Studio: international art (5.1895)

Stencilled Fabrics

use to-day. One feature, however, distinguishes all later attempts, and no little Oriental work, is
Mr. Silver's designs from some other English the graduated wash, never exactly alike in corre-
examples, and from most of the multi-coloured sponding portions of the repeat of the pattern—
Japanese stencilled patterns. In these, as in which lifts the semi-mechanical process far above
Mr. Ingram Taylor's figures, the necessary ties of the purely mechanical methods of ordinary block
the stencil-plate have been utilised to supply or litho-printing, and brings it nearer the level
the "drawing" of the design; so far from being of painted decoration.

ignored, they are emphasised—even at times a Looking at the subject from the view of the
shade unduly—so that none shall mistake the fact ordinary architect or decorator, both these qualities
that the result has been secured by stencilling, may be regarded as belonging to the theory of
and by no other process. decoration. To secure popular appreciation, this

It seems good that the traditions of stencilling stencilled fabric must offer practical as well as
should follow the best traditions of mosaic and aesthetic qualities.

stained glass, and accept the ties, as they accept Are these stencils on jute or arras in any way
the jointing or leading ; but to attach too much superior to printed papers or textiles ? Can they
importance to this would be unwise. Of far more claim to be more artistic, more economic in pro-
value is the employment of graduated or broken duction, or more simple in their application ? Such
colour, with or without the insistent confession of questions can easily be answered. So far as
the method that was employed to produce it. broken or graduated colour is concerned, they can

Indeed, one feature that distinguishes nearly be made to yield more artistic effects than those

obtainable by printing. If not cheaper
than printed fabrics, they are much less
costly than painted decoration, and when
set against stencilling carried out upon
the wall itself, they show a saving of
time in application, which is a most
important item when the re-decoration
of rooms in actual use is to be con-
sidered.

By this method, instead of decoration
in situ which requires elaborate scaffold-
ing, and many hours of toilsome paint-
ing under trying conditions of light and
temperature, the work can be executed
in the atelier and fixed in position with
no more labour than wall-paper de-
mands. The jute employed is not
unduly costly and presents a pleasant
broken surface—rich but not heavy in
its effect. The darker arras and other
fabrics Mr. Silver has prepared are no
less admirable for certain purposes,
while silk, velvet, satin, or any other
fabric can be used when the cost is not
prohibitive. Again, apart from the
added interest imparted to any repeated
pattern, when the accident of the density
of the transparent pigment varies with
the handling of the worker and yields a
human variety in strong contrast to the
dull monotony of machine-made decora-
tion, there is another gain to be scored.
And this is the possibility they offer to
fig. 3.—stencilled wall-paper," the tulip garden " by a. silver the decorator of preparing special designs
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