Principles of decorative design . ur-harmonies which we produce maygladden posterity in ages yet to come. Clay is susceptible of the highest art-finish, or of a bold sketchy is very desirable in some cases. The cup which my lady uses in her boudoir 120 OP DESIGN. should be delicate and fine, for what is worthy to approach the sacred lips of theoccupant of a fair apartment but such a work as is tender and refined? As a rule, however, we over-estimate the value of finish, and mider-value boldart-effects. Excessive finish often (but by no means always) destroys art-ef
Principles of decorative design . ur-harmonies which we produce maygladden posterity in ages yet to come. Clay is susceptible of the highest art-finish, or of a bold sketchy is very desirable in some cases. The cup which my lady uses in her boudoir 120 OP DESIGN. should be delicate and fine, for what is worthy to approach the sacred lips of theoccupant of a fair apartment but such a work as is tender and refined? As a rule, however, we over-estimate the value of finish, and mider-value boldart-effects. Excessive finish often (but by no means always) destroys art-effect. Ihave before me some specimens of Japanese earthenware, which are formed of acoarse dark brown clay, and are to a great extent without that finish which mostEuropeans appear so much to value, yet these are artistic and beaiitiful. In thecase of cheap goods we spend time in getting smoothness of surface, while theJapanese devote it to the production of an art-eifect. We get finish without art,they ]irefer art without 97. Fig. 98. Fig. 99. Fig. 100. We must now devote ourselves to a special consideration of the shapes of earthenvessels, and to the manner in which ornament should l)e applied to them. In his primitive condition man appears to have used the shells of certain fruitsas drinking vessels and bottles; and to this day we find many tribes of unci\ilised orhalf-civilised men using the same class of vessels. Monkey-pots (the hard shellsof the Leci/t/iis allaria), the coverings of the Brazil nut [Bertholetin excelsn), andespecially the rinds of the calabash and many species of gourd (Figs. 97 and 9S), havebeen used in this way.* The first efforts made at the production of earthen vesselswere mere attempts at copying in clay the forms of the fruit-shells which were inuse as drinking vessels. After a power of forming earthen vessels, having a certainamount of perfection of manufacture, was gained, we still find the origin of thepotters art manifested by cert
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