Examples of household taste . ilver work of everydescription from ar-ticles of mere utilityto purely ornamentalobjects of the highestartistic excellence. The Elkington exhibit at the Centennial may be conveniently divided intofour classes—artistic silver-work proper; reftousse-work in silver, iron or steel,with enrichments of gold and silver in damascening, inlaying and niello; com-binations of these methods with silver; and enamels—cloisonne and these are added electrotype reproductions of several of the famous examplesfrom the South Kensington Museum, in silver and copper bronze
Examples of household taste . ilver work of everydescription from ar-ticles of mere utilityto purely ornamentalobjects of the highestartistic excellence. The Elkington exhibit at the Centennial may be conveniently divided intofour classes—artistic silver-work proper; reftousse-work in silver, iron or steel,with enrichments of gold and silver in damascening, inlaying and niello; com-binations of these methods with silver; and enamels—cloisonne and these are added electrotype reproductions of several of the famous examplesfrom the South Kensington Museum, in silver and copper bronze. Our engraving on page 125 belongs to the second class. It is the latestwork of the celebrated artist M. Moril Ladeuil, and in the opinion of compe- 128 THE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION, 1876. tent judges, as a specimen of artistic metal-work of the highest class, it hasnever been surpassed either in conception of design or in delicacy ofmanipulation. The diameter of the- Pompeian Toilette—as the Plaque is called—is some. Bronze : Jcipancse Court. twenty inches. The centre is oxidized silver; the rim is of steel of two colors,enriched with gold damascening and repousse-work; yet it is almost impossibleto believe that the scene which gives the name to the plaque also has beenhammered out by the repousse process. Looking at the engraved picture, one INDUSTRIAL ART 129 would say it was after some fine painting—say by Alma Tadema—and was thelabor of the brush and pencil rather than the mallet and chisel. An inspectionof the piece itself rather increases than diminishes the wonder. The textureof the flesh, the drapery, the plants, the effect of distance, each and all areexpressed with truly marvelous fidelity to nature; in brief, the tecnique isperfect. Looked at as an artistic conception, the work is not less is a Pompeian lady, fresh from the bath, attended by her female toilet is nearly completed; the necklace and armlets have been adjus
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, bookp, booksubjectdecorativearts
