The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-09-19
THAT WONDERFUL VASE.
The Peach-BIoOm Celestial Crea-
ton" Is the walters Gallery.

- the
From the Baltimore Sun.
The following article on 1.-The Peach
bloom Vase" in the w. T. Walters art
collection. in this city, Is reprinted from
Notes Critical and Biographical, by
r. b. Gruelle, Collection Of w T. Wal
ters'-evidently an authorized publica-
tion-in which it is chapter Kill The
writer. it will be observed, is careful not
to say that the costly "peachbloOm''
vase, of which so much was said some
years ago in the press, is in the Walters
collection, but it is Clearly implied that
it is. There are many peachbloom vases
in the collection, but this little vase"
it is urged, has for the knowing a ines
sage and a value which would make it
cheap at $4,000. or any price up to "a
million dollars. I'm u special case in
the Oriental Gallery" says the article,
will be seen number of fine specimens
of this variety of porcelain. but once let
your eyes feast on the exquisite simplici-
ty of this vase" etc. The word this"
is evidently meant to be significant. 1t
is plainly claimed for the Walters col
lection that ii possesses a unique speci-
men, and the reader Is fed to infer that
II is the one that made so much noise and
so mysteriously disappeared a few years
ago"
Some years ago the world was startled
by the news that a small vase, the prop
erty of a lady of wealth, had been dis
posed of at an enormous price. The in
cident was glibly commented upon by
those self-constituted learned men who
dispose of things beauurul; born of the
celestial spheres, with the same quill
with which they deal out intellectual
beatitudes on pork or baseball. For
them this little vase will have no
message. Its proportions are entirely
too diminutive. but II ali the beautiful
thoughts, all the lovely hues-in fact,
if all the beauty of the art and nature
of the land of the celestial were distilled
and refined into some material and
shaped into one object, that object
might be the Peachbloom Vase. 1t is
the perfect towering of hundreds of
years of oriental art, the elimination of
centuries of the most sacred devotion to
the shrine Of beauty. 1t is a gem that
needs no setting; so frail. so perfect. that
contrasts with things less esthetic seems
almost sacriligious.
Its form is pure, beautiful and self
poised Its color, while dainty is match
less in its depth. The bloom of a peach
conveys only a shadowy description of its
delicate beauty. Its glaze is of great
perfection When you gaze into its depths
the surface is lost and II is as if you
were looking into some crystalline pool
of water Its indiscrbable pink is thread
ed with fine veins of messy green that are
charming. Its beauty cannot be measured
by the bounds or limitations; there are no
rules by which It can be analysed. You
feel it's power coming to you like the odor
of some unseen field of wild jessamine.
Within the limitations of its simple form
there is embodied something which all the
wealth of the world cannot create. spir-
il is expressed in 1t that all the centuries
of our boosted civilization cannot dupli-
cate. Go where you will in any cline,
you may search the treasures of all Gre
90 MS &c IF &c
to be found. Then can such marvel be
measured by wealth? What though ii
cost a million dollars, If ten millions could
not replace it? In a special case in the
oriental gallery will be found a number
of fine specimens of this variety of por-
celain, but once let your eye feast upon
the exquisite simplicity of this vase and
you have advanced into a higher realiza-
ton of beauty.
1.-The first Introduction to this wonder
full piece of porcelain was one of exulta-
ton. of Joy never to be forgotten. Each
successive sitting with it brought new in
huences, new sensations of delight, until
its beautiful spirit had found an abode
where ii will linger until eternity It's
plain simple surface is without touch
of decoration, yet it is the perfection of
decorative ait. Its entire surface might
be covered with your hands, yet it con-
tains world of grace. 1t
is as il the spirit of beauty
had found a new birth, had been rein
carnated into its simple form. 1t is said
that one of the porcelains that was held
sacred by the ancient Celestials, whose
blue color was likened unto the sky after
| a rain, became almost extinct and the
| pieces of 1t being as rare as the most
| precious stones, were worn as jewels
| So who knows that in the countless gem
| erations to come the fragments of this
| charming vase may likewise rival the
| precious stones of those days? Surely
nothing could surpass its intrinsic beauty
| Those who are fortunate enough to have
| felt it's charm can congratulate themselves
on having seen something that has no
| counterpart in the civilized world