Class XXIX.] NUMBER OF EXHIBITORS—AWARDS. RIPE MANUFACTURES, Ac.
GG9
should have been sent from a country in which the use offans is so prevalent that they are commonly offered forsale outside the arena of the bull-fights and other placesof amusement.
Texts.
The fans in the Tunisian Court are ten in number,and are in some cases ornamented with rich embroidery.
The only example is an embroidered fan made atAdrianople .
WURTEMBURG.
Several bone and ivory fans are exhibited by M. C. Stollof Ulm, they are reasonable in price, but not nearlyso good as the ivory-fans contributed by the Frenchmakers.
The number of exhibitors of fans is twenty-three ; ofthese, there are:—
2 Holders of a Prize Medal.
1 Mho obtained Honourable Mention.
20 Unrewarded,
23 Total.
The number from the various countries is as follows:—
British Colonies:—
British Guiana — — — 1
Ceylon ----- 1
Kova Scotia— — — — 1
Trinidad - - - - 1
’Wurtemburg - — — — 1
Total- - - 23
List of Awards.
Ducrot and Petit, Paris (France 149, p. 1178),Honourable Mention for a collection of fans in ordinarydemand and at reasonable prices, namely, from 5 d. to 40s.each; also excellent examples of pierced and sculpturedivory and mother-of-pearl fans, one of the specimens ofwhich has been before alluded to in the introductorynotice. These are of much higher quality, and range inprice from 3/. to 12/. each.
Duyelleroy, P., Paris (France , 495, p. 1201), PrizeMedal for a display of fans ornamented with artisticpaintings, and remarkable for the beauty of the inlaying,and the pierced ivory and mother-of pearl frames. Themost elegant fan in this collection is one painted byRoqueplan; the ribs are of richly-pierced and sculpturedmother-of-pearl inlaid with gold, and it is valued at 40/.Beside the above, others intended for foreign marketswere exhibited, the prices of which vary from 5 d. to 40s.per dozen.
Felix, Alexandre, Paris (France , 199, p. 1183), PrizeMedal for a collection of fans, being for the most partcopies of the best examples of ancient fans: these, althoughnot possessing the merit of originality, are such remark-ably beautiful specimens of ■vellum-painting, that theyfully entitle this manufacturer to the award, and aremoreover the richest of any exhibited.
V. PIPES AXD AMBER MANUFACTURES.
Before discussing the merits of the pipes contributedfrom all quarters of the globe to adorn the Great Exhi-bition , it will be proper to notice the materials principallyemployed in their manufacture.
Clays, of different kinds, are more used than any othersubstance in the formation of pipes: but as their natureand composition will probably be fully discussed in the
Special Report on the fictile-arts, of which clay pipe-making is comparatively but a small branch, it is needlesshere to describe them.
1 Foods of several descriptions are next in importance.The wild cherry-tree, and the jasmine are the principalsorts, and great care is bestowed on their culture to ensuretheir growing free from knots and blemishes; the youngstems of the jasmine being wound round with cloths toeffect that object. Lemon-tree and ebony are also in re-quest, the latter being generally used for carved tubes.
Mother-of-pearl , Horn, Ivory , and Bone are extensivelyused ; nor are the precio>is metals and costly gems excludedfrom a share in the formation of the pipe. But thesehave not that intimate connection with the subject undernotice, which appertains to two materials— Meerschaumand Amljer y whose names are euphonious to the ear of thegenuine smoker. The former substance is devoted ex-clusively to his use ; and the latter though not entirelyhis own, pays to him a very considerable tribute, in theform of mouth-pieces.
So early as the year 1G09, the genuine meerschaummust have been held in estimation in England 5 sinceDekker appears to refer to it in his “ Gulls Jlom-book ”when he wishes his gallant to be able to discourse “ whichpipe has the best bore, and which burns black , and whichbreaks in the burning/’
Meerschaum (.Ecume de mer ) is a mineral of somewhatrare occurrence. It consists of magnesia, silica, andwater, and may be called a hydrated silicate of magnesia(MgO , SiOo+HO). As the compound is not crystalline,its constituents are variable, and thus silicates of iron andalumina are often found in combination with it. Theseaffect the colour of the meerschaum, which when pure isquite white. Silicate of iron frequently occurs, and givesit a tinge of colour, varying from the palest yellow to adeep brown. Good meerschaum is tolerably soft, itresists the pressure of the hand, but is easily indented bythe finger-nail, and, especially after having been wetted,may be easily cut with a knife. The fracture is generallyearthy, and rarely conchoidal; still the state of aggre-gation of even pure meerschaum is very variable, as isproved by the marked differences in its specific gravity.Some kinds sink in water, others float on its surface;these qualities in the estimation of the pipe-maker, areindicative of different values, for he rejects both the veryheavy and the very light, and prefers those of mediumdensity. The light varieties are generally very porous,and even contain large cavities, whilst the heavier kindshe suspects to be an artificial product.
Meerschaum is met with in various localities, in Spain ,Greece, and Moravia ; but by far the largest quantity isderived from Asia Minor , it being dug chiefiy in thepeninsula of Natalia, near the town of Coniah . Formerlythe material was roughly fashioned on the spot into bowls,which were more elegantly carved in Europe . The artwas especially cultivated in Pesth and Vienna , where itformed an extensive and important branch of trade.These rough howls still occur in commerce, but by far thegreater part of the meerschaum is exported in the shapeof irregular blocks with obtuse angles and edges, requiringcareful manipulation with the aid of water, in order toremove irregularities and faulty portions. A beautifulspecimen of meerschaum thus cleaned is contributed byLudwig Hartmann (Austria , 675; and there is also a boxof meerschaum earth in the Grecian Department, 23).This preliminary treatment still leaves numerous blemishes,and the meerschaum of commerce has defects of variouskinds; besides various minerals scattered through its mass,it contains a hard sort of meerschaum, which the manu-facturer calls chalk ( Krcidemassen ), and which is the causeof much difficulty in the carving.
Previous to the mechanical treatment of the meer-schaum* for making the bowl, it is subjected to a certainpreparation. It is soaked in a liquified unguent composedof wax, oil, and fats. The wax and fats which the sub-
* This subject is ably discus? under the head “ Meer-schaum,” in Prechtfs Encyclopdlie der Gewcrbe vndKtinstef from -which some of the foregoing remarks havebeen abstracted.