Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-08-12
FORA NEW YORK MIMI0NA1RE
Some Wonderful Furniture Designed by
Alma-Tadema.
From the London Truth.


There is some wonderful furniture that
I have seen. The suite consists of two
very large couches, piano, music cabi-
net, tables, chairs, footstooIs, and cur
tains. They are designed and made for a
New York millionaire who has gwen nc
limit SO far as price is concerned, so that
the very finest materials and the most
skilled work have been secured. The de-
signs 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.
hear rumors of friezes and panels by Sir
Frederick leighton, of Roman sculpt0rs
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, IL IL also the root OF all art.
The cOuches, chairs, and stools are up
hOlstered in silk OF beautiful shade Of
pure gray, traversed by bands OF exquis-
ite embroidery in colors which are TIch,
bur carefully subdued, "a one sees them
in Mr.. Tadema's pictures. The ground Of
this embroidery Is also silk, the color be-
ing 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 a pc
culiar delicacy 10 the whole, form beau
tiful scroll pattern. A rich trellis fringe
Of mingled 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 1t imparts to the
upper fringe.
The woodwork Of all this is simply in
comparable, being a mingling Of cedar
wood. ebony, ivory and lockwood, inlaid
with the finest mOther-o'-pearl % be had.
Wherever here Is o corner a swans head
il carved out OF the ebony. large oarbun-
cles forming the eyes. The labor OF bend
ing the ivory has boon immense, for Il Ii
essentially a brittle substance. On the
arms Of the couches there are long curved
lines OF tapering ivory, which approach
each other closely az the base. but gradu-
ally increase the Interval Of width as they
rise.
upper part OF the musical cabinet is a
COPY OF an Asiatic temple. The pillars
are Of iuted cedar wood. the delicious red
brown OF that beautiful wood coming out
with great effect by reason OF the carving.
The capitals are carved ivory Ia q mellow
tint of warm cream color. The rest II
ebony inlald with various words and with
/ exquisite m0fnerO'- pearl winch cutters
! IKE Jewels. The curtains that veil the
recesses intended for holding the music
are Of gray silk embroidered In soft, rich
eolors, a Tyre occupying the centre.
! A large curtain h. also OF gray SIX,
with curious embroidered dado, the
ground Of which " plum-bioom silk with
| q quaint design In sections, In each Of
which Il a straight piece In blue and red
The round tables are 100 lovely. The
woodwork matches that Of the other iur-
allure. but 10 not a repetition. Ia fact, no
t,yo designs are precisely alike. There IL
something % study ~ each back Of q
chair. each side Of stool each arm OF =
coue6. The tops 81 The tables are 81
Atgertan ONYX. aud they are Ike bits OF
roiden sunsets caught ADD nxed 70 pc a
M brewer. 20 delicaiely. purely, trans.
nsrestis. eduirentiy pink % the ground of
NJ IA fbeae that 10 looks az s0fi 30 d rose
loaG though marble cold, Daghfs ol lei.
Ia and orange ara splaahed upon ihia
.,..,,s.4 and have cloudy, dreamy look
tbsf makes one think of SUMMER sly
1canaa,