International studio (18.1902/1903)

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decoration, led her to essay the art of appiique
and to endeavour to mosaic upon a ground
an ornamental treatment in another colour, which
should enhance the dress as a possession, without
adding much to the
original cost. Not that
there is anything new
in this. The dresses of
the mediaeval Itaiian
women, as depicted by
artists like Ghiriandaio
or BotticeHi, glow with
applique and em-
broidery; but whereas
precious materials, goid,
silver, and jewels,
entered into their mak-
ing, with Miss Macbeth
the setting of one piece
of coioured cloth upon
another, and the putting
of a border oi sewn
thread or silk around it,
gave the added piece
all the appearance and
vaiue of a precious
metal or of a jewel set
among its surroundings.
Further, these spots oi
coiour, thus superim-
posed, are connected,
and the design made
into a whole, by spots
and lines of coiour or by
ornament, chiefiy Horal,
characteristicaiiy con-
ventionalised from
Nature. This ciass of
work she appiies with
success to aimost every
article where its use is
possibie and permis-
sible; and the pienish-
ingsof thedrawing-room,
the dining-room, and
the bedroom have aii
received attention. But
she has not entirely confrned her energies to the
decoration of articies of mere necessity. Her know-
iedge of the figure has enabied her to grappie with
the possibiiities of its use in design : and various
neediework paneis of figure subjects, some of which
have been aiready iiiustrated in THE STUDio, are
the fruits of her work in this direction. Notabiy,
46

aiso, a coloured reproduction of one side of the
British Association banner for the Giasgow meet-
ing of 1901, and which appeared in THE STUDio
for January, 1902, is a charming example of
how heraldry may be
utilised for the purposes
of pageantry. Another
fruitful held for art
work—namely, designs
for sewed book-covers,
for which a tradition
once existed in Eng-
land — owes some pro-
gress to Miss Macbeth.
And the attitude she
stands in to her work is
shown by her treatment
of it. She does not feel
that it is enough to
merely design and let
others execute. She
beiieves that the artist
who produces the design
is generalty the person
best htted to carry it
out, and most pieces of
work for which she is
responsibie owe their
execution, either in part
or the whoie, to her
own needie. And this
is the true artistic posi-
tion. To completely
know how to design for
any material, it is neces
sary to be a worker in
that material. For there
should be no real hxity
of idea in a design that
is being produced by
the hand. It should be
possible to make any
change of intention as
the work proceeds, and
it may be that the
best design is, in the
long run, the one
whose general scheme is understood from the
beginning, but whose detaiis are studied and
carried out as the work proceeds. By such means
artistic instinct is always kept on the alert, and
the opportunity left open for the attainment of the
best possible result.
And to show that this work of Ann Macbeth's is