The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-04-19
SOCIETY HAS a NEW FAD.
Amateurs Studying the Art of Vene-
tian Iron Workers.

From the New York Mail and Express.
How many art Inspirations have de-
seconded to us from medieval Venice, the
bride of the Adriatic! Noble conceptions
in architecture. immortal paintings and
statuary, priceless lace, musical instru-
ments. glass. mosaics, embroidery and
matchless metal work have made that
metropolis a holy city to art lovers tie
world over. The facades have been dupli-
Gated in every hand, copies of its can
vases and marbles adorn hundreds or
galleries, an unending army of lacemak-
ers reproduce its exquisite hlamental de-
signs, while its glassware and mosaics
are still regarded as models.
In metal work our AnglO-Saxon race,
with greater inventive and technical skill,
long ago surpassed the expert smiths OF
Venice. Even a hundred years ago the
FORCES of Sheffield and Birmingham had
surpassed all other artihcers in iron and
steel To-day England, and above all, the
United States lead the world in the in
dustries of iron.
Nevertheless, our superiority is mate
rial and not spiritual, Industrial and not
artistic. We are only beginning to rival
them in the creation of iron ornamental
ton. In this field the Venetian designers
were wonderful. They made lamp frames
and lamp stands, grillages and gates, rail-
ways and balustrades, balconies and win
dow grills, wall and door ornaments, re-
inforces for chests and Golfers tripods
and brackets. even chairs and tables
This beauty was marked by rare sim
plicity. The primary elements were slen-
der bars and narrow strips of iron. With
few tools these were bent, twisted and
fastened together and the thing was COM
complete. The same simplicity marked the
curves into which the strips were bent or
twisted. The curve of the written figure
6, which is the line of an expanding fern
leaf, was the prime favorite. Two of these
put together in one way make heart
shaped figure, in another script letter S;
in a third. the hollow figure of the eye of
a hook-and-eye. BY putting together
number the beautiful design known as the
honeysuckle was produced. By combining
four, the script letter X resulted. and by
combining couples, the Greek egg-shell
border.
BY bending the main line of the written
figure 6 in one direction a spiral was OBJ
tained, and in the opposite direction the
upper part of an Interrogation mark. THESE
the oX-yOke, the three-cornered oval, the
Etruscan vase and other famous beauti-
full figures. When the student has learned
these primary curves and become able to
apply the law of combining them, there is
no limit to his designs. He can quickly re-
produce the master pieces of Venice he
can turn out more varied and equally
beautiful designs; he can increase the
number of primary elements and create
exquisite patterns of the highest origi-
nality.
There are thousands of art amateurs
who are busy on this lovely Venetian iron
work, and in all probability there will be
ten or hundred times as many ere long,
st.l its products are both beautiful and
useful, strong and durable. A skillful
hand and a delicate taste can fashion the
iron into a thousand household articles
from a picture frame. chafng dish holder
and parlor standing lamp to a superb win
doW-grill or a library table