The Press. — London, England, 1853-06-11 00:00:00

140 somewhat on the decline. The illustrious nobleman who at present presides over the committee is no doubt deeply imbued with the love of letters, although 1w nifty not have those peculiar qualifications which his predecessors possessed; and, in addition, ill-health forbids his giving the requisite attention to a society supported by few and cared for by still fewer. Men like Lord Munster and Sir Gore Ouseley are not easily replaced ; and, had it not been for the energy anti activity of the late Lord Clare, and the deep interest he took in all matters connected with the East, the Oriental Translation Fund would ere this have ceased to exist. Let us, however, hope for better times, and that, when crystal palaces have had their day, the society may be benefitod, or at least saved, by the exertions of its enlightened President. Annual Report (the 75th) of the Royal Ilaniane Society. London : Printed for the Society. Tut; interest of this volume depends upon other flout its literary qualities. As the annual register of one of the most meritorious and useful associations of which the metropolis can boast, it relates n►nny things which the public will be pleased to know, and e xhorts to others which the public would do well to follow ; and deserves to be welcomed accordingly. Wiltshire Tales. B John Yonge Aker►nnn. Lonilon J. It. Smith. •-•- BY way of specialty, the author has sought to pre sent his readers with a transcript of the putt& and a picture of the rustic life to he found among the vil lagers of North Wilts, Olotteestershire, Berkshire, and Herts. Both the dialect Ulla the sticity, he tells us, are passing away, so that his volume already possesses some of the value of a history. Apart from this, however, the tales are written in a lively style, and eontain many passages of quiet and genial hu mour. OUR I.IItILAItY TAME. Chi hitimai at the Hall. T. el. Torrington. I.rnoznool,liveen, and Co. The i h ylhelt lie.heernriste of the mith, Istli Cealar!i. S W. N E I. W Tleorkern). E, awl 1.'44 .I.eltirno4 me :Volley. Th“.. Wil+on. 1'31114{1 mm Wikon. The sydeen el' Fell'lllill9 ia the comity 4 I'mm W them A. M Itielgway. State Parer l'axatain awl 6'4,1, Pdpei . Mill i 'M. aekekli Itiolip%rv. T. itosmortie. Nepal. I i f ' , oration. livv. amia saaforAtitairt urt SfitiMllll I.:4111'11*M. I.o4..ktrulpf T. Itohworth. T. 11t18.A11111/. I tillekW (XXI atilt SOU*. lint ;kris. StECINIENI4 OF CMHtiETWORK, AND ill , THE STUPIE3 FROM THE fiCllooLpt OF ART, EMI LutTED AT OGRE- HorSE, KENSINOToN. THE public is indebted for this interestiog exhibi tion to the liberality of the Queen and of various other proprietors who have consented to deprive their apartments for a time of a portion of their most valu able contents, and to exhibit them for the instrue tion of our native artists. These beautiful objects, removed from the places to which they belong, and crowded together in a narrow slave, are necessarily seen under the greatest disadvantage. 'ibis defect is perhaps unavoidable, but we think we observe a reilmulancy in the works of a more recent period which migh4 have been retrenched, while we have to regret a deficiency in those of an earlier date. As the object of the exhibition is to familiarise the s tudent with the style of former days, and to stimu late his fancy by the variety of ancient models, no work, however excellent, of the present century is admitted ; but, as we are of opinion that the imita tion and adoption of the ancient style are advisable only within certain limits, we shall hazard a few remarks with the view of pointing out how far the specimens in this collection are fitted to serve as ut slels. The student should bear in mind that many oNects which we luck at with pleasure, and even desire to possess, are valuable only when original, and are unfitted for reproduction. H. is only the intrinsi cally beautiful and the appropriate that should be imitated, and the want of attention to this rule leads our artists of all classes into error. Very little of the domestic furniture of our remote ante-tors has descended to us: succeeding fashions have commonly consigned the moveables of the last generation to neglect and destruction before they hail acquired any antignariam interest. In the fifteenth and six teenth centuries (in England at least) the furniture eN I'll of a royal palace was scanty. The rooms were hung with tapestry or other rich stuffs, hooked on the walls. and removed on the departure of the guest for whose acrommodation they had been brought out. A piece of carpet beneath the chair of state, and a few chairs and st tuts of less cumbrous THE PRESS• moni••••"'"""_ dimensions, adorned perhaps with needlework, and ranged along the walls, completed the furniture of the "withdrawing-room." In the dining hall an enormous chimneypiece and massive tables, the buttery-hatch separated by a richly-carved screen, large carved chairs for honoured guests, and long benches for the inferior members of the family, comprised the sum total of the do- mestic arrangements. The bedchamber, now the chosen seat of luxury d a nd comfort, was nearly as simple. A bed arrange beneath a canopy, a piece of Persian carpet or of tapestry-work beside it, a chest serving also as a day bed, upon which a confidential attendant slept, and a silver ewer and basin flanked by a fringed napkin, were the accommodations provided for a guest of even royal rank. Nothing is so rare as genuine spe cimens of the domestic furniture of this early period ; and those professing to he such which this collection contains are either of a later date, or have since been fabricated so as to imitate the ancient style. All the articles of furniture ref erred to this era are placed in the entrance-hall. To Nos. I. and :1, "carved oak buffets or armoires," the dates 14m0 and MU are attributed, but erro neously. The style of carving, though coarse, is more modern than that belonging to the dates re spectively assigned; and the different parts of each have been put together, probably, at some reeedt period, with the intention of imitating an ancient design. The "carved oak buffet or cabinet," No. 10, and dated 1530, is also, we think, antedated. At the pe riod and in the country ( Flanders) to which this piece of furniture is assigned the style was still de cidedly Gothic, and, though the form is so poor and inelegant that it could not be attributed to Italy, the ornamental figures are in the Italian taste, and could not have been produced in Flanders till nearly half a century later. We regret that the gilding has been renewed , The Italian carved chests or, offers of the sixteenth c entury, in wine , ' wearing apparel and table linen were kept, and to which we have alluded as serving for the couches of pages and attendants, were objects on which usually much care was bestowed. They were frequently painted by the best artists, sometimes gilt, and generally carved in a rich and elaborate manner. It was in such a chest that lachimo con cealed himself in haogra's bedchamber: the neces sary ironwork and the key itself were frequently of b eau tiful workmanship. This specimen, belonging to the rich collection of Mr. Magnac, is in very high relief, and in good preservation, but we have seen others of a purer and happier design. No. 14, a " carved frieze," or rather the panel removed front the front of a similar chest, the property of Mr. Cooke, is of far titter design and bolder execution. A "carved cabinet in walnut-tree," No. *2O, the property of Baron L. Rothschild, and assigned to the end of the sixteenth century, is an interesting speci men of French ingenuity. The body of the cabinet is undoubtedly old, and some of the figures may pro bably be referred to the date affixed in the catalogue, but the whole has been so entirely restored as to have lost all claim'to antiquity. The gilt. pattern and the monograms (amongst them the letter 1), the initial of the name of Diane de Poictiers, is fre quently repeated) tire wholly modern ; nor can we assert whether or not there may have existed any trace of them on the original panels. The style which it is intended to imitate is that usually termed in France the " Renaissance." A "carved ebony cabinet," No. 15, the property of Mr. Holford, is too important and prominent um object to be overlooked. We could not, how ever, recommend either the form or style for imi tation. It is attributed to Flemish . artists and to the middle of the seventeenth century. The panels con tain bas-reliefs, of which the execution is good ; but ebony is too dark a material for sculpture—it cannot produce the desired effect. When dark woods are used we should advise the introduction of metal en richments; these, with bold projections, elegant form, and just proportion, are the only embellish ments.which ought to be attempted. Au "ebony cabinet, enriched with ormolu mount ings-1t130" (39), from Windsor Castle, escapes the censure of monotony by its gilt decorations, but it, is defective in design, the proportions are toe flat, and there is consequently a want of relief and shadow. On the whole we are disappointed that the collection should contain so few tine specimens of carving ; there are none that we can quote as belong • ing to the department of higher art. Among the most beautiful objects which the exhibition contains we should cite the " Italian cabinet," the property of the Duke of Hamilton, in Damascus work, and belonging to the six teenth century. The enrichments are all in the best taste, and the panels contain well-designed figures in relief on steel plates, richly inlaid with gold. This style, practised particularly at Flo rence and Milan, was suggested probably by the rich armour ut that time in fashion (and of which several entire shits of most exquisite workmanship are pre- SATURDAY, s erved in the armourie s of Dresden and 'Vienna). C a binets, coffers, and jewel -boxes in this manufacture are no t uncommon, but we k now no more important specimen in England than that which we are describing. The ornament at the top, however, is neither in the original design nor in the same tine taste. We should venture to suggest its removal. Lord Amherst , has contributed numerous specimens of the furniture of the seventeenth century tuna Knole, a residence richer tha n any other we are acquainted with in the relics of former ages. The apartment to which this furniture belongs was fitted up for the reception of James 1., and must, we sup pose, be accepted as the best specimen of the up• holsters of the day. There are several chairs, stools, fire-screens, and a day-bed, all covered with purple velvet, and enriched with embroidery in white silk anti silver thread. Interesting as these relics are, we cannot consider them as beautiful models; the execution is not elegant, the forms are meagre, and exhibit nothing of imagination in the design. No. 92, a toilet-table, mirror, and two stands, or gueridons, as they are termed by the French, covered with thin plates (repousse), or beaten into a mould and afterwards chiselled, representing various de signs of fruits and dowers in compartments, are also contributions from the rich collection at Knole. Another set, in the same style (the dates assigned to both sets in the catalogue are 1(170), of the IMMO articles (No. 22), but rather less rich in de sign, has also been brought from the same inex haustible store. The silver scrolls do not entirely cover the woodwork, and many may be of opinion that the effect is lighter and more elegant in consequence. The style of all these belongs to the middle of the seventeenth century, and was much in vogue ou the Continent. It had its origin in Italy, but was more generally practised in Germany and Flanders. These specimens, which are in perfect preservation, are said to be of English manufacture. Though the material is precious and the execu tion good, we can not recommend the style for imitation. It is on examination only that its merits can be detected. It• wants boldness, and does not produce effect from a distance. Constant friction would be needful to preserve the brightness of the surface, and the sub • stance is too thin and the work too delicate to permit much anipulation ; moreover, to of which m is rendered uneven by embossedbel i efs, is unfitted for all useful purposes. Two pair of bellows (99 and Ill), either really ancient or skilfully imitating the Italian style of the sixteenth century, are of good design and bold exe cution. We beg to assure the proprietors that we mean no disparagement to the beauty of these in teresting objects in suggesting the least suspicion of their authenticity. The forgeries of Venice and Florence are so ingenious as to deceive the most wary collector. An old piece of wood is usually selected, already worm-eaten, and upon which some design has been carved which can be pressed into the service ; and when this is the case, and some ancient pattern accurately followed, modern execu tion has little to dread front a comparison with the really ancient models. Two chairs of ebony, inlaid in ivory, the property, we think, of Mr. Baldock, in the curule form, atia dating probably from the middle of the seventeenth century, are of most elaborate work and beautiful execution. (To be continued.) ltt pram. ILAYMARKET THEATRE. WE aro compelled to postpone until next week our notice of Mrs. Crowe's new romantic play, The Crud Kindness. PRINCESS'S. MONDAY next Lord Byron's tragedy, Sardanapalus, is to be produced on the occasion of Mr. and Mrs. Kean's benefit. We heartily wish Mr. Kean success. However faulty his judgment may be, or however we may doubt his abilities as an actor, we are quite satisfied that he has the welfare of his profession at heart, and that he has done much to vate the tone and character of his theatre since the ele direction has been confided to his hands. FRENCH PLAYS. ON Saturday last Mlle. Rachel acted, for the first time this season, her original part of Adrienne Lecouvreur, seconded by M. Regnier, who appeared for the first tune in this country as illichonnet. With Mlle. Ra chel's performance the public are already famihy, and perhaps few could ho found bold enough to hint that it was not faultless. A great actress like Rachel has such an influence upon the sensibilities of her audience, owing to her own marvellous power of self excitement, that the judgme nt is entirely surren dered to the feelings, and her very faults come to be considered excellences. We confess we felt that there was a certain want of simplicity in the earlier scenes, and that the protracted horror of the death scene is carried beyond the true limits of _Mt; pad