Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-05-17

sllken bower than its doWny covering
would convey.
to beautify their homes or temples with
potterieS; perhaps crude in workmanship,
but showing longing, If but a cropping,
after the beautiful.
Nations have written their histories
unconSciousy on their potteries, and val
liable additions have they become in
tracing step by step the customs of
races so long passed away that time
counted by centuries could not give an
adequate idea of their antiquity.
The excavations made at Niffer, near
ancient Babylon, reveals race nearly
ten centuries older than science had
knowledge of. Men who lived 1000 years
before Christ and from inscriptions on
tablets of clay and vases we clearly
trace what their religion, art and Gus
toms were.
The porcelaines of China, so rich in
depths of color that in their best works
have never been equaled by decorators
of any other country, tell to connoisseurs
and historians under what Acknowledged
empire this piece or that was painted.
Even some of the colors used served
the century they were first discovered
and applied to ceramic work.
What stones cluster around the exqui-
site pieces of fragile china that once
adorned the palaces of the Louis OF
France! Almost priceless in value some
OF l16m Slnce lHdl InlSuly DOlitlCdi up
heava1 have found their way across the
broad Atlantic, where in art museums
of the new world" they rest, telling in
their mute but plaintive way to our lib
erty loving republic how persisted is
kingly splendor or any other government
that Is not founded in the hearts of It's
people.
SO step by step we come down to Amer
lean ceramics True, we are yet young
in this branch of art; thai is, compared
to other nations, for ours Is not yet
century old. Yet some of the work pro-
duced by the Rookwood potteries of Gin
cnnati are worthy to be classed among
the classics of eramic art--beautiful
pieces. rich in depths of coloring, that
fill an artists soul with delight, and
making him proud that this is the work
of his ''own native land"
Nowhere in this God-given world
should ceramic art flourish to a greater
! extent than in this fair southland of
ours, with nature blossomng her flowers
for us to copy the year around, singing
brooks, laughing cascades, mountains
and sea to lend a picturesque charm to
the whole. But. best Of ALL a people full
of feeling and sentiment, who need only
to be awakened from their Rip Van Win
kle sleep to interpret her in all her
grandeur and beauty, with truthfuness
of soul that has never yet been equaled
by Greek. German or French; and the
cnllufeIl ~ -eenturleS lnaI are yet TO De
will sec we burned our history, our
thoughts. our life, our very soul, into the
beautiful pieces that were left as lega-
cies to them.
Then. dear ceramic workers, Is 1t not
well that we should be up and doing :?
Ceramic art means something more than
an idle painting of dish. passing wish
for something pretty, or to see how
many pieces one can paint. We are work.
ing for history, and each piece we'll done
will have its influence to refine and ele-
vate.
Try and be original Did you ever think
how sweet the associations that gather
about a plate or vase you have designed
yourself? The fish plate. for instance, is
the work of a well-known lady in our art
circles. The seaweed she gathered from
the far away Pacific coast. while the
shells were picked up by the same fair
hands from the western shores of the At
lantic.
Things worth knowing:
That in using pinks. reds or puppies, all
should be well ffuxed to give the desired
effect after firing.
That ochre and yellow brown being
weaker than yellow, will fire out shade
yellow flowers with ruby purple, yellow
brown and brown green mixed.
Carmines and puppies fire two shades
deeper; enamels three.
That nearly all flowers should be paint
ed with brushes u of an inch wide.
Colors that look discolored after drying
In the stove will assume their natural col
or after firing.
A great saving of gold may be had by
using Liquid Bright Gold" for handles
and pedestals of vases that are to be fired
twice. FLORIDA V. COPELAND.