Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-11-20

Latest Tastes and styles in Rric.a.
Brac and DECORATE onS.


Brac and DecOrati ons.
sToNEwARR. coLORED GLASS WIND ,ws, AND TIE
LIks-ENAasL POTTERY MAXINE HEADwAY-
CoL0RS AND SHAPES.
New York paper dflates at length on the
reignfDg tastes and styles in modern pottery.
windows and strong lights for small panes Of
colored glass, it remarks that this change has
had great effect upon the ideas OF house deco
rators and furnishers. Il has revolut1onized the
makers or pottery as iJ had before dole the
styles OF carpets and hangingS, brilliant hues
and large figures having been found incon-
gT'ious with the dim light. The leading thought
OF the manufacturers OF the day Is to present
pottery In Which there are no small details,
and In which there Is a strong background
tone, against which the decoration. whatever it
may OF, Is oroadl- rendered In strong colorS.
There Is still reluctance among New Workers
10 pay high prices Ior decorative pottery. The
largest hrm In the business has few pieces Of
Deck, Of Paris, the acknowledged king Ia his
department.. and these are OF the cheapest
wares. Laur1D, of Bourg la Rhine; Haviland, of
Limoges. and Auteuil, are best patroniZed
Deck is too dear, and Doulton Is not liked. The
popularity or Laurin's pottery is his successful
use oil enamel earthS. The paints are all min.
eral colors and the artist mixes them freely
with an earth that will vitr1fy. The background
so that not only is it very thicky laid on,
but the marks of the brush show dis
tinctly: This which is simply whtnl, is be-
leved by the misguided to be breadth, though,
In truth, the decoration would be equally
broad II the marks Of the brush were concealed.
Upon this background the artist paints with
may oe-dIcks. Cupids gathering blackberries.
sprays OF wild flowers, etc. There Is no DOUBT
that Laurin has discovered some special pigment
that will give him black tones Of enamel quail
lty, ana those pieces that have this black are
the most eagerly sought after. Haviiand, whose
qualities are very similar to Laurln as regards
color and enamel brightness is famous for the
archaic shapes which his chief man, Braque-
mont, either evolves out OF his inner conscious
ness or steals from prehistoric museums To
decoration with the brush Havlland adds,
moreover, the charm Of sculpture. Macy
Of his archaic jars - fer they cannot be
called vaseS-are surrounded with wreatns
CT flowers modelled in high relief. Both
use lead glazes. Haviland manufactures,
moreover, peculiar kind OF pottery which Is
Lot sold by any Of the principal dealers here,
though many Americans possess specimens. In
this there are nude forms Of nymphs carved In
nigh relief upon the object. These are coiored La
flesh tones, but are unglaZed. The art displayed
in The modelling is OF the first order, but just
criticism has condemned this mingiing OF the
glazed and the unglaZed. Braque,nont is wen
aware OF the fault, but when the fgures were
glazed the effect was completely lost. Doulton.
Of Lambeth, is represented both oy his stone
S t OF Dou QUO ware proper and the Doaiton
lead glaze. With regard to the latter Douton's
sales have fallen OF very materially. They
We're enormous. but the duty OF 40 per cent
added SO tremendously TO the price that after
the first burst OF enthusiasm IN 1876 and 1917,
the ardOT Of purchasers cooled materially. But
the penChant OF Americans generally, and OF
New Workers specially, for this species Of deco
rattve ware was so marked that Bennett, one OF
DOultOn'S men, established himself in New
York, anG produces work that is every Whit as
good as pouiton's. The leading thought Of the
DoultOn faience Is the use OF tender tranSpar-
ent colors, and this for two reasoEs-frSt. be
cause such ware Is admirably suited TO the new
conditions or fine houses; next, because such
co1ors require only half fire. The body is so
soft that even under these favorable arrange
meDts many ''craze'-the technical term for
cracking 10 fine lines.
The DOultOn Stoneware In our leading stores
is not OF quality likely to induce many pur-
chaseIs. In the first place, it is only kept by
one firm; In the next place, the purchases Of
that finn were made four, II not Ave, years ago,
and finally, they were evidently made by SOM
one who was prejudced against the ware and
selected The worse specimens he could ind
The expensive p!tces were all failures: the
cheaper articles were ridicGlously unorna-
mented. DOulton ware is technically what is
known as salt glaze or stoneWare.
For enamel pottery there is little or no sale
and therefore the finest Oriental vases OF
LODgWy can find no customer. But something
OF this abandonment is due to the fact that the
public now recognize that all the ware OF this
deaux-all save PaTvlle Instead OF being hand
mace, are the result OF processes something
similar to the method by which encaustic tiles
are manufactured. This killed the sale here.
although this ware still flourisheS, and Is con-
sidered very wonderful ia Cites away from this
center Deck manufactures kind OF enamel
pottery also but his IS perfect reproduction
OF the Rhodian, Damascus and Persian wares
OF course, he does not use the Stanntferous
enamel, but he repr0duces The patterns and the
colors so perfectly thai the best Judge can not
is The modern. His small pieces are all OF
one cotor. the design being slight and Of no
Importance Whatever 1t sand it Is always
an arrangement OF lines, either zgzags
grecques. or something of the kind--ft is 10 the
mold. The green color-probably some variety
Of manganeae.is In the glazing, and il is tue
how deep the color may be, the glaze is always
The Oriental green manganese
@laZeS on the contrary, are thoroughly OPAQUE.
ana have been used from time immemortal for
covering the rudest red pottery. The turquoise
blue pieces are very much more extensive. aid
are OF quality OF color exceedingly beautiful,
but as hard to define as the gem they rival. IN
one asl ect they look blue as tue SKY OF O :tobar
In New York. In another the green shade is un.
But perhaps the finest or all this
smaller ware is the cracked blue in which the
blue is excessively deep in color, bat as trans
parent as ocean water. Deck makes lamps
sometimes OF this kind but only for amateurs
ard [ 1 nds
For decorative purposes it must be admitted
hat Deck has struck the keynote Design
amounts to but little II the object IS Only 70
serve given purpose II it is to be placed on
4 dark oak 1lantel piece Or on an etagere or In
Die OF those cabinets now so much IN vogue. 1t
shape and conspicuous glazes. So strongly IS
his fact Impressed upon persons who wish to
compose their interiors as artists compose their
pictures that they neglect modern and Euro
pean pottery. and have gone back to the old
Chinese vases In celadon sang de b0euf, rosso
antique, terra rosa, mandarin yellow, spatter,
and 40 on.
Sang de bout Is, of course, q spatter, though
when The result is perfectly achieved it is dill
cult for the novice to believe that which he sees
IS produced by several colors scattered On the
vase. a perfect specimen OF this kind. four feet
IN height, was formerly owned by New York
family from whom kensett, the
artist, received so much kind patronage. Il
was sold at auction, however, and became the
property OF San Francisco lady. Mrs. VIM,
Norris. whose first husband was the famous
preacher, Starr King. 1t is, without doubt, the
finest piece eXtant OF the kind.
Land-Ownthg in England.
At present land is a luxury. TO its posses
sion certain social advantages are attached. A