Studio: international art (6.1896)

An Artistic Treatment of Cottages

joining myself to that unhappily increasing band
of amateurs and writers who, in the space of a
magazine article, or in the cabined, confined, and
frequently cribbed, columns devoted to " Answers
to Correspondents," are wont- to inform Philistia
as to how to adorn its bedrooms with " Lovely
Art Muslin, number 3496 in Jones's catalogue—
only three farthings a yard;" and how to dignify
its dining-room with some of that " delightful
monkey-puzzler pattern wall-paper, in palest shades

ftc, 8. carved oak coffer, early xvi centura q( ^ ^ three.halfpence g ^ ^ same

Tottenham Court Road source of undefiled art.

The coffer illustrated in Fig. 5, is an interesting Still more do I deplore sundry latter-day attempts

subject for the student of comparative ornament; to meddle with the pro-

the treatment of the naturalistic foliage being \ , ,„ - ^imm^^r- vince or" the professional

curiously akin to that found in the rood-screens of \W architect and to lay down

about the same date in the south-west of England : \. ; I some twopenny-ha'penny

while the use of wattles in ornament is sufficiently t$:-.\*W' law as to planning and

rare to be worthy of remark. i'w^JlL^^ dcsi*nin8' when< hY the
Among other exhibits we would draw especial S nature of the case, it is
attention to the numerous examples of good Iff jar JjtC impossible to take into
decorative heraldry, the interest of which will ^account those peculiari-
doubtless be increased as soon as time permits, by ties of site and circum-
identification of the bearings. There are several H^B**^**' JT/ 1 stance due attention to
cases ot coloured statuary, which will appeal to kj< Xjjd^T^' which alone differentiates
lovers of ecclesiastical art : the representation of ^ ^8ii*ik<m architecture from build-
St. Ursula and maidens in the boat is very quaint,
and a crucifix, as well as a set of emblems of the At the same time, it
Evangelists, are particularly fine: the bold and mt seems to me not alto-
vigorous work on the fireplaces from Brittany also gether beyond reason to
claims attention, although the limited space at our I draw attention, however
disposal does not allow a detailed description tentatively, to those alter-
of them. ing conditions of modern

Is it permitted, in conclusion, to express a hope life which render neces-

that now justice so ample has been done to French sary certain changes in

work of this class, an opportunity may soon be the point of view both of

found to save some few fragments of the fine H architect and client, and,

English wood-carving of the fifteenth and sixteenth H if of the problems thence

centuries, which is so rapidly disappearing ? Every MB evolved a practical solu-

year the task is becoming more difficult, and Hi tion of some sort or

unless early action is taken it maybe found im- another has been found,

possible to endow our national museum of industrial to put forward for con

art with anything like a representative collection of H sideration such concrete

one of England's worthiest handicrafts. examples.

E. F. S. Thus we know that

within the last few years
there has been observ-
able a tendency towards
the leading of a " double
life" as regards the pro-
Ox principle and by inclination I am I?'. ---.....-i". jy fessional and other men

averse from reasoning on more or less abstract rules of moderate means, the

d fig. q. — oak panel,

of art (even of the so-called "applied arts") from early xvi sort °^ men ]n snort who,

individual example. Especially am I averse from century with our rather bourgeois

29

N ARTISTIC TREATMENT
OF COTTAGES. BY HORACE
TOWNSEND.