The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-02-21
ENAM eLLED WARE.
Russian Product Now Applied to All Sorts
of Articles.

of Articles.
New York, Feb. 16-The Russian
enamel, which it has been found impossi-
bile to produce in this country and which
hitherto has been only on costly and
elaborate pieces, is this season being ap-
pliod to articles of great usefulness.
Desk and dressing case appointments,
small photograph frames, ash trays
buckles, and various details OF table ser
vice are now ornamented with It, The
ware is heavy and substantial, for the sill
yer groundwork has to be thick and solid
to allow the elaborate OVERLAPPING of
enamel; but each article Is so gracefully
shaped and ornamented as to do away
with all suggestion of heaviness. The
tiniest salt cellar of the lot or even the
cover of box for lip salve or an unob-
trusive little ink well or stamp box is
study in color and design.
American enamellers have tried time
and again to duplicate this Russian work
here, but they have always failed" said
an importer.
"It is agreed now that some peculiar
element OF. quality in the soil of Russia,
something ingrained in the clay to be had
there as contrasted with the kind availa-
BILE here, accounts for the difference in re-
suit. when what are thought to be the
same processes are used.
'sThe enamelers who do this work in
Russia are born and bred in the trade :"
he added. ''Their fathers and grandfath-
ers were enamellers before them, and 80
it has been for generations, and they take
to it naturally. They are peculiar class
of men, not steady workers, but getting
at it by fits and starts. They are illiterate
and dissipated, and when they choose to
go on debauch the enameiling has to
come to standstill, because there is no.
body to take their places. They under
stand every detail Of their trade tho rough
ly, and take infinite pains with the many
processes that go to make their work go
unusual Every one Of the fine lines on
the cup is first marked out with fine
wire, and then filled in and burned, little
by little, as many times as need be, until
the spaces are evenly full American
work men may be just as delft and smart,
but they do not get the colors SO true and
they fail in certain other processes, both
| for lack of raw material to work with and
| for lack of knowledge, of how to treat it,
| The Norwegians have tried to initiate
the Russians in enamelling just as we
have They have outstripped us, but their
work can be distinguished in an instant
| fl ON the original, even by person not
ordinarily judge.
| At efirs6 glance a tea. service OF This
Russian enamelled ware looks something
like china There is a softness, depth
of tone to the parti- colored enamel that
suggests pottery. 1t Is in reality far more
serviceable and valuable than china, be-
cause it cannot break. No matter how
crisp and delicate the curved edges may
| be, or how dainty the quaint handles, the
articles can stand pounding and Knocking
about without showing dent on the sur
| face. A, color that is neither chocolate
nor mauye, nor brown nor gray, but yet
| is warm and rich in tone, forms the main
background and the blues, russets, yer.
millions, and peacock dyes that enter
| into the raised works are vivid and varied
| in the-extreIne. The shapes of the curious
coffee urps, cream jugs, and sugar bowls
/ are generally Gothic, and half disguised
| dragons are recognized either in the
spout or handle. or else are introduced
| somewhere in the filagree work. The
groundwork of certain cups, vases, and
berry dishes Is pebbly and rough, and il
of deep tawny gold. This pebbled sur
| face, formed by carefully studied and
| prolonged nDSatiuk WluA ocLAO CuIiOus
pointed instrument, is one OF the distin
guished characteristics of the real Rus
| sian work, when compared with rival
products. Perhaps no better idea of the
| rich hues of this colored enamel can be
| given than to call to mind the glowing
| tints that blend in Persian or an In.
dian shawl The patterns, raised on the
metal surface, are small and fine and very
intricate.
Whatever the article be- big or small. it
ia lined with gold. The chief designs
employed in the more expensive articles
are COPIES of ancient tankards, oanisters.
| trenchers and cruets. A small tea chest
on which the enamel CLEANS like jewels,
| has top that screws down as II to keep
| in the odors Of paradise, and to match
this piece there is q quaint drinking cup
with the mouth OF dragon fors Spout
and q Gothic handle.
| The half dozen cups that accompany a
$500 tea set are of delicate china, set down
each in it's massive, gold-lined holder OF
the enameIIed ware, and the top of eact
handle. Just where the thumb would rest
is mounted with fiat coin, engraved
! with Russian characters in an ename
4 that looks like velvet.
| The belt buckles in this rich striped
and plaided and checked substance are
4 unusually handsome. Buttons may now
be had of 1t to fasten expensive wraps
and coats, buttons as handsome ana more
rare than gems. The girdles brought ou
to correspond with these remarkable fas
Jennings are of heavily tinselled BRAID 1
copy Of the braid used on the imperia
robes of the Gar and Czarina. Th,
braid used on the Russian army uniforms
is also pressed into service. and othel
girdles are of slender, octagon-s Shaped
pieces of the enamelled ware. linked to
gather in such fashion as to insure plia
biIity. For S55 beautiful photograph
frame ofsRussian enamelling can be had
This is the first season these articles have
"The Russians can do beautiful work
but they seldom think of trying new de
signs, or Of putting their talent to practl
cal use" said the importer. The Amer
lean Is quick to seize Oh new idea, an,
IL was an American who suggested t.
Che enarnellers that if they would max
simple. practical, less cumbersome article
thew would find increased sale for thei
GOATS Modern patterns have been in
Produced by the American buyer, and thu
Russians are perimenting on these new
PATTERNS now with success. This new
work has not been put on the market vet