The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1885-10-08
For a New York Millionaire.

There is some wonderful furniture
that l have seen. The suite consists of
two very large couches, piano. music
cabinet, tables, chairs, footstools and
curtains. They are designed and made
for New York millionaire, who has
given NO limit so far as price is con-
cerned, so that the very finest materi-
ais and the most skilled work has been
secured. The designs are by Alma
Tadema, whose picture, "a Reading
from Homer" now in the Academy, is
to be hung in the drawing-room for
which the furniture is intended. L hear
rumors of friezcs and panels by Sir
Frederick Seighton, of Roman sculpt-
ors at work upon the marble for the
same fortunate room, and of other de-
tails which lead me to the conclusion
that if money is the root of all evil, it
is also the root of all art.
The couches, chairs, and stools are
upholstered in silk of beautiful shade
of pale gray, traversed by bands of ex-
uuisite embroidery in colors which are
rich. but carefully subdued, as one sees
them in Mr.. Tadema's pictures. The
ground of this embroidery is also silk,
the color being precisely that of the
bloom of ripe plum. Upon this the
tints of gold and orange, blue, red, and
brown, with slender curved lines of
pure white, giving peculiar delicacy
to the whole, form beautiful scroll
pattern. A rich trellis fringe of ming
led gray and gold runs along the edges
of the couches, and beneath it is a
deep silk fringe of the plum-bloom
color, which does not show, except in
the effect of depth and richness it i'm
parts to the upper fringe.
The woodwork of all this is simply
incompatible. being a mingling of
cedar wood, ebony. ivory, and box
wood, inlaid with the finest mother-o'-
pearl to be had. Wherever there is q
corner, q swans head is carved out of
ebony, large carbuncles forming the
eyes. The labor of bending the ivory
has been immense. for it is essentially
a brittle substance. On the arms of
the couches there are long curved lines
of tapering ivory, which approach each
other closely at the base, but gradually
increase the interval of width as they
rise.
The piano is not yet completed. The
upper part Of the musical cabinet is a
copy OF an Asiatic temple. The pillars
are of huted cedar wood, the delicious
red-brown of that beautiful wood COM
ing out with great effect by reason of
the carving. The capitals are carved
ivory in mellow tint of warm cream
color. The rest is ebony inlaid with
various woods and with exquisite
mother-o' pearl, which glitters like
Jewels. The curtains that veil the re-
cesses intended for holding the muslin
are of gray silk embroidered in soft,
rich colors, Tyre occupying the CEN
ter. --.r--
The round tables are too lovely. The
woodwork matches that of the other
furniture. but is not Il repetition. In
fact no two designs are precisely alike.
There is something to study in each
back of a chair, each side of stool,
each arm of q couch. The tops of the
tables are of Algerian onyx, and they
| are like bits of golden sunsets caught
and fixed to be a JOY forever. So deli
cately, purely, transparently, effulgent-
ly pink is the ground of one of these
that it looks as soft as rose leaf,
| though marble cold. Dashes Of yellow
and orange are splashed upon the
ground, and have cloudy. dreamy
look that makes one think of summer )
skyscapes. s.--LOnd0n Truth.