The Portland daily press., 1885-12-24

heart of man TO imagine. In the first place. it
is exceedingly well chosen, and In the second,
it is perfectly arranged. The classification
of japanese pottery is much complicated by
the fact that in Japan pottery has been made
in private studios as pictures are painted in
this country. The student has at the outset
to disabuse his mind of the notion that he
has to deal only with large factories; since
the artistic mobiles had private kilns and pro-
duced some of the masterpieces of japanese
faience. Classification then, is largely geo
graphical, and the finest thing that strikes
an ordinary visitor to Prof Morse's collec-
ton is the inaccuracy of his previous impress
sions. SatSuma, for instance, means to most
persons a highly decorated ware OF cream
color, with glaze easily distinguished and
well cracked. When he is shown shelf at
ter shelf of exquisite brown pottery without
decoration. without crackle and with match
less irrideScences, with a great variety OF
shade and of textures, the visitor begins to
suspect that casual acquaintance with the
Japanese wares of the shops is not, after all,
SO complete an education as he had fancled:
The same remark might apply to any sort of
ware one could name of all the well-nigh in
Vulnerable varieties represented on these
shelves Such lustre, such textures; glazes
inwardly lucent as sea wave and as soft as
a baby's cheek; decorations. simple, direct
and imaginative as poems! One cannot
speak of these gems without getting rhapsodl-
cal and conveying the idea that he is given
only the over-decorated wares of the shops,
made expressly for the foreign market, have
little or no idea of the exquisite simplicity
and beauty of the choicest specimens OF Jap
anese pottery; and the visitor must be lack
ing indeed in artistic appreciation who does
not come away feeling that even Prof.
Morses enthusiastic admiration is less that
the beauty and completeness of the collec-
ton demands.
'sJust feel of that glaze Professor Morse
oh olr of
the brown pilgrim, bottle-shaped vases for
which be has refused $500 apiece, did you
ever know anything so lovely? Why, man
could live with that in the dark and be per
fectly satisfied"
removed from the hard slipperiness of glass
as the North is from the South, and which
can be compared to nothing but to the
smoothness of the lovely skin of live baby,
the matchless evenness which is enhancing
alike to eye and to finger, gives to these
vases and tea jars charm which can be IL
vailed by no pottery in the world.
1t is so entertaining, too, to hear the host
tell of the lucky accidents which occurred to
help him in his work Of collecting, accidents,
it is true, although he does not say so, which
might have happened to anyone, and which
were important because he had the knowl-
edge necessary to make them serve him.
Fortune did favor him, however, to degree
not little noteworthy. He has procured,
for instance, many of the identical speci-
mems from which were made the plates in
the work which is authority on Japanese
faience, and whose authors name know,
but cannot SPELL Circumstances like these
give this collection a unique value for refer
ence and comparison, and it is heartily to be
hoped that it may be secured for Boston. 1t
will ultimately be sold, it being too valuable
to be owned by private individual and it
is said that foreign parties are negotiating
for it. If the Art Museum could only be
lowered with possession like this it would
become a shrine of pilgrimage for pottery
experts the world over.