The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1908-05-07
JUST AS CHINESE AS POSSIBLE.
Experiment i'm Arranging Room that
Might seem Home To Il MANDARIN.

Experiment in Arranging Room that
Might Seem Home To Il MANDARIN.
The waves of interest in Chinese art
which have fallen with greater or less
effect on Europe and America are like
ly to be- Increased by one more, if the
signs of the times are not deceitful.
says the New York Post. The Chinese
are content with the iegacies of the
past, and continue to produce on the
lines of the old work. even though the
finest quality Of that old work be lack
ing. They are not easily convinced that
some foreign art IS better than theirs.
Therefore, one very rarely meets with
.Chinamen, who. like large number of
japanese artists, endeavOr to Use the
processes and achieve the results OF
occidental masters. 1t is this calm rest
fulneSs in the conviction Of their own
superiority which enrages Other races
against the Chinese, but in the long
run enfOrces respect. especially on the
side of art Never were amateur more
generally agreed that the Chinese sur
pass other races in the dignity. sim
plicity and intrinsic beauty of their
decorative art objects.
Perhaps it is feeling Of this which
has induced the George Glaenzer gal
Ieries on West Goth street to fit up a
small room with real Chinese and near
Chinese and pseudo Chinese objects.
There are more homes in New York
than would generally be credited where
Chinese art is the dominating note.
The trouble is that it more than dom
inates-it brushes everything else out
Try it yourself. Put some fine Chinese
porcelains with lot of Meissen. Sevres
or Capi-di-Monte, and see how the Ce-
lestial renders the western feeble and
cheap. So that the idea of suggesting
a room where Chinese wall hangings,
rugs. furniture and small objects i'm
porcelain, pottery and bronze shall not
find it necessary to assert their supe-
riOrity was happy one. If not novel
it is opportune. 1t has not been car
ried out by any means without regard
to modern needs and comforts 1t is
not like the Chinese house in the Mu-
scum of Natural History or the tenn
pies erected and decorated in the Chi
nese section of an international expo
sition.
Walls are hung with a neutral coarse
cloth painted in very low tones by Mrs.
Ill. Ts.,r-1 a
with wood carvings painted and gilt.
The rug on the floor is what may be
called near-Chinese: its design is Chi
nese. though made in India. Mrs.
Winkler's designs are kept so far away
that they only affe*t one IS pattern
after the furniture and bric-a-brac are
seen. most of the furniture being adap-
tations of Chinese motives to western
sideboard. chandelier. etc. The last
mentioned is combination of Ming
green vase Of lovely color set with
serpent designs in freight bronze, the
lights. In another gallery is n small
exhibition of paintings in oil by Mrs.
Winkler.
Notable Chinese pieces include vase
carved in beautiful pink jade from the
collection of the Countess de Bearn.
all except the knob on the cover, and
the cover itself being cut from one
block of stone. There are rings loosely
hung in the handles Green Ming vases
modelled in low relief. with band of
horsemen, show their original motif to
have been intended in metal; pots i'm
old tea-leaf color. in caladon. imperial
yellow and turquoise blue, put the most
delightful blotches of color here and
there about the room. If we are going
To be overwhelmed once more by the
power OF Chinese art. let us be just
as Chinese as possible while we are
about it and carry a Chinese room even
further. if we dare, than the one TO be
seen at the G.. Glaenzer galleries.