. The book of decorative furniture, its form, colour and history . riental decorative arts, could be exploitedmore lucratively, they appear not only to have forwarded furniture tothe East for decoration—the evidence upon this point is not so clearas one wishes; but also to have imported Oriental lacquer workersto Amsterdam to practise the art and teach its mysteries to thenative Hollanders. There is ground for suspicion that muchlacquering, paid for and regarded by English cabinetmakers andowners at the time as Japanese or Chinese, went no furtherupon its voyage to the East than Amsterdam. Ind
. The book of decorative furniture, its form, colour and history . riental decorative arts, could be exploitedmore lucratively, they appear not only to have forwarded furniture tothe East for decoration—the evidence upon this point is not so clearas one wishes; but also to have imported Oriental lacquer workersto Amsterdam to practise the art and teach its mysteries to thenative Hollanders. There is ground for suspicion that muchlacquering, paid for and regarded by English cabinetmakers andowners at the time as Japanese or Chinese, went no furtherupon its voyage to the East than Amsterdam. Indeed, onemay divide the origins of decorative lacquer furniture into threeclasses: (1) That of Eastern manufacture and design throughout;(2) that of European manufacture and design, imitating Easternornament; (3) that of European design and manufacture as regardsits construction, and of Eastern lacquering. Although, after the acquisition of Bombay by the marriage ofCharles ii. to the Infanta Catherine, sister of the King of Portugal, 39 298 DECORATIVE FURNITURE. FLEMISH OAK PRESS. PARN-HAM COLLEC-TION. the English increased their imports of lacquer, the greater part of thecommerce in decorative lacquer—imported and of European imitationthereof—work remained in the hands of Holland until atleast the days of George the First. Indirect evidence of the exportation of English-madepieces abroad for lacquering is afforded by lacquered frames,such as that enclosing the needlework-panelled mirror inthe Pruyn Collection at Albany, , and the similarexample in the South Wilts Museum at Salisbury. Bothwere evidently specially made for the purpose, and theirapparent date precludes the probability of their beingof English lacquering. The domestic equipments of a nation being almost invariably anindex to the character and condition of its owners, one is not surprisedto note that Dutch furniture gradually became heavier and aimed moreat solidity and comfort than did that of the Frenc
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade191, booksubjectdecorationandornament
