New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-12-23
DOMESTIC ART.
,r,,pp cuINA Avn BOoK-BINDING.

,YuURTH EDITION-MH LoFrIES ENIEAohOi-
Many BuNDRRs-INPoRTANCE OF SOUND JUDO
MENr IN coLLECTING-BurIsH CHINA FLUCTC-
ATING-PoPCIAR ERRORS on BooK-BINDING.
TFnoM TIE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TmBuNEI
LONDON. Dec at is plain enough that the M
terest in what for want OF a better word may call
aor4stic ART Is on the increase Mr. Eastlakes book
..Hints on Household Furnishing" long since re-
published in America gave a great start to it, Peo-
nile like what they cali practical books, and many a
man and woman who would never have opened the
snlendjd works of Viollet-le-Duc took kindly 10 Mr
Eaetlake The difference between consulting one
and consulting tho other is something like the diner
ence betveen going to museum and going to a
shop. The knowledge you pick mp in TIE shop is
less scientific and complete, but it Is combined with
the pleasure of acquisition. Many an amateur mas
learned from the dealers and their wares most OF
what he knows about art. Spite of the success OF
Mr.. Eastlake's book, of which a new edition, the
fourth think is coming out in England, 1t has not
had many successors or rivals. Messrs. Macmillan,
however have hit upon the idea of an Art at Home
series the first two volumes of which have Just APP
pcarcd.
One Of these il introductory entitled "A Plea for
Art in the House." by w. j. Loftie; the other, on
''House Decoration" by RhOda and Agnes Jarrett
Mr.. Lofte's little book fills just hundred pages
within their rather narrow limits he discusses the
Fpruitnre.s Pictures" Books and China"
finally. Art and Morals" These the titles OF
his i've charters He addresses himself TO people OF
moderate means and though there are some useful
hints and much easy talk in his book fear it is not
n manual which can be recommended with con-
fdence as handbook for the Young hOusekeeper
One who followed Mr. LOftie's maxims too bllndiy
might find his means more moderate when he ended
than when no began. 1t is easy to hi the nina OF
beginner with stories of collectors who have bought
treasures for song and sold them for great sums
MIR L0ftle's anecdotes are stimulating enough, and
sometimes amusing. Bat he draws from them the
moral that if you collect what may seem common
enough now, few years hence your grand
children may have cause TO bless you. This
he calls "safe" moral. can hardly
imagine one more dangerous Mr.. Loftle
might inst as well advise his clients to buy lottery
tickets because of the few prizes which turn up
among the many blanks. Indeed. the lottery would
be the safer investment of the two in most cases.
You may win prize in lottery. Ii you take 10
Collecting for colleoting's sakewhch is Mr.. Lofnes
advice-without knowledge, taste, experience OF
good counsel you certain to come to grief IL Is
not everybody who can recognize cup by Ben
yenuto Cellini in limp of old IRON purchasable at
iunk-shop for five francs and worth tve Thousand
Nor is it everybody who would have the patience to
spend the odd moments of three months IN getting
rid of rust and gathered rubbish, nor the deheacy OF
hand TO separate all this without iniuring the WORK
beneath. This is one story out OF many OF one OF
the greatest out of many great French collectors,
Sauyageot. l cheerfuly make Mr.. Loftie present
of If. / might tell him also of the famous lock
which a French artist bought in peasants house
for five francs TO sell presently for five hundred TO
provincial dealer who sold il to Partisan colleague
for five thousand, who sold it for twenty thousand
TO well-knOwn amateur in whose collection 1T now
reposes-an almost matchless piece of fourteenth
century wrOught-iron work. But not from these nor
from a hundred other such tales can he build a
sound basis for his theory about the prudence of art
collecting 1t is prudent for those who understand
il. 1t is not prudent for the great majority who
don't 1t may be recommended heartily on many
other grounds but not as sound investment OF
money which cannot easily be spared.
Good things are always good Mr.. Loftie may urge,
and truly. But let him look at what is going on at
this moment iu London There is fashion in coed
things. as in bad, and price depends good deal on
fashion. For some years, English CHINA mad oeeh
rising in price. Chelsea Worcester, Bristol Derby,
and all the rest of it, won't up steadily Quite sud
denly it stopped going up, and began to 60 down.
Twas told lately that English porcelain will not now
fetch more than half last years price. WhyT 1t
Is rs good as ever But the demand has grown less,
and has been replaced by increased demand for
certain kinds of Oriental china; especially old Nan
king blue and white, which is now moro than double
jim many cases quadFuple--its price OF twelve
month since In the face of such changes as these,
which do not depend on the intrinsic value OF an
article AMI cannot always be foreseen, what be-
comes of Mr. Loftie's views about the prudence OF
collectngf If you have bought blue and white
and choose to sell it-well and good. II you have
bought Worcester you might as well have put your
money into "Egylts.1
All this TO be sure has no very close connection
with Art at Home 1t is, however, Mr.. Loftes way
of introducing and recommending his subject to his
readers and il is only fair to them that there
IL another side 10 the argument 1t would be almost
eonally rash 10 accept his story of Smith and his
Warden Street experience as reasOn for believ-
ing all the stories which the Jews of that too famous
5onarter win tell you about their modern-antique
furniture The difficulty with Mr.. Loftie is that he
writes from half knowledge and over-enthusiasm.
His hook contains some excellent advice, and the
general tone of it ia so far house decoration goes,
ON the right side But it is likely to do as much
harm rs good Mr.. Lofte's chapters on Pictures and
on Books aud China are certainly not written for
conuoisseurs. They are very slight yet opinions
and advice are put forward with degree of posi-
tiyeness which q much greater reputation ana q
much more exact knowledge tEan MIR. Loftie's would
hardly Justify. Whatever has come into his head
he has put down on paper, and strange medley it
sometimes is What is TO be said Of the dictum that
more taste and knowledge required in the choice
OF prints than in the choice of paintinRsY What Is
the learner 20 do when he is told page that it
is much safer and wiser to buy old masters Of
engraving than new, and on the next
that for decorative purposes modern prints
are best when there is plenty of wall spacef Is 1t