom is occup ied by guests . I n short

,people w h o nurse

th is hobby forget that chairs are to be sat upon,and

that when pu t to th is ignoble u se you cannot see th e

seats .

T h e form of chairs ( i.e . th e framework) might be imm ensely varied , were sculpture and inlaying introduced

and, were th e material of th e frame handsomer, no doubt

2 80 GENERAL APPLI CA TI ONS.

improved decorat ion would fo l low. But the general

form of achair shou ld be considered before th e detai ls,

and w e m ay cu l l new forms from old scu lptures and old

paint ings innumerable i f w e look about .

T h e wel l - known chairin Raphae l ’s Madonnadel laSeggio la

,in th e P i tt i Gal lery— a fo ld ing- chair with de

corative posts, apparent ly connected by a handsome

strap , not a rai l,common in

th e s ixteenth century— has

never to my knowledge been

cop ied ; it wou ld be a very

agreeable seat . T h e chairof

Sesostris is one of th e most

beau t i fu l designs I have ever

seen ; its supports , probably

of ivory and metal , are far

more picturesque and elabo

rate, and fu l l of more deve l

oped thought than any Greek

or Roman seats even in th e

Naples M useum ,whi ch offers

so many beau tifu l forms . T h e

main out l ine of th e Greek and

Roman chairs does not great ly vary, whi le th e bronze

decorat ions are fu l l of thought, humour, and art- know

ledge ; bu t th e chairof Sesostris, l ike all Egyptian art,

is, I think, radical ly superior to th e Greek , because th e

construct ion is ratherarch i tectural than aesthet i c . T h e

seat and back , w hatever th e original was made of,

might be exact ly reproduced in stuffed ve lvet or si lk ;a spring- seat is not incons istent, and th e supports (they

F IG . 55 .-Chairof Sesostris .

2 8 2 GENERAL APPL I CA TI ON S.

stead ier. Some fragi le ‘ Ch ippendale ’ chairs are

s teady, but in these cases th e legs d iverge s l ight ly and

th e sharp feet st ick fast in th e carpet . T h e he ight of a

chairmust be proport ioned to th e plane of its seat in

FI G. 56.— Seventeenth - century chair.

orderto afford that security wh ich everyone w h o trusts

h is body on i t has aright to demand— but this I s one of

th e many secrets hidden from th e Bri t ish upho lsterer!

T h e chairs which became fash ionable afterth e Chip

SOFAS. 2 83

pendale schoo l of furni t ure had lost its nove lty and its

meri t too,were ‘ heavy enough , w i th large seats covered

w i th horsehair. Only when th e monotony of th e few

forms and straight l ines used had become into lerable,d id impat ient ‘ taste ’ fl ing i tse l f upon curves forrel ief

,

and encourage th e sol i ci tous wriggl ings ’

of th e modern

Louis XV. chairs .

.éofas’

.

Sofas ought to be as aru le s imply enlarged chairs ,they ought not to represent beds. There have been

many very ingenious forms invented in"

modern days,

bu t almost all have been spo i l t by th e inveterate hab i to f over- stu ffing and pu l l ing in w i th buttons . T h e S

shaped settee,in w hich tw o people Sit on opposi te s ides

and face one another,n bt be made avery pretty p iece

of furni ture. T h e S m ight be more e legant ly curved ,and th e upperrai l m ight be we l l wadded wi th asmal leramount of material . T h e seats should be low

,and deep

enough to adm it’

ofagood plunge into them and g iven

aproper contrast of “ materials, wood and s i lk, ormetaland ve lvet, or cane and sat in, orwhateverth e

’

cho ice be,there would be noth ing to urge against its p i cturesqueness as asofa. I t is at present , however, for th e most

part a shape less- looking red mach ine wh ich only formsone i tem of th e ugly drawing-room su ite.

’

A very s imple,almost severe

,form w h ich m ay be

seen at Kno le House is much to be commended . I n

sp i te of its straight l ines,it is a m ost lu x urious resort ,

and its broad surfaces adm i t of patterns in s i lk orvelvet

2 84 GE IVERAL APPL I CATI ONS.

farfinerthan what w e are accustomed to see in drawing

rooms . T h e fringes (almost all fringes are beautifu l ) are

c learly seen,‘

not smothered by j utt ing lumps andcreases,and all th e l ines are good and sat isfactory to th e eye .

Empire sofas,l ike Em pire chairs, are not usual ly com

fortable, evenwhen th e h orsehairis replaced by something

softer. I have already said that th e m ood of that t ime

was adverse to pleasure, and those Chippendale admirers

w h o are so ru naway with by this Emp ire ’ hobby as to

assert that these h igh heavy seats are pleas ing , deny th e

very'

sp iri t which brought them forth . They were meant

to be good art ist i cal ly and m echani cal ly— they were

meant to be Greek they are forth e m ost‘

part ne ither

Greek nor good,ne i ther convenient nor comfortable .

But,

’ compared with th e h orrible "shaped monstros i t ies

seen in th e shops, they are qu iet , severe, at any rate a

change, and their angu lari ty and p lain dark co lourand

castorless legs w in indu lgence on account of th e carefu l

and temperate ornament and s lender strength which

charac terise th e best examples of . th is t ime.

Forth e most part, s imple forms, adapted to variou s

bod i ly att i tudes by loose cushions , are preferable, th is is

because they are more manageable and more restfu l to

th e eye. F i tness to its purpose is one of th e tests of

beauty, and achair. ,0rsofa shou ld be judged l ike a dress

orahouse, by th e laws of appropriateness and pleasure .

But when I say s imple form s, I do not meanwithout

ornament , forextraneous ornament is only objectionable

when it misses or confuses th e orig inal intent ion of th e

th ing decorated , and is only dangerous in ignorant

hands

SOFAS. 2 87

T h e fine old French sofa (temp. Lou is Quinze) belong ing to Mr. Luke I onides, m ay be c i ted as an ex

ample . T h e primary idea, that _ of a low oblong couch,

is not lost by th e add i t ional decorat ions , wh ich are all

in th e d irect ion of defining, not d i sguis ing i t . This sofa

is at once abeauti fu l ornament and a l uxurious refuge .

I t belongs to th e date when Madame de Pompadour’

s

taste became c lass ic , and there 18 no detai l in its elabo

rate yet never obtrus ive ornament but deserves study .

I ts refined form ,its he ight , proport ions, and workman

sh ip are perfect . T h e quaint swans and th e wreath of

oak- leaves are convent ional ised , bu t not unnatural ; th e

floral ornament on th e lowerpart is del icate and charm

ing,though its comb inat ion with th e convent ional Greek

‘ honeysuckle,’

&c. ,is indulgent enough .

T h e mahogany sofas, orratherdouble chairs, pecul iar

to late Georg ian taste, are farfrom easy,but they boast

occas ional ly good hand - carving . T h e lyre - back is

remotely referable to th e class ics . I have seen some

wh i ch,protected by loose cush ions , and made in

wel l - seasoned , hand - po l ishedwoo d

,are real ornaments in

their qu iet, rather so lemn,

fash ion.

I t is remarkable h ow l ike

ou r own are some of th e an

c ient Greek sofas or couches,orratherh ow Greek influence

is traceable in some of ou r worst product ions . Fig . 58,

made in tw o contrast ing woods, or wood and metal ,would be a beaut ifu l and comfortable seat . We know

FI G . 58 .

— Greek sofa.


what machinery andobtuseness made of th is form, h owi t

spo i led all th e curves, and h ow d i fferent is a poorwood

structure uphe l d on i l l - turned legs from one of simi lar

form beau t ifu l ly carven ou t of afine material .

As w e can referso much in th e Renascence costumeto class i c precedent , so w e can refer to it many forms in

furni ture not immed iate ly pretend ing to be class i c, j ust as

w e can in Emp ire t ime . T h e ‘ long sett les —plain flat

couches six or seven feet long by three w ide,stuffed

w i th hair— which came in vogue in th e seventeenth cen

F1G . 59 . R om an form s. F I G . 60 .

t ury, w i th th e h igh square- backed chair,were precisely

s im i lar to th e couches used in Anc ient Egypt, save thatin l ieu of being supported on twisted legs th e box whi ch

supported them was painted with devices, more l ike th eGoth ic hutch orsett le. T h e Greek couch had arai l at

th e end, l ike one of the Empire forms, where in arai l ofbal l pattern ran equal ly along three s ides— ratherpretty .

T h e l imbs of beasts adapted to legs of furni ture,apat

tern so common ih Rome,ought to be model led with

extreme abi l i ty to be unobjectionable,and when th e

GE I VERAL APPL I CATI ONS.

p leasant to th e touch,and a table

, to meet its real u se ,must not d iscourage touch . Therefore de l i cate wood

inlay ing is fit ter for u s than stone inlaying,however

v iv id and tastefu l . A table shou ld not. be too beauteous

to u se. T h e Lou is Se i ze tables were toys only,l ike th e

Lo u is Quatorze cab inets . They wou ld be too fragi le to

bear th e we ight of books and teacups ; too tender to

endure th e hasty push of a housemaid , or even th e

harsh attri t ion of modern adu lterated dress fabrics.

F I G . 6 1 .— Si lver tab le at WindsorCastle, tim e of L ouis Quatorze .

T h e love ly s i lver table of which I give acu t belongs

to HerMajesty th e Queen,and on comparing i t wi th th e

latertable’

(temp. L ou is Se i ze, on p . w e see h ow th e

décadence was proceed ing in th e d irect ion of refinement

and weakness— dim inu endo I have e lsewhere cal led i t .

A table m ay be e legant ly made i f i t stand as ide, and

be not pu t to coarse service, l i ke a racehorse st i l l a‘

table it must be and carry someth ing .

T h e supports of tables might be far more varied

than they are . T h e lumpish central support,with three

TABLES. 2 9 1

gou ty promontories, has been done to death . So have th e

emascu lated prongs wh ich maintain. a ‘ Queen Anne ’

table. T h e gi l t stucco formed l ike loves andcornucopias

is objectionab le, for th e most cherished tables , l ike th e

above -named gem in th e Borghese , soon show s igns of

w earand tear; and everyth ing wh ich is em inent ly u n

practi cal must be banished from such a place .

L e Pau tre includes some nove l des igns for tables

among h is many plates , and various old missals g ive

h ints w e cou ld work ou t.

T h e’

m ost convenient and th e most economical,and

not th e least pretty tables forEngl ish u se,are the smal l

oaken ones st i l l to be found in th e cottages of certain

count ies, some w i th th e old bal l legs in fours and e ights

a-row ,some supported by quaint jambs of oak at each

s ide, and always fi tted w i th deep flaps .

D ining - tables of th e ‘ telescope ’ descript ion have

been much cri t i cised by th e aesthet i c, but I am sure

they are th e most convenient mach ines, and I find they

neverget ou t of order, are easy to sh ift and to enlarge

therefore there is no reason why t hey shou ld be super

seded. The ir supports might be improved,of course ,

l ike everything e lse mach ine-made . Many an oldGo th i c

orearly Renascence table—dormant, in p ictures andm iniatures , g ives u s h ints about th e supports

,wh i ch m ay be

e i ther ‘ legs ’

orarches.

Table legs shou ld e i ther splay ou t a l i t t le near th e

floor, wh ich gives more purchase, as in a chair, when a

we ight is superimposed orthey shou ldbe perpend icular,mou lded so as to give shadows broad enough to be

v is ible in ou r gloomy atmosphere,and by no means too

U 2

2 9 2 GENERAL A P P L /CA TI ONS.

s lender." Smooth ivory is amaterial that might oftener

figure in ou rtables,whetherlarge or smal l it is less co l d

than marble , andamore agreeable w hite ,I t shou ld not

be carved , bu t i t m ight be inc ised in black , or inlaidwith steel and s i lver in quant i ties smal l enough not to

exc i te cu piditym th ou gh that pass ion overruns th is

country so that i t is a wonder w e have any be l l

handles or roof- lead ing left and a pretty c loth can

always preserve during u se or conceal i f need be .

I can we l l unders tand tables growing to be a ‘ hobby ’

with co l lectors, but they shou ld neverbe dressed in rose

po int and velvets l ike a bride. Someth ing shou l d be

left for th e m istress of th e house.


but w e must not be Quixo t ic . T h e carpets were ih

destruct ible ; and if, as a Queen-Anni te asserted th e

other day ,

‘ that wh ich has remained to u s is real ly

worthy of study and im itat ion, mainly because i t hasremained ,

’ i t strikes m e that a cons istent admirer of

early nineteenth - centu ry objects ought to fi t th e old

carpets to th e old furnit ure and have th e room correct .

They are qu i te as perfect afterfifty years ’

serv i ce as th e

emac iated tables and S ideboards . And perhaps enth u

siasts w i l l yet be born to see someth ing nice ’

about

Bengal t igers and vast roses and snowdrops rearing and

wriggl ing beneath the iraesthetic fee t .

M eanwh i le carpe ts have deteriorated in qual i ty and

improved in colour. Morris ’

s carpets,wh ich are some

t imes very pleas ing , fade detestably soon and there are

few firms where durable materials seem to be united

w i th ‘ h igh art’ co lours . But this is a consummat ion

w h ich w i l l be granted as soon as th e publ ic devou tl

ins ist upon i t ; and, putt ing intrinsi c worth as ide, w

go on to examine th e art ist ic meri ts to be sought i

carpets .

Noth ing can cu l tivate ou r eye as wel l as intelligen

study of Oriental fabri cs not those made forth e moder

market by workmen suffi cient ly ind ifferent to their tra

ditions to accept Bri t ish dyes, and so impaired by wan

of keeping up to the iroriginal standard that they hav

almost forgo tten h ow to work m inute patterns andac los

w eb. But suffi cient Oriental carpets of o lderdate re

main to gu ide and sat isfy cu l tured taste,and to serve,

rejo i ce to say ,as patterns for reproduct ion ; and now

that import duties are ent irely abo l ished, every yeari

CARPE TS. 2 95

l ike ly to bring over more genu ine old products unt i l

Turkey and Ind iaare exhausted , and that w i l l be some

t ime hence .

T h e first meri t about these old carpets is that they

are hand—made, wh ich necess i tates s l ight irregulari t ies

and ‘ imperfections ;’

w hich y et are more interest ing

than th e excess ive prec is ion of mach ine - made goods .

Irregu lari ty in co lour or w eb is cal led imperfect ion in

th e trade ; but a certain imperfect ion seems necessary

to th e existence of beauty , wh ich perishes am id th e

rig id paral le lograms and c larificat ions of Sc ience, l ike a

w i ld b ird in a doorless cage : and many things wh ich

machine- trained op inion cal ls ‘spo i lt ’

are beaut ifu l

through th e very want of perfectness wh i ch is com

plained of. Not that bad work is in i tse lf admirable .

We must d ist ingu ish between th e fl ights of fancy that

spring from want of ski l l and concentration, and those

derived from a strength superior to lead ing- strings— as

also pretty accidents . Bu t all old work shows u s th e

impress of human minds and hands,instead of m e

chanical monotony . Every z igzag w i l l be j ust so far

irregular as a z igzag drawn by hand , not by awhee l ;every spot and group wil l have its l i tt le ind ividual i t ies

as l ike as apea to apea, which is not very l ike— and

every co lour w i l l be imperfect by th e modern standard

of d ist i l lat ion, for every co lour w i l l partake s l ight ly of

some other, and so there w i l l be betterharmony .

Th is is v is ible in all branches of decorat ive work ,from carpets to ch inaand jewel lery. Approximate perfection is all w e can endure in th is imperfect world .

Blue shouldbe unmistakable as blue, yet i t shou ld con,


tain j ust enough red to bear propinquity with red,or

j ust enough ye l low to bear prop inqu ity with green.

Th is is l ike a sweet ly - tempered character that can sym

path ise w i th m any o ther minds w i thout sacrifi cing its

ow n ind iv idual princ iples and such co lours,soft , pl iable,

not aggress ive and obst inate,m ay be cal led sympathet i c

co lours .

A l l ant ique work is t inted with sympathet i c co lours .

T h e rudeness of th e old loom,or too l , orretort , m ay be

respons ible ; but be th e cause what it m ay ,intent ional

orno ,th e resu l t is good , and not uninstruct ive . When

w e u se modern dyes , exqu is ite ly dist i l led and rigid ly

pure,in s imilar combinat ions to th e old, i t wi l l be at

once seen that they are o u t of tune together,and irre

concilable . Ou r coal - tar colours look unnatural e i ther

in masses , orsudden contrast w ith each o ther.'

for such

puri ty is never seen in nature save in an infini tes imal

quant i ty instant ly softened apo loget i cal ly off— observe a

grain of ore, agl impse of ab ird ’

s w ing,chang ing at th e

next grain or th e next flash into its mod ified echo , or

its palp i tat ing oppos ite . Thi s is why faded co lours are

often betterthan when new,theirharshness has subs ided .

Th i s gent leness of character vis ible in ant ique

co louring, and in antique shapes too, is very remarkable ,

and seems to possess amoral s ignificance, wh i ch however

does not bearpress ing beyond thedomain of art .

Probably because carpets were not original ly intended

to betrampled upon and d isregarded , th e anc ients took

th e trouble to design beaut i fu l ly for them and carry

them ou t carefu l ly . I n th e East th e beautifu l l it t le

carpet is intended for a devot ional purpose ; and th e

2 98 GENERAL APPL I CA

s ide ’ look compared with a deep del i cious velvet- pi le .

Why cannot w e have such luxurious cop ies of Eastern

work at its best as H enry IV . requ ired when h e inst i

tu ted L a Savonnerie ? Such carpets might be made

better (and probably cheaper) at home than in th e Eas t ;and i f customers cou ld procure them at anyth ing like a

reasonable rate, they wou ld soon chase from th e fiel d

th e unsat isfactory carpets w e have for some t ime been

obliged to put u pwith .

du rtaing.

T h e characterand grace of aroom depend so much

upon the hang ings, that w e canno t be too caut ious in

bu r cho ice of fabri c . T h e k ind of fo lds into wh ich they

fal l,and th e co lour, must al ike be carefu l ly cons idered

and good sense w i l l rem em ber that the adage ,‘ T h ose

laugh best w ho laugh last ,’

m ay be appl ied to furnish ing

materials— those look best wh ich look wel l longest . I n

this age of shoddy and adulteration, it is d iffi cu lt to

know what one is buy ing, howeverhigh th e price . No

assurance on the part of th e shopman is, rel iable, notbecause he m eans to cheat , bu t becau se h e real ly does

not know What th e wearing capaci ty is of fabri cs wh ich

look l ike silk, cotton, woo l , bu t are in reality weighted

w i th chem i cals of adestructive kind . Aftermu ch d ismalexperience, I am inclined to doubt every fabri c contain

ing th e s l igh test s t i ffness, even when warranted at th e

best shops . Rich - looking“

, heavy sat ins,I know from

experience, are largely do ctored , and are useless for

long or even reasonable wear, ei ther in dress or fu r«

CUR TA I NS . 99

nitu re They can be tested by bo i l ing a smal l piece

before purchase : if t/zey cu rl up in th e process , they

should be avo ided : unadu l terated s i lks bo i l without

curl ing up . Fabri cs made of woo l and s i lk m ixed m ay

wearwel l,m ay c lean,

m ay stand s u nand air, as modern‘s i lk ’

and ‘sat in’

w ill not ; pure woo l is m ost sat isfactory

of all. Beaut iful as were th e old honest furni tu re s i lks

(however cost ly) , st i ff through close weav ing, not gu m ,

w i th the irvast arabesque patterns and sh immering l ights

and shades ; beaut ifu l and durable as m ay be some

modern copies of th e old : th e extravagance of us ingth e specious rubb ish wh ich has taken the irplace recent ly

does not j ust ify m e in recommend ing them ,save to

'

maniacs . When Engl ish trade in s i lk and sat in has

regained its anc ient prest ige , i t w i l l be t ime to upho ld i t ,but not now . I propose th en to exam ine certain fabrics,

wh i ch are worth buy ing , because fairly servi ceable as

wel l as beaut ifu l ; and I must confine my attent ion to

woo l lens, cottons, and m ixtures. And how beaut ifu l

such fabri cs m ay be nowadays, I hope to show w ithout

frightening th e fast idious publ i c w i th a hom e ly name .

I began by condemning stiff fabrics,‘wh ich wou ld stand

alone ’

( th e old phrase when s ilk weav ing was honest)and th is appl ies to woollen goods as well as s i lk . A sti ff

woo l len, orast iff m ixtu re , is probably aided by cot ton,

and th e cotton is su re ly aided by chemicals . Th is adul

teration, termed‘ dress in the trade, or ‘ harmless pre

paration on th e back, w ithout wh ich th e material wou ld

look very poor,’

very soon becomes patent when th e

material js in u se. T he dress,

’

w i l l actual ly shake ou t

in powder during th e making: I t w ill d isappear in

300 GENE RAL APPL I CATI ONS.

patches, making th e stuff look unequal in co lour and

thread ; and th e first t ime th e curtains are cleaned or

dyed,they can never be put up again. Th is m ay be

good for trade ’

forawh i le, but not in th e long ru n.

T h e anc ient tapestries wh i ch l ine o u rmuseums and

many old houses in England were made of woo l , or'

w ool

and s i lk . T h e woo l was fast co lour, and so strong and

wel l woven that th e threads have lasted unt i l now .

Every t int of frui t orflower,of sky orhuman visage, was

reproduceable fairly we l l in woo l . T h e brightest parts

were put in by s i lk,orpaint i tsel f. Such tapestries are

eminent ly su i ted to wal l hanging, and every form of

heavy curtain. No th ing looks betteras aportiere thana tapestry of moderate ly convent ional des ign ; no th ing

wears better. These tapestries can be cop ied'

now fiw ith

very fair success . I have seen some wh ich certainly

look as i f they wou ld wear as we l l as th e old— that is

to say , they are all woo l , as th ick as carpet, th e ends

c learly v is ib le at th e back , and th e co louring soft and

harmonious, such as ouglI t to be fast. I have no t, h ow

ever, . experimented with them . T h e warmth of such

curtains , when we ight is needed,wou ld be de l ightfu l .

Formy ow n part I wou ld not even l ine them,to h ide

th e honest - looking back , fu l l of ends of woo l,and th e

large fo lds in wh ich they wou ld hang wou ld be su ited to

any d ining-room or study where so l id Splendourseems

in place. Im i tat ion tapestry, su ch as canvas painted or

stamped in o i ls , looks very we l l on th e wal l , but th e oil

co louris apt to st i ffen th e fabri c, to make th e fo lds u n

gainly, to crack off w h ite , and to smel l a l i tt le in summer.

.T hey do not real ly ‘wash down

’

as they are said to.

30 2 GENERAL APPL]CA T1OA'

S .

character’ which does not offer comparison with one’

s

gown, and I th ink there ought to be a distinct ion be

tween furni ture fabri cs and th e humangarb . I t is made

in many art ist i c soft shades, and wears ratherwell . All

th ese th i ck, h eavy curtains ought to be cu t j ust to th e

ground and no longer. T h e s i l ly fashion of sweeping

curtains , l ike a lady’

s train, is unsu ited to these we ighty

m aterials , wh ich wou ld catch the dust sadly on the floor,and no hooks or ropes would support th em in ni ce

festoons . Drawn back , not looped or caugh t up , they

w i ll all be satisfactory as fabrics . T h e co lour, to be

good , must depend upon the eye wh i ch selects i t ; th e

only safe ru le to lay down is that none of th e shades

should be very vivid , not even th e ‘ art istic ’ peacock

shades, which are often aniline . All very vivid shades

in furni ture are odious.

‘

Properreliefandaj ust measure

of brightness 1n effec t must be got, not by spo ts of sharp

co lour here and there,but happy (i.e . sl ight) contrasts.

For instance, aroom who l ly draped in mono tone,h oW

ever’

nice in shade , wil l always be dulland gloomy . A

room who lly furnished with fine old tapestry must be

so too,many as th e colours are in tapestry . A hang ing

here or there of deep red oryellow,orsome other self

co lour, w i ll be probably wanted forbalance, j ust as in a

verv gay- co loured room th e eye turns with del ight to :1

mass of quiet tone. I t is wonderfu l h ow bright aroom

m ay be made to look by skilfulcontrasts without as ingle

real ly vivid colour.

Draperies about aroom always add to th e home- l ike

feel ing of it. They not only exclude draughts, bu t they

conceal th e sharp edges’

andangles of woodwork,'

wh_ich

CUR TA I N S . 30 3

uncovered always seems unhappy . I l ike curtains at

every w indow, andover every door. I l ike pretty stu ffs ,furs , embro ideries, and mats, flung loose over couches

and pianos . They fal l then at every cornerand every

wrinkle into nice natural fo lds , so much pleasanterthan

tightly fi tt ing cases,further t ightened by bu ttons .

Curtains ought to be fu l ler than they Usual ly are ;and such mass ive fo lds as I have been describing, for

every kind of room ,gain much from an alliance w ith

th inner ones . Thin curtains, su ch as net,i— lace

,&c. ,

actual ly exclude sunligh t , I suppose, bu t they saw” to

bring i t in ; a room w i th pretty lace c’u rtai‘

ns always

looks sunnier than one w i thou t them . T h e modern

fash ion of cream instead of pure harsh white,is one

wh ich ought never to go ou t— yet h ow w e used to puzzle

over th e anc ient taste for so t int in‘g lace, and marve l

w h y they d id not l ike i t qu i te white ! T h e cream - tint

softens any contrast , and the shades of fo lds against th e

l ight are far more p icturesque . T h e ‘ Madras m us l in,’

that s imple fabri c now in vogue, w i th its ve lvety touch

and good straightforward patterns, is charm ing for anypurpose , and, at least in agood qual ity, c leans

‘qu i te as

wel l as th e horrible old ‘ lace ’ cu rtain, smothered with

vague sprawling attempts at fancy vegetat ion.

Some intel l igent person has devised a thorough

nove l ty in th e shape of black lace curtains w i th pattern

in ‘old-go ld ’ co lour. They are very pretty, and ought

to be durable. They would not sui t every room : bu t

one in w h i ch b lack pane ls, or otherdark m asses‘

occu r,

wou ld be improved by ‘

su ch curtains ln l ieu of white .

They are so ld under th e mysterious name of -Cabu1. ’

304 GENERAL APPL ICA TI ONS.

How pretty black musl inmight be stamped w i th go ld or

s i lver, l ike that worn long ago for ve i ls , ru ffles, &c .

Properly stamped, i t wou ld be capable of be ing reno

yated by press ing o u t.

Qfi u u k tasefi .

Books m ay be considered an ornament by the ir

assoc iat ion w i th learning and inte l lectual pleasure ; bu tunless very handsome ly bo und , modern books are not

part icu larly ornamental in themse lves . .They m ay ,h ow

ever, always inhabit a pretty bookshe l f, and I have

sketched acase w h ich has th e meri t of novel ty in that

i t breaks up ; th e du l l uniform brown t int wh ich amass

of books usual ly presents by ni ches for,

'po ts and o ther

ornaments , and cupboards whose pane ls ask forornament .

T h e co lour of abookshel f is not necessari ly dark ;th e wood m ay be inlaid , incrusted with,

p ieces of metal

or stone, or painted . I n pale blue, white, or green,

varnished and thoroughly dried before th e books are

pu t in, bookshelves m ay be made a real add i t ion in

beauty. T h e co lourshou ld depend on that of th e wal ls

and ce i l ing. A,pale blue and wh i te ‘ Morris ’ paper

adjo ins pleasant ly pale blue she lves th e ni ches m ay bel ined with Japanese gi lt papers , and th e doors painted

w i th flowers, insects, she l ls , crests or more amb i t ious

subjects.

’

T h e pots m ay be De l ft, Nankeen, Grés d e

F landres, or ye l low Crack le ; with su ch . a room th e

ce i l ing m ay be scarlet , and th e doors black andblue and

wh i te.

With a room papered With a reddish paper, th e

3c6 GENERAL APPL I CAn o va.

wal l . A plain murrey- co loured wal l wi th amber velvet

hangings wou ld have avery elegant effect .

I prefer th e furni ture of a study or l ibrary a l i tt le

gay in co lour, because amass of books,even g i l t- backed ,

unrel ieved,always te l ls dark and heavy st i l l th e wal ls

shou ld not be so obtrus ively gay that th e co lourdistracts

attent ion from the books . I once knew abookworm

w h o,fee l ing th e want of co lour, painted h is wal l blood

red,h is doors arseni c - green and th e ideas of butchery

and po isoning w hi ch these tw o fou l hues aroused in

some m inds sens i t ive to co lour- influ ences,were real ly

d i stressing.

A soft l ight-red and a k indly moss -green such as a

wood grows in midsummer, wou ld have had a d ifferent

effect bu t most co lours are painfu l in too large amass .

and shou ld be rel ieved by variat ions in th e mou ld ings,

orby p ictures in parce l - g i l t frames— fi lagree are best

and a l i tt le ch ina, or Cloisonne, or German glass, sturdy

and quaint .

T h e books in one p lace and th e ch ina in another”each in its own glazed case , appears to m e a joyless

arrangement . Marry th e gay co lours of th e one to th e

sober coats and bright thoughts of th e other m ix pots

and books in such amanneras that ne i ther shall inter

fere with th e other; and y ou get an art ist ical ly good

effect .Moreoverth e depth of th e ni ches is suffic ient to

prevent accidents, and a c loth hooked up during th e

sweeping ou t of th e sanctum (w hich m u st be done, in

spite of th e prejud ices of bookworms) preserves all

together.

A pretty curtain, by th e way ,is a permanent pro

PLATE AND CUTLERY. 30 7

tection from dai ly dust ; and does’

not o ffer th e sameobstacles to reach ing a book hast i ly as glass

, or thatworse device against theft, w ire-nett ing . I t should be

in a th in material such as cretonne, or coloured Corah

s i lk, and shou ld slip to and fro on smooth and s i lent

rings .

aware ant! Ql' u tlt t p.

Modern plate is a sore po int w i th those w h o have

learnt what p late can and ought to be,by co l le cting old

plate.

I t is extraord inary h ow amb i t ious and obtrus ive,h ow

elaborate and varied,are th e vast pieces exh ibited by

th e great s i lversm i ths,and ch iefly manufactured for

purposes of presentat ion h ow sk i lfu l and minute is

somet imes th e workmansh ip— andh ow weak,

.h ow coarse,

h ow vulgar,h ow innocent of allanatom ical andbo tani cal

knowledge,is th e des ign

When an English workman chooses to reproduce a

piece of old orOriental plate of fine des ign, h ow perfectly

can h e do it— h e has appl iances such as m an neverhad

before ,and h e is paid nobly . I f des igns . w ere furnished

to h im by Le ighton or Watts, for h is candelabra, h is

plateaux or h is c locks,h e cou ld carry them o u t w i th

surpass ing sk i l l . But what do w e see ? cease less

attempts of th e unknown des igner to ru n before h e can

walk feverish efforts to be showy .

’

He w i l l des ign a

grove of palm - trees w i thou t tak ing th e trouble to spend

aday at Kew and observe th e real form of apalm— h e

w i l l surround it w i th caval cades of camels and elephantsX 2


w i thout abone in the ir bod ies , and frequent ly standing

at an imposs ible angle : h e wi l l niggle over th e ground

w i th pebbles and footmarks not one of which is beyond

cri t i c ism , set th e who le abomination with look ing-glass ,and se l l i t to th e Lord Mayor, firmly be l ieving , in th e

words of h is catalogue, that i t is a superb masterpiece

of magnificent des ign.

’

And th e mermaid s ! and th e cup ids ! and th e

nymphs ! w i th all the ir musc les wrongly placed : the irthroats mere cyl inders of shape less metal bent to fi t th ehead— Wh i ch is often grotesque ly too small the irarms

and legs smoo th and tapering , wi thout ac tion or th e

poss ib i l i ty o f act ion, m inu s musc les . T h e hands,

supposed to be grasping someth ing wh ich they do not

touch th e bone less fingers l ike e last i c caterp i l lars, each

one nearly S - shaped th e feet too smal l to support

such length of frame ; th e ears put in th e wrong place ;th e ankles bent in att i tudes qu i te opposed to th e power

of th e jo int— th e who le torso , wh i ch th emodel lers de l ight

in expos ing, as h ideous ly o u t of draw ing as frame can

be,and th e fo lds of crowded drapery done ou t of the ir

h eadsf

There are no doubt s ins to be avo ided in old scu lp

ture . T h e anc ients , though consc ient ious, were not

impeccab le . T h e Venus de Med ic i w i th fingers too taper

to admit of an internal bone, m ay be ou rprecedent for

shape less extrem i t ies h ertorto ise- l ike crani um m ay ex

cuse a s imi larmodern blo t . St i l l w e know that h erhands

and head are not Greek . Many am edim val Madonna

is frameless beneath h ermassy fo lds, and great l ibertieshave been taken with h er musc les . Raphael h imself

3 10 GENERAL APPLICA TI ONS.

and books of incred ible.

worth and cheapness, await a'

v is i t,aglance from ou r des igners— but glance they w i l l

not, in th e mental congest ion of the ir dense ignorance

and se lf- sat isfact ion ; and th e publ ic ought to upon

someth ing betterfor the irmoney.

What I sai d about th e purchasereducat ing th e work

m an to make good furni ture ho lds doubly tru e in th is

h igherdepartment of des ign : for th e material is more

prec ious,and th e cost is proport ionately greater. I ex

hort th e publ i c to buy ant iques , and not modern plate— forth e educat ion of the ir own eye , so that they m aysee th e d ifference between them ,

and m ay have defini te

ground to go upon in cri t icis ing modern work , and be

independent of th e salesman’

s salaried ‘opinion.

’

I t is too melancho ly for those w h o know someth ing

about old plate to sit all d inner- t ime Opposi te some

horrible Presentat ion -p iece, only fi t for th e smel t ing-

pot ,

wh i therm ay th e burglarsoon despatch i t ! watch ing th e

bad so ldering, th e coarse cast ings of ro cks andgoddesses ,th e ind u strious frostingw h ich strives to d ivert th e eye

from i l l -mode l led and balanced figures,w i th l imbs of

unequal length , ex trem ities'

of unequal s i ze .

Where . are th e neat finish, th e we l l-hammered s u r

faces, th e carefu l grav ing , th e de l icate repozzssr’

s patterns

wh ich make old plate,howeverplain

,fu l l of interest ?

T h e plate of early Georgian t imes, s imple as th e patterns

often were, ugly somet imes,compares w ith Vi ctorian

i l l imitably to th e latter’s d isadvantage . T h e genu ineold plate of Stuart t imes, far rarer, and farmore beau

t ifu l , shouts o u r reproof st i l l loudl ier. Wh o can forget

th e lovely d ish and ewerof Renascence work, and that

PLATE AZVD CUTLERY. I I

st i l l o lderand finer Tudor c'

up,belonging to St. John

’

s'

Co l lege ,Cambridge ? Wh o can forget that Briot , Luca

Del laRobb ia, Benvenuto Ce l l ini , AndreadelVerrocch io,Leonardo da Vinc i

,Po l laj uo lo ,

Gh irlandajo, and'

L a

Franc ia w i th other names as great— were at one t ime

F IG . 63 .— Candlestick, Italian, sixteenth century .

work ing go ldsm iths : that Jan van Eyck and Ho lbein

des igned cont inual ly for plate,i f they d id not ac tual ly

hammerit :7 and that even in England plate used to be

deemed so essent ial ly th e art ist’s bus iness , that court

painters were ind iscriminate ly described as ‘ go ldsm i th ,

’

‘ carver,

’ ‘ portrait - painter,

’

and ‘embosser’

to royal ty,

3 1 2 GExVERAL APPLICAYI ONS .

from th e th irteenth century to t h e seventeenth ? Th is w e

have repeated authori ty for. And when w e s tudy th e

anc ient go ld and s i lverornaments of Greece and Rome ,and read th e , long l ist of names of go ldsm i ths wh ich

have been preserved to u s from this remo te ant iqu i ty

when w e hear of th e microscop i c groups worked by

Cal l icrates of L acedm m on and Myrm ecides of M i letus ,so smal l as to be h idden beneath afly

’

s wing , and scru t i

nise th e fore ign treasures wh i ch Cook's t i ckets have

rendered so access ible— why,w e ask again and again,

are w e to put up w i th these poor and vulgar table

ornaments ’ wh ich w e pay so ex orbitantlv for?

One very curious fact is , that many an art ist , chal

lenged to defend th e plate on h is own d inner- table,w i l l

hes itate, orstammerou t th e lamest excuses. Mustn’t

look ag ift horse in th e mouth,

’

one w i l l say (aproverb

wh ich reflects on th e honesty of benefactors — ‘ I real ly

never looked at th e th ing before,another answers ; or

‘ Wel l , i t is rather a good des ign,I thought

,w i thout

being too crit ical . ’

Thus, art ists w i l l somet imes say Engl ish des igns are

good , as music ians w i l l say Engl ish be l ls are good , because hab it is so strong that they canno t rid the irj udg

ment of impl ied cond it ions . The irpraise means ‘ goodenough forbel ls,

’

good enough forplate .

’ I t has neverentered th e musi c ian

’

s head to j udgeabel l as amus i cal

instrument ; it has never entered th e art ist ’s head to

j udge of h is plate by th e same standard as h e j udgespictures by . T h e thing has always occup ied a lowerplace in h ‘s mind , andhas not been thought of as be longing to art at all.

3 14 GENERAL APPLICATIONS.

to three ,which admi t of amore elegant cu rve

'

from th e

hand le,and are qu i te as serviceable for all probable

purposes . Spoons shou ld be of two shapes,round and

oval in th e bowl , but never as large and heavy as most

modern dessert and table- spoons, which are only fi t foran

ogre’

s jaw . T h e old Apost le spoons are better su i ted

in shape to serve fru i t or cream than oval spoons,but

less so to drink soup than th e present k ind . A spoon

should neverbe too large to be taken into th e mouth

o therw ise w e might j ust as wel l sip from abowl’

s edge,

as o u rgrandmothers s ipped a d ish of tea.

’

T h e handles of most modern table plate, whether

s i lver or e lectro - plated, are u tterly dest i tute of refine

ment in des ign. T h e fiddle-patterned fork w i th it’

s

inconvenient edges qu ite forgets th e outl ine of afidd le ,

and is smothered under ornamentation such as th e so

cal led ‘she l l ’ wh ich real ly is a base im i tat ion of th e

Greek honeysuckle,or o ther cari catures of Renascence

detai l undera fancy name because th is k ind of c l umsy

prom inent work su its trade purposes adm irably . I n

s i lver i t adds enormous ly to th e we ight,and conse

quently th e cost . I n e lectro i t grow s shabby speed i ly,

because th e spoon or fork alway s‘

falls on th e ornament,and forces u s to replace th e set before long .

T h e industrious co l lectors of Queen Anne plate

(rm /[y Queen Anne th is t ime) , w h o do good serv ice

to art m giving u s th e Opportuni ty to compare old

S i lversm i th work w i th new,nurse an enm i ty to eu

graved patterns wh ich I do not who l ly understand .

Wh i lst rrpozzsse’

work,w el l and del icately done

,is cer~

tainly th e most showy w ith its many refl ected l ights ,

PLA TE AND CUTLER Y. 3 1 5

fine incised patterns seem?

to m e admirable in many

ways ; and for such th ings as spoons and forks would

be far more su i table and agreeable to th e touch than

embossed lumps . T h e adm irers of Queen Anne plateadm ire ch iefly its plain surfaces and so l i d worth of ex e

cu tion. No doubt in an age of debased des ign, th e

s implest des ign is usual ly th e best but s implic i ty is not

art, forth e h ighest art aims at decorat ing andbeaut ify ing ,w ithou t marring th e purpose ; and sat isfactory to th e

m ind as is th e smal l hammer-mark on th e flat surface of

an ant ique bowl orewerbecause w e prefer th e thorough

ness of pat ient handwork to th e speciou s'

ingenu ity of

mach ines ; y et th e work wh ich contains s im i lar sk i l l

superadded to bri l l iant fancy, as in des igns st i l l more

ant ique,must be farmore sat isfactory ; and so adel icate

repozzsse‘or engraved punch bowl of

,say , Stuart t imes,

must rank h igher than aplain one of Queen Anne’

s or

th e Georges ’ day ,because more nearly influenced by a

cap i tal schoo l of art . T h e value no doubt depends on

th e meri t of th e work ; but th e art ist ’s share cannot

rank so dec ided ly below th e art isan’

s that th e add it ion

of ornament detracts from th e true value of th e objec t .

Convent ional formsalone are su ited to th e humble

purposes of sugar- bas ins,butter- d ishes and castors . T h e

butter can never taste sweet wh ich is covered by astraw

hat,orak i tten. T h e pepper shaken o u t of a top

- boo t

though of s i lver,must spo i l one’

s appet ite . Salt shou ld

not be dug ou t of an animal ’s back,nor sugarp icked up

by a harlequ in’

s legs . Now that ou r m inor obj ects of

dai ly u se are no longer needed to po int a m oral or

adorn a tale, as in mediaeval t imes, and w e do not care

3 16 GENERAL APPLICA TIONS.

for th e stories of saints and th e songs of troubadours

appeal ing to u s from under ou r hand s ; now that w e

have no longerth e le isure and enthusiasm to evo lve a

new schoo l of splend id design as th e Renascence art istsd id

,w e had betteradhere to careful reproduct ions of th e

works of those w h o cou ld th ink and labour in th e right

way , e lse w e shal l sure ly fal l back on th e vulgari t ies of

beasts and old wearing-appare l upon ou r tables .

I n cu t lery, people as usual do not know th e d i ffer

ence between good and bad. I t is strange,but true, that

sterl ing hammered steel kni fe blades can hard ly be got

now , andonly at an enormous pri ce. We observe that

o u rknives last foravery short period,as compared with

o u r fathers'

,and w e observe , too ,

that d innerknives are

increasingly cheap . T h e blades, l ike fire- irons and grid s ,are mere ly cast, not hammered at all, and therefore they

are britt le and soft , stand no wear, soon rust and ch ip,and fal l ou t of th e hand les . T h e hand les themselves

turn ye l low and crack before they have been in u se a

yearor tw o ,and th e razor- fine blade worn down to th e

shape and s i ze of an oyster- kni fe,in its strong and good ly

sett ing, is a th ing of th e past.

As to shape, noth ing can be c lums ier than th e

fash ionable one, wh ich grows everlargerand heav ier, i t istrue

,but which can have had no ut i l i tarian origin unless

in days when th e masterof th e house was so commonly

in l iquor at h is meals that round -ended knives werethought safest for h is eyes. This m ay explain

,too , th e

wafer- l ike d isc which ends some old- fash ioned po inted

blades . At any rate th e po inted end,with blade and

hand le both suffic ient ly curved to g ive th e hand agood

GENERAL APPL ICA TIONS.

h ave to see and u se so constant ly as knives, forks , and

spoons .

T h e subj ec t of table glass is treated at some length

in my Art of Beau ty .

’

{Bianum t t eaThere is noth ing in th e who le fami ly of furni ture so

unmanageable as th e modern piano forte , and yet in

every house where all round cu l ture is appreciated , a

p iano mustbe . T h e grand piano takes up as much room

as adozen people , and in th e most cantankerous fashion,

all e lbows and angles, and wherever i t stands it looks

ponderous and unw ie ldy , l ike ab ig three- legged monster

w i thout ahead . T h e smal l cottage presents amost u n

p i cturesque front , and ast i l l more unpleas ing back,th e

h igh gloss and mach ine- cut face overs i lk are supported

by a squat paral le logram of a body and th e goutiest

legs . T h e coarse des igns wh ich happened toi

accom pany

improved mechanism seem to have convinced many that

noth ing can be done for th e p ianoforte ; but of course ,

if th e same qual i t ies of m ind are brought to bear on

pianoforte cases as have been devoted to o therart ic les of

fu rni ture, abeaut ifu l form is not beyond human power.

Given th e talent, enthus iasm ,and fast id ious sk i l l which

Pal issy, and Bou le, and G ibbons, and Mart in lav ished ontheir des igns, jo ined to ful l understand ing of th e m e

chanical requirements, and why m ay not th e piano forte

appeal as del ightfu l ly to th e eye as to th e ear3

I t neverseems to occur to people that th is piece of

furni ture, as much as acurtain, orcab inet, or carpet, has

P I AZVOFOR TE S . 3 19

its ow n part in th e good orbad ensem ble of th e draw ing

room,its effect upon th e inhabi tants becom ing or th e

reverse, as much as any otherprom inent detai l of back

ground . People with otherwise good taste wi l l force alarge p ianoforte of rosewood into adraw m g-room wh i ch

boasts no oth erscrap of rosewood to bearou t th e co lour,and noth ing e lse b ig enough to balance i t . This kind

F IG . 65 . Cottage ’ pianoforte , with decorated back .

of blunder cannot be excused by a love of mus i c , anymore than amere part ial ity for c lo thes can excu se such

garments as are ugly and use less . T h e quest ion is, h owto rem edy i t

,

I t does not requ ire avery soaring geni us to dev isesometh ing better than flat dark surfaces, where th e

co lourdoes not affect th e resonance of th e wood nor th e

32 0 GENERAL APPL[CA TI ONS.

shape add material ly to th e tone, as in avio l in. S lender

co l umns support ing a s l ight ly project ing corni ce wou ld

in no wise injure th e tonal val ue of a co ttage Erard .

Some tracery orarches of Go th ic form migh t replace th e

patch of green cotton at back these, when th e piano

forte stood wel l ou t in th e room , could be fi l led by

handsome Oriental jars without contac t with th e in

strument . Marqueterie would be harmless, too ,foreven

a Stradu ariu s viol in,that m irac le of resonance

,has its

dainty pu rfling,though it does not wearvu lgar lumps

of mach ine - carving on its edges . A paral le logram

4—12x 4 x I foot is sure ly capable of being treated arch i

tectu rally in such a manner as to make it a beau t ifu l

and agreeable object ; and i f th e coverwere arched , or

roof- shaped , there wou ld no longer be a poss ib i l ity of

its be ing used as th e general she lf.

T h e s ize of agrand p iano cannot be interfered w i th,

as th is represents th e length and d isposi t ion of th e

strings but its shape could of course be improved and

its co lourvaried to any extent . Instead of having to beconcealed by s i lken hang ings, as in asth etic houses it is ,why shou ld not th e vast expanse of top be inlaid with

metals, oreven treated p i ctorial ly, s ince th e surface is , or

ought to be, kept free from stand ing obj ects so that in

opening i t during performance, a subject of real interestwou ld offera handsome apo logy for th e erect mass of

wood .

T h e Dutch used to paint pictures on the ir tables ;why should w e not paint p ictures on grand piano - l ids

amore seemly place than a table- top

Ins ide th e covers, various smal l cavi ties offeras many

3 2 2 GENERAL APPLICA TIONS.

form,firstrate in execut ion, every surface wh ich required

to be decorated (in a very chaste and s imple manner)w i thout interfering w i th th e demands of mu s i cal con

struct ion,was so decorated , here with a smal l floriated

pattern in go ld , there w ith wel l - cu t open-work , here

again w i th some l i tt le monogram ordevice .

T h e instrument can be stud ied at th e South

Kens ington M useum ,to which w e were able to comm i t

a Eu ph onicon p iano some years ago . I t is very

pretty th e utmost length of string is drawn upward on

aharp - shaped iron frame, and th e strings are exposed

l ike aharp’s, w ith a s im i lareffect . T h e shorterstrings .

are h idden in cases wh i ch present somewhat th e appear

ance of reversed v io lonce l los ; these are made of good

l ight - co loured wood , contrast ing pleasant ly wi th th e

dark glossy rosewood of th e fore- part . On these cases

are painted s l ight patterns in go l d,and a l i t t le go l d is

carried up th e harp - l ike frame . T h e hammers and other

mechanism wh ich in a grand p ianoforte are s i tuated

nearest th e keyboard , are concealed in th e lowerpart of

th e instrument , in fact th e mach inery of strings appears

to be upside down,and th e Eu ph onicon is therefore

tuned from th e bottom .

Personal experience of th e E u ph onicon must admit

that th e iron frame renders i t heavier than an ord inary

cottage p ianoforte, wh i lst th e exposure of th e stringsprobably renders th e tone , though sweet

,less powerfu l

than when they are stretched against a sound board—r

at least for concerted mus ic

For draw m g-room u se

, however, and for th e vo i ce,th e Eu phonicon seems to m e as much more su itable

P I ANOFOR TES 32 3

than a loud Erard , orBroadwood , as i t is more grace~

fu l : i t is in fac t an effort o f genius , anew and poet ic

creat ion, not founded at all on th e usual pattern,but

who l ly d i st inc t .

I t is to be hoped that some enterprising firm wi l l

one day rev ive th is art ist i c andneat des ign,wh ich ought

to drive o u t of th e field th e vulgari t ies of th e c lumsy

form w e have borne w i th so long,as w e bore all th e

othereyesores fash ionable between 1 8 2 0 and 1 860 .

T h e old spinet was no eyesore : nor were harpsi

chord , virginal , clavi chord , th e gent le steps to modern

mechani cal perfect ion. Mary Queen of Sco ts had a

v irg inal made of oak, inlaid w i th cedar and richly

ornamented w i th go ld . B irds,flowers

,and leaves were

painted on th e cover and s ides,of wh i ch th e co lours

are st i l l bright , and th e l id is i l l uminated w i th agrand

process ion of warriors , whom a bevy of fair lad ies are

propit iat ing by presents of w ine and fru i t . How far

back th e pretty old name carries u s , to p i cturesque t imes

when devout nuns played upon the ir prec ious v irg inal

soft m inorhymns to Mary Mother, at evensong, unw i tt ing

of th e almost ferociously loud effec ts required by future

ears Queen E l i zabeth is described in th e Memo irs ’

of Sir James Me lv i l,as play ing ‘

exce l lent ly we l l ’ on

th e v irg inals,better thanh ers isterof Scot land .

T h e harps ichord was pretty,too , its tw o keyboard s

gave i t d ignity, though Sebast ian Bach l iked i t less than

th e c lav ichord, with its smal ler scale but more flex ible

qual i ty of tone . I n I 760 a first- class harps ichord by

Ru cker cost one hundred gu ineas .

Evelyn speaks of ‘ a new invented instrument '

of

Y 2

324 GENERAL APPLICA TI ONS.

m u siq, being a harps i chord with gu t strings, sound ing

l ike a concert of v io ls w i th an organ, made vo cal by a

wheel,and a zone of parchment that ru bb

’

dhori zontal ly

against th e strings

A t th e South Kens ington M useum there are variousnstru m ents which m ight give u s hints for c loth ing a

mach ine to which w e ow e so much inte l lectual de l ight,

and wh ich is already worth alarge su m, eyesore as i t is .

We are to ld that forty- eight d i fferent materials are used

in construct ing ap iano , laying s ixteen di fferent countries

under contribution,and employing forty- two d i fferent

hands . I n th e Great Exh ibi t ion of 1 85 1 there were

some handsome ly cased pianofortes Erard'

s grand was

val ued at 1,oooZ. , Broadwood

’

s at but I have

hardly seen any real ly p icturesque case if w e exc lude

Mr. A lmaTadema’

s andMr. Burne J ones’ p ianos and

th e Eu ph onicon. EvenMr. A l fred Morrison’

s inlaid case

des igned by Owen J ones is rather staring than refined .

Indeed , th e who le outl ine requ ires mod ification. T h e

p ictorial decorat ions of th e old instruments w i th keyso f prec ious stones and agate

,and exqu is i te inlaying

where in th e seams are only vis ible by a magni fying

glass, are th e best ensamples for modern sk i l l and dai ly

improving taste .

T h e old square flat p iano of th e Empire t ime is lessobj ectionable than th e ord inary one

,and I have seen a

modern p ianoforte of that flat shape,made in l ight wood

,

wh ich by comparison is almost pleas ing .

A total ly nove l des ign for an upright grand pianoforte

,and one which has many advantages

,is wel l worth

qu onng.

32 6 GENERAL APPLICATI ONS.

seated player being natural ly raised to aproperhe ight

for a stand ing aud ience, instead of be ing buried at a

breath less leve l . Th is p iano wou ld also take less room

than a grand p iano upon a p latform : it would occupy

th e area of a cottage p iano . T h e keyboard is in fac t

bu i l t on a leve l w i th th e uppermost part of th e body ;th e length of string commonly carried into a bulky

obstac le wh ich conceals th e player from half th e hearers,whetherh e faces them ornot

,and must to some extent

damage th e sound,is here carried down into th e platform

beneath h is feet . I t should be s trung d iagonal ly . T h e

square paral le logram is thus of th e ord inary scope,bu t

th e platform i tself is ut i l ised as asound - board and th is

platform m ay be open or closed,decorated or plain, ac

cord ing to cho ice,and th e port ion occupied by th e player

detached if necessary from th e port ion requ ired for th esound - board . T h e effect wou ld be much betterthan th e

present unpopular co ttage grand,w i thout be ing as u n

w ieldy as th e flat grand . Of course th e platform ,l ight,

but strengthened by b eams,wou ld be furnished w i th

sunk castors .

T h e smal ler s tratagems formend ing th e ugl iness of

p ianos are se ldom very successfu l . Some persons w h odo not care to incur th e expense of a new case, carry

bookshelves all round th e p iano,wh ich then seems set in

adeep ni che , wh ich has an organ- l ike effect,th e front of

th e case be ing replaced by painted or g i l t canvas, orembro idery. Th is usual ly

,however

,prevents th e l id

from properly opening, and deadens th e sound .

Others have th e who le flat glossy case inc ised in

good convent ional patterns, and t inted (no costly process) ,

DOORS. 32 7

which simu lates inlaid woods and carving. But these are

all makesh ifts .

T h e shape ofap ianoforte ought at least to be as m eéz'

le

as a s ideboard , in wh i ch th e patterns vary great ly,

though all founded on th e primal ideal of shelves,

drawers,and ce l larets .

I f w e cou ld u se th e decorat ive propert ies of strings

as in th e E u ph onicon, and mount th e body, flat or u p

right,upon supports better than th e tw o, or three ,

swe l led legs, such as wel l- cu t arches , or masterly statu

ettes,oreven mere Doric co l umns or sp irals in suffi c ient

number to form a proper base for so heavy amass of

dark co lo u r— we shou ld already have gained an impor

tant v ictory over th e last and most stubborn re l i c of

tasteless vulgari ty.

EDu nrs.

Doors always look better carried up to th e cornice,

e itherarched or end ing in aw ell- mode l led l intel . Geor

g ian houses have somet imes charm ing doors of so l id

mahogany,which compare favourably w i th ou rord inary

deal door of poor des ign,painted wh ite or smeared

w i th stain and varnish to look eccles iast ical . ’ A handsome headp iece can always be added to a mean door

w i th improved effect,such as those bas-re l iefs of class i c

aim w e see in last- century houses, and wh ich bear p ick

ing o u t w i th co lourvery we l l . Orap i cture m ay be set

there pane l -w ise, to annih i late th e unmeaning space

between th e top o f th e door and th e ce i l ing. T h e

p ict u re shou ld be a l ife- s ize head (th is is agood refuge

32 8GENERAL APPL ICA TI ONS.

foraKne l ler daub) , not some minute landscape whichtortures th e eye

w ith uncertainty every t ime i t meets i t

and a s im i larmou lding to that of th e doorshou ld form

its frame.Down th e s ides of th e door carvings of

F IG . 68 .—Iron bolt, French , about 1 550 .

Gibbons’

s schoo l m ay be carried , wreaths or scro l ls,heavy ors l ight, painted orplain.

I n ahouse with some pretens ions to m ediaeval treat

ment th e doors m ay be ornamented w i th e laborate

h inges, or even bo l ts, a form of decorat ion so e legant

that i t is curious h ow se ldom'

it is employed . These

look best on a flat door,and m ay be underlaid with

330 GENERAL APPLICA T I OAS.

panels of doors offer agood fie ld fordecorat ion,and it

has become needless to observe that these must rece ive

attent ion,for people now rather overtrim the ir doors .

Pane ls of Japanese orEngl ish paperof fine des ign m ay

Content those w h o canno t obtain someth ing better, and

I have seen doors very we l l papered . Others m ay paint

orget art ists to paint such pane ls with flowers in th e

Japanese style,treat ing th e pane ls as window- openings

F I G . 69 .

-Georgian lock .

behind wh ich th e boughs appear, and al lowing th e jamb

to cu t through th e des ign where necessary . Go ld pane lsm ay be treated in a varie ty of ways ; shie lds of armsare su i table to panels, and so no doubt are ‘

subj ects ’

of

h igher pretens ion— portrai ts, views, and i l l ustrat ionsfrom favouri te authors .

Many people complain that having made theirdoorsbeaut ifu l and hav ing therefore got fond of them

,they

have to qu i t them'

when their lease is up .Th is

,h ow

ever, is a de lusion, as doors are easy to l ift off their

DOORS. 331

hinges, and not cost ly to replace ; and, i f they were

worth i t,ought as fairly to fo l low their owner as h is

water- co lour sketches and carpets . I have seen doors

decorated by upho lsterers to represent mother- of- pearl

inlay ing. Why not have th e real mother-of- pearl in

stead of th e effete resemblance ?

Those whose houses be long to them m ight take far

more trou ble w ith so consp icuous a part of th e bu i ld ing

than they do . They m ight indu lge in doors such as

th e late Mr. W i l l iam Burges designed forh is own house,

in bronze, w i th charm ing bas -re l iefs fu l l of humour

and grace,wh ich rem ind one -of F lorence andv

'

Gh iberti.

With easy h inges bronze is not too heavy a material

fora door,and th e effect is certainly extreme ly fine

,th e

bronze wears into such splend id co louring .

T h e.

del icate , bas-re l iefs on th e doors of P isaCathedral can never be forgotten by th ose w h o have

s tud ied them '

: i t is d ifficu lt to know w h i ch to prefer,th e

lower part wh i ch by constant hand l ing has become

brown and go ld , or th e upper part wh i ch has growngreen w i th th e greenness of th e summer sea, through

ne t erbe ing touched at all— and th e designs of homedoors m ay be of any k ind , from smal l arabesques to

th e h istory of England . T h e bronze m ay be so l id,

or appl ied in th in repel/art‘s plates

,and when y ou

have accepted th e not ion of metal ornament,th e ad

ditional decorat ions,such as m inute quant i t ies of go ld

or th e introduction of .crystal,agate

,and pebbles, crowd

u pon th e asp iring m ind w i th A ladd in- l ike splendour.

Instead of wh ich, people such as th e I tal ians and

Paris ians paint deal to I GOR like bronze

332 GENERAL APPLICATI ONS.

Why people should hang works of art. on wal ls

éetw een'doors where often they can hard ly be enjoyed

forth e chairs that intervene and th e people that scu ffle,

yet neverplace them upon doors which must face you ,and y ou only, as you open them , and are always within

th e l ine of s ight,is one of those many problems for

which ou r century is remarkable. I n old days th e re

verse plan was adopted— but then th e benighted fo lk

did not cons ider that canvas and co loured pastes were

th e so le vehic le fi t forfirst- class art isti c talent, and that

every othermaterial was infradag. I wonder whether

Ghiberti , and Rucker, and Vischer, and Krafft, and,

G ibbons, wou ld be adm i tted to th e Royal Academy i fthey sent up the irworks to -day , or whether they wou l d

be ejected as ironmongers and founders and carpenters

because they had not used paint ormarble ? I am sure

that very few private persons would employ them those

many brave Bri tons w h o go to th e Royal Academyw ith adealer, and ask h im what pictures they shal l buy.

As aru le, one s ide of every doorshould be protected

by a curtain for th e prevent ion of those i cy draughts

w hich every thoughtfu l bu i lder constructs for th e benefitof h is brotherth e undertaker. Such a screen increasesth e comfort of every room

, even when th e fire is b igenough to burn John Huss. I t actual ly saves coal , by

d ispens ing with such abonfire, and th e outlay in apretty

dhurrie orru g for th is purpose I s th e more repay ing if itd iminishes in any degree th e creat ion of yel low fog.

334GENERAL APPLICA TIONS.

carv ings of hunt ing and o ther scenes , some of th e

smal ler panels form ing drawers convenient for c igars ,brushes

,string, 810 ,

that are wanted always handy

some form ing smal l she lves , on w h i ch ablue tobac co -jar

orab i t of majo l ica looks de l ightful .

But th e ch imney i tse l f is always of one construct ion,

w ide and open,and th e fire has to be very large which

w i l l warm abig room orhal l where there is that trem en

dous draught .

I n th e e ighteenth century th e passion for Ch inese

porce lain,nzagoz

‘

s,and th e imitat ions in Del ft pottery (a

taste imported by W i l l iam extended th e shelves

from th e wal ls to th e mantel - pieces . A t Hampton Court ,&c . ,

w e see th e woodwork adapted to ho ld these innu

m erable co l lections .

I n th e seventeenth century Old Stone and h is

father, master-mason to James I . , probably worked at

mante l - shel f des igns . Eve lyn says h e ' went ‘

to L am

beth , to that rare magaz ine of marble, to take orderfor

ch imney- p ieces, &c.,for

'

Mr.

'

Godolph in’

s house . T h e

owner of th e w orkes’

had bu i l t for h im selfe a pretty

dwe l l ing- house th is Dutchman had contracted w i th th e

Genoese forall the irmarble .

’ Grinl ing G ibbons carved fo

l iage andbusts on ch imney- p ieces of l ime ando therwh i te

woods ; andh e founded aschoo l of exce l lent carvers , w h o

cont inued , throughout th e fo l low ing century, work ing

in soft woods, w h i ch demand great precis ion of hand ,’

because adm itt ingof’ h o t entative cu ts orafter- po l ish ing

w ithsandpaper,and inwhich blunderscannot be amended.

T h e Georgian carvers contemporary with Lou is XV . haveleft many fine ch imney - p ieces in old houses.

MANTEL-P I ECES. 335

I n many old houses aflat panel l ing in l inen- pat tern

or d iaper above a s imple shel f has avery good effect,

FI G 70 .

— Inlaid pil lar, in th e church of AraCoeli, at R om e .

336 GENERA L APPLICA TI ONS.

and marks th e separat ion of th e fireplace and its who le

back ing from th e remaindero f th e wal ls, wh ich I th ink

ought always to be suggested— someth ing of th e shrine

look .Decorat ive pi l lars , which m ay we l l be appropriate

in support ing th e we ight of a loaded she l f or chimney

glass, m ight be des igned from th e I tal ian spiral co l umns

in th e church of AraCoel i at Rome : fine and e laborate

work w ou ld be qu i te in place .

A large mirror (pace all Empire—Annites) always

looks wel l above th e fire, i f th e shel f be low , as aw indow

does ; and is convenient there, because one can look at

onesel f and warm one’

s feet s imu ltaneous ly bu t unless

th e frame of th e glass is tru ly awork of art i t ought to

be unnot iceable,and in th e latter case i t is far better

treated as a panel and bui l t into th e wal l,than laid

against i t . I inc l ine to th ink th e mirror- frame ought

to be of s im i lar material to th e mante l - piece and ap

parently part of i t . A bevel led mirror usual ly lookshandsomer than aplain one.

Wh i lst search ing for i deas foravery poorfire-placeof my own I vainly overhau led th e many manuals of

good adv ice now dai ly pouring from th e press— among

them House Decorat ion ’

in th e Art at Home seriesa series, by th e way , which , cons idering h ow good was

th e primal not ion,has been i l l - carried ou t by th e wri ters,

and is meagre in suggest ions to a m iracle. Not a h intforth e real beaut ify ing of stoves

,norof th e house ins ide

or ou t,was to be found , save th e t ime worn command

to destroy th e m irrors and have Queen Anne fendersand th e i l l ustrat ions, which are pecul iarly Ameri can incharacter, bet tersu ited th e art ic les in Scribner’s I l l us

338 GE JVE RAL APPLICA TIONS.

ceeded i t . I t wou ld be no thankless effort now i f some

of ou rRoyal Academic ians could bring themselves to

des ign fireplaces of metal , wood , s late, and terra- cotta

wh ich m ight become ‘standard ,

’

and bring grist to

th e m i l l as th e publ i c found good patterns with in reach .

Noth ing so disfigu res aroom as ameagre, mean l i ttle

fireplace— amante l - piece of marble six inches broad, or

black compos i t ion po l ished l ike th e mirror of som e

infernal goddess .

But , be ing condemned to some such erection in a

leaseho ld house, let none fear that a fine look ing glassis ou t of place orcannot be we l l placed where people

are most l ike ly to u se i t . Abi l ity m tg/at to be able to

make good u se of so fine apotent ial ornament . L et th e

c lock, too , inhab i t th e same consp i cuous place — it is anu isance not to . know where to seek th e t ime of day

bu t th e c lock must deserve its pos it ion. Some very fineold Lou is XV. and Lou is XVI . c locks , brass or gi lt

,

m ay st i l l be picked up at sales, represent ing figures of

T ime , or Phaeton w ith h is horses, or Minervahe lmed

,

all model led in good , nervous style,very di fferent from

th e boneless inani t ies wh ich s imper and lo l lop in c lockshops. A few fine p ieces of bronze

,ch ina

,ordamascened

work are su i ted on th e mante l- shel f,wh ich m ay be re

qu ired for empty teacups, &c .

, and shou ld thereforeoffer a cranny or two w i th in easy reach

, even’

if th e

main she l f is high . I wonder t hat green or streaky

s late is not oftenerused formantel - p ieces it is no t dear,and wou ld look we l l in ah ighly- co loured room .

T h e ord inary wh ite marble mante l p iece is, as I have

said , amost d isagreeable object . Not because i t is of

GRATES AND STOVE S. 339

wh ite marble, bu t because th e mach ine - carv ing is dis

gracefu l ly coarse and incons istent, and th e material,

wh ich is very conspicuous, is not carried o u t by marble

anywhere e lse . Inoffens ive plainness is a shade better

than offens ive ornament : e ither can be concealed by acovering of embro idery, or ve lvet

,st i ff eno u gh not to

droop,and stretched flat so as to adm i t of bru sh ing .

Festooned ve lvet is always d irty , and not fi t to be

touched lace, in my Op inion,is unsu i table as aforesaid

,

because i t looks l ike dress- leav ings, mus l in most absurd

of all. T h e s ides of an ugly mante l -piece m ay be h idden

by old bu l l ion embro ideries secured on th in wood w i th

very good effect .

I make these suggest ions for those w h o, having the ir

hOu se’

on lease, do not choose to make th e land lord a

present of a new mante l - p iece . For those w h o do,I

suggest carry ing th e marble jambs up th e wal l to enclose

th e look ing- glass .

emirates anti 5 10 11 2 5 .

T h e fau l t of most fires is that they do not warm th e

room , wh i le they do drain th e pocket . Modern sc ienceis seek ing to prov ide a th in, vert ical fire, about fo ur or

five inches from back to front, wh i ch presents in fact th esmal lest poss ible face to th e ch imney and th e largest to

th e room , thus economis ing fuel andgaining heat. How

to keep such a fire from go ing o u t,and h ow to make

th e surround ing mach inery p icturesque,is , I th ink ,

hard ly yet afall aeronzpli. Most people are g iv ingupth e large c ircu lar burnished eyesores wh ich drive a

340 GENERAL A P P L I CAT1ON S

conscient ious housemaid wi ld , and y et at present th is

k ind of stove, we l l fi l led , throws o u t th e most warmth

I t does so,however

,only at a cost repugnant to

inte l l igence— th e waste of tw o - th irds of th e heat of

th e fuel . Th is waste is not innocuous e i ther,i t c logs

th e ch imney with soot,i t smothers th e furniture w i th

b lacks, i t burns down th e house, and i t sows death

broadcast in th e heavy brown fogs wh ich exist upon th e

fatal union of damp w i th coal - smoke . I t ought to be a

stringent law that every househo ld , l ike every factory in

town,shou ld consume its ow n smoke bu t unt i l w e can

get that law passed it is a duty owed to someth ing elsethan o u rpocket, to d iminish what goes up th e ch imney

or ut i l ise i t forits properpurpose, warmth with indoors .

T h e new anthrac i te coal prom ises to he lp u s,but is

hardly yet suffi c ient ly manageable or suffic ient ly cheap

to be recommended .

T h e greater th e draught through th e fire, th e less

heat natural ly passes into th e room . Some stoves w i l l

roar themselves hoarse, and y et theirm uch cry betokensl itt le woo l— they throw ou t no heat , and devour ceaseless scutt les of coal others smoulder su lk i ly all day ,

though pampered w ith fue l , and wi l l not even roar.

A certain basket- shaped stove t hat used to be in

vogue in fashionable houses certainly throws ou t agooddeal of heat ; it is shal low, and th e surface presented to

th e room is broad , be ing m ainly th e '

su m m it of th e fire ;

th e draught is so managed as to carry th e smoke up

th e ch imney, al though th is is set cons iderab ly backward .

T he Norw ich stove, which so .many people have fled to

as a sure refuge, is moderately successfu l— not more .


hand ; i t is more horrib le to have a burning nose and

co l d hands . Fried toes alone are smal l comfort , so is

one h ot ear, y et i t is real ly not . poss ible to be equal ly

warm all round bes ide a fire .

T h e ideal cond i t ion of th ings wou ld probably be a

smal l fire whereby one can sit soc iably,whi lst th e rest

of t h e room is moderate ly warmed by p ipes . Mode

rately ,I say advised ly , s ince most people w h o u se p ipes

accustom themse lves to a temperature which is very -apt

to cause congest ion of th e l ungs on entering it aftera

co ld walk . I n my Op inion,a s i tt ing-room over 55

°

Fahrenhe i t is unheal thy,and extreme ly l ikely to induce

co lds .

Bu i lders have very l itt le regard to e i ther comfort or

heal th in theirmach inat ions (by - th e-by e, h ow Often'

th e

bu i lder and plumber ‘ undertake funerals I n tw o

th ings they are incorrig ible— scamp ing th e drains ~and

mak ing th e dooroppos i te th e fire .

T h e econom ic s im i lari ty of London houses oftenm akes th is lat ter plan necessary

, and in such casesscreens andporfz

'

eres ought to be largely used . Peopleo ften wonder h ow i t is that they catch co l d wh i le s itt ing

by th e fire , and they seldom cons ider that th e door ise i therat right angles or oppos ite to th e stove , so that a

draught , always created by afire, exac tly catches them .

Ch i ldren, too, often escape co lds forweeks in anurseryw hen a fire has not yet been adm i tted ; d irectly firesare begun, co lds are rampant ; th is is caused by th e

draught wh ich is created.

by th e fire . Here pipes againo fferaso lut ion of th e mystery h ow to be warm .

Gas might be more u sed than i t is for k itchens, as

GRA TES '

AND STOVE S. 343

we l l as rooms where fires are only occasional ly wanted

and probably when th e e lec tri c l ight comes into popu lar

u se, such stoves w i l l be th e so le refuge of th e gas

companies .

I considermost of th e asbestos fires a de l us ion and

a snare,but i t is not th e fau lt of gas or asbestos

,but

of th e purveyors w h o advert ise them at a certain pri ce

bu t treble it in fi tt ing, wh ich renders such fires farmore

expens ive than most ord inary ones ; at least such is my

experience .

They do not throw ou t heat correspond ingly with

the ir i l l Odour and propens i ty to get o u t of order, and

undoubted ly they burn unl imited quant it ies of gas .

Properly fi tted and managed,however, gas ought to

be farmore econom i c than coal, as th e stove can take

up less room and th e ent ire heat m ay be more eas i ly

u t i l ised . Soyer says h e roasted a who le ox for th e

Royal Agricu l tural So c iety ’

s banquet in 1 8 50 at a cost

of less than 5s . for gas, with in a space of 6 ft . 6 in. in‘

length by 3 ft . 3 in. w ide, afew bri cks and a few sheets

of iron,w i th 2 16 smal l jets of gas coming through s- inch

p ipes , represent ing th e who le apparatus .

Close gas stoves are much used in France,where

people are thrifty,and close stoves of every kind are of

course more economical than o u r open fire-places .

K i tchen stoves on th e princ iple of th e Leam ingtonranges are recommended in all books upon cheap and

good cookeny , as very l i ttle fuel is needed th e fue l m aybe of th e cheapest k ind

,there is no fearof spo i l ing th e

provis ions by'

fal l ing soot,or smoke gett ing under th e

l ids,and th e cook ing utens i ls requ ired are not many :

344 GENERAL APP LICA TIONS.

T h e best stoves for warming rooms are George’

s Calo

rigen,which are made with adouble pipe, for th e pu r

pose of ( I ) carry ing th e fou l airup th e ch imney ore lse

where, and (2 ) admitt ing fresh air, wh ich i t warm s

du ring adm ission, th e true secret of good venti lat ion.

.étntnz (armam ents.

Draperies about that pent - u p tiger, th e fire , as I

have already said , to m e seem always a fau l t in taste .

However heavy, however unl ikely to catch fire, they

always look as though they meant to , and w i th anydraught they are apt to bal loon in an annoying fashion.

Norw ich grates m ight surely be constructed with a

drawer- plate (wh ich hard ly ever s l ides down easi ly)e longated so as

,i f requ ired , to reach th e hearth : th is

flat surface , l ike a bl ind, wou ld Offer capi tal opportuni

t ies forwrought- iron decorat ion in bas- re l ief or s imple

inc is ion ; th is protected by suffic ient depth of ridge

at each s ide to admi t Of constant pu l l ing up and down.

Noth ing cou ld be a better sh iel d for th is k ind of stove

for th e u se of th e i dle grate wou ld not be denied ,though decorated

,and th e t i les would remain vis ible .

When wi l l somebody invent afine bas-rel ief des ign in

l ieu of th e mock Japanese ornament whi ch w e are so

t ired of in these grates ? andwhen w i l l i t occur to someone that bars m ight as wel l be twisted

,knotted , or net

work fash ion,as th e inev itable straight or bowed b i t of

iron of c lumsy th ickness wh ich forms th e consp i cuou s

port ion of every grate ? People wander over Franceand Germany seeking for those s imple old iron fire


w rou gh tm u n.

Before qu i tt ing th e subj ect of iron as appl ied to

stoves,I m ay add a few words upon its meri ts in other

k inds of decorat ion. I n th e last century cons iderable

interest rev ived in iron as wel l as bronze for rai l ings ,balustrades 8Lc. ,

through Caffieri’

s and Gal l ien’

s talent

in England w e find first-rate des igns underth e Georges,among them th e common patterns of halberds erect

around th e house is not unworthy of ment ion. But

th e art of working and cast ing in iron is of remo te

ant iqu ity , Sculptu re in cast iron is attributed to

Theodore of Samos,8 50 B.C. T h e chroni c le of Pharos

places th e invent ion of wrought - iron in th e year 2 1 5

before th e Trojan war; but i t was not t i l l after that war

that th e Greeks abandoned weapons of tempered brass

for weapons of iron,wh i ch must have awakened th e

genius of many art ists since ~ th e name of Hippasis , a

celebrated chaserin iron,has come down to u s . I n th e

middle ages no h ing can exceed th e e laborat ion of arms ,of locks and keys, of h inges, false and real . I n th e

twelfth century sk i l l was almost in perfect ion. I n th e

fourteenth century they mounted th e . iron lace-work on

red cloth for latches, th e plates of locks, and to embel l ishth e chests.

T h e art is so thoroughly English,that th e common

ness of ou rname Smith has been attributed to th e preponderance of workers in metal ; as has th e average of

heal th and muscu lar prowess among famil ies bearing

that name , to th e fact that a good smith must be a

WROUGHT 347

s trong m an. Germany has been long renowned for h er

wrought - iron ornaments, and there is exqu is ite French

work in th i s metal , from th e fi fteenth century to th e

F I G . 7 1 . Iron bo lt, sixteenth century .

s ixteenth , as de l i cate as natural vegetat ion and refined

by advanced art knowledge . Some of th e old keys are

perfect j ewels of iron, containing h istori c and rel ig ious

'


scenes of marve l lous minuteness in labyrinths of fo l iage

and tracery ; th e bo l ts and locks are often most beau t i

fu l ; m irror- frames again are as e legant as s i lver,in

repoz/sse’

and wrought- iron ; and h ow many a lamp in a

modern drawing room m ight humbly emulate th e superb

lanterns of th e s ixteenth and seventeenth centuries !

F IG . 7 2 .—Mirrorwith wrough t- iron fram e .

Work of th is kind , though no doubt at a lowerstandard than th e old, can for th e most part only beObtained of German blacksm i ths and cut lers.

T imeseems too valuable in England to encourage any hopeof elaborate and loving labour; wh i lst brain,

curious ly

CHAPTER VI I I .

LIGH TING AND VEN T/L A T I ON .

abs taining fl igh ts.

NT I L th e electri c light is more manageable

than it now is,there are but tw o ways of

l ight ing rooms— gas or lamps and cand les .

Gas is th e cheapest and th e least trouble, but

it is th e most destruct ive to furni ture and p i ctures, th e

least heal thy , and th e least becom ing . Lamps are th e

next best , if th ey canbe induced not to smel l ; wax cand les

are th e best of all, if they can be warranted not to bow .

‘What is that cand le looking down at m e for said

a suspic ious ch i ld , watch ing one that was burning bus i ly

ups ide down,and shedd ing as much grease as it cou ld.

And i t wou ld be we l l if Chandlers made cand les a l i tt le

harder, so that awarm evening wou ld not so affect their

spines .

T h e main l ight ought to be concentrated as much as

poss ible in one spot . This is nearest to anatural effect ,forth e su n is neverin two or three places at once, and

w i l l be found becom ing to faces and th e fo lds of dresses

BECOMI NG L I GHTS. 331

(when dresses have'

any ) . But l ights w i l l be required in

corners where .obscuri ty is .apt to become depress ing and

to check conversat ion. People .are l ike b irds , they are

s i lent in a dark room , and th ink of ghosts, but they

beg in to tw i tteras soon as they can see each other. On

F I G . 73 .

— T h e golden candlestick, from th e Arch of Titus.

th e Who le, one b ig chande l ier containing agreat numberof candles, and a few cande labra, of some fine form

s im i lar to that of th e lost Jew ish treasure carved roughly

from memory on th e Arch of T i tus, orcand les stand ing

s ingly in pretty cand lest icks,l ight aroom best . Lamps

m ay be sim i larly arranged . Bu t it shou ld always be

352 GENERAL A P PLICA TI ONS.

remembered that faces look best ( i f w e m ay venture

to d isagree with Queen E l i zabeth) with the ir natural

shadows, wh ich g ive that‘ draw ing ’

to them always

m issed on th e stage when th e foot l ights glare up from

below— an unbecom ing l ight, bu t one wh ich is val uable

to actresses , whose faces wou ld be left who l ly in shade

by l ights placed high , and thus inv is ible to th e loft ier

spectators .

A sens ible woman wi l l always have h er s i tt ing-room

l igh t,formany reasons of heal th

,convenience, and work

but not too l ight . A woman w h o is gett ing on wi l l

not sit w i th h erback to th e l ight, that negress - effect is

not pretty, bu t sh e wil l sit at a respectfu l d istance from

th e l ight . Sh e w i l l have th e window by day , th e lamps

by night , so arranged as to throw broad, bu t not heavy

and not ins ignificant shadows . T h e l ight must not come

from too h igh a po int ; e lse every s l ight inequal i ty o f

surface becomes accentuated , every cheek past its first

youth recal ls a skul l , every eye that does not require

them gains sunken ho l lows, and th e flat eyes that do

need ashade beneath them are too few to make such acost worth while. L ight, as in nature ,

shou ld come from

above, bu t as in nature only when it is we l l d iffused,not

concentrated as in art ific ial l ight ing .

W ithout some attention to these th ings,your room

gets th e reputat ion of be ing an unbecom ing room just

as some hostesses get th e reputat ion of never hav ing

pretty guests . Nobody wants to look ten or twenty

years o lder than h e is (at least unt i l aftere ighty, whenit becomes a po int of pride to emulate Methuselah)and th e mass ive c/ziarosenro wh ich is adm ired in an Old

354 GENERAL APPLICA TIONS.

a great hal l , as a bronze Hercu les or a real ly wel l

model led elephant . I have seen copies in marble and

terra- cotta, of c lass i c statues adapted to gas-jets and

lamps which they support in theirhands , and th e effect

is somet imes ne i ther unnatural nor ugly, for a human

be ing can ho l d a lamp . Terra- cotta is a material so

faci le and inexpensive that it might be oftener used to

reproduce real ly fine des igns of artists of cal ibre, where

th e sound knowledge of th e frame, and th e firm nervous

handl ing leave noth ing to be des ired . But anything

suggest ing animal forms which is short of fi rst-rare wi l l

be avo ided by people w h o ei therhave taste orw h o wish

to seem to have i t . Andas almost all modern designs

in plate, biscu i t, plaster gi l t , bronze, &c. so l d in big

shops are mode l led by so- cal led art ists ’ with th e bestintent ions and soaring fancy

,bu t no adequate knowledge

of anatomy, I th ink those w h o cannot employ a RoyalAcademic ian forsuch ornaments hadbettere i theradhereto standard reproduct ions of ant iques

, or— avoid animal

forms al together.

e u nt zatetl fl igh ts .

Concealed l ights are not so much in u se as they

might be . T h e effect of amoon unseen albei t at fu l l ’

m ay often be Obtained forsome faint - co loured pi cture,hard ly vis ible when a glaring lamp is he ld between i tand th e eye, by a concealed lamp w i th th e right k ind of

shade . Lum inous po ints, s i lvery, murky, rosy, are oftenwanted for certain effects, l it tle surprises beh ind screensor in s ide -ni ches which seem fairly magical when th e

PUMPS AND PI PE S. 55

source is hidden, and changes of white l ight for t inted

l ight are Often very beaut i fu l .

However, when th e e lectri c l ight comes into common

u se,th e problem h ow to l ight adequate ly a large room

without heat ing it w i l l be so lved . I have seen th e

picture gal lery at th e F i tzw i l l iam M useum ,at Cambridge

,

successful ly l ighted by e lectric ity subdued by a t inted

globe ; Lord Sal isbury has introduced i t at Hatfield ;but a revo lu t ion in dress- co lours and wal l - co lours w i l l

doubtless fo l low its introduction in private houses,for

some of ou rnow fashionable co lours,special ly intended

for u se by th e yel low l ight of gas, are great ly al tered

underth e e lectri c rays ; and th e complexion i tsel f su ffers

at present . Blues and peacock -greens become painfu l ly

vivid wh i le yel low, which nearly d isappears undergas,keeps its natural co lour.

19 11111115 111111 pipes.

Venti lat ion can only be considered in connect ionwith art and beauty because there can be no enjoyment

of e itherw i thout heal th , and heal th is now seen to be

largely dependent on ou rsani tary condit ions. A prettyroom stabbed through with knife - l ike draughts

, orstu ffyand pervaded by drain- odours, no more agrees w i th th elovers of th e fi t and beaut ifu l than an airy comfortableone co loured w ith J udson’

s dyes . But th e d i fficu lt ies of

vent i lat ing rooms wh ich are fashionably crowded arenearly insuperable, because a certain number of cub ic

feet of fresh airought only to be breathed by a certainnumberof lu ngs, whereas, w hen too many people inhab i t

A A 2

356 GENERAL APPL I CA TI ONS.

th e space, th e air ought to be mechani cal ly changed

w i th adequate speed , and this can sure ly only be done

by apump .

Tobin’

s method , which brings th e outs ide air into

rooms through p ipes wh ich are carried some feet up

th e s ides of wal ls, is perhaps th e ch eapest‘

and most

eflicaciou s .

’ I t can be appl ied by any inte l l igent

bu i lder, and th e p ipes, whetherangu larorround , can be

d ecorated in such a way as to rather improve than

detract from th e look of th e room . Beauty in a'

room

does not cons ist in unbroken planes of co lour from

corner to corner; and any j u tting Object ough t to be

hai led as an opportuni ty, as th e old i l luminators

hai led aflaw in th e vel l um . A pipe therefore can be

covered with arabesques in paint ormou lded stucco ,and

made part of th e fabric of th e wal l w ith al i t t le ingenu i ty .

I t could be treated arch i tectural ly as th e stal k of a large

convent ional ised flower. See what th e anc ient Egypt ians

d id with th e lo tus, what innumerable subj ects they drew

from that one plant ; and h ow eas i ly they could have

made a Tob in p ipe into a co l umn or port ion of a

co lumn fluted up into flower forms . A ho l low flower

cou ld eas i ly d isguise th e ugly and l umpish po int of

ingress for th e air, wh ich cou ld be as wel l regu lated

beh ind fluted petals as behind any other angles . Or

such pipes at regular intervals cou ld be enlarged intos l igh t co l umns support ing a l ightly rel ieved arcade,forming we l l - shaped pane ls fordecorat ion. Again

,th e

convent ional halbert wh ich re l ieves every corner in old

D utch arch itecture at once suggests i tsel f as a capital

c loak forTobin pipes . A very l i tt le thought w i l l mode l


i nt izém u ts.

Many persons object to windows be ing much open

during th e summeron acco unt of th e invas ions of blacks .

Many years ago I tried nai l ing up aguard of th in strong

musl in,co loured green orrod, w h i ch is certainly rather

usefu l in defeat ing th e largest soot - flakes, and does not

exclude th e air or l ight . I t shou ld be often changed

otherw ise th e soot with wh i ch it becomes charged de

taches i tself by its own we ight from th e musl in and

enters th e room . Those London su fferers w h o u se

wh i te curtains w i l l find th e few pence requ ired for th e

mus l in wel l spent on th is harmless k ind of— no pu n,

please— black guard .

I t is said that th e reg ister in stoves shou ld neverbe

c losed for th e sake of vent i lat ion ; but I th ink that

openings higherin th e room where th eairenters w ithout

pass ing over afield of soot are far better,and th e air

must be betterand c leaner. T h e chance of a soot - fal l

with its penetrat ing odour,to say noth ing of a sore

down- draught of one’

s ne ighbours’ smoke at any

moment , renders an open register a very d isagreeable

means of vent i lat ing ade l i cate ly - furnished room .

Ho l low wal ls lend themselves better to purposes of

vent i lat ion than so l id ones,and keep th e room warmer

in w interand coo lerin summer, as th e enc losed layerof

air is comparat ively a non- conductor of heat . They

m ight be oftener used with advantage ; especial ly for

detached houses and those on a damp so i l , as they

effectual ly keep ou t damp ; and they are sai d to keep

DRA I N VE I VT I L A T I OlV. 359

ou t sound better than so l id wal ls— wh ich wou ld be a

blessm g when th e next- doorneighbours l ike to play th e

p iano,and th ink they can.

Punkahs in some mechani cal form might also be used

in th is country for vent i lat ion, part i c u larly for crowded

draw ing-rooms, schoo lrooms, and churches .

Drain tt cnt tlation.

T h e drain-quest ion is too serious to be res igned to

th e doubtfu l integri ty of bu i lders or th e bungl ing work

mansh ip of ignorant p lumbers . I t shou ld be stud ied,

and mastered , by every househo lderon whom th e heal th

and l ives of o thers depend , for th e vent i lat ion of th e

drains is of more consequence than that of any room,

because they are often hermet ical ly sealed up, andMen

th e smal lest escape of th e evi l gases,generated by th is

seal ing,means death .

Vent i lat ing p ipes to th e topmost po int of th e roof

are of th e first importance to a heal thy house,unt il th e

circu larroad of progress brings u s back, as i t threatensto do

,to th e Old- fashioned system of open drains along

th e street . A las ! th e negl igence of one'

s ne ighbourm ay be as fatal to one

’

s own ch i ld as negl igence at

home and it w i l l be ared- letter- day when th e measures

d iscussed by th e Publ ic Heal th Conference in J une

1 880 for competent sani tary inspect ion and insurance

(sic) of all dwel l ings, receive th e sanct ion of th e Leg islatu re . Mr. C . N . Cresswe l l proposes to c lass ify all

dwellings and grant cert ificates of sani tary effic iency

in much the same way as L loyd’

s Associat ion grants


cert ificates of th e sea-worth iness of vessels for th e m er

cantile marine. Why someth ing of th e kind has not been

arranged long ago is th e natural question. Private

persons have indeed in rare cases ins isted upon asani

tary cert ificate w i th the irhouses, renewable from t ime to

t ime but such precautions among afew are of l i tt le real

value, s ince one’

s ne ighbour’s s ins are as dangerous as

one’

s own.

T h e organisat ion of County Boards for th e further

ance of th is object and th e format ion of publ ic opinion

strong enough to check th e interested oppos i t ion on th e

part of owners of property is but a matter of t ime .

Every one of u s m ay add h is m i te of pressure in a

movement so v i tal to th e interests of those w e love .

I am glad to hear that a number of d ist ingu ished

scient ific m en have already been e lected on th e H onorary

Counc i l of th e proposed Sani tary Assurance So c iety,recent ly prov is ional ly approved by th e Board of Tradeamong them Professors Tyndall and Frankland .

362 GENERAL AP PL I CATI ONS.

is th e form of beauty resu ltant from your eflorts. Avery l itt le, any bright scrap , pleases th e uneducated

m an,and to h im i t is beauty . As h is brain develops

by study of its impress ions and its favourite assoc iat ions,h e is less eas i ly sat isfied ; demands change, rel ief from

th e intensi ty of th is or that sensat ion of pleasure orpain.

Bu t comfort, pleasantness, propriety ,on wh i ch beauty

depends, can only be determ ined by th e nerves them

selves, and as th e facu lt ies of ind iv iduals d i ffer,l ike the ir

figures,th e blatant customs of consecrating th is wood

to th e dining-room , that to th e boudo ir— th is fabri c to

th e chair, that to the curtain— deprive ou r homes of all

character, and Engl ish art of all v igour.

When beauty is t ied down in a trap,sh e has th e

facu lty Of evad ing i t ; l ike th e lark in th e Ch inese

palace, wherein sh e cou ld not sing as in th e w i ld freewoods .

Art is long, though l i fe and its laws are brief. I

have tried to show h ow th e broad princ iples enunciated in my first chapters have been borne ou t by allth e schoo ls of art furniture .

I n th e fourteenth- century room, th e mass of mono

tone necessary to re l ieve th e bright frescoes,tapestries

,

and costumes was prov ided— perhaps by d irt —certainly

by th e broad shadows inseparable from low -p i tched roomswith th ick wal ls and smal l w indows. I n aLou is XIV .

room , th e necessary monotone was sought by th e art ificially chequered glow of Bou le furni ture

,l ighted up at

certain po ints art ist ical ly by metal mounts ; th e Stuartroom had its dark oak wainscot and furnit ure

,th e

Georgian had its mottled wood—marquetry, and damask

CHORDS I N COLOUR. 363

wal ls th e Lou is S ei ze room provided plenteous grey

by means of its blended Opal t ints . Against amonotoneall bright obj ects look doubly effect ive but th e mono

tone must not be monotonous, i t m ust be broken up

d iscreet ly not by smal l contrasting objects which have

a spotty effect , but by carefu l ly regu lated tones of s imilar

t int . A shady room requ ires no mass of monotone from

th e decorator, i t has it by nat ure .

No art ist al lows a large unbrokenmass of one co lour

in h is picture,but h e as carefu l ly avo ids pat ch iness and

spo ts . I t is farmore d ifficu lt to blend brigh t colours

beaut ifu l ly than du l l ones ; but th e bright co lours are

best,afterall th e sunny fields are fairerthan th e gloomy

ones , though of both w e m ay say ,‘ beho ld , i t is very good .

’

I f there were a fixed law that only one kind of art

had asound basis— what would have become of all th e

schoo ls , all fresh effort, and honest amb i t ion ? w e shou ld

have had no cho i ce offered u s from th is land or that .

We are free : let u s u se o u r freedom w i th d iscretionand

kind l iness.

«t h orns in ( talent .

I have wri tten so much in my prev ious book, th e‘ Art of Beauty

,

’ upon th e qual i t ies of co lours, and the ir

effect on human faces,that I m ay wel l refermy readers

to i t for h ints ; for th e co lours wh ich are fi t for dress

are fi t forfurni ture,wh ich is a k ind of detached dress ,

influenc ing appearance in somewhat th e same way .

Certain comb inat ions occur to every thoughtfu l student

of natural effects, in flowers, insects, m inerals, &c. , which

364 GENERAL APPL! CA TI ONS

are eminent ly su i table forou rwal ls and o u rgarments .

A few stri ke th e m ind at once , whetherorthodox ornot

I . Cream white and Turkey red.

2 . Crimson velvet, pale blue , and salmon- co lour

of course I am asked , what is salmon- co lour? Look atapiece of salmon.

3. Brown and crimson,making bronze or flam e

co lour; palest blue.

4 . Cream and v io let (th e co lour of a

ani l ine) . T h e two shou ld be carried into each o ther, by

s lender arabesque des igns of each co lour upon th e

other; or by th e dul l murrey- co lour formed by the ir

m ixture.

5. Blue and green care is requ ired what blue and

what green.

6 . Salmon- co lourand choco late, with sage- green.

7 . Maroon and pal l id sea- green.

8 . Blue and p ink with brown, sea-weed - l ike .

9 . Turkey redand s late- co loursho t .I 0 . S i lvergrey, mixed salmon and primrose -acom

binat ion I have repeatedly tried with pleasant resu lts .

I I . Amber, orange, crimson,sage-green.

1 2 . Pure white and carnat ion— very vio lent, requiresaft to combine wel l .13. Primrose and dark green.

14. Cowsl ip co lours— observe one.

I 5. Pale yel low and choco late— see common butter

16 . Du l l l i lac , rose - colour,and Tussore co lour.

1 cou l d go on forever,for th e combinat ions are end

less, and a room co loured after this or that natural

366 GENERAL APPL I CA T I OI VS .

which inevitably fal l upon th e wal ls of a room : stand

off,g ive yourwho le great m ind to th e subject fora few

moments , and beho ld , you canno t fai l to see what is

most becom ing . Ergo, what su i ts one fresh face, su its

another what su i ts one pale, rubicu nd , sal low, brown or

grey face, su its another.

You cannot— it wou ld be inhospitable to—u

paint your

wal ls w i th a co lour that only becomes yourse l f you can

and you ought to select a general , warm , comfortable

t int that is agreeable to th e majori ty. Exceptions must

of course take care of themselves .

A beautifu l complexion,l ike grey hair, is easy

enough to cater for. Everything is becoming to i t, and

i t enhances most co lours . Bu t th e ord inary heal thy

face, nei ther beauteous nor plain,without any vivid

co lours,is th e safest gu ide . As w e see when w e lay ou r

hands on gay fabrics, every co lour suggests its com

plem entary ; and th e more vivid th e co lour, th e more

pronounced th e suggest ion of its Oppos i te . Bl u e is apt

to turn th e skin ye l low, and only su i ts those very fair

skins which need a l i tt le warmth and l uminosi ty ; it

Often sui ts th e hairwhen it does not su it th e face, and

so th e cheek is unwisely sacrificed to th e (so - cal led)

golden locks . Green,both dark and l ight , Often creates

th e same ye l lowness, a sal low pal lor, but avery y ellow

green,l ike ripe moss

,does th e reverse . R ed of a soft

subdued k ind is very becoming : a v ivid red l ike that

cal led Turkey, worn w i th daffod i ls, a vio lent m ixture

much affected by prae-Raphae l i tes,shou ld never be

braved w i thout th e safeguard of a lovely complex ion

cream and roses— it darkens th e skin so much . I m ay

HELPERS. 367

add,co lours so strong are real ly painful , irri tat ing , to

some sens i t ive spectators ; and unselfish people shou l d

not d isregard a fact forwh ich there is always a sc ient ifi c

reason. I have known th e comfort and th e e loquence

of adist ingu ished m an to be checked by th e propinqu i ty

of a mass of distastefu l red. I can sympath ise,s ince

there is ap ierc ing,acrid

,ani l ine blue, in adress of which

I cou ld hardly talk to my dearest friend (only I know

no friend wou ld wear i t) . Ye l low is extremely dis~

agreeable to many persons, al though th e co lour real ly

suits most faces,wh i ch in London are always apt to be

sal low th e brightest ye l low pales down immensely by

gas or any yel low l ight, even i f over- strong by th e

e lectri c l ight of th e day . Primrose becomes white, and

l ike real wh ite, that m eans grey. Of course every co lour

is less v io lent on awal l than in adress wh ich constant ly

crosses th e l ight, on account of th e softening influence

of th e shadows and d istance, and I have seen bright red

in awal l (not dark red,which is very d ifficu l t to l ight) ,

broken by ancient pi cture- frames of deep -cu t,variegated

go l d,form agood and not too obtrus ive background to

persons w h o would have been ru ined by dresses of such

red.

h elpers.

Of course you canno t yourse lves paint yourWal ls or

paper them I hope y ou have someth ing better to do

A real ly thoughtfu l decoratorw h o can m ix paints and

respect your l ik ings is invaluable . He w i l l come i f youcal l forh im— cal l loud ly enough .


I f you want an industrious s lave to furnish yourroom

aftera g iven period because you have not patience to

co l lect th e e lements,that is one th ing ; h e l ives round

th e corner, and makes it h is bus iness to‘ pick u p,

’

or

ratherfabricate, pieces of furni ture which h e th inks su it

able. Bu t if you want an adv iserw h o ,nat ural ly gifted

with art feel ing, has turned h is powers in th e d irection

of house - decorat ion,and w h o decorates by harmonis ing

th e laws of art w i th th e tastes , hab its, and needs of

th e inmates— if you want such a m an, you must wai t

for him,h e does not l ive round th e corner; h e is not

ubiqu itous .

Many houses decorated by Mr. W i l l iam Wal lace,

which are wel l re l ieved by ind ividual i ty of th e highest

c lass, deserve ment ion. Mr. John Stevenson’

s house,

bui lt and decorated by h imse lf, and several houses

decorated by Owen Jones, and espec ial ly by Cottier, are

val u able contributions to domesti c art . T h e names of

baddecorators, large and d ismal as my experience is both

of the irpowers and the irprices, I forbear to give.

There are people w h o love l ight - large windows

wh ich open eas i ly,smal l carpets which are eas i ly shaken

,

gay co lours . L et them have them . There are o thers

w h o l ike darkness, and prefer th e smal lest panes and

most d ifficu lt bo l ts and hinges : give them the ir way ,

in no o ther wise can w e get th e ind ividual e lement,

originality ,in aroom . There are shorts ighted persons

w h o dread po l ished boards (wh ich are no doubt ahatefu linst i tut ion and destruct ive of all grace of gai t) and th e

u p- turned corners of rugs : give them a secure large

s ingle carpet . Some l ike short dumpy curtains that


whose co lours cannot be put off l ike agown, and there

fore aroom does not admit of such vio lent contrasts and

surprises as dress which is soon changed . St i l l i t is not

for such sad souls— at least in theirsadness— that beauty

ri pens h er free, sweet gifts ; and as th e lesson of l i fe is

to bearand to recover, i t is akind l ier task to cheer than

to depress, though it shou ld be done with tact and

tenderness.

L et, then,ou r homes reflect ou r warmest and most

sympath ising moods so'

far as art has th e making of

them ,and let th e art be th e very best o f its kind , h ow

ever l i tt le . L et them fi t ou rdai ly wants as th e she l l its

fi sh and th e plume its bird .

tat lpcrs tu ba faint er.

I have said much abou t loving and stud y ing art, and

much abou t th e importance of th ink ing ou t one’

s ow n

conc lusions ; bu t for th e sake of th e many w h o need a

he lping hand at first,w h o must have aid to bring forth

th e budd ing ideas without overmuch labourand sorrow,

I must addaword ortwo about ou rhelpers .

Wh o are o u rhelpers

T h e art ists Ought to be : those w h o have had th e

energy, th e advantages of study and educat ion,and have

grown, orare growing-rich upon th e popu lar interest in

aesthet ics . But w h o wou ld everdream of send ing for a

Royal Academician to paint h is wal ls and ce i l ings now ?

T o apprec iate art, w e mu st understand i t ; to under

stand it, w e must have i t su ffi ciently about u s,w i th in o u r

reach , awai ting th e momentary glance or thought when

HELPERS PVHO HI NDER.

th e mind isopen, easy, w ithdrawn from sord id preoccu

pations .

But th e art ists themse lves ( I'

am speaking co l lect

ively ,w i th noble except ions in

“

my mind) h inder th e

pu blic'

from ever amend ing,by keeping th e best art

beyond the irreach , and grant ing them , for th e maturing

of their taste, only th e refuse of their ow n study . One

wou ld th ink somet imes in hearing these gent lemen’

s

remarks, and espec ial ly in reading art ists’ wri tten V I CWS

on art, that i t is a prim e~

privilege to gaze at the ir

p ictures once or twi ce in agal lery, and that for th is no

payment can be too high , no pat ience too great . But

what do w e ow e them ? They seem to ‘

gru dge th e

unfortunate publ ic every pearl (if pearl i t be) wh i ch they

scatter. They forget h ow cost ly it is for a fam i ly to

v is i t even th e Royal Academy often.. They talk of th e

art ist ’s ‘noble independence ’

of public op inion ; and of

h is ‘ moral courage ’

in destroying whatever pleases th e

Outs ider’s ey e, as th e painterLeys is sai d to have done,as though they hard ly knew th e meaning of th e wordsthey u se .

But they teach u s l i tt le, and that grudgingly and of

necessi ty,w i thout

,I fear, be ing at all independent of the

buzz ing adm irers w h o buy the irpi ctures .

I t is true,w e see in all Engl ish art of th e

'

h ighest

aim , from Watts’

s lofty and poet i c'

concept ions to

P oynter’

s unmerc ifu l portrai ts, from Le ighton’

s sweet

opal ghosts to Millais’s cost ly sketches,that art is

meant to be a th ing apart , not for th e herd : not to

teach th e herd , norgladden it , but to sat isfy those w h o

can j udge accurate ly of th e sk i l l expended .

'

Th is inB E Z


itself is no generous but a vainglorious inst inct , under

ly ing th e art ists ’ contempt for t/ze u nknow ing,th e

beasts of th e people.

’

How can w e thank, h ow great ly shou ld w e honour,

those few m en w h o, repud iating c lass-prej ud ice, deign to

recognise th e sole real funct ion of th e art ist— to educate

th e unknow ing, to chronic le th e best thoughts, aspirat ions,sympath ies of h is period , represented by that herd of

wh ich h e h imse l f forms one atom,as th e priest educates

and teaches those from whose ranks h e sprang . Mr.

Walter Crane, Mr. Burne Jones, Mr. Charles East lake ,Mr. Morris

,Mr. Owen J ones, Mr. Wil l iam Burges

, w h o

be ing an architect was pecu l iarly fit ted to understand

h ow to harmonise co lourandconstruct ion, have des igned

forwal l - papers, w indows, curtains, plate ; Mr. Cal decott,

l i ke Mr. Crane, for cheap ch i ld ish books , and thus havehad more influence in rais ing publ i c taste in ‘

some of

th e least of these,

’ than th e rest have had in hal f a

century’

s exh ibit ing at th e Royal Academy and BondStreet show-rooms .

Arch i tects shou ld all be decorators , and vice versti,

and no artists shou ld be above des igning fora ce i l ing or

pane l now ,as they neverwere of old. I f i t be infradig:

to paint on plaster orwood, why not on th i ck rags— i.e .

canvas?

But bow is th e artist to educate this publ ic whom h eso scorns ? By giving them h is best work, by habitu

at ing them to good work in all th ings great and smal l

t i l l they libe i t , j ust as th e m iss ionary habituates th e

savage to c ivi l ised manners unt i l they become necessary

to h im . Farbe i t from m e to speak d isrespectfu l ly of th e

374 GENERAL APP L I CA T 1ONs .

loved orencouraged by th e masses (though th e general

publ ic do care forart and forbeau ty when they can get

i t) . T h e publ i c supports th e p icture gal leries , publ i c and

private, though th e pract ice of pay ing one sh i l l ing per

head to see one p icture forafew m inutes is awrong and

m isch ievous one. Ou rart ists’ p ict ures ought to be free

to all during some port ion of th e year.

T h e real reason of th e‘

difference between th e aims

and resu lts of anc ient and modern art is that th e publ i c

hav ing been excluded from .easy reach of th e best art,

forget its true u se and val ue ;and the ir ignorance re-acts

inj uriously on th e art ist because h e is,afterall, one of

them,and cannot breathe another atmosphere than

that of h is t ime . He is respons ible for the ir dulness .

Certain people ’

s affe cted adm irat ion of Leys destroy ingwhatever pleased th e outs ider

,comb ined w i th the ir

morb id object ion to fau l t—finding (w h i ch they cal l‘ cri t i c ism stamps them as fretfu l porcupines indeed .

I f th e publ ic find fau l t , they are rai led at : i f they are

pleased , w h y then destroy th e work — it m u st be worth

less : i f th e publ ic are si lent,where is th e proper en

cou ragem ent of art ?

T h e assert ion that th e old masters were indi fferentto theirpubl ic , i t is necessary to answer with aquery

When and w h o ? Not Ho lbein, paint ing portrai ts ,sadd les, wal ls, designing forbrooches and confectionery

,

and anyth ing e lse h e was to ld to do . Not Cimabue,

s i tt ing in h is shed Open to passers -by , and hearing the ircri t i c isms pro and eon— and w h o knows h ow in con

sequence h e m ay have mod ified th is and that , perce iv ing

that h is meaning was not clear or that some stronger

HELPER S WHO HI NDER. 37 5

chord might be touched How grand was that strength

wh ich bore and courted cri t ic ism and made i t serve

h im— for h ow e lse w on h e that tremendous populari ty ,so that h is Madonna was borne through th e glad c i ty

in a pageant— save by educat ing- u p h is publ ic , be ing

always in contact with th e publ i c, express ing the ir

deepest emot ions, th e sp iri t of h is t ime ?

How d id all th e Go th ic painters and decorators

become great , but by speak ing th e heart of th e people

ou t,in language they could all understand When

books were not, or few , th e art ist was th e nat ion’

s

spokesman,and had h e been deaf to what was wanted

in h is t ime , h e wou ld have starved at th e least .

How d id th e great Renascence painters w in th e worldbu t by th e same sympathy w i th its impulses ? How d id

Gh ibert i triumph in th e compet i t ion for th e Cathedral

doors even against such rivals as Donate l lo and Brunellesch i

,but because h e had courted crit i c ism by work

ing openly among th e people, and so profited by hints inpraise and blame from every quarterwhereby h e carried

th e who le c ity with h im ? 1 Many another name risesup to rebuke th e morb id angerof art ists w i th ‘

outsiders .

’

L et th e true knight enter th e arenaw ith robusterframe .

There is no surers ign of weakness than adread of being

touched , be th e cri t ics wise or s i l ly ; th e potifer to

crit i c ise, l ike th e power of free-w i l l,is a common right

w h i ch shou ld be fostered,gu ided aright

,not crushed .

T h e Go th i c and Renascence masters became greatbecause they caught th e sp iri t of th e people and ex

pressed i t to perfect ion. They carried th e language of

Vasari .

376 GENERAL APPL I CATI ONS.

art to its apex . Their mastery of th e too ls was com

plete ; bu t it was not th e mastery of too ls which made

them great, bu t theirhav ing someth ing to say , and not

only th e sense to say i t, but th e determinat ion to be

understood .

tithe on: masters’ maintain.

Probably this stupendous ski l fulness has damaged

u s somewhat . Evers ince paint ing became techni cal ly

unsurpassable, evers ince anatomy became a sc ience, th e

afterborns have been numbed,petrified by the ir very

apprec iat ion of th e accompl ished facts. None bu t thosew h o have tried it know th e d i fficu lt ies of tee/znigzze, th e

hand icraft bu t admirat ion of genius ought not to stu ltify

effort in th e new work that l ies underou rhand— it is l ike

be ing so amazed at th e powers of Homer that w e wi l l

not wri te any new books .

Indeed , so necessary IS I t that art should be th e spon

taneou s product of its own t ime,that we m ay be some

t imes tempted to wish that there had never been any‘old masters ,

’

so fu l ly has the ir sk i l l nipped all future

orig inal i ty, and so often has the ir: pos ition been made a

throne forservi le incapac i ty. T h e great pi cture gal leries

have paralysed th e I tal ian paint ing of th e nineteenth

century . Hogarth fe lt th is about h is own age h e

says, among h is pithy remarks on th e new RoyalAcademy, ‘ I am to ld that one of their lead ing objects

w i l l be, send ing young m en abroad to study th e ant ique

statues, forsuch kind of stud ies m ay somet imes improvean exal ted geni us, bu t they wi l l not create i t ; and

378 GENERAL AP P L I CA TI OI VS .

fi rtorm from shalom.

Probably w e shal l never ge t th e priests w h o have

deve loped in th e present unheal thy, unhel pfu l schoo l to

do more for u s. St i l l th e demand w i l l create th e supply .

T h e reform w i l l come from below— from th e shops, in

fact .

As th e tradesmen find that th e publ ic d iscrim inate,and insist on bet ter des igns and better work, they w i l l

prov ide i t . A superior leve l of des igning powerw i l l be

found among th e shop - des igners,w h o w i l l begin to

attend art - classes,and m ode l from nature. Here and

there am an of genius wi l l spring up,and th e tradesman

w i l l have sense to recognise h im . Hosts of buyers w i l l

support th e impro ved standard of work thousands can

afford 5l. when not one in a thousand can afford 51 ol.Wal l -papers, gowns, jewellery, plate, ch ina, carpets, cabi

nets, and numberles s necessi t ies of dai ly l i fe w i l l becomeworks of art . We shal l get real ly good panels for ou r

rooms, real ly good fre sco -paint ing,if we demand i t, such

as m ay be obtained in I taly .

T /zen th e Ph i l ist ine w i l l no more buy a sketch in Oil

paint for a su m wh ich m ight pension a so l d ier or

h istorian and h is posteri ty for ever. T h e skilfu llest

works w i l l lose the ir fancy value, and wi l l stand on

theirmerits . There are already rumours that p i ctures‘ don

’

t se l l’

which wou ld have so ld a few years ago .

Tant nzieu x . We shal l do withou t o u rart ists— as they

pretend they can do without u s — and w e shal l havebetterart

M I SUSE OF PI CTURES. 379

m isu se of {nitrat es

Afterall,— when w e shake off th e fetters of associaw

t ion —what a rid icu lous object is a ‘ p icture ,’ hang ing

on awal l by a string ! What connect ion has i t w ith

th e wal l - co lour, which i t h ides ; or with the l ines of

th e pane ls,wh ich it com monly contrad icts ! Unless

bu i lt and fi tted into its place,real ly or ostens ibly

,a

‘ p icture ’

is sure ly an obj ect contrary to good taste

especial ly when anumberare crowded together; and

th e frame is often a sh ining eyesore. However beaut i

fu l th e work,is i t not unmeaning where it hangs ? A

p i cture is real ly meant to dece ive th e eye ; to create a

false v i sta, through a supposed opening in th e wal l .That is wh at p ict u res on wal ls were orig inal ly painted

for,to extend th e apparent area, much as am irrordoes

—pleasant where a fine real o utlook was unattainableT o th is end subj ects were painted on c lassi c wal ls

,as

w e find in th e Roman Hou se of Germ anicu s, and in

Pom pei ian frescoes , and their frames were th e arch itec

t ural structure of th e wal l . T o this end tapestries werewoven in Goth i c t imes

,and p ictures painted w ith arch i

tectu ralborders l ike alcoves, meant to be as decept ive as

poss ible. How ent ire ly,then

,w e m istake th e funct ion of

a p icture when w e h ang,for ins tance, a portrai t, where

by no mannerof means that person ‘

cou ld be — whenw e place apeacefu l landscape close adjo ining a batt lescene or sea- scape— or set a subj ect w i th smal l figuresnigh one with b ig figures wh ich be long to another focusof s ight al together! T o th e thoughtfu l spectator o u r

380 GENERAL APPLI CA TI ON S.

p icture-hanging is chaos, and th e c lassics wou ld hoo t u s,Annam aniacs andall

I s not a p i cture, rightly understood, a portable wal l

orpanel,and not to be hung up , l ike a hat or coat , on a

peg Ought not th e pane l - edge, now gi l t, because go ld

sets off p ic tures wel l, to be echoed in o ther panels or

openings, window s, doors, &c. ,in s im i lar pattern and

s imilar go ld ? We m ay excuse ourselves by th e ex i

gencies of poverty, ormodern cond it ions— but th e ex i

gencies shou ld be removed,th e fact remains.

Paint was intended to be appl ied in domesti c art, as

Mr. Wi l l iam Burges appl ied i t, as an outer finish to

permanent construct ions of every kind ; i f on awal l itshould form apanel

,and m ay be treated in th e round

as asupposed outlook : if on furni ture, it shou ld inter

pret and adorn i t, and should be treated in th e flat ;

and this is arational view! Bu t th e q u est ion whether

wal l p ictures ought ever to represent natural scenes,or

whetherall mural decorat ion must be flat and convem

t ional ly treated, as some decorators,l ike Owen Jones ,

aver, w e must leave th e reformed art ists of th e future tofight ou t between them .

382 GENERAL APPL I CA T I O/VS .

ing associat ions worth keeping , in a good many cases

which w e neglect . We might plant more trees , as in Paris

andall cont inental towns, which wou ld not only improve

th e look but th e sani tary cond i t ion of th e atmosphere .

We m ight material ly improve th e drainage in places by

legis lat ing against fam i ly al l iances between sani tary in

spectors and bad land lords andw e m ight invent a form

of cement or paint suffi c iently waterproof to throw off

rainstream s without arrest ing th e soo t in them .

T h e advantage of trees in clearing th e airof smuts

m ust be apparent to allw h o have trees near theirhouses .

V irginiacreepers and otherplants on house- fronts are a

perpetual refreshment to th e eye in summer,and a few

boxes of gay flowers are aboon to all th e passers-by as

wel l as oneself.

But plants,in ou r d ul l streets

,do not tel l against

d irty bri ck . I recently not iced, for t/ze fi rs t tim e, a

creeper- smothered house in anarrow street I Often pass

but th e brickwork is so d ingy that it nei therthrows up th egreen

,as red brick would do

,noris material ly improved

by th e leaves, which in th e absence of much sunl ightform w i th it one uni form d ingy t int People oughtreal ly to po int the ir bri ck oftener, or cover i t , l ike th ec leanly Dutch , with a coat of paint over th is aqu ickgrow ing creeper wou ld be a real ly p icturesque orna

ment , as plants against aco loured fence invariably are .

For London-bred green th ings requ ire a background

which exh ib its them , as much as any o ther art ist i c

objects.

What a refreshment to th e eye wou ld be treesplanted along Regent Street, with an occasional seat

OUR CH I MNE YS . 383

su ch as Paris found good and necessary . Even in

w inter, when they are black and bare, th e netted branches

break th e blankness of th e scene . T h e object ion

h itherto urged is that ou rpopu lace are more destruct ive

than th e same class abroad ; and that all such decora

t ion wou ld be v is i ted by th e street Arab ’

s propensi ty to

cut s igns and wonders in th e bark . Bu t th is is no longer

aval id object ion. T h e Arab is mend ing h is ways as w emend lziin,

and th e hapless green strangers abou t th e

Thames Embankment and Le icester Square have cometo no great harm .

Among trees, th e plane appears one of th e best su i ted

to London. I t is less easi ly k i l led by soot than o thers ,ow ing to its cleanly personal hab i ts . I t strives so hard

to keep i tse l f who lesome by chang ing its bark yearby

year. T h e plane appears less popu larwith poets thano ther trees, and is seldom ment ioned ; it is hard to say

why; I t is avery stately tree, with abroad , handsome,we l l - cu t leaf cap i tal ly adapted to crack on th e fist after

th e mannerof schoo lboys and th e seeds,great bal ls of

soft green and brown ve lvet, are sure ly as pretty as

acorns

L et u s beaut ify o u rstreets by plant ing more treesand let u s cease to deface them by st i cking up metal

ch imney s .

®ar cabim neps.

T h e ch imneys of London are indeed aremarkableoutcome of c iv i l isat ion, and deserve more attent ion bu t

th e Engl ish sel dom l i ft the ir eyes in walk ing,be ing too


much afraid of pudd les, and hence th e ornaments upon

th e house- tops are great ly neglected .

I have often thought that a fore igner from th e wi lds

of VVeissnich two, some T eu felsdrOkh with a sense of

F I G . 74.—Ou r chim neys.

1 . Where are you going, m y dear? 5 . Any old hats Old hats to sel l2 . Jack T arbeset. 6 . Japanese art .3 . Consc ious V irtue . 7 . fEsth etes in ecstas ies.

4. Father, father, I com e to confess

humour,some Don Quixote, might easi ly suppose that

th e att itudes of chimneys bore some inte l l ig ible mean

ing. They real ly do look as though they meant some

th ing ; th e roof be ing a legitimate and conspicuous

386 GENERAL AP PL I CA TI ONS.

is endeared to u s even by soot . For generat ions w e

have repressed most ind iv idual attempts to be better

than th e rest , and part icu larly in dress and decorat ion

ins ide and outs ide th e house .

Wel l , human faces all look al ike i f they are su ffi

ciently grimy . Were such grim iness th e ru le, w e shou ld

hard ly not ice th e features, but shou ld have to dev ise

some system of numbering, l ike houses , in orderto know

people apart . But w e drew th e l ine at faces, though

outs ide slovenl iness and fi l th w ere th e rule t i l l recent ly

in th e o lder neighbourhoods,whether patric ian or

p lebeian. How long th e inhab i tants of Manchester,Berke ley

,and Portman Squares to lerated dead cats on

th e unkempt flowerbeds bu t they revo l ted at last , and

cal led for th e dustman and th e gardener. How long

have people bemoaned th e want of mural arch itecture in

England, unconsc ious that what they real ly wanted was

co lour, whereby to see w hat arch i tecture they had got

Gaz ing up at th e black faces Of th e c lubhouses,no bas

re l ief, no stucco pattern, or stone frieze caught th e eye

— why ? because th e proj ect ions,w h ich ought to te l l

l ight against th e shadows of depress ions,grew blacker

than th e depress ions j ust in proport ion to the irproject ion into th e sooty air. T h e result was that appear

ance of flatness and a level t int,for only occas ional ly

have w e sunshine enough to l ight up dark edges.

But indeed there is agood deal worth l ight ing up

a good deal worth mak ing vis ible— in o u r Londonfagades and porti cos . At th e beginning of th e Greek

revival a century since, a large number of bui ld ings

of considerab le meri t sprang up , designed by wel l

COLOURED HOUSES. 387

instructed arch itects, such as Inigo Jones, Chambers ,th e Adam ses— that is, th e meri t was that of a good

copy , th e original be ing o u t of reach but w ith all the ir

research for Att i c precedent, th e Greco -maniacs over

looked one thing wh ich,was unquest ionably Greek

co lour in th e streets . Excavat ion,and study, and th e

laborious suture of fragments had taught them much

g iven u s many beaut ifu l th ings ; but these were, afterall,th e bones w ithout th e flesh

, th e form w ithout th e l ife ; they

did not know then,as w e know now

,that th e frieze o f

th e Parthenon was ablaze of co lour, that all th e cap i tals

and bases whose dead forms were lovely possessed an

added grace wh ich had long decayed in th e earth .

Pal l Mal l is a street of palaces,but th e greaterpart

of u s have only ju st begun to suspect i t . T h e Regent ’sPark possesses who le terraces of admirable construct ion

Marylebone is fu l l of finely mode l led l intels and port i cos ,and even bas -rel iefs inserted in th e large blank spaces

,

which deserve more attent ion. But in London it is

poss ible to l ive with a superb bas- re l ief underone’

s eyesforyears and not know i t

,owing

, as I have said,first to

th e absence of sunl ight , and next to th e fact that in ou r

sooty air th e project ing port ions get blacker than the ir

ground , and so a leve l t int is formed . Bu t why th e

d irt shou ld be an argument against th e only remedy for

d irt is inconce ivable , and looks very much l ike a ‘ v i c ious

c irc le.

’

I n a. bright atmosphere no doubt co lours are

more bri l l iant, perhaps more enjoyed,and last longer;

but in a du l l one i t seems but common sense to t1y and

rel ievem onotony, even if i t has to be done very often.

Often, indeed . And here anotherquestion obtrudesC C 2


i tsel f immediately . Why w e should endure th e nu isance

of d irt, cost ly as i t is, Bri t ish conservatism alone knows .

There have been many suggest ions for clearing th e

carbon- laden atmosphere of London and Manchester,

but they do no t seem to be taken up by bui lders . T h e

system advocated by Mr. Spence in 1 87 1 , of each house

consum ing its own smoke or uti l ising i t by carrying it

through th e drains, is one which ought to have rece ived

more attent ion both from th e ph i lanthropic and m sth etic,

s ince th e deodorising of th e sewage by th e ammoniaproduced by burning coal migh t save many apreciousl ife perannum , and th e purifying of th e airby divert ing

th e smoke away from it would preserve,i f not l i fe

,at

least paint ! Ou rdarkest andmost misch ievous fogs arelarge ly composed of th e smoke driven westward from

th e east end of London. Ou r stat ist i cs show a graveproport ion of deaths by fog- po isoning as wel l as drainpo isoning . Mr. Spence w ou ld persuade u s that th is fogis real ly th e right th ing in th e wrong place ; and it

is possible that some day new attent ion to sani tary

m easures w i l l render ou r d irty city not only m ore

heal thy and more happy , but more beautifu l,by admit

t ing here th e sunl ight that real ly often exists ou tsideLondon in winteras we l l as in summer

,bu t cannot get

through ou r choking atmosphere . Mais revenons d nosm ou tons— ou r co loured houses . We lbeck Street (R ev.

H . R . Haw eis) took th e init iative in 1 8 7 3 in a ho u sepainted moss- green,

re l ieved by red and black in th e

reveals of th e windows and th e bal cony— an effort

almost s imultaneou sly supported by Townshend House

(Mr. A lmaTadema) in th e Regent ’s Park . T h e shock

390 GENERAL APP L I CA TI ONS.

Belgrave Square, and that of Lady Herbert of L ea,

denote th e convers ion of th e ari stocracy . W impo le andHarley Streets show some pretty comb inat ions of co lour— one late ly painted with a cap i tal m ixture of dul l

red re l ieved by ye l low (not Etruscan) , another in

lavender with crimson l ines, are real add i t ions to th e

movement, and form good andharmonious features . T h e

new'

hote l in Waterloo P lace has thus made i tsel f an

ornament to th e street . T h e Athenaeum C lub has

brought into V iew its fine frieze by co louring i t in tw o

t ints,throw ing up th e figures, pale ye l low on a red

ground , an enormous improvement . My own houseproves h ow aski lfu l u se of co lourenlarges th e apparent

si ze of th e w indows . Indeed , every l itt le scrap c f good

arch itectural work can be enunc iated by a l i tt le co lour,

much to th e rel ief of th e mal igned race of arch i tects,

and to that of shorts ighted pedestrians, w h o look for

th e bright space of co lour w i th far greater ease thanth e hal f-obl i terated lettering wh ich m ay or m ay not

o ccurat th e cornerof th e street .I t is amus ing, too, h ow often people w h o have been

bi tterest on these co loured houses when first painted areheard to say that

‘now that th e co lourhas toned down ’

(in about six weeks)‘ they real ly l ike i t extremely .

’

T h e fact is, th e paint has not‘ toned down

,

’ there hasnot been t ime ; but the ireye has got

‘ toned up — and

so th e c ircle widens . And w h o,looking at th e sour,

virid escent spasms which attack stucco in w et weather,

can honest ly think that defini te co lours w e l l combinedare not an improvement ? Co lours last clean ratherbetter than white ; they need cost no more, or very

STREE T NOMENCLA TURE .

l i tt le they are less trouble than po inting’ bri ck, and a

good advert isement for th e house painter.

I t w i l l no doubt be necessary before long to leg is late

for th is almost intemperate fi t of reform ; for such

terraces as Hanover and S u ssex,&c . , Regent

’

s Park,

ought unquest ionably to be co loured all at once , all

al ike, and i f poss ible by th e same hand,and th e con

current taste of th e inmates ought to be consu l ted by

th e landlords . But in streets or squares where th e most

heterogeneous arch itecture ex ists, heterogeneous co lour

(w i th properregard to laws Of art) can fairly be ~allow ed

and th e selfishness wh ich would re legate all brightness

and decorat ion to interiors ought to give way to th e

kinder impulse to put a l itt le of what pleases u s in o u r

homes,where th e people can enjoy it —outside ou r

ho u ses .

.é trcct fi nm cnclat u re.

Many of th e names of streets have a great h istori c

or legendary interest some , as in France, appears implyquaint

,such as R u e du C/zerc/ze llI idi, R u e du Grand

D iable, &c . Great m en, and great deeds, are, perhaps,in no wise better remembered than by a street name

,

wh ich is in so many mouths so many times aday and

Paris appears al ive to th e fact, s ince almost every change

in h erpo l i t ical system is commemorated by amost con

fus ing change in street names .

I n Antwerp it is pleasant to see h ow th e greatF lem ings l ive unforgotten in the irold haunts

,th e street

wherein they l ived , or a street hard by, bearing their“

392 GENERAL APPLI CA TI ONS.

names l ike a perpetual monument . Rubens and VanDyck are recal led again and again,

on th e corners of th e

streets, on th e restaurants, on th e quays, on th e barges

gl id ing about th e smooth Scheld t ; forthey are ranked by

virtue of theirgeni us as high as any weal thy noble, or

unscrupulous warrior, orsuccessfu l co tton- spinner,is in

England . I n fact, it is d ifficu l t to walk forfive m inutes

in any d irect ion w i thout seeing th e name of Rubens or

Van Dyck .

I n I taly th e great m en are remembered . T h e House

of Raphae l , of R ienz i , of P ietro daCortona, is po intedo u t by every vettu rino— where th e great m an was born,where h e worked , where h e addressed th e c ity, where h e

d ied,is not forgotten. We have many old Engl ish

streets named after th e trades or gui lds to which they

were given up, as Cornh i l l , Bread Street, Pou l try, Cord

wainer and S i lver Streets, Go ldsm i ths’

R ow, &c. ; and

th is is as i t shou ld be in a commerc ial cou ntry. We

have a few wh ich record proud deeds and names

Southampton Street, Strand , is named after LadyRache l Russel l, th e perfect wife, w h o was daughter of

th e Earl of Southampton Cumberland Street afterth e

victorof Cu-lloden F ield Trafalgar Square com m em or

ates av ictory but not th e V i ctor’s name. Some assoc iat ions w e should be sorry to g ive up — e .g. Knigh trider

Street was th e'

route of knights rid ing to take part inth e 'Sm ith field tourneys Essex Street

,Strand

,is named

afterE l izabeth’

s i l l- fated favourite Hare Court , Temple,afterSirN . Hare, th e same queen s Masterof th e Ro l ls .

Several LothairStreets sprang up afterLord Beaconsfiel d

’

s novel was publ ished , and of course every l itt le i l l

394GENERAL APPL I CA TI ONS.

w h o directed h im to th e celebrated birthplace. He was

moved by th e man’

s mannerto quest ion h im . Wh o was

th is m an Shakspere that they make th is fuss Over Did

h e belong to th e town,and what d id h e do ? ’ After a

perplexed pause, th e m an said h es i tat ingly : ‘ I th ink

sir, h e was a— k ind o’— writer.

’ ‘What d id h e wri te ?

pursued h is quest ioner, was i t in th e newspapers ? orth e

magaz ines orw as h e a s ign-wri ter— can’

t yo u te l l m e

any tltingr about h im I th ink

,sir,

’ then sai d th e m an

aftera st i l l longerhes itat ion,

‘ I t/zinb h e writ in B ible .

’

Mr. Irving added , after te l l ing m e th is story, that h e

cons idered this one of th e h ighest tributes that could be

paid to Shakspere.

.étrcet fi nisant es.

L ondon is no doubt annual ly improving . Thirty

years ago ou rmothers said that beggars were fewerand

meeker than of yore and with in th e last ten orfifteen

years, certain we l l - known Objects,bowed and twisted

and shivering, have d isappeared , and I have not seen

th e tw o Oxford Street cripples , one skat ing through l ife

on a l i tt le board , th e o ther crawling onward by th e aid

of c lubbed feet and an extens ive vocabu lary, for some

t ime. Moreover, dead cats and egg- shel ls are rarer, and

th e gardenerand th e dustman,as aforesaid

,give atten

t ion to th e once-neglected squares. So far, ugl iness is

decreasing in ou rstreets . But much remains to be done.

We cou ld al together dispense w i th th e bloated and

purple- faced ‘ flower-girls’

w h o sel l— horrid contrast l

vio lets and spring-flow ers, and abuse you i f you don’

t

STREE T N UI SANCES. 395

buy ; and th e street s ingers, whose mock - sorrow and

sharp glance warn y o u to keep your pocket - s ide away .

There are st i l l t imes when th e po l iceman wou ld be th e

greatest poss ible ornament to o u r streets— an ornament,

alas ! st i l l rare, and w i thout wh ich no other charm can

ex ist . And ' we yet nurse a w i l d hope that in th e far

future,wh ich w e m ay not l ive to see, covered streets, or

double streets, l ike th e Chester Rows, m ay be prov idedfor those hapless foot-passengers w h o must walk in all

weathers , an arrangement wh ich appears to succeed very

wel l in th e long R u e R ivo l i and th e V ictor EmanuelArcade at M i lan ; and last , not least, c lean cabs real ly

worth th e somewhat high fares w e already pay ,wh ich

w e m ight enterwithout fearof vermin or infect ion.

I n th is last matter, not only every cont inental,bu t

every provinc ialEngl ish , town is betteroff than London.

CHAP T ER XI .

GONCZ US I ON'

.

s hittigennu s’ Qflrt.

HUMBL Y trust that my stri c tures on modern

English decorat ions m ay open th e eyes of a

few to th e remed iable flaws in taste, andnecessi ty for founding an Engl ish schoo l of

des ign. Th is must be no poorcopy of th e thoughts of

other nat ions and races, and i t must be rather Goth ic

than Class ic in its type . At present, on rev iew ing nearly

fourcenturies of Bri t ish decorat ive work s ince th e Renascence, what m ay be said to stand forth as a tru ly ind igenous growth , orto have originated anything l ike aschoo l

Noth ing , save perhaps G ibbons’ carving, up to th e present

century . Ou r go ldsmiths and carvers m ay have beenmany and talented they m ay have varied somewhat th eforeign methods and des igns wh i ch they rece ived in th e

midd le ages they undoubtedly gave a certain orig inalstamp to th e arch itecture g iven u s by Saxons and Nor:

mans but art on th e who le must be cons idered an exot ic

398 GEJVERAL APPL I CA T I OA'

S .

extremely beaut ifu l and suggest ive both on cei l ing and

wal ls . I t is remarkable that during tw o recent v isits toCambridge

,I inqu ired of many res idents, Fellows of

Cplleges, &c. ,

w /zo conducted th e redecorat ion of th isimportant feature of Cambridge ; and to tal ly failed to

find ou t . Th is is i l lustrat ive of th e Engl ish interest in

art and good art-workmen.

Afteravear’s pat ient inqu iry I d iscovered that Mr.

Henry Ho l iday supervised th e work, which accounts for

its meri t .

Much remains to be done before England can claim

to be an art ist ic country . Modern teach ing has corrected

some blots in th e into lerable schoo l of des ign wh i ch

ushered in th e present century, bu t i t has not y et chased

from th e domest ic fiel d th e furniture which makes homeh ideous, nor taught people to th ink for themselves .

We must throw off th e i l l -fi tting c lassi c garb , whi ch ,as I have e lsewhere shown, w e have thri ce tried andfound unmanageable, and only take from class i c sources

th e princ iples wh ich made c lass ic art great, apply ing

them as beseems ou r cl imate, ou r c lasses,and o u r

nat ional character. T h e reform wi l l not come from

above, but from below— from th e people,not th e selfish

and soporific aesthetes.

’

I t must start from Goth i c t imes, éefore Rap/me], and

d isregard nicknames i f i t wou ld recover th e gracefu l

fac i l i ty and happy freedom which characterised Engl ish

fourteenth—century art, and made it a l iving product.

T h e spiri t is not dead , but s leepeth .

Whenou rmuseums are thrown Open on th e only dayin th e week (Sunday) when th e busy working m an can

HELP I N AJI A TE URS . 399

regu larly vis i t them— and h is vis i ts must be frequ ent tobe fru itfu l , not only on Bank ho l idays with h is arms fu l l

of bab ies - th e Engl ish art isan m ay suck in ideas of h is

own, andwhen h e is a more cu ltivated ind iv idual than

at present h e wi l l love h is work better, and pri ze h is owh

good name . A t present i t is o u r fau l t,th e customer’s in

fact,that h e is no better, and has neverhad th e advan

tages common to other European countries,where th e

workman has been more lovingly educated andh is name

bet terremembered .

T h e publ i c,wh o purchase, must also learn to appre

c iate what their art isans ach ieve . to d ist ingu ish good

work from scamped and not ignorant ly censure, nor

ignorant ly praise .

Andeach one of u s ind ividual ly m ay aid th e nat ion by

sel f- culture m ay make h is own house astand ing lesson

and protest,by merely caring h ow h is wal ls are covered,

and h ow h is goods are placed in j uxtapos i t ion. Whether

or not h e knows better than th e rest,h is caring and

ins ist ing on th e right of individual thought and actionare a support and assistance.

$9p in Qflinat t u rfi .

Noth ing wi l l he lp th e reform better than th e effortsof art- lov ing amateurs . Am ateur blacksm i ths, go l dsm iths , carpenters , weavers , inlayers, w i l l do more to

force meri t into profess ional quarters than any amountof letters in th e ‘ T imes

’

and preachments in booksj ustas th e victories of g irl students at G irton andNewenham have had some effect in , shaming idlers in th e

400 GENERAL APPL I CATI ONS.

male univers i ties . Amateurs seem as often as not to

w in pri zes in mixed exhibit ions of ch inapaint ing, and

in one ortwo otherbranches of industry w e are sens ible

of amovement as of l ife peck ing at th e she l l . 1 Of course

th e reason is that th e amateur, g iven equal talent , has

more t ime to g ive to th e labour, and works forlove of i t

but if w e pay th e trade at all, w e pay for t ime and ski l l

both,and hurried ors lovenly work ought to be cheap

,

wh i le pat ient , long- su ffering labourdemands ah igherfee .

When iron factors find that amateurwork can provid eforan ex ist ing demand , at astandard they cannot reach

,

w i ll they not labour to provide for i t ? When s i lver

sm i ths find the ir coarse, showy vu lgari t ies remain on

the ir bands, w i l l they not speed i ly d iscover what th epubl ic real ly want ? I f sk i l l is requ ired

, ski l l wi l l be

forthcom ing ; i f beauty is wanted,beauty w i l l arise .

T h e demand educates th e workman, and th e general

leve l of understanding among th e body of p u rchasers iswhat real ly defines th e standard of art in acountry.

T h e des igner and th e workman can no longer beone, as once they were

,when a founder meant be l l

caster, cut ler, maker of keys,guns

, and statues,and

anyth ing else that cou ld be cast and hammered : whena go ldsmith was expected to be able to mou ld avasel ike Luca de l laRobb ia, carve a h elmet , and do ah u n

We m ay qu ote th e beau tifu l goldsmith ’s w ork of th e late Mr. GeorgeCayley, forone of w hose salvers Mr. M illais offered apictu re of h is son

and th e wrou ght-iron ornaments, panels, candelabra, &c. tu rned ou t by th e

Messrs. Phelps, sons of th e present Masterof S idney College, Cambridge,w h o work w ith enthu siasm in theirforge. Som e of theiriron was recentlyexhibited at th e Albert Hall Fine Arts Department.

40 2 GENERA1. APPL I CA 7 1ozvs .

T h e laureatesh ip is, no doubt, an empty t i t le, but it

is an honourable one . Chaplaincy to Her Majesty is

one equal ly honourable andequal ly empty. T h e former

has, perhaps, less m z’

sm z d’

e‘

ire than any other s im i lar

post, forpoems are not needful upon every occas ion,and

i t is bu t am inute branch of letters .

Bu t th e Court art ist, were h is pos i t ion at all arevival

of th e anc ient one, wou ld be neverwi thout employment .

He shou ld be more or less an all-round m an, su ch as

Sir F . Le ighton or A lma-Tadema, not exclus ive ly a

painterorarch itect , forth e honourshou ld not be confined

to one branch of art . He shou ld be a des igner— an

artist : capable ofpaint ing aportrai t , des igning amonu

ment, orafine bu i ld ing, astenci l pattern or apresenta

t ion sword and h e shou l d be an Engl ishman. Des igns

thus provided by am an of cu lture,and probably genius

,

wou ld fi l terdown and gradual ly come into th e market

bearing th e Sovereign’

s name . Th is wou ld encourageo thers, and nurse th e buds of nat ive talent in very

d iverse d irect ions, wh i ch continual ly appear,and con

tinu ally are crushed .

T h e post wou ld be better withou t an emo l ument

wh ich would cause violent jealous ies among art ists ,and i t m ight be shared by several persons

,l i ke th e

Chaplaincy ; but'

th e personal influence of royal tyand th e pleasure of working even nominal ly undera Sovereign s ingu larly 'dear

,wou ld create a feel ing

about art which has long been ch rysalided i f not

dead .

I n th e old days when art ists were truly artists, andfel t i t theirvocat ion and right to beaut ify

,w i thout in

THE COURT PA I N TER. 40 3

vidiou s d ist inct ions andcond it ions, work of h igh standard

fi l led th e channels i t does not enternow .

I have earl ier al l uded to Wil l iam th e F lorent ine,

Court painterto Henry I I I . , and masterof th e works atGu i ldford Cast le, superv is ing th e wal l decorat ions of

Henry’

s palace, according to th e old records, planning

th e drains, des igning th e stenc i ls appropriate to various

domesti c events : such as borders wel l painted with

images of o u rLord and ange ls,with incense pots scat

tered over i t . ’ I have spoken of W i l l iam Tore l l, th e

go l dsmith,w h o des igned (probably hammered) Queen

E leanor’s metal tomb,and m ay not improbably be th e

authorof th e scu lptured crosses in h er honourand th e

monument of Ay lmarde Valence, Earl of Pembroke, inWestm insterAbbey ; and W i l l iam Aust in, of London,

whom Flaxman praised so warmly. Wh o knows whatp late

,what rai ls, what caskets , and keys , and brazen

fountains,as we l l as des igns for other irrelevant th ings

,

were expected of Tore l l and Au st in, and actual l y done

by them Many names , at least as great as any w e havenow , m ay be ci ted as m en whose supreme talents were

happi ly no t confined to one l i tt le runlet of art,bu t rushed ,

or trickled,orflowed wheresoever th e so i l was ready for

th e stream .

May not these be taken as aprecedent and support P

Leonardo daV inc i fort ified F lorence,Ho lbe in des igned

mans ions 3 1rd broo ches,G iotto bu i l t th e campani le of S .

Mariadel F iore,bes ides paint ing p ictures .

There is someth ing very noble in th is cal l ing of an

Art ist as abeau tifier, am ighty m an— no mechani c bound

by th e petty fetters of trades- unionism .

404 GENERA L APPLICATI ONS.

3Bw orn on Qllrt tjitcrt u rc.

Perhaps one of th e reasons why w e get no fine, nor

even orig inal, modern arch itecture is because th e arch itect

is so completely d issevered from th e painter. Good as is

much ofh is work , h e has been educated inagroove of trim

l ines and tried effects, wh ich h e cannot get ou t of, nordo

without . T o th e publ ic, no doubt , ades ign wh ich they

have not seen before is as dreadfu l as th e Anc ient Mariner

’

s gl i ttering ey e but th e art ist , unl ike th e mechanic ,

educates h is own publ i c . Brune l lesch i wou ld not have

been deterred from works of genius by th e cavi ls of a

vestry, norW i l l iam ofWykeham by th e cri t ic ism ofk ings .

Ho lbe in’

s arch i tectural des igns have been remarked upon

as resembl ing paint ings : h e introduced enrichments of

terra- cotta,ormou lded bri ckwork, inlaid h is friezes with

co loured t i les, made free u se of paint and variegated

bri cks laid in z igzag patterns . T h e fact is, h is painter’

s

eye yearned for that without wh ich form is but dead

and h e made h is bu i ld ings al ive both w i th co lourand

form . T h e arch i tect , with all h is sense of proport ion and

de l icate knowledge of l ight and shade,lacks one sense

which th e painter possesses, that of th e val ue of co lour.

He has educated it o u t of h imse lf, and cannot learn it

from h is books and measuring- too ls . He is so hampered

by superst i tions and oppos i t ion that h e is often bu t an

upper c lass bu i lder, when h e ( mg/ll to be a phoenix forfine and curious m asonrie.

’

T h e painter’s w ider expe

rience and love of chang ing and bri l l iant effects is l ike ly

to have orig inated many splend id architectural works


experiments have already been tried by Mr. Street , Mr.

Norman Shaw, SirGi lbert Scott and h is son,and o thers .

But w e shal l neveragain have Bru nellesch is and Buona

rott is t i l l ou r arch i tects c l imb ou t of th e s lo t of th e

great Worm— Precedent— and begin to considerwhat

is real ly wanted in an Engl ish bu i ld ing : comfort ,l ight and shade, brightness, as we l l as grandeur of

effect .A few of ou rdecorators have effected arevo l u tion in

th e co louring of ou r rooms ; i t is t ime for an artist of

sufficient cal ibre to attack th e chairs and p ianos,iron

bedsteads and wardrobes . Ou r drapers already repro

duce very fine t issues from ant ique des igns which they

have industriously stud ied i t is t ime for th e publ i c to

ins ist that the material of which they are made is worth

th e money paid , and not a spec ious concoct ion of

chem ical mud which insu lts th e purse and wastes th e

pat ience. Outs ide ou r houses w e have begun to be

clean,and occas ional ly handsome ; let u s with in doors

study to be both . I f w e admit pictures,let them be of

th e h ighest qual ity, and properly set in th e wal l . Few

th ings and good are better than much refuse.I f w e

employ table - plate, let it be plain and inoffens ive l iketh e wel l -hammered p ieces in Anne’

s day , orreal ly anart- treasure l ike early Renascence plate . L et u s aim at

produc ing a first impression’

of comfort and pleasantness, and let u s see that th e detai ls of such an ensem é/e

do not d isappo int a second or th ird glance .

I n dress , I have long preached that reform is needfu leven th e reformers need reforming ; and i t shou ld be ou r

constant aim to check by ou r example th e vagaries in

A WORD ON ARCHITECTURE. 40 7

variably resu ltant from vit iat ion of th e accustomed eye

w i thou t confining fancy to agroove.

L et u s handcu ff no one ; ind ividual opinion is too

prec ious to be sacrificed,and in art matters it is better

to bear w i th th e blunders of those whose taste offends

you ,i f the ir taste resu l ts from think ing for themse lves,

than to reduce everybody to adead leve l of propriety by

Act of Parl iament . S t i l l cri t i cism shou ld be as free as

action,and th e average opinion of th e mass forms a

heal thy law in i tself.

Cu l ture is attained by plent ifu l experience,many

m istakes, and cont inual study of ‘th e Reason why ;

’

and th is is poss ible only to those with open eyes and

open minds .

But th e art ist, th e true Phoenix , whether cu ltured or

not,is born, not made .

L ONDON z P RI NTED BY

SP OT T I S\VOODE AND C0 . , NEW- STREET SQUAREAND P AR L I AMENT STR EET

Art of Decoration - Forgotten Books

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