Examples of household taste . r itselfforms a vase for thelamp, while its leavesand blossoms makea graceful ornamentbelow. Here againwe see the wonderfulobservation of theJapanese in their 324 THE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION, 1876. study of natural objects—this time, however, coupled with that subtle desire togive a grotesque turn to the work, which is their great characteristic. The lily-plant is somewhat conventionalized, and the root writhes about as if sensible ofthe same fears which animate the fish ; while to the stork is given an expression of amazement whichplainly questions,What manner o
Examples of household taste . r itselfforms a vase for thelamp, while its leavesand blossoms makea graceful ornamentbelow. Here againwe see the wonderfulobservation of theJapanese in their 324 THE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION, 1876. study of natural objects—this time, however, coupled with that subtle desire togive a grotesque turn to the work, which is their great characteristic. The lily-plant is somewhat conventionalized, and the root writhes about as if sensible ofthe same fears which animate the fish ; while to the stork is given an expression of amazement whichplainly questions,What manner of mon-ster have I captured,this time ? A fine example ofornamental Book-binding, an art toomuch neglected in thepresent day, is givenin our engraving; onpage 325. It was oneof the fine displaymade by Lortic, ofParis, which attractedmuch attention fromthose interested inthis subject. The de-sign is a conventionalflower and leaf pat-tern twined about aframe-work which isa geometric develop-ment of the partsforming- the medal-. Bronze Lamp : Japanese Court. lion in the whole is mostgracefully treated, andis in admirable con-trast to those foolishconceits that aim toattract to the con-tents of the bookwithout any regard toartistic fitness in de-sign. Doubtless it is well,when, possible to givesome suggestion ofwhat is in a book bythe design upon thecover, but the desireto do this, and furtherto attract to the con-tents by making theoutside attractive, hasintroduced some mostmeretricious notionsinto bookbinding- es-tablishments. It is bad enough to see a Book of Common Prayer with a looking-glass bound intoone of its sides, but this is not as bad, in an artistic and workmanlike sense,as to see a tiny volume for the pocket hinged and bossed like the portlymediaeval tomes whose weight and rich carving required these protections. On pages 326 and 327 we have engraved examples of the Jewelry INDUSTRIAL ART. 325 manufactured by Bellezza, of Rome. The first is a graceful, thr
Size: 963px × 2596px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, bookp, booksubjectdecorativearts
