Studio: international art (31.1904)

Herbert Alexander

pattern is said to be similar to that of the gold been in China, and walks for ever in the old

necklaces found in Etruscan tombs. well-beaten tracks, for it neither knows nor desires

The rope-moulding alluded to previously is a other ways wherein to walk,
prominent feature in the round brazen ornaments Lilian Le Mesurier.

worn by the women in front of their garments, -

below their waist, and it is clearly a favourite pattern Amongst the additions to the collection of
among them. It is said they call it the " pattern vestments at South Kensington Museum will be
of eternal life," since it has neither beginning nor found two interesting dalmatics and a chasuble of
end. An illustration the same size as the original the later years of the fifteenth century, which are
appears on page 300. The Tibetans are nothing if said to have come from the Church of St. Severin,
not conservative, and in art, as in dress and social at Cologne : they are of stamped woollen velvet
habits, they follow the fashion of their fathers. with embroidered orphreys. In an adjoining
And this brings me to the last point I wish to case is a mauve-coloured velvet cope, decorated
notice in this brief review; namely, the rigid with applique work and embroidery : on the hood
adherence to the ancient patterns, shapes, and is represented the Virgin and Child, whilst Our
designs. Few will question their beauty and Lord in Glory appears in the middle of the
variety, but it is regrettable that the impulse to orphrey, with St. Peter, St. Bartholomew and St.
new creation seems dead. It may be because the Ursula to the right, and St. Paul, St. John the Evan-
religion which was the inspiration of this strange gelist and St. Andrew to the left, beneath canopies,
separate people, is slowly dying, is losing its vital This splendid example of ecclesiastical embroidery
grip on their faith, its strong compulsion on their is German work of the early sixteenth century,
imagination. I know not, but the fact remains.

The old art is exquisitely, faithfully copied, but a j|i F I "^HE WORK OF

new one does not arise to give it a fresh lease of Jf R I MR HERBERT

life. It is as stationary as administration has ^Mk ALEXANDER

/Mm BY LAURENCE

HOUSMAN.

f Nearly all landscape art may

be classed in one of two main
divisions. It deals, though the
le^-T^- ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^m phrase may seem a contradic-

^^^mf:%_ ^^^»^^C^^^^^^^^^^BpB^M5gsg^ tion, either with air or earth,

^^iiPik ^^B^^^MB^f^SfflrojjPnr" w^ sPace an°- m°vement> °r

HHHP? -^wflffl^Hfflm| W&BmT %. "> wltn place > it ^ either atmo-

IP ^^^^^^^^^^^^^p sphere or locality that has drawn

WwML. - ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ill the artist to his subject. Turner,

^m^^^S^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^s^ m and Cox, and Constable sought

l^^^^^ra^^^B^SS^S^^^fe, ffl their pictorial effects through

|^^^^^pH^^^p^^^S==^^^^^^ Jar atmospheric environment, in the

^illlllyir shifting elements of light and

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^M^^^^^^r air and cloud, rather than in

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^m fixecl landmarks or locality.

/ ^^^^^^^^ With equal emphasis the English

^^^^Sj^^^j^jj^^^^^S^^-^^'' pre-Raphaelites and the school

/^-^Ililll^flH of Walker and Pinwell which

UPC '^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^M^ followed after them, found their

^^^^^^^^^^^^p^^^^^^^^^^^^^aB^^^^^- central interest not in air but

^^-^^^^^^^Mgii^j-..' ^ It is in the nature of things

'''^--^Z^^E^^^^T^I^Tr^^^^^^^^^^^^- that the work of our English

~~ —==r=i=^ painters of locality should retain

tibetan tea-pot with mitre-shaped top, only used by the lamas in a more marked degree the

301