The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-05-14

often happens as with porcelain, that the
surface cracks in the furnace after the painters
work is perfected and when this is the case
it may be urged, with Mr.. Ruslin, that it is a
sin to waste so much time and exquisite handi-
work on such perlshable material. This point
conceded, it would still be matter for regret if
the introduction of English capitalwere to in
volve the absolute sacrifice of beauty to utility
The wages of the glass artists are of course high,
ranging from GO to CA per week. But then the
masters are few and unique-having been edu-
Gated gradually for this newly revived art-and
the intense heat so seriously affects the eyesight
that few can pass the age of forty at the furnace
mouth. The men might, of course, i'm lieu of
devoting their time and labor to the production
of such costly articles as we see i'm the show
room, turn out glasses and bottles by the thou
sand, and in such wise insure the commercial
prosperity of the concern. Still to turn the
Murano studio into mere glass and bottle mnnu-
factory would be TO deny its origin, to say
nothing of breaking the hearts of masters and
men. Indeed in this, as in most cases, beauty
and utility can be combined.
When the present Marquis Guior owner of
the magnificent porcelain mandatory of the
DOcctd, a few miles from Florence, came of age,
he found that from the time that his great
grandfather, the Marquis Carlo, founded the
factory, IN l144, until the present time, immense
sums of money had been sunk in the venture
and he was compelled to choose between three
courses-either to close the mandatory: To re-
strict his men to producing useful articles; to
make the pots and pans pay for the vases urns,
OF which will sometimes occupy an artist an
entire month. He chose the last of
the three, and while the produce and sale
OF his choicest porcelain are increased he has
brought the manufacture of COM
mon earthcnware up, or rather down. to the
wants OF the poorest peasant who needs pot in
which to boil his beans. Why should not the
Anglo-ltalian Company initiate the eX-Syndic of
Florence and side by side with their Murano
studio, set up a common glass and bottle manu-
factory? That ii is needed no one can deny: a
common black bottle costs twopcnce-three-
pence-in Italy; and ten to one the neck flies in
corking, so that most people buy common glass
ware of this kind of foreign manufacture. The
company possesses large buildings and plenty of
space at MuranO, and could procure labor
cheap without interfering with their educated
artists.
In one department the company has made
great progress, and that is in the art of packing.
In 1866 every article that came to Florence was
smashed. ! remember some friends of mine
who were enthusiastic about the revived ''art OF
glass, and who awaited the arrival of their sun
dry purchases with almost childish impatence.
when the cases arrived, no one could distinguish
his special property: the entire contents were
smashed. The present director of works has
altered all this. have just seen a case opened
on its arrival, and there is not a piece broken:
slender rcticulated ewers shcll-shaped bowls of
hllgree ruby, and avventurinO; opal vases, with
scraps of colOred marble confined, and snakes
twinlng round the base; glorious hanaps with
opaque flowers on their bossed steps; ruby
raised stands, with wine-gasses of every form
and hue; crocus flower cups, all intact, thanks
to the careful hands that swathed and folded
them in the sweet scented dlgd marina of the
lagoons. depot has just been opened in
Florence; and Salyati himself, who still remains
the artistic director of the Venetian works, has
already established one in Paris. Hearty good
will towards the Adriatic's Bride cannot be bet
ter expressed than in wishing her as much sue
cess in all her undertakings as has hitherto at
tended her 'enamel mosaics and glass re-
vival."