New-York tribune., 1902-06-08
OLD BRASSES AND COPPER.
ARTISTIC FIREBOXES IN MR.. DRAkES
VAST COLLECTION-IN CURlO SHofS-
OF THE EAST SIDE.

The liking for old brasses and copper utehsii' 40
increasing steadily, that it is no longer To oe
garded as a fad, but as an evidence OF 'ne s'"'''
artistic taste of Americans IL.
There are some who content theinSe4N
buying an occasional piece in 1ashloii"
tioue store uptown. but the pleasure III '
ouisitions is small compared with the JOY ol p'
, o,,ore, o,,eer old shops the East Side IN lndt
foreign country which lies between Houston-St. ar"
the Brooklyn Bridge. the East River anu ''-e ~
cry ,d II ;s
80 +. t,+ o+hered bv Alexander W. Drake. art
drector of the Century Company. 1t Is not Eiliteu
TO Russian brass but contains rare anu - O. -
metal work from every part Oh tue si'o ai
j. ,,.s nrocured in the countries where the sPeCi
rneps we're part of the daily life OF me people'
t,,+ ,,opv good pieces were picked up III we"
York in that i'll smelling but lnteres'i4e ,t+oro
that is full of surprises to the lnfrequen'
world of pushcarts, of frowzy' blach eSe' -
+oneued women of dirty children that III SUM -
contrfve often to look like pictures OF snpps t,s
Ient Of strange viands. of incomprehensloie signs
and foreign languages.
THOUSANDS OF PIECES.
Mr. brakes collection contains 80 -,a+i,n
nieces and amid this enormous conIusioh VI 80
alty workmanship and fuhcuo" - ~ Nv, CON
homeless for the layman to try TO eAt'''o c. .c.:,
oa+o5 idea Vet there is system OF clas9liiI -
bv which after some study, the "hoie '
tion falls into orderly arrangement ,.s.
iNA-
ohjac+s. TO hold his food and drink poth io' 80 80
80. 80 ear,ino. TO warm his house, to !lght IT, anu
to assist in his religious ceremonies 4hooh
division in mind. ii is most lnteFesti"s ~ - iocee
the collection and see how all the ui 1T
fall under one head another and 10 see III w. ~
5tfforan+ WAYS the handcraftsmen OF dlterFn' i'
tiors have treated objects intended TOT 'ie ~
purpose. r,, ,ererc term
Take for example the firebox This seheilo
~ he .nnled 10 all the different receptacIes WHICH
fire
of stoves or freplaces. 1t is surprising u 80 80
how many civilized people IN the worlo '4t I.
+bair houses with f1rebOXes. In Spain INC -
heating annaratus outside the cities Is the oid@iV
NJ - doan conner vessel a cross between
80, ond q kettle which is set inside a broao' rouhu
frame supported on four legs or d S'alue' @ ~ ,o
logs and feet are often beaten into curious 9"P
and the cover and the pan ITSELF are olteh u7.I
~ - bea+an design Such braziros, with
q massive bell shaped top and dolphin 1eet caiiie
from one of the old palaces OF Maorlo, anu me-, me-
Of the Spanish gentry and nobility to-uay ~ eoS
ha,-e no heating apparatus in some of thelr rooms
nav nav t +L;gs nouring out the fumes of char
, To contrast the brazros with an American
steam heating plant brings home the uiihe'
between the two countries
PANS FROM SEVILLE
Then there are shallow pans for the pooiel Pp 49,
mora like milk pans or even 4lSli1s p' -
simple but charming in shape ana OH c. .hair
IONS from Seville are specially noteu lof 'Ae
boor.,, One of the finest bits in the coiection'
very large shallow pan. with indenteo anu 80
dogtooth ornament, is a SeVhle pi%A sIo -
again there is a tiny braziros, with haiuIe So
+b,n1 Hike a. shallow dipper to De carIieu Ia l
tS IN this the Spaniard of other days, ana per-
hans of present also, put a hanoLul Vi 80. 80
when he started for bed on coio "lii'ei e
and carried 1t away to warm ms ~ r-.,
Wanting. 1.-THE Spanish Wedding oy or'uiiS
80 ;s a beautiful big braziros in the corner Oh
the cathedral -. ..sa
" o+ber conners have the glorious color OF these
hreboxes brought out by the years anu 80 80
ferce heat to which they were subjected Inc eSe
, i+salf 1,,xuriously in their soft respiendehe
dentbs But it must not be supposed tha' 'nes
stood thus beautiful in their original
Rack as coal, covered with nlth anu sIe' -
of+an their condition when discovered II was t,i'
- o+ or faith but of knowledge, that sa" the
snsbine imprisoned beneath the CRIME ana evoked
the smile of the peasant housewife over INC "''-"
h,e foolishness of the wandering Americana
Tho Snanish braziros is ornamented Win an au
-, aimnlicitv and its broad. plain beaten
,rfoces are very attractive. In the Italian hre-
hoy the scaldino one finds totally different toucn;
wealth Of and dGats pereed dnG %oF TYPICAL Of
loving aish ia bcb o0e Some Ifaan princess once toasted
later late rt 1t 6e2agfd Re do TO It's great b
1benad cover is a mass of pierced work in renals-
sance style flowers and foliage fap2 ana gsndIe
placed within brings out the whole pattern IN oci-
The hand scaldinos which the people carry about
in cold weather in Venice = ana ianteTn in shape
Thev % have M perforated top and bail and people
| set them between their feet for warmth.
THE JAPANESE FIREBOX.
| ,oaes,ve receptacle looking more like a great
| garden pot than anything else is the Japanese
| 6rehox 1t is cast not handmade, and its surface
| Is plain except for the artistic dog feet A pair
of charming little iresticks go with 1t. They are
| IN corkscrew pattern held together by delicate
chain and the Japanese pick up coal with them.
A somewhat similar conception is a pair of Spanish
fire tongs. encased in sheath NE d s"oiu' 'iie
| whole exquisitey delicate and artlstic aot,+,
The Turkish firebox is smaller; more dalhty
affair than any of the rest, as BELTS warmer
country 1t is reminiscent of the mosque IN us
modelling with crescent ornament on top s;o,
Akin to the freboxes are the warming pans, when
have peculiar interest for AmeTcaRs;M M naSucf n af
them from Holland and England, where they
| seemed TO have been inordinateiy loved d century
The @0 Ditch footstove was often marriage gift
the centre for the coal, and room either side
for good Dutch foot The e1 re6ox had per-
the dates i74S 1880 and so on are worked @ in to
The American foot warmer used before stoves came
in was a square tin box, sitting upon rour little
feet and carried by bail. The village tnsndth
sort of cousin the rebox family is the Dutch
peat pot In this the careful Dutch householder
would place the peat from the crate before he vent
it and prevent all danger of fire. And the Dutch
had proverb for brides and bridegroomS that
Let your differences be no more than the peat pot
The reason that these old coppers are pleasing
for the actual use of the workman. The peasant
pot or cup lust fitted for the use to which he
meant TO put it, and CALCULATED to last forever;
20 please his wife or sweetheart he ornamentad it
in such fashion as seemed him most beautiful
simple, restful and continuously pleasing 1t Is
m re al be fang ae a maze a 10
things to sell, as they make them to-day by hand
developed the craft along the same General lines
and it retained the same distinctive characteristics