The Studio yearbook of decorative art (1916)

BRITISH DECORATION
successful reproduction in this manner, and under any circumstances
considerable freedom must be allowed to the craftsman both in respect
to colour and design. With their rich, full colour and breadth of decora-
tive treatment, Mr. Brangwyn’s works could hardly be surpassed for the
purpose, and we notice that the most successful panels so far have been
based on his designs. We shall watch the progress of this new phase of
decorative art with interest.
The four wallpaper designs shown on page 65 do not call for special
mention. Of the three windows by Mr. T. S. Brydone (p. 66), the
two small lights were designed for a school and have painted work only
on the flesh and ribbon. The same remark applies to the staircase win-
dow—“ Industry alone is Wealth”—where the glass is mostly in whites
and low tones, the dress being partly in Venetians and antiques. Readers
of The Studio Year Book are familiar with the work in stained glass
of Mr. Alexander Gascoyne, four windows by whom are reproduced
in colours on page 67. They show a strong feeling for decoration and
colour, the “ Henry VIII ” panel being particularly successful in this
respect. Mr. Andrew Stoddart’s work often reaches a high standard,
and his window, “ Gather ye Roses” (p. 69), is a really fine achieve-
ment. The figure is excellent and the simple pattern of the background
shows commendable restraint. The design for a nursery panel by H. M.
Travers, on the same page, is well suited for its purpose.
The work of Mr. Baillie Scott is always worthy of careful study, for it
is invariably sound both as regards design and construction. The four
pieces of furniture illustrated on pages 70 and 71 are executed in
mahogany, with some inlaid decoration. In the dressing-table the central
mirror is flanked by two boxes, divided into small compartments for
various toilet requisites. The lids of these boxes when open form trays
at each side of the table. In furniture of this kind the principal beauty
lies in the quality of the wood ; the general outlines have therefore been
kept as simple as possible, and the severity of appearance thus suggested
is less noticeable in the actual furniture than in the illustrations, where
the quality of the wood cannot be adequately reproduced. The furniture
has been made in the workshops of Messrs. Story, of Kensington.
Very different in character from the furniture just mentioned is the
dressing-table designed by Miss Jessie Bayes (p. 73). Here the colour-
scheme is green, black, and gold, the plain surface of the table top being
green and the rest black. The decorations are on a black ground, but
painted over gold, so that gold outlines and patterns run through the
whole scheme, and the general tendency of the colours is towards a pale
flame with the gold shining through. The mirror frame has a convol-
vulus design, closely patterned on gold, with the black background
filling up the interstices ; while the drawers are of plain burnished gold.
The room in which the dressing-table stands is decorated in the same
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