The Story of a Copper I7ase


this piece of copper that was slowly growing into
a vase. As the flames leaped and kissed it to
the proper glow, this old-world craftsman talked
to us of gypsies in the far-off land of Hun-
gary, who still use this primitive method of an-
nealing their copper pots and pans; for there,
the women tell fortunes and the men make cop-
per utensils and vend their wares. At evening
time they gather round the camp fire, anneal
the copper, dance the csardas, and sing their
folk songs interwoven with the wild passion of
their lives, the extremes of mirth and sorrow.
For a long time it took a whole day to hammer
completely the entire disc twice. The great plate
grew into a huge fluted cake dish, big enough to
make cake for a whole gypsy band; then it be-
came jardinieres of many beautiful shapes. Each
time when annealed mingling, sparkling, glorious
iridescent colours were produced that baffle de-
scription. From the inception of this vase to its
completion every hammer stroke had to fall with
equal force, else the metal would lump. The
greatest care had to be' exercised or the metal
might crack, then all would be in vain.
For five weeks, eight hours a day, two hundred
and forty hours, his regular hammer stroke broke
the stillness. At last the vase stood complete,

perfectly symmetrical, without flaw or blemish.
From a flat disc of twenty-eight inches in diam-
eter, it was now nineteen inches in height, three
and a half inches at the smallest opening near
the mouth, and nine inches in diameter at the
base. Thus the material had stretched seven-
teen inches and had remained the same thickness,
eighteen gauge, from start to completion.
Not least of its beauty is the clear tone the
vase gives forth when struck, a tone like a silver
bell. It seems to say, “My beauty lies not only
in my form, not only in my colour, but in the
thought that brought me into being.”
A SSOCIATED ARTISTS OF PITTS-
ZA BURGH
Arrangements for their seventh annual exhi-
bition at the Carnegie Institute have just been
completed. Members may submit not more than
six works in painting or sculpture, three of which
only may be accepted, entries for same to be in
not later than Saturday, October 7th.
Information regarding the exhibition may be
obtained from Mr. Christ Walter, Penn Building,
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, chairman of the Ex-
hibition Committee.

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