Studio: international art (34.1905)

The Birmingham School for Jewellers

he readily admits the difference when he himself If I could transport my readers to the spot,
is judge and his master has properly primed him there to judge for themselves, my task would be
with the evidence for the prosecution. an easy one. Art is no longer a mediasval goddess

This work, of course, calls for a higher develop- to be worshipped at her shrine but a living prin-
ment of the imagination, and here is the value of ciple within each student, to be developed at his
the " Memory " class. For invention and design or her will. I fear I have but haltingly stated my
are only the arrangement of memorised and as- case, the difference in all this comparison of
similated natural forms represented to us by methods being often only a subtle one, but the
the controlling brain of the individual. Here results are wonderful.

there are the necessary restraints imposed by The keenly sustained interest of these young
the metal to be considered, too, which the people of both sexes, who only come to the school
beginner must realise as he goes. He is learning at the close of a long day's labour in the work-
to design in his material, not to design first and shop, speaks volumes; while the drawings of these
apply the design afterwards, perhaps to discover its lads and lasses of fifteen and sixteen years of age
inapplicability to the intended medium. Now to are a revelation to those of us whose art training
return to the copper bowl. If the form of the bowl belongs to an age long past.

is pleasing, the next consideration is to see if any It may be asked, what are the immediate results
decoration will add to its effectiveness. If the from the point of view of the Jewellers' Associa-
student has any suggestion for so doing he is en- tion ? No masterpieces have as yet been produced
couraged to try his theory,
tentatively, a step at a time.
For a while he may possibly
fiddle with his design until
some inspiration comes
which is approved, and
executed, as far as possible,
after his own ideas and
plan. It may be very
simple, and technical excel-
lence may only come much
later. But in no case is the
result entirely trivial—the
self-criticism inculcated is
too thorough. Moreover,
the value in the lesson
goes further than that; for
the student realises the im-
portance of restraint, and
learns to appreciate the
charm of simple but right
decoration, and to avoid
that over - abundance of
ornament which is always a
danger in the jewellery
trade.

So all through the spirit
of the teaching is the same ;
personal interest and in-
dividual responsibility are
its key-notes. It is difficult,
in so short a notice as this,
to explain how essentially
different is this teaching

from the older methods. waist-clasp in wrought steel with damascened ornament

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