Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-11-10
EoY8LrIEs IN DECORATIVE WARES

IA Ne" L oTh appear III great numbers and
ingenious variety this season, and offer ir.
resistible temptation to those who have
money to spend and friends to supply with
wedding, birthday, or Christmas presents.
Immense brass portrait plaques, and
PLAGUE pictures painted on porcelain, are
among the late things for hall and library
decoration, not that these are in them.
selves TO be considered "new," but that a
revival of taste in this direction renders
them desirable, and has stimulated a wide
demand. Thus we see fourteenth and fit.
teenth century heads in bronze and brass
surrounded by broad disk skillfully
wrought and containing cabalistic letters
and dates. Oneof the attractions of Broad.
way window has been costume studies of
the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries .by
Page, the French artist, wonderfully fine
in detail and most exquisitely painted upon
blue porcelain with delicate scroll work
upon the blue and the subtlest harmony of
color on the gold and satin brocades of the
robes and other accessories of the magnih.
cent costumes. Usually the porcelain
plaques represent heads only, or busts, and
these give the figures at the full length and
furnish superb styles of beauty and form.
A pair OF these costs $3.50, and are well
worth the money. A Louis Quinze table
just received at an art store is inlaid with
porcelain IN the center containing por-
trait of Marie Antoinnette, and is sur.
rounded by miniatures upon porcelain of
the ladies' of the court, which form the
border, and are each inscribed with the
name in small gold letters. This table is
valued at $3.50 also.
Wrought brass appears in innumerable
forms. The indispensable to happiness
consist OF a fender, set of fire-irons, and
an art coal scuttle, which may cost any,
where from $50 to $3.50, or more. Almost
equally essential is the brass mantel clock,
antique in form, and the candelabra also of
an antiquated pattern. Spinning wheels
have had their day; they are too trouble.
some, take up too much room, and have al
air of affectation. They cannot be put on
the mantelpiece For hung on the wall, and
they h.7o therefore been sent back to the
attic, or cut up for firewood. The three
gods of household idolatry at present are
brass, china and plush.
The new sconces are of chased brass,
forming panel worked in relief instead of
an upright mirror at the back of the
swinging sockets for candles. Brass can
dlesticks to set fiat are formed like censers
of polished saucers, with the socket in the
-, and are accompanied by tray and
shutters. T'he old sxira!~-eallaAsssick ap.
pears, however, among the noveiti, X and
is more curious than the, simple ones o.
brass, which it antedates. 1t is made in
old silver and nickel, of oxidized metal,
and is at present rare. Men are becoming
very luxurious, acd their dressing-rooms
| sitting rooms, wardrobes and repositories
for personal belongings display tastes more
costly than those Of women. 1t is they
who build the modern palaces and fit them
up in gorgeous style; they who spend
! fabulous sums on household decorations, auG
who now indulge in an amount Of personal
luxury which throws the habits of elegant
women quite in the shade underwear
of the softest, richest, knitted silk dozen!
of the South American pajamas for nigh
and dressing room wear of China crepe
| soft wooded Chinese silk cashmere, flame
bound with satin and embroidered, and al
in the daintiest, most delicate tints anC
colors, such as ivory, pale blue, pink, buff
or violet. The paiamas consist of drawer
and loose, blouse jacket, with sailor collar
When made in ivory they are often faced
with a collar and embroidered with ivor,
| silk in a little vine, or in the corners O
collars and cuffs. If the psiama is il
colors it will perhaps be embroidered will
white, or have applique cut out of whit
satin cloth or velvet embroidered Cd, Tn
daintest of all is an all. white paiama @
ivory Chinese crepe or silk, enriched will
hand embroidery, and these are made TO
wedding outfits of fashionable men. VIII,
will have dozen of white, dozel
trimmed with color, and dozen in variou
delicate colors embroidered with white
These elegant gentlemen have for smok
ing companions the gate of a countr,
house in nickel or silver, with chain ring
instead of bars to held cigars upright, ant
side lights representing gate lamps, bu
holding candles and post pedestals to form
match-holders. These cost from $3.50 t.
$3.50, and are sometimes ornamented will
. bird, or rooster in the act of Growing
another recently imported piece of mascu
line extravaganza is lamp, the lower par
OF which forms tripod set in doubl
hoof, decorated with natural hair Their
are two burners representing wax candles
under tinted and decorated glass, and tn,
cost for lamp of this kind is about $3.50
Another lamp has for its standard horse
shoe with stirrup and riding whip cresset
and twisted. As for the expensive asl
trays and liquor sets and pipe. racks anc
dressing. cases and the like, space and tim,
would both fail in their enumeration. l
may be mentioned, however, that amoni
the personal properties of one young gen
tleman IN New York city are $40 odd silk
satin and knitted neckties, and upward O
nifty walking sticks. The inventory die
not go any further, or it might have devel
oped equally curious results in other de
partments.