International studio (59.1916)

Decorative Woodwork by Polytechnic


JEWEL BOX IN WALNUT, STAINED AND PAINTED

H. JOYCE POCOCK

BY

tints, such as may be procured from any dealers
in artists’ materials, and seasoned wood.
The kind of wood most commonly used for
work of this kind is whitewood of a smooth, even
texture. A fine example of the decoration of this
wood by means of coloured stains is Miss Gwen
White’s Lady’s Travelling Toilet Case, a very
delightful piece of work both externally and in-
ternally, all the fittings, including brushes, pots,
etc., being decorated to match. The subjects are
taken from the song “ Lady Greensleeves,” and
one side of the exterior, not here illustrated, shows
the disconsolate lover surrounded by unpaid bills.
Whitewood is one of the best woods for taking
stains and it also takes a polish well. Basswood,
which in appearance is some¬
what like whitewood, is not
considered so durable, but
that it takes stain well is shown
by the Roll of Honour Casket
of Miss Turnbull which we
illustrate in colour, another
elaborate piece of work in
which heraldic motives are
employed with striking effect.
Sycamore has an intrinsic
attractiveness which is admir-
ably used as a contrast to
stained decoration in Miss
Benjamin’s Stationery Case
and Miss Reeve’s Card Box.
And so with those articles
in which the harder kinds
of wood, such as walnut,

Students
mahogany, etc., are used, the
natural qualities of the wood are
left to play their part, as for
instance in Miss Joyce Pocock’s
Reliquary with its subjects
from the Nativity; here the
main structure is of walnut,
while the pictorial panels are
of whitewood, and here, too,
as in some of the other articles
there is a certain amount of
gilt gesso decoration. Silvering
in conjunction with gilding and
colour staining is very happily
employed in Miss Margaret
Reed’s Nursery Book Stand,
an attractive piece of furniture
admirably suited to its purpose.
As to the mode of pro-
cedure, all that is necessary to
say here is that the design is outlined on the wood,
and the stains applied in sufficient strength to
give the desired result. As a final step the surfaces
are either French-polished to secure brilliance or
waxed over to give a half-polished effect.
It should be pointed out that the construction
of the various articles to which this kind of decora-
tion is applied is not the work of the students, who
are concerned solely with the decorative features,
but is the work of a cabinetmaker. Herein,
however, lies one of the difficulties Mr. Theaker
and his students have had to contend with, for in
these days good cabinetmakers who are capable
of constructing a piece of furniture in its entirety
are somewhat scarce.


CIGARETTE BOX OF WHITEWOOD WITH STAINED DECORATION, BY OLIVE DINGIAN

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