Studio: international art (2.1894)

Awards in "The Studio" Prize Competitions

store, unless it wear out its old age in a nursery or
schoolroom, must be faced. Remembering this,
one doubts the wisdom of employing very costly

" ABACUS "

materials for its structure, or whether very costly
art should be expended on its decoration. It is
an ephemeral object, doomed to lapid age and not
far distant banishment, and how to make it har-
monious and beautiful while it enjoys its brief
day, without adding to its essential cost to any
important extent, is the problem that faces us
to-day.

The sketches of the competitors we illustrate
here, and those of a large number who are not
shown, have not solved this question. Nor, so
far as memory serves, can a single instance be
adduced that is at once comparatively inexpensive,
in perfect taste, and yet harmonious for a dozen
different schemes of colour and style in a dozen
different rooms. That the usually average piano
is unsightly, may be granted; but having glanced
at the difficulty in the way of making it artistic and
yet in accord with the conditions imposed by

domestic economies and musical requirements,
we shall perhaps be more lenient to the efforts
here presented, and more ready to own that it is a

most difficult if not an insoluble problem which
confronts the architect and house furnisher to-day.

The judge, Mr. C. Bechstein—who kindly set
this competition—found it very difficult to award
a prize. He felt not one was original, and many
merely adaptations of Mr. Cave's copyrighted
design for pianos illustrated in a former number
of The Studio. For this reason he could not
award a prize which he considered to be based on
that design. Nor was there one sufficiently
striking to tempt him to manufacture it. We
have awarded the prizes to those competitors Mr.
Bechstein placed first, and given honourable men-
tion to others whose drawings from an artistic
standpoint seemed worthy of appreciation.

The First Prize {Three guineas) is given to
Bos (E. W.Wimperis, The Villa, Streatham, S.W.)
for a design (illustrated) to be carried out in
walnut and ebony, with silver candlesticks, &c.
The panels of cupids are designed for gesso-work;

the music-stand is lacquered iron covered with
pigskin, the panels over keyboard are silk-faced.

The Second Prize (One and a half guineas) falls
to Demi-semi-quaver (G. F. Byron, 5 Baronsmere
Road, East Finchley, N.); illustrated.

Kanga (H. G. East, 110 Harbut Road, St. John's
Hill, S.W.) is specially mentioned by the judge for
a design to be carried out in painted deal, or
white enamelled wood, with etchings of musicians'
heads in the side panels.

Honourable mention is awarded to :—

Abacus (R. W. Sampson, 3 The Myrtles, Sid-
mouth, Devon); illustrated. Ada (Arthur Ernest
Shaw, 31 Seymour Place, Portman Square), for a
design which has a somewhat novel feature in
curtains hung between the legs. Longshanks (C.
H. B. Quennell, 44 Lower Kennington Lane, S.E.).
Nedrud (James Uurden, 46 Hulton Street, Moss-
side, Manchester) : this shows a novel but not
satisfactory arrangement of a music cabinet above.
North Star (Stanley Davenjjort Adshead, Station
Hotel, Avoch, Inverness, N.B.): the proportions
of this have a certain dignity that recalls the early
cabinet piano. CEnone (Miss Gertrude Roots, St.

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