International studio (24.1904/1905(1905))

German Arts and Crafts at St. Louis

everywhere present, in line as well as in colour, the
feeling of dignity and reserve is strikingly apparent.
One marvels at the amount of detail to which
an object has been finished, without its being in
the least too ornate. Bits of ornament daintily
fashioned, touches of bright, contrasting colour, a
repetition, an echo here and there afford the
necessary accents for character. Arrangements of
mother-of-pearl, metal and ivory appear on some
sombre, dull-finished object with the effect of
resplendent jewels in the darkness of night,—never
so dazzling, however, as to detract from the chaste
simplicity of the whole. Fine carvings and delicate
inlays frankly evince the artisan’s sympathy with
the general scheme. Pictures in applique, articles
in drawn work and embroidered panels are ample
testimony to the proverbially unrivalled skill of the
German needlewoman.
Considering the chambers separately, one is
impressed by the appropriateness of the centralised
theme of each and by the presence of a decided
novelty, without undue exaggeration, in at least one
feature of the furnishings. For example, in the

Byzantine severity of Prof. Behrens’ “ Reading
Room,” the tables and chairs are rendered attrac-
tive and sanitary by their coverings of white pig-
skin, which can be washed daily without injury,
The lights disposed along the middle ridges of the
desks, as well as those suspended from the ceiling,
are enclosed in cubical ground-glass boxes, making
the light subdued and yet adequate. The use of
the cube is continued, either in itself or in its face
(the square) throughout the room. The most
important detail here is the granite clock, embedded
in the wall, with two conventionalised female figures
forming the sides, beyond which are niches lined
with ceramic panels in flat ornament. A note
also that is unique, without, however, affording the
element of practicability, is the panelled arrange-
ment of silk squares in Prof. Olbrich’s “ Living
Room,” hung with the seams thrown out on the
right side, the edges frayed for decorative effect—
incidentally for the accumulation of dust.
A number of the rooms in this exhibit are dis-
posed about Prof. Joseph M. Olbrich’s “Court in
a Summer Residence of a Lover of Art,” the


gentleman’s study

DESIGNED BY MAGDEBURG ARTISTS