The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1884-03-15
NATURAL LEAVES MINERALIzED.

And bloom shall NIL the air ana Drlng
| Ny darling singer back TO me.
George Ii. Mifiiin, in Philadelphia Press
NATURAL LEAVES MINERALIZED.
An invention which we believe will
prove very great success. and be
largely used for the decoration OF
panels, comes to us from the south OF
France. At present it seems to want a
name, for, as far as we can learn, it is
only known as natural leaves mineral
ized," and this hardly gives fair idea
of the work. The fact that the stems
are included in the decorations as well
as the leaves makes all the difference,
for although the latter alone might be
suitable for the ornamentation of small
objects, they could scarcely make up
large piece effectively On the other
hand, when we have the leaves in their
natural growth on the stems we can at
once understand that large decorations
are easily managed. Take, for exam
pie, the wild rose, we could not do SO
much with the leaves only as we could
with a long branch in its natural
growth, which we can turn and twist
about at will into almost any form that
the occasion demands.
Now to describe the work: If we can
imagine metal beaten into various
forms, highly relieved against the back
ground, and subsequently gilded and
silvered, we shall be about as near to
forming some idea of its appearance as
Imagination can take us. The branches,
or portions of plants, are placed in Il
collation., and ronn;ua naot;r,~ nf rra1I
or silver. This process hardens and
renders them durable, so that anything
short of violence will not affect them.
They can be applied to various grounds,
such as canvas, wood, and metal, and
are especially adapted for furniture or
namentation. and paneling for screens
and doors. Whether they will be dura-
bic, as far as the gliding and silvering
is concerned, we cannot say. To de-
scribe it more fully we will mention a
few of the examples exhibited.
Panels for screens are done on gilded
canvas; the artist with his brush has
thrown in, by means of soft tints of
brown and green, a slight background
of trees and water; these are hardly
more than indicated in some examples
to give the effect of distance. The
foreground is filled in with raised min
eralized bulrushes, bending, as it were,
before the breeze.
Another suggests bit of underwood
with the broken and struggling branches
of climbing plants; a mass OF orderly
confusion, for it is by no means an in
distinct mass, but there is that method
in its apparently careless arrangement
which is never absent from truly artis-
tic work.
Another panel has two birds of the
stork tribe, with an appropriate fore
ground of water plants; the storks are
done in oils, the plants being mineral
lied. 1t may meet with the approval
of many persons, but we cannot say
that we admire it as we do those that
represent foliage only, with a glimpse
of distant trees; the bird detracts from
the simplicity, and alters the style of
the work entirely. On canvas of
raised check pattern the bird is painted
on a smooth ground and laid on; this is
still less to our taste than the other.
A three-fold screen framed in dark
red plush is worthy of all praise, the
arrangement of the palm-leaves, etc,
being very artistic. The thicker the
stems and the larger the leaves the
richer the decoration will prove.
the choice of the foliage to
be employed must depend on the use to
which it is to be put.
High relief is not requisite, or even
in small pieces, such as
ca bnet doors; but in large panels it
cannot be too high for effect. The high |
relief of the palm-leaves from the
ground formed the chief charm of the |
screen we have mentioned; this, and |
the happy contrast Of red, gold, and |
silver, made it a fitting object for the |
most handsomely furnished room.
A large plaque of copper is decorated
with an arum leaf, among other foliage,
but the arrangement struck us as being
'ather stiff.
An elegantly shaped metal basket,
with handle, has mineralized leaf laid
IN as though thrown in haphazard.
A small wooden panel is embellished
With a branch of wild roses, which look
ike carved wood gilded.
work is that the veins of the leaves
how through the gliding, and this, as
n the case of the wild rose, adds much
o the beauty of the ornamentation.
The delicate tracery of the veins gives
richness that would be wanting if the
coating of gold and silver overlaid
hem 80 thickly as to render them in
distinct or to obscure them altogether
We cannot tell if there will be any fur
her development of the art, but pre-
ume that heretofore it has been found
to treat flowers and nuts
n the same manner, otherwise surely
would have been already done. The
rum and lilies-indeed, anv large
blossoms whose petals are Of thick,
7axen-like texture-would aid the
rtist materially in his compositions
lnlerican Queen.
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