National Republican., 1876-05-26
RUHAMAEs sKETcH-BooK.
Among the japanese Fine Arts.
, lPHILApEIPuIA. PA. MAY q.

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Among the japanese Fine Arts.
PHILADELPHIA, Pa, May "A, 1875.
The thunder storm Of Monday night did some
good In the way Of cooling the air, for both yes
terday and to-day the air Is delightfully."- COOL and
one can indulge in all sorts Of delicious shivers
and shakes. The attendance at the grounds in
the past few days has increased greatly. Phila-
delphia people are beginning to come, and now
that the yearly meeting is over, the Quakers dot
the enclosure thiekly. The brethren in their
quantity. cut garments and broad -brimmed hats,
and the sisters in their perfectly plain dress and
poke bonnets wander around and enjoy the sights
as we'll as ''the worlds people," The many
pretty girls, for which Philadelphia is famous,
have at last made their appearance. and the
adorable stupidity Of the sweet creatures gives
the foreign exhibitors o charming opportunity to
describe their articles and indulge in perstfage.
One Of the Egyptians drove all.of his confreres
wild with Jealousy the other day BY his mild and
lengthy filtration with o beautiful young lady.
These Egyptians seem to be very gallant, for
they are always devoting themselves to some one,
II not to visitor then to one Of the many pretty
girls who dispense flowers, guide books and pho
tographs to the wandering crowd. The obstreper-
GUS youths OF America, who by srraylng them
selves in loose pants and bobby coats Of tweed,
and think they resemble Engllshmen, are all over
and everywhere. 1t is useless for an American to
think that he can pass for an Englishman by
shaving his head, wearing tweed and thick soled
shoes, and fiourishiDg an immense eane-he can
never attain that felicity The sleepy look OF the
eyes and the drawing influenza tones Of voice are
THE BIRTHRIGHTs OF JOHN BULL ONLY.
Then there are the old fashioned parties, who
promenade the aisles loaded down with umbrellas
and enormous lunch baskets, and the intellectual
crowds from Boston, who spend hours and days
over the several collections OF bronIes and cera-
mics. and have cards with the words "sold to o-''
all of the choice specimens 1t is perfectly sur
prising to see how many articles in the Chinese
make collectors rave and tear their scanty hair,
II they have not already their selections. The
Pennsylvania Museum and School Of Industrial
Art has made the most expensive and valuable
purchases and their tickets ornament almost all OF
the choicest articles. On account of their numerous
purchases this institution has excited great In
terest, and many valnaDle specimens have been
presented to them by foreign exhibitors. Two
beautiful plates for mantel decoration have been
given by the Deulton exhibitors, and these, with
what they already purchased of this beautiful
faience, will make n remarkable addition to their
museum Ceramics
Several bronZes from the Japanese and some Dor.
eelain vases from the Chinese and plaster bust OF
Rumeses i, the Pharaoh of Moses bearing the com.
pliments of the Khedive of Egypt, are among their
presents. Where is the COrcoran Art Gallery,
wit its income Of $50 00J year? It is time they
came forward and ticketed some Of the wonderful
things that can now be had with 50 little trouble
and expense. Neat cases of distracting porcelain
i,
and now Is their chance If they expect to get any
oft. There are three cases Of antique porcelain,
the most Of 1t made
ABOUT THE YEAR 1900,
when the art of pottery at its greatest perfec
tiOn. Nothing that was made before or since that
golden age compares with 1t in beauty and excel.
lence. All Of the different varieties OF that epoch
are here. Beautiful vases of genuine cobalt blae,
plates and riOtng in the beauty of the chrys
neutrality-suspicious. style-and bewildering
specimens of the famille vert and the famIlle rose
set the chinamaniacs wild with delight. Since the
has entirely lost It's charm, and hang over @ the
bars with the crowd and watch them unpack and
arrange these beautiful specimens. For all the
Chinese poke and dawdle so over their work, they
will have their section in order long before the
French, their slow work telling every day. The
French IA Ike their ease at getting things ready,
and theif @ section Is PIT mt very little more ad'
hbit just now consists Of silks, bronzes and china.
All the rest is confusion, with chattering Gauls
rushing around the boxes, and making "a great
ado about nothing" Their ceramics are directly
across the aisle from the English ceramics, and
one is thus enabled to make comparisons between
them. Both sections contain quantities Of ma
jolca, but the English specimens are more gaudy
in their decoration and larger in their proportions
than the cool, little French specimens. The
French follow
THE MODELS OF PALIssY,
in o great measure, and many Of their dishes and
plaques are ornamented with fish, eels and the
shells and flowers Of the Paris BASIN Almost all
of their maoiea is in various shades of green and
gray, with very little Of the gaudy reds, yellow
and flesh tints OF the English ware. In faience,
the English excel, although some of the French
specimens are very attractive. The Doulton pot
terry, made at Lambeth, in StaffOrdshire, attracts
almost as much attention as some Of the Oriental
In the centre aisle is Allied with some beautiful
plates and vases, but the rarest specimens of 1t
are in an out of the way place hard to find, but
amply repaying the trials Of its discovery. A
great deal Of the ware has the regular brownish-
green background, and on it float creamy white
flowers in bewildering profGsion; There are sew
eral chimney pieces inlaid with beautiful tiles,
and, most charming Of ALL great plates for niu al
with flowers, landscapes and figures
in every style heart could wish painted on their
surface. As this artistic ware is not very eSpen-
sive, comparatively, many orders have been given
for duplicates OF these specimens, and
AFTER THE EXHIBITION IS OVER
ought to be seen on the walls and sideboards Of
every one who can possibly afford 1t. Then there
are the English tiles for floors, freplaces, walls
beautiful, and some of them are so exquisite that
one hates to think Of their being stepped on. One
pattern In particular struck my fancy. The de-
the leaf Is so perfect that one wants to touch II
before being assured Of its material. There are
all sorts Of floral and mosaic patterns for floors
pieces, walls and furniture. There are several
styles Of tiles having Scriptural pictures them
and Others with scenes frem the 1liad for fire.
English abbeys and churches. Mari & Son, Of
London, also exhibit tiles, but In originality and
beauty they are not as fine as the Minton's work.
large exhibit, but It is surpassed in beauty and
delicacy by what little of the French ware is open
At one place in the French section there are some
tea cups that arc perfectly distracting. The whole
interior Of the cup is ofa
DELICIOUS, SOFT ROSE PINK
that evades description. The outside of the cup
,NaI hapA and
besQues Of pink but one can think Of nothing else
when gazing into the rosy depths Of the cups.
Orders are taken for duplicates, and should
be surprised II there one Of these cups left in
France. There were many other choice specimens
of dinner and tea-sets in beautiful blue, gilt and
painted fruits but nothing to compare with this
rose-lined style. They alone would offset any of
the table china in the English section. There
was no display of tiles in the French section,
eept q few that were inserted in cabinets and
brass sconces. There is large collection of china
from the Sevres factory in Memorial hall but not
opened to the public yet. In the English section
there is a china top for stationary wash stand,
which bears a notice to the effect that il is an eX
act copy of the one provided for Queen Victoria.
1t is a very ordinary looking thing, ornamented
in gilt, and much handsomer ones can be seen in
any Of our plumbers windows. In the Swedish
some exquisite Parian statuettes, Dut their large
porcelain stoves are the most interesting. One Is
covered with dark maiolica-like tiles, and the
other is blue and white, with ornamental vases
and low down are brass doors, to put fuel into
the small iron basket that gives heat to the
stove.
THESE PORCELAIN STOVES
are about ten feet high, three feet deep and foul
feet wide, and are said to give out a gentle, even
heat, besides being very ornamental to room
In the Italian section there are many copies o.
the antique Raffaelles, Gubbio aud FaenZaware
made at Rome, and quantities Of majolica and
terra Gotta. One pretty little thing In terra Gotta
was two children huddled under an umbrella,
from the top Of which q small Jet of water rose
and falling back, ran of the points Of the um
brela The funny expression ofthe little faces and
their efforts to keep dry were irresistible. Spair
exhibits some coarse earthen ware and some
copies of Moorish tiles. Germany sends quaint
ties of Dresden ware, copies of antique faienct
and stoneware, and q superb collection OF porce
lain, ranging in price from nve dollars to sil
thousand dollars, for single and paired vases
The painting is most exquisite, and the shapes
more graceful than one could expect after seeing
some or their exhibits. One large vase presents
Raphael's "Aurora" upon Its front; another ar
allegoricsl representation Of Germania, sur
rounded by her warriors, and rejoicing In her vic
tories; and most beautiful Of all, vase orna
mented with q reproduction from a celebrated
fresco of Kaulbaehs Of Otto, the fowler, visiting
the tomb Of Charlemagne. The old Empero
is seated his throne, clad in his robes. wearins
his crown and sceptre while at his feet lies pros
trate the awe-stricken peasant; barbarian war
riors MI the back ground, and the whole effect 4
De aHso ha nnnet trflr