The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-04-12
FASHION FOR OLD BRASSES.
CURIOS ONE MAY FIND IN DINGY
EAST SIDE SHOPS.
New Uses for Ornaments and UsefuI Arti.
cles Of Brass-vast Variety Of the
Candlcsticks - Oid-Fashioned Utensils
IN Use Again-salvers and Cups.

Candicsticks - Oid.Fashioned Utensils
IN Use Again-salvers and Cups.
The demand for old brasses, bronzes
and beaten copper and silver ornaments
and articles OF use has grown wonderfully
In the last few years.
Persons are beginning 10 realize how
attractive IL a room when 1t CLOVIS with the
warm lights Of brass.
There are Colonial and old English and
irons varying in size from little oma-
ments to brazen posts In front Of the fire,
which range In price from few dollars
to more than hundred. With them come
brass fire sets, and often wide brass fender
craven, chased and ornamented with
figures beaten on the metal.
To-day the Colonial andirons are used
both for city and country homes. An
impetus was given to their sale by the re-
cent coal strike, and the demand for these
brass andiror.s, as well as those Of wrought
iron, could hardly be met.
With the demand for andirons comes
that for the brass chests and coal scuttles
that once served the purpose Of holding
wood or other fuel The chests are as
beautiful as they are expensive and are
suited to many other purposes than the
one for which they were intended. They
are about the size Of shirt-waist trunks,
or hat trunks, and would be an ornament
to any room. The old beaten brass chests
never can be mistaken for modern SUBJ
stitutes.
For years persons have been gathering
up the rare brasses and silver and copper
pieces in old garrets and the auction and
junk shops In New England and the South.
Old families died of and left descendants
who preferred a plain crate with a wire
fender TO brass fixtures. They were not
willing to clean the brasses nor able to hire
negroes to do 1t for them. Splendid ex-
amples Of the brassworkers art were rele-
gated to garrets. for the swarm OF dusky
lads who formerly spent their time amid
brick dust. flannel rags and brasses-when
they were not eating or loahng-had
disappeared.
Another brass antique IL the old English
trippet. with It's top formed Of open figures
Of beaten brass and its little spindle legs.
Dear mel exclaimed q very old lady.
upon seeing a tnppet Of wrought brass.
.how that reminds me Of my young days.
I've toasted many an apple upon q trippet
just like that!'
Besides interior decoration In brass. ex-
terror uses are found for it, and the brass
knockers that once graced the centre Of
old.time doors find places upon the portals
Of modern homes. The accompaniment Of
the brass door knocker, the brass shoe
scraper, Is missing Modern days have
paved streets, and a new use must be found
for the brass shoes scraper
The fad for rich old furniture has helped
En- nj hraaa IN "A n
fashionable French furniture of the seven
teenth and eighteenth centuries is adorned
with brass In artistic designs, and both
French and English furniture has orna-
ments and door pulls Of brass. Some Of
the colonial designs represent George
Washington's head, an eagle and thirteen
stars a beehive. an ear Of corn. and one rare
design is Of thistles.
Superb are the tankards, drinking cups.
horns and goblets Of English. Spanish.
Italian, &c rman. Russian and French
manufacture. No two are alike. yet each
rivals the others in elaborateness Of design
and originality Of style.
Not an inch OF the surface, save where
crystal is used about the base. is without
ornamentation In raised figures and deli
cate chasing. The Italians worked In infini-
tesimal designs; the Russians In bold
outlines. Spanish art was tempered by
the Italian school, and English by tho
Russian.
There are many immense salvers OF elab-
crate workmanship. One, in the Italian
style, depicts besieged city, and no detail
OF camps. horses. arms. the march upon
the city and the attitude Of the besieged
is missing
A great Russian salver. with scalloped
indented borders, also shows battle scene.
The action Of the horse In the charge, Of
the armored men and Of the rush OF battle
is magnificent. Kindred scenes are wrought
upon old brass salvers OF great size that
come from the older nations Of Europe.
Nothing, In the Id times, was too humble
TO he ado rned by the worker In brass. Ewers
and pals for drawing water: the bath ket-
tie, baking and wash pans and other uten-
sils were wrought In graceful forms These
humble utensils OF old Russian, German
and English kitchens o-day decorate Amer
lean rooms of state.
A picturesque Russian ladle Of the seven
lotos leaf. curved upward at the edges
and curling to 6 int. The stem, OF wro ought
silver, ferns a fat handle and every vein
in the leaf Is beaten in the brass. In the
centre Of this ladle is q circle containing
the eagles OF Russia In relief.
Russian mirror frames OF the early
eighteenth century are OF great beauty
and originality OF form and design. Old
Persian scent bottles are exquisite In cut
line and workmanship, and Japanese and
Chinese work In bronze n well known.
Early settlers in America pre- duced some |
good examples OF the brass-worker's art. |
but they soon became too busy fighting |
Indians and acquiring wealth to bother |
with art.
The Dutch and English had fancy for !
artistic ewers In old times, while the Rus
siane to day preserve the custom OF having
an inverted cone OF wrought brass fastened
to their walls, through which passes a
rcd, with a fancy brass bottom; under the
vessel which is full Of water. stands a nat
brass basin TO catch the water as IL fall,.
The Russian Is thus provided with tbs
means Of washing his hands at the threshold
Of his dwelling.
Russian ware In less expensive than that
from other countries for the reason that
poverty has compelled many Russians to
part with IL: brass articles, too, were com.
mon TO every household. A Russian bad
any number OF brass safnovars In differ
emit sizes, from that intended for an fndi-
vidual TO one that stands over six fest In
height. An American thinks himself lucky
10 have one.
The samovars usually had a little chimney
running from the charcoal tube In the
centre to the fireplace chimney In the wall
They belonged only to the nobility. Tea