Studio: international art (49.1910)

The Arts and Crafts Society's Exhibition

Sybil Pye, are among those who contribute
good work. Mr. Heywood Sumner’s bold designs
for sgraffito decoration for St. John’s Church,
Miles Platting, two of which were reproduced last
month (page 299), also call for notice in the South
Room, together with designs for end-papers and
covers for children’s books by Mr. Walter Crane;
Mr. Joseph E. Southall’s engravings; attractive
book-plates by Mr. G. W. Eve and Mr. H.
Lawrence Christie; the quaintly illustrated printed
pages, with coloured initial letters, from the
“ Histoire de la Reine du Matin et de Soliman
Ben Daoud” (the title-page and cover of which
were reproduced last month), shown by Mr. Lucien
Pissarro; and the curious and fanciful drawing
by Mr T. C. Derrick, The River (page 35).

The place of honour in the West Room has
been given deservedly to a work of sustained and
sincere effort, a large triptych in tempera for the
Church of St. Martin’s, Kensal Rise, which has
been carried to a success-
ful conclusion by Mr. John
D. Batten. The work is
imbued with a reverent
spirit that reveals itself also
in the numerous and elabo-
rate preliminary studies
shown by Mr. Batten,
which include several draw-
ings of great interest. Mrs.

J. D. Batten was princi-
pally responsible for the
carving and gilding of the
base and framework that
form a not unimportant
part of the design. The
centre panel of the triptych
was reproduced in The
Studio last month (page
305), and in fulfilment of
the promise then made a
view of the complete work
is now given (page 33).

Two vast but somewhat
empty cartoons for frescoes
by Mrs. Mary Sargant
Florence, hang on the same
wall with Mr. Batten’s
work, and the West Room
also contains large designs
in various mediums by
Mr. Walter Crane (among
them The Torch Bearers),

Miss Veronica Whall, Mr.

38

C. W. Whall, and Mr. Henry Payne. Some of
them are excellent, but more interest attaches to
the innumerable examples of applied art that fill
the cases in this room. Of the jewellery, of which
there is a great quantity, it is difficult to speak.
In workmanship it is in the mass immeasurably
superior to the similar work of a few years ago,
a result that is doubtless due to the good training
of the technical schools. But why is there such
an extraordinary family likeness in all or nearly all
these scores of pendants, brooches, rings, necklaces
and clasps ? The resemblance is shown not only
in the shape and colour schemes but in the
materials, which look as if they were all derived
from the same source.

In the other classes of small objects of applied
art there is a great deal of highly accomplished
handiwork and no lack of variety and novelty.
The severe simplicity of Mr. W. A. S. Benson’s
three-piece tea set of gleaming silver is matched

BINDING IN NIGER MOROCCO DESIGNED BY T. J. COBDEN-SANDERSON

(EXHIBITED BY W. H. SMITH & SON)