DOI Heft:
No. 91 (Oct., 1900)
DOI Artikel:Suggestions for the improvement of sporting cups and trophies, part III
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.19786#0036
Sporting Cufts
of every colonising race, whether ancient or several men of great ability who were its energetic
modern. And there is, no doubt, plenty of reason friends only a few years ago.
in this train of thought. It does not mean, of To be brief, the arts are best served by those
course, that an artist ought to be blind to the limits among their followers who think it better even to
set by Nature to the range and force of his talents, fail utterly in difficult new efforts to advance, than
He may be as keenly alive as you please to his to stand still and repeat themselves as clever petted
limitations, and yet feel quite certain that, in children do. Now, it is in this progressive frame
order to bring his talents to their full and of mind that Mr. Alexander P'isher pursues his
complete development, he must adventure calling; and if, in some of his enterprises, he has
much all his life, scorning delights and living fallen far short of his expectations, still his leading
laborious days. To appreciate the truth of this as a pioneer makes for real progress, unlike
we have but to remember that only three or four the unadventurous work done in enamel by
artists of our time have thus matured their inborn most of his contemporaries, both English and
gifts and fulfilled the promise of their youth. The foreign. And let it be remembered, also, that
others—we speak of well-known men—the others he, and all English art-workers in enamel, have
have all been, in some respects, self-condemned difficulties to encounter other than those or an
failures in the midst of their fame and popu- artistic kind, for colour in metal-work, like colour
larity. Many have been lotus-eaters in the in external architecture, is not by any means
unsunned realm of the epicene; many have appreciated as it deserves to be. This is
coquetted with their purchasing public; others why the manufacturing silversmiths very rarely
have shown in various ways that their spirit think it worth their while to enrich their sporting
of enterprise lacked energy enough to make trophies and cups with enamels, or with beautifully
its way through the perils of success. And it tinted stones and shells. Upon this regrettable
is worth while to note these things here because fact we dwelt for some time in the second article
the revival of design and handicraft suffers already but we are glad to return to it once more for the
from the effects of a dillydallying temper among purpose of adding to our own remarks a few
apposite reflections by
Mr. Fisher. The fol-
lowing passages give the
substance of several
letters and conversa-
tions :—
"It is a common say-
ing among visitors to
this country that England
is full of colour, so
abundant are the flowers,
and so variously green
and lovely are the grass
and the trees. Great
Britain is, indeed, a green
land encircled by the
beautiful blue sea; and I
am inclined to think that
we may learn from this
fact why most English
and Scotch painters have
been, and still are, good
colourists. Were it not
for the influence of our
grey, smoky towns and
cities, an influence that
tends to weaken the
SPORTING TANKARD DESIGNED BY A. H. SMITH SenSe Of COlOUr in those
22
of every colonising race, whether ancient or several men of great ability who were its energetic
modern. And there is, no doubt, plenty of reason friends only a few years ago.
in this train of thought. It does not mean, of To be brief, the arts are best served by those
course, that an artist ought to be blind to the limits among their followers who think it better even to
set by Nature to the range and force of his talents, fail utterly in difficult new efforts to advance, than
He may be as keenly alive as you please to his to stand still and repeat themselves as clever petted
limitations, and yet feel quite certain that, in children do. Now, it is in this progressive frame
order to bring his talents to their full and of mind that Mr. Alexander P'isher pursues his
complete development, he must adventure calling; and if, in some of his enterprises, he has
much all his life, scorning delights and living fallen far short of his expectations, still his leading
laborious days. To appreciate the truth of this as a pioneer makes for real progress, unlike
we have but to remember that only three or four the unadventurous work done in enamel by
artists of our time have thus matured their inborn most of his contemporaries, both English and
gifts and fulfilled the promise of their youth. The foreign. And let it be remembered, also, that
others—we speak of well-known men—the others he, and all English art-workers in enamel, have
have all been, in some respects, self-condemned difficulties to encounter other than those or an
failures in the midst of their fame and popu- artistic kind, for colour in metal-work, like colour
larity. Many have been lotus-eaters in the in external architecture, is not by any means
unsunned realm of the epicene; many have appreciated as it deserves to be. This is
coquetted with their purchasing public; others why the manufacturing silversmiths very rarely
have shown in various ways that their spirit think it worth their while to enrich their sporting
of enterprise lacked energy enough to make trophies and cups with enamels, or with beautifully
its way through the perils of success. And it tinted stones and shells. Upon this regrettable
is worth while to note these things here because fact we dwelt for some time in the second article
the revival of design and handicraft suffers already but we are glad to return to it once more for the
from the effects of a dillydallying temper among purpose of adding to our own remarks a few
apposite reflections by
Mr. Fisher. The fol-
lowing passages give the
substance of several
letters and conversa-
tions :—
"It is a common say-
ing among visitors to
this country that England
is full of colour, so
abundant are the flowers,
and so variously green
and lovely are the grass
and the trees. Great
Britain is, indeed, a green
land encircled by the
beautiful blue sea; and I
am inclined to think that
we may learn from this
fact why most English
and Scotch painters have
been, and still are, good
colourists. Were it not
for the influence of our
grey, smoky towns and
cities, an influence that
tends to weaken the
SPORTING TANKARD DESIGNED BY A. H. SMITH SenSe Of COlOUr in those
22