. The Italy of the Italians. tes anddishes of which almost every province hasPeasant Ware, its own speciality, and which, rude in designand workmanship as it often is, is also fre-quently of real beauty both as regards colour and quaintdrawing. It is in little villages and local markets that speci-mens of this ware can be picked up, and as it is growing rarer,the people desiring like their betters to eat off porcelain,it is also getting to be of some value and worth collectingapart from its decorative charm. An interesting new industry is that of the so-called Signa ware, a species of terra co
. The Italy of the Italians. tes anddishes of which almost every province hasPeasant Ware, its own speciality, and which, rude in designand workmanship as it often is, is also fre-quently of real beauty both as regards colour and quaintdrawing. It is in little villages and local markets that speci-mens of this ware can be picked up, and as it is growing rarer,the people desiring like their betters to eat off porcelain,it is also getting to be of some value and worth collectingapart from its decorative charm. An interesting new industry is that of the so-called Signa ware, a species of terra cotta, in which reproductions of old and modern sculpture are made with Indus*^ wonderful success. In this medium, by some process kept secret, this fragile substance is rendered harder than stone and toned to an agreeable yellowish tint; it is also possible to reproduce the very aspect and character of bronze. These Signa terra cottas, sold at a relatively low price,permit of the possession in house and grounds of some of the. Industry and Commerce 229 masterpieces of plastic art. The centre of the industry isFlorence. A great revival is noticeable in the making of wrought-iron objects, such as gates, lanterns, etc., once a glory of the Italian artizan, and excellent specimens of this craft ccods^ are being turned out, especially in Siena, Venice, and the neighbourhood of Florence. The Italian blacksmiths have not lost their cunning and the modern work can stand beside the ancient which it usually copies or imitates, in accordance with the fashion of the day. And here again it is the independent worker rather than the factory-system that produces the best results. A number of independent workers also exist in the laceindustry, which is to be found more or less all over the Penin-sula. In Venice and the islands, however,Indus^^ where the art was beginning to decline, ithas been systematized under the patronageof Queen Margherita and a committee of ladies, and needleand bobbin lac
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