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CLASS XXVI.

REPORT ON DECORATIVE FURNITURE AND UPHOLSTERY, INCLUDINGPAPER-HANGINGS, PAPIER MACHE , AND JAPANNED GOODS.

[The Figures after the Names (between parentheses) refer to the Exhibitors’ Numbers and to the Pages in theOfficial Descriptive and Illustrated Catalogue.]

Jury.

Professor Koesnek, Chairman and Reporter , Austria ; President of the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts.Lord Ashburton, Deputy Chairman , 82 Piccadilly.

John Lewis Aubert, 20 Lower Road, Islington; Paper-stainer.

Charles de Beyne, Russia ; Architect.

Francois Coppens, Belgium ; Architect.

J. G. Crack, Joint Rejx>rter , U Wigmore Street, Cavendish Square; House Decorator.

Charles Cuocco, Sardinia ; Manufacturer.

John Jackson, 49 Rathbonc Place; Manufacturer of Composition and Papier Mache Ornaments.

AV. Meyer, North Germany.

N. Rondot, France; late of Embassy to China , and Member of Central Jury.

Edward Snell, 27 Albemarle Street; Upholsterer and Cabinet-maker.

John 'Webb, 8 Old Bond Street; Upholsterer and Cabinet-maker.

Associates.

Lieut.-Colonel Demanet, 99 'Warwick Street, Pimlico.

L. Grunkk, 12 Fitzroy Square; Architect. (Juror in Class XXTH.)

Chev. Lencisa; Commissioner to the Exhibition for H.M. the King of Sardinia .

M. 'Wolowski. France ; Professor to Museum of Arts and Sciences, Member of the Central Jur}’, and

of the Legislative Assembly of France . (Juror in Class XXIX.)

TnE objects comprised in this Class are of a kind inti-mately associated with the comfort and adornment of ourdwellings; of great importance from the vast amount ofskilled labour employed in their production; and of highinterest, as displaying the state of industrial art in variouscountries.

A popular taste must be greatly influenced by thosethings which are ever before the eye as household com-panions, and in the manufacture of these it is thereforemost essential to attend to the principles of tasteful de-sign, for by those principles an article obtains its powerof attraction.

Furniture.

It is important, both for the strength and good effectof furniture, that the principles of sound construction bewell carried out, that the construction be evident, andthat if carving or other ornament be introduced, it shouldbe by decorating that construction itself, not by overlayingit and disguisiug it.

It is not necessary that an object be covered with orna-ment, or be extravagant in form, to obtain the elementof beauty; articles of furniture are too often crowdedwith unnecessary embellishment, which, besides addingto their cost, interferes with their use, purpose, and con-venience ; the perfection of art manufacture consists incombining, with the greatest possible effect, the usefulwith the pleasing, and the execution of this can generallybe most successfully carried out by adopting the simplestprocess.

The Jury, though fully sensible of the great beauty ofmany of the ornamental works in furniture collected atthe Exhibition, yet regret that there have not been morespecimens of ordinary furniture for general use; workswhose merits consist in correct proportion, simple butwell considered design, beauty of material, and perfectworkmanship. Few have the means of purchasing suchbeautiful works as the sideboard of M. Fourdinois, or thecabinets of M. Ringuet-Leprince, which come almost underthe head of fine art rather than of manufacture; and itis much to be desired that attention be directed towardsimproving the taste of those more ordinary objects thatcome into daily use by the many.

Cabinet furniture first became an article of generalluxury about the beginning of the 16th century. At thisperiod inlaid, as well as richly-carved furniture, wasmanufactured in Italy , and exported to various parts ofEurope. Among the works now exhibited by Italy , someare distinguished by great excellence, particularly in thecarved examples.

From Tuscany. —M. A. Barbktti, of Florence , Sienna,(91, p. 1298), exhibits, with other things, a casket ofgreat merit, most elaborately carved, introducing bas-reliefs of figures, ornaments, chimeras, &c.

A large cheval screen frame, in walnut wood, by LuigiMarciietti, of Sienna (96, p. 1298), is very beautifullywrought with delicate ornament of good taste. An ovalmedallion frame, by Piktro Giusti (123, p. 1300), is alsoa fine specimen of carving.

From Sardinia. —M. B. Capello, of Turin (64, p. 1304\exhibits a very elegant inlaid table, a curule chair, ami apedestal—all ornamented in very pure taste in the Etrus-can style, and of good execution.

In France ornamental cabinet-work had acquired con-siderable reputation in the time of Louis XIV . Its ma-nufacturers have since then continued to produce worksof great beauty, and have brought the art of marqueterieinlay to a high state of perfection : this work consists ininlaying woods of a great variety of tints in the form offlowers, ornaments, &c., and was greatly advanced in thelast century by Reisner, who produced very beautifulspecimens.

In buhl-work, also, wherein metals are inlaid upongrounds of tortoiseshell or ebony, or vice versa , theFrench have greatly excelled. This kind of ornamentalinlay takes its name from M. de Boule, a celebrated French cabinet-maker in the time of Louis XIV .

In Germany there has long been established cabinet-work of a high class, more especially for those exquisiteebony cabinets, inlaid with precious stones, and variouswoods and metals, surmounted with carved figures, andelaborately fitted with innumerable drawers, and withperspective recesses—presents fit for kings and princes:of these an excellent example is presented in the ebonycabinet of M. Grocer, of Vienna (631, p. 1039)—a mostbeautiful work, exquisitely finished.