Studio: international art (17.1899)

Studio-Talk

"&nd what he saw developed naturally into some-
thing new in the way of decorative work.

Our young artists have, during the last few
years, endeavoured to utilise their decorative talents
in manifold ways, and with the most varied
materials. Hirzel himself has worked in two
branches at once. He has drawn various charm-
ing designs for the ornamentation of books and
music-covers, and has also worked for the jeweller.
Hence a series of beautiful ornaments in gold,
mostly brooches, also a few waist-band buckles, in
which simple plant forms have been employed
with the happiest results.

DOOR-PLATES

(See Paris Studio-Talk)

Encouraged by this first success, Hirzel con-
tinued in the same course. A second sojourn in
Italy suggested to him the question whether mosaic
work had not sufficient inherent vitality to render
it suitable for purposes of modern ornamentation.
We all know how, by dint of wrong and senseless
application, mosaics have of late years lost their
old artistic importance. Between the wonderful
early Christian mosaics or the incomparable deco-
ration of the mortuary chapel of the Galla Placidia
at Ravenna and the wares now offered for sale for a
few pence in Venice there is a shocking contrast.
The principal cause of all this may be found in
the fact that no effort has of late years been made
to obtain new and independent effects in this

beautiful ma-
terial.

Let us sup-
pose for a
moment that
our decora-
t i o n s ad-
mitted of but
two possibili-
ties of treat-
m e n t in
colour —
enamel and
mosaics.
Much has
been done for
the former,
while the
latter is quite
neglected.
Accompany-
i n g these
notes are il-
lustrations of
a few speci-
m e n s of
brooches by
Hirzel, in
which he has
employed
mosaics.
U nfortu-
n a t e ly, the
element most
essential to
convey the
effect of these
ornaments —

BY T, LAMBERT

196