The morning call., 1890-12-07
PEACOCK ROOM"
The Beautiful Decorative Art i'm
a London Dining.RO0m.

The dinng-room is famous in the art
world under the name of the Peacock
room," writes Theodore Child to the De-
cember number OF Harper's Magazine. in
an article entitled "a Pre- Raphaelte Man
Sion." This appellation it owes to the dee
Grafton with which Mr.. Whistler has ell
rlched the walls. To be appreciated prop
erly this room must be seen by artificial
light, with the shutters of the three win
dows closed, and forming each splendid
decorative panel. The general scheme of the
room is turquoise blue and gold, and the
only ornaments are pieces of blue and
white CHINA displayed on shelves of carved
ana gut wood designed by Jeckyll, who was
the architect OF the room, with its fine
paneled. ceiling and pendentives termi-
mating In gas lamps, to which have now
been added stars of electric lights. The
room, as 1t was originally conceived by
Jeckyll. was hung with Spanish leather, and
1t was by mere accident that Mr. Whis-~
tier came to decorate it. The story is this:
Mr. Ley!and having bought a picture
by Mr.. Whistler, representing a woman in
a, Japanese robe, hung it over the fire.
place, where it still remains. The master
having inspected the arrangement COM
planned that the red flowers scattered over the
gold ground OF the Spanish leather hurt the
harmony OF his picture, and proposed to
paint them out Mr.. Leyland had paid GlOOO
lor his Spanish leather, but he nevertheless
allowed the master to have his way; where
upon Mr. Whistler went on painting and
painting until the Spanish leather disap-
peared entirely and q new and absolutely
unique decorative scheme of blue and gold,
In which the chief motif was peacocks and
their feathers, appeared in its place. Walls,
wood work and ceiling are entirely covered
with these compositions in the Japanese
taste. The framework is lacQuered and
clouded, or treated like aventurine,
and the panels are filed in with i'm
brications of peacock's feathers of exouis-
tie invention. Over the buffet at the end
Of the room opposite the fireplace, is an OBJ
long panel sixteen feet long, where Mr..
Whistler has depicted TWO peacocks in ag-
gresSive attitudes. designed in gold on blue
ground One peacock. of extreme and 2g.--
ruffied elegance. is supposed by some subtle
interlinear readers TO represent the artist,
and the other peacock. with disordered plum
age and Irate mein, standing on a pile of
Shekels. Is Identified with the artists patron
The background is dotted with flying
feathers and masses of gold, and the
whole composition has reference, we are
told, to difference that arose between Mr..
Whistler and Mr.. Leyland with respect to
the price of the work. This cryptic panel
was the painters vengeance. but its hidden
meaning is so discreetly concealed that it
would remain forever lost in the spirited
charm of the whole had not anecdotic
memories treasured I'D the souvenir of the
artists wrath and Of its ingenious mani
festatiOn.
The tall panels formed by the closed
shutters of the easement windows are ex-
ceedingly fine in design. The panels to The
right and left represent peacocks with their
tails spread fanwiSe, advancing in per-
spective toward the spectator, one be-
hind the other, the peacocks in gold
and the ground in blue. On the mid
die panel are perched two peacocks with
pendant tails sweeping down to the ground.
and presenting an arrangement of lines
and masses OF blue and gold of singular
splendor. The remaining wall space is
occupied by the smaller paneling already
described, and the shelves and cages in
which the blue china is displayed The
fireplace is paneled with turquoise blue
mosaic. The andir0nS are gilt-bronze sun
flowers. The carpet is turquoise blue.
Thus the whole room forms a completely
harmonious arrangement in turquoise blue
and virgin gold. The shelves aud cages.
designed by Jeckyll, are worthy of notice for
the distinction and originality of their con-
struction and the eXqusiteness of their dec
orative carving.
II is a curious fact that besides estrangng
MIR. Whistler and Mr.. Leyland this " Pea
cock room" had a more tragic consequence.
Jeckyil, the decorative artist who had
designed and completely executed the
room when Mr.. Whistler entered
upon the scene, had already suffered
several disappontments, owing to accident
having deprived him of the credit of his
work. and his hopes were then all centered
upon his efforts in Mr.. LeyIand's house.
Alas! when he saw the Spanish leather dis
appear, and the peacock harmony in blue and
gold become the talk of the town he went
home aud began to paint the floor OF his
bedroom gold and in few weeks he died
mad in private lunatic asylum.