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Decorative Value of Famille Verte Porcelain

of view. It is, however, well for the enthusiastic and not too experienced collector to bear in mind that the use of metal mounts, unless their genuineness is above suspicion, more often than not means that the specimen is either broken, defective, inferior in quality, or 'wrong'-i.e., either redecorated, modern, or a mere imitation, probably made in Paris. It is noteworthy that metal work of the period of Louis XV and XVI is for practical purposes only met with on the whole-coloured and certain other coloured porcelains. It is rarely if ever seen in its genuine form in Nankin (blue and white) china, because the French have never greatly valued this variety of Chinese ware, and so have not bought it largely; but the famille verte, certain of the whole-coloured varieties, and especially the famille rose, have always been highly appreciated by Frenchmen; hence with their love, at a certain period, of fine metal work it is not surprising that many of the finest specimens of porcelains of these types are metal-mounted. The same may be said of Chinese porcelains which have found their way to Italy, but in these the metal mounts are as a rule so poor in design and quality that there can hardly be two opinions as to their decorative

value.

It is therefore important that the collector should be able to determine whether the metal mounts on Chinese porcelains are genuine or not, a matter of no small difficulty for the amateur, especially in relation to the work of an Englishman who flourished at the beginning of the last century. So far as famille verte, mounted or unmounted, is concerned, it has at least the advantage that for purposes of decoration a very few pieces, provided that they are fine, are sufficient to complete the furnishing of a room. The brilliance of the colouring, and the striking effect generally of this variety, is so marked that unless used with discrimination and restraint it gives to an

ordinary room the suggestion of a museum or a shop-thus affording a remarkable contrast to Nankin (blue and white), of which it seems almost impossible, provided that they are skilfully arranged, to place too many specimens together. In saying this the writer has in his mind a room about 22 feet square, which contains close upon 150 pieces of blue and white Nankin china of the finest type, varying in size from 6 inches to 4 feet-the decorative result being harmonious and comfortable. An equal number of specimens of famille verte, or even half of the number, arranged in the same place, would produce a garish and disturbing effect sufficient to render the room impossible for living purposes.

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Exception is sometimes taken to the publication of articles in which works of art are described by the owner, on the grounds apparently-human nature being what it is that there must be a natural tendency to the over-estimation of the value or importance of the things considered. There is, however, this to be said in faveur of the owner undertaking the description, assuming that he has the necessary knowledge, and is a collector in the true and higher sense of the word, and not a mere gatherer in of scraps and bargains,' viz. that his acquaintance with the merits or demerits of the works of art in his possession would probably be greater than that of the majority of other people. It is clear that an article can be of interest only if it deals with what is of high or exceptional merit ; it is equally clear that under such conditions. a true description of the specimens considered must be more or less laudatory. Moreover, seeing that owners of works of art are generally ready to show them to those who really understand and can appreciate them, an undue estimation of their merits can easily be detected by any person who is sufficiently interested in the subject to ask for an opportunity to examine the originals.

BY P. M. TURNER

NE of the chief reasons which have deterred English collectors from turning their attention to the fine productions of the renaissance has been the difficulty, almost amounting to impossibility, of procuring, in the course of a single life-time, sufficient original material to complete the scheme of decoration, on however small a scale. But there can be but small objection to bringing the best modern talent into operation to supply the deficiencies. That an element of danger lurks in this is beyond dispute, for however clever the craftsman may be, he may fail to grasp the spirit of the period he is reproducing, and so defeat the end in view. Still, there are a few men who can recede (if such a term is permissible) into the great artistic epochs of the past, and complete such a scheme with real knowledge and insight. An instance of this is the house of Mr. Edgar Speyer. Three styles have been utilised-the gothic, renaissance, and that prevalent in the reigns of Louis XIV, XV, and XVI in France.

The woodwork has been taken from the best examples of the Henri II period, the ceilings and pavement from the Château de Blois, and the façade of the library from that of the hôtel de ville of Beaugeancy. The fine works of art of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries which the house contains have been so embraced in the general scheme that they are essential to it, and further they are so much in harmony with their present surroundings that it is instinctively felt that in their migration from their original to the present environment they have lost nothing of their charm.

The hall and staircase are of gothic design. The walls of the entrance lobby are panelled to half their height with oak. Three stalls, designed after those which adorn a Spanish church, have been utilized

effectively to provide seating accommodation on one side, and are balanced by a well-preserved cassone. Above the panelling and standing upon the frieze are carvings in wood arranged to impart relief. The floor is of tiles suggested by those in the chapel of the Château de Blois. Sixteenthcentury stained glass has been used as far as possible in the large window which lights the hall. Only pieces harmonizing well one with another have been employed, the deficiency being supplied by modern pieces in which the spirit of the sixteenth century has been well translated. By this means the usually incongruous effect produced by the indiscriminate juxtaposition of inappropriate fragments has been avoided. The soft and multicoloured light which is diffused throughout the hall imparts to it an additional charm. In the centre, standing upon a gothic pedestal, and arresting the eye immediately by its symmetry and grace, is a figure of St. Adrian of French workmanship, executed towards the end of the fifteenth century. The saint is represented clothed in a complete suit of armour, over which, and hanging from his shoulder, is a long cloak reaching to the ground. In his right hand he holds a hammer, and in the left a casket, at which he is intently gazing. The head carries a prolific growth of curly hair, and is surmounted with a flat cap decorated at the sides and front with ornaments. It is difficult to say which one admires the more, the amount of vigour which the sculptor has infused into his work, or the finish of the smallest details. The long tapering fingers grasping the casket and hammer with such natural ease are a triumph of the wood-carver's art. Another striking feature is the success with which the hard metallic surface of the armour is rendered. The contemplation of such statues as this induces the regret that so few of the men that wrought 1 Reproduced on Plate III, page 553.

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The House and Collection of Mr. Edgar Speyer

them have left any traces of their identity.

of

The staircase is a free transcription or that at St. Maclou at Rouen. Half way between the ground and the first floors is another beautiful carving, of German fifteenth-century workmanship, representing an abbess in prayer, on each side of which hangs a strip of sixteenth-century embroidery, with medallion subjects upon a blue ground. From the first landing begins a series of four tapestries, which from here. to the top are the sole mural decorations. They are Burgundian, of the early years the sixteenth century, and represent the siege of Troy. Monsieur Jules Guiffrey, writing in the Revue de l'art in 1879 of the designs which the Louvre had then recently acquired, said :-'C'est d'après d'autres cartons français qu'a été tissée une superbe suite sur le même sujet que nous avons vue recemment chez un collectionneur de Londres.' As far as regards the design, execution, and preservation, they are one of the best Burgundian series extant.

The dining-room upon the ground floor is an agreeable contrast to the hall. It is entirely renaissance in character. A beautiful Louis XII chimney-piece occupies the greater portion of one end of the apartment. At each side are carved bases from which delicately-chiselled pillars rise, picturesque in their indecision between the gothic and the renaissance. These carry broader supports for the upper portion. Above the ends of the latter are niches surmounted with figures. The central part is divided into three equal compartments. That in the middle is composed of a garland of fruit and flowers, surrounding an emblem having three thistles. The other two are exquisitely carved with a renaissance design composed of foliage, figures, and fishes. Above each compartment rises a semicircular niche, which from its obviously fifteenth-century Italian sentiment seems

? See Plate IV, page 555.

to have been culled from some work produced in that country. The general effect is that of artistic completeness, of a maximum utilization of ornamentation without over-elaboration. At the opposite end of the room is a sideboard cunningly fashioned on sixteenth-century lines. The nucleus consisted of two delicately carved sixteenthcentury figures of boys, of 18 inches or so in height. These have been used in the construction, the remainder is embellished with sculptured foliage and grotesques. The whole has now acquired such a patina that it necessitates a close inspection to differentiate between the old and the new. A niche forms the centre, and in it stands an elegant sixteenth-century marble fountain, the stem and base carrying floral ornamentation. The underside of the basin is relieved with grotesque heads. heads. To complete the ensemble the fountain is surmounted with a modern cire perdue bronze, representing a young girl carrying a swan, by Antonin Mercié, created specially for this position. Upon this sideboard a small but choice collection of maiolica is displayed.3 At each end is a fine fifteenth-century hispano-moresque dish, with metallic reflets. Next to the one on the left is an Italian vase with two handles of the same century. The pendant of the latter is a sixteenth-century Caffaggiolo vase decorated with an interlaced design. But the most important specimens here are three superb Tuscan vases. These bear the mark of the Hospital of Florence, for which they were made in the fifteenth century. The origin of this rare maiolica has been much discussed in the past. At one time Spain was confidently accredited with its production. Nor was this theory without substantial foundation, on account of the similarity of feeling to much contemporary and earlier maiolica which was known to have come from Spain. this Spanish faience was imported into Italy in large quantities, and there is no

3 See Plate I, page 549.

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