St. Paul daily globe., 1888-08-19

L. sale, says the
- \ MI NJ i a.z z::s $;;:s! !:$!
into the cOun-
try in small ornamental pieces, such as
sleeve buttons, pins and jewel boxes,
but a well-known firm on Fifth avenue
was the first to use it in the ornamental
ton of houses. Special workmen were
brought over from France and Italy,
and the beauty and durability of the
work have made it universally popular.
For floors, the marble mosaic only is
used, but for mantle and wall
decoration, both the marble and
glass are used together. The glass
is manufactured i'll long slender pieces,
and in using it the end is stuck in the
prepared cement and then broken Off.
The marble is in larger pieces, almost
square, and much of it is imported. The
design is sketched on paper, prepared
with paste of some kind. ON which the
mosaic is laid, the smooth side down.
wards. In this condition the mosaic is
packed and sent to its destination, where
the rough side is set in certain kind of
plaster that. becomes hard and will last
forever. The paper is then washed off
the face of the work and the mosaic is
polished.
PIERPONT MoRGAN's HOUSE.
The first work of this kind done in the
city is the vestibule of Pierpont Nor
gan's house, on Madison avenue. The
design is very beautiful one of birds
and flowers. The large vestibule of w.
| ID. Vanderbilt'S house is decorated in a
| like manner, the design of cupidS, vines
and flowers being SO fine and so beauti-
| fully done that it resembles painting.
The floor Of the picture gallery has,
| also, a border of mosaic in artistic de-
| sign. Mr.. Vanderbilt had great fancy
| for this kind of work, and besides the
vestibule and gallery, the balcony on the
| front of the house is decorated with
| mosaic. The latter is in glass, in the
| Italian style, and is of Pompeiian de-
sign. In the house occupied by White
| law Reid, the superb hall has a ceiling
| of MOSAIC in marble. The walls are
marble, decorated with glass mosaic in
| Renaissance designs. A beautiful spec
| linen of this work is that in the hall of
the new Equitable building on Broad
way, and another, equally fine, deco
rates the chancel of the Church of the
Ascension, at Tenth street and Fifth
avenue. The latter is in marble and
| glass, and represents figures of angels
copied from those of Fra Angelica.
| The faces are sweet and expressive. and
| the cOlors well blended. Many more
| stones are used now than formerly in the
| making of faces, the modern method of
| work in that respect being very differ
| ent from the ancient. The firm which
| introduced this work shows face that
| was made 5000 years ago. Held close to
! the eyes it bears no resemblance to the
human features, looking only like mass
| of different cOlOred stones put together
| at random. But, at the distance of few
fDn ,f..
a marked contrast to the work of to-day
POTTER PALMER's STAIRCASE.
The best example of mosaic work in
| the West, is that in Mr.. Potter Palmer's
house in Chicago. The hall and all the
walls of the staircase well are in rich
marble and glass mosaic, the designs
being in flowers and architectural mo-
tIveS. The immense veStibule of j. G.
Floods house in San Francisco has the
walls of mosaic, with floral designs and
appropriate notices. Frederick l..
Ames, of Boston, has the wall of his
vestibule in marble and glass mosaic in
rich colors, and the floor is marble
mosaic. The latter is rapidly be-
coming fashionable for floors,
and is taking the place of
tiles. 1t is far more enduring,
and the difference in expense is trifling.
The floors of the DreXel building, in
Philadelphia, and those of the United
States Trust company, in Wall street,
are in Roman mosaic, and the Ponce de
Leon hotel, in Florida, has 5000 feet of
Mr.. G. f. Brush, of Cleveland, has had
a floor of marble mosaic put in his din
ing room. 1t is in the style of the Ital-
ian Renaissance, and is i'll very rich col
| Ors. A very beautiful piece of work is
that over the mantel in the library in
the house of Mrs. S. n. Nickerson, in
Chicago. 1t is a view from the Medici
palace in Rome, showing the arches and
lions of the palace, the gardens, and
river, ship in the distance, and over
all the deep blue sky of Rome.
IN PLACE OF TILES.
The most popular way of using mosaic,
however, is in the facings of fireplaces,
in the place of tiles. Mosaic work is
designs being in figures, flowers or
architectural forms. The mantelpiece
in Cornelius Vanderbilt's hall is very
beautiful one. The entire chimney is
covered with mosaic representing two
female figures sitting on stone seat
holding garlands of flowers. The fig
ureS are very graceful and delicately
tinted, the whole effect being soft and
tender. The new building of the New
York club has some very handsome
mantels Ornamented with marble mosaic.
Another portion of the modern dwell
ing which seems especially adapted to
the use of mosaic, is the bathroom. The
bath occupies almost as impOl tant
place in modern life as it did in the time
of the Romans, and deServedly so; and
in the houses of the wealthy the bath
rooms are fitted up with great luxury.
Floors, walls and ceilings are of mosaic
with appropriate designs of mermaids,
dolphins, etc. A wealthy woman living
on Murray Hill is having bath room
fitted up in this style. Mermaids on the
wall play a conspicuous part in the de-
sign, floating in water of pale sea
green tint, their tails twisted into knots,
while at the top of the walls is frieZe
of arches through which the blue sky is
visible. Robert Garrett has one of the
most luxurious bathrooms in the coun-
try, the entire room being in marble
mosaic.
EMBOSSED LEATHER.
Another ''craZe" which has nothing
to do with the gay rocOcO drawing rooms
or the mosaic bath rooms, is the grow
ing fancy to cover the walls of the din
ing rooms and libraries with hangings
of embossed leather, the designs being
appropriately and richly colOred. An
antique specimen in good state of
preservation commands high price. a
frieze of panels representing figures of
men and women, the whole thing being
$50 feet long, is valued at 5000. Old
Italian altar pieces representing
the CrucifiXiOn or the Holy
Family, are curious and interesting,
and would fit in an alcove or cover
chimney. An old Spanish piece EN-
bossed with cOat-Of-arms would make
useful screen. Antique pieces of
Venetian and Flemish work are espec-
iallY beautiful in design and rich in