New-York tribune., 1880-10-03
CORRUPTTNG INFLUENCE OF THE VEST ON
ORIENTAL ART.
From The Lon don TeleQrdph.


One of the most patent and obvious facts, IN the
recent revival of decorative tastes among the Eng
sh people, is the powerful influence OF Eastern art
upOn our whole system OF ornamental design IN
deed this Is but the continuation OF all art his
tory for whence .came Gothic architecture ITSELF
with its delicate traceres ITS rlch draper pattelIns
from the Eastf But putting all past history aslhe
and looking at things simply as they are. we cannon
fail TO perceive that all our decoration Is reieraDe
much of it Immediately most OF 1t palpaDly, 10
Asatlc sources. Even that which seems 10 nave
strayed furthest from Orientasin. IN modern
Europe-the Renaissance and lts prounc Dianunss
of later luxurious ingenuity and intensely artil-
cial grace-docs not extend beyond those iimits
W hence the Glow may be traced backward; inc ine
interest then. in any good collection OF true
Oriental types cannot but be great and general.
owen Jones the fist teacher, Acknowledged
by the present age, in the school that connects
English domestic ornament with those tradi-
tionary almost instructive, principles which have
governed all decorative industries In ARABIA
Persia Hindustan, and Far Cathay." Ills work.
poorly recompensed, will never cease to bear fruit
Fashion like spot child, that spoils ID turn all
il handles took up, grew tired OF, ana threw down,
the various but cognate styles Of rich and compara-
lively inexpensive ornament famiharized by Owen
Jones. Many toys of taste have engaged the notice
of Fashion since that time but never VIII the IN
seeking of decorative artists De forgotten. for
some years the japanese tone has prevailed; and a
very good tone too. The rage Will die out as a
rage but the quaint quietly gay, buslly dsXterous
and in an eminent degree. reconciling qualities OF
Japanese art have taken so strong a hold on tne
are not likely to take flight and disappear IN our
time or in that of our chiIdrens children.
The yet lingering but threatened, and already
obscured and waning charm OF all oriental hahdl-
crafts lies in tho simple fact that everything ~
hand made. 1t results that all objects from the
AIurrhine cups which are the same now rs IN ths
davs of Pliny or the rnrcst handicaft of the jew
eller the ade-carver the metal-worker the potter
or the weaver down to the cheapest toy or earthen
vessel Is in u greater or less degree work OF art
That this cannot last forever-that 10 cannot last
very long-that it is in Immediate course OF de-
struction through the announcement wnlch -
being held out by European collectors and dleftnh
to the Asatic workman-is as certain rs anyt
sealed with the seal of fate. Not long ago an Eng
lsh decorative artist was conducting party of
Asiatic gentlemen whether Indian Persian, Jap
anese matters not, through the steam factories OF
the North of England. The operation which struck
them most was the gTGf Sna e SDea tbe
for purchasing several machines that would do
this work; for" said they, "two-thirds OF the
cost of certain ornamental vessels. wrought or
copper is in the hammering out of the metal into
sheets" Their guide man OF taste, shuddered az
this for he knew full well that the be auty OF those
| vessels was mainly due to the very fact OF their
| being so hammered out and the next Improvements
to the rolling process will be the mechanical strik-
| ing off of any number of vases To order"
Everybody who enters an English gr0cers shop,
| or looks in at the window of an Oriental ware.
house." Is familiar with those cheap little sasi
cups covered with bamboo basket work, which -
| getting coarser and coarser as the demand taxes
the power of supply but which is vet So fine that
| If you were to offer any European baskct.maker
| thousand pounds no could no more produce the
| same thing than he could build q thrush's nest.
Well, the labor by which thousands of these cups
are covered every month is now very CHEAP: but,
| unfortunately, the American, English, and French
| merchants have decreed that IL shall be cheaper
| and yet cheaper and ultimately there will be no
| help for 1t. but machinery must do the work u u
will. 1t IL not enough that pretty and serv iceah
| fan costs no more than penny II must be male
to cost somew hat less than halfpenny TO yield the
| grocer profit and to enable him &c undersell an
other grocer in the same art-loving neighborhood
hi1n tpataa nf
| forms of characteristic art the rival dealers are
| doing their worst ~ degrade and vuls arze them