IS

SUPPLEMENTARY REPORT ON DESIGN.

[Class XXX.

paper-hangings would, therefore, appear proper to regu-late hangings of other fabrics, tapestries, &c. Althoughlar from looking at ornament in that exclusive spiritwhich would reject what is beautiful when it does notsquare with the requisitions of a theory, it must beobvious that pictorial and picturesque treatments for suchfabrics are wrong whenever they intrude on the domainof another art. Thus figures, landscapes, fruits, andflowers, when rendered as they would be in works of fineart, are almost of necessity inferior to the pictures theyimitate, even when they are as skilfully and wonderfullywrought as in the works exhibited by the national esta-blishment of the Gobelins, where every effort of skill andscience has been most successfully used for their manu-facture and embellishment. Indeed, it is a matter ofdoubt whether custom, and the authority of great namesand of past times, are not the causes of the continuedadmiration of such decorations, which perhaps we ratherpersuade ourselves we like than are fully satisfied with.

With very few exceptions, the exhibited “ designs” forhangings appear to be totally unregulated by any per-ception of rules for their ornamentation, and, even whenthey happen to be on just principles, would seem to be soby chance rather than by choice. They are mostly floridand gaudy compositions, consisting of architectural orna-ment in relief, with imitative flowers and foliage. Insome of the cleverest designs the flowers and foliage areperspectively rendered with the full force of their naturalcolours, and light and shade; moreover, they are oftenthree or four times as large as nature, whereby the sizeof a room would he apparently diminished. The French are the largest contributors, and their designs are cha-racterised by the foregoing remarks; they are, however,exceedingly skilful in their details, the flowers and foliagewell understood and artistically arranged, and blockedwith great skill and knowledge; but as to style they aremost objectionable, and lead to the worst results, especiallyin the common manufacture of such goods.

The pupils of the Government schools exhibit, amongother designs, some meritorious ones for paper-hanging.It is evident that their general taste is controlled andregulated by the knowledge of the just principles whichshould govern the ornamentation of these as well as ofthe other manufactures for which they have laboured. 1Being students’ works, they can hardly be expected toabound in fancy or invention, and it is sufficient to findthat they are well drawn, skilfully executed, and amenableto just laws of composition. In examining the designapplied to the manufactures themselves, the same wantof just principles is observable as in the works of thedesigners. It is true that manufacturers must produceworks in every style, as well to suit those who are unableto appreciate what is good, as those of more informedtaste; but it might be expected, in an Exhibition of thisnature—an Exhibition of skilled labour and of the strifeafter excellence—that excellence would be the rule, anderror the exception, whereas the reverse is generally thecase. Were it a part of the duty of the Reporter to enterinto the clever and skilful execution, the treatment ofthe pigments, the excellent blocking, or the general ma-nufacture of such fabrics, there would be much to say ofthe foreign exhibitors, Delicourt (France , 1715, p. 125S)and Zubkr (France , 1536, p. 1250), Spoerlix and Zim- jmerman'n (Austria, 651, p. 1041') of Vienna , and others,as well as of Townsend and Parker (Class XXVI., .318, p. 758), Woollams (ibid., 322, p. 758% and others Ion the English side; but in the design of their papers jthere is little to commend, and works of passable excel- {lence in this respect are the rare exceptions to their col- !lections. One or two designs, delicate in colour and on |just principles, are exhibited by Fetter and Raiin (262, jp. 1375) in the Russian Court, mixed up, however, with jothers in the usual false taste; and passable designs on Jthe principles herein advocated are to be found occa- isionally in other collections, evidently resulting from ahappy accident rather than a well-regulated choice. The ’English and foreign manufacturers seem equally at sea:with the exception of a few simple diapers, which hardlycall for individual remark, the works of the best ex.-hibitors on the English side, while they are very hetero-

geneous, are less original, and equally wanting in asound knowledge of what is properly characteristic forsuch works.

There are, however, honourable exceptions to theseremarks: after passing in review the paper-hangings ofthe various countries, it is quite refreshing to meet theclever wax-cloth decorations exhibited by M. E. T. Vivet(France , 734, p. 1215). The ornament of these works iswithout shadow or imitated relief, thoroughly flat in itsforms, which consist of graceful and flowing lines; thecolour is equal in scale, without harsh contrasts, and ofsemi-neutral hues. There is no attempt at shams, toimitate marble, or oak, or any carving; nor to panel it,which is left to arise out of the architectural forms; buta series of graceful lines, with a quiet uniformity of tint,satisfy the mind and give repose to the eye. Moreover,having laid down certain principles on which manu-factures and fabrics should be designed with a view tothe true use of materials, and to avoid unnecessary dis-play, by the proper application of ornament, it is im-possible to refrain from speaking in high terms of theworks contained in the Mediaeval Court, manufacturedby Messrs. Myers (Class XXVI., 523, p. 761), Minton(ibid., 531, p. 761% Crack (ibid., 530, p. 761% andHardman (ibid., 532, p. 761% under the direction andfrom the designs of Mr. W. Pugin (ibid., p. 761).Some may object to the exclusiveuess of the style, andto its too purely ecclesiastical and traditional character,even in domestic works: but for just principles ofdecoration, for beautiful details, for correct use ofmaterials, and for excellent workmanship, the generalcollection is unique. Thus, in the paper-hangings, forinstance, there is no throwing away of many blocks toobtain richness, when one or two can be made sufficient:there is a perfect flatness and a subdued harmony ofcolour in all such works; and if Tudor roses and heraldiclions are sometimes too pronounced, and there is occa-sionally a little excess of ornament, richness is generallyobtained at the smallest sacrifice of means, and withoutany sacrifice of truth. The same may be said of thehangiugs in silk and wool, and the carpets in this col-lection, the designs for which are highly commendablefor their strict adherence to true principles.

Without having any sympathy with the application ofdecorative paper-hangings, such as those of Delicourt(France , 1715, p. 1258) and others, it would be unjust topass them without praising the artist-like design, thepowerful execution, and the great ability displayed inthese works by the French artists. In that by Delicourt,besides the skilfully-blocked limiting subject of the centrepanel, the details of the parts, such as the grouping ofthe game and arms on the pilasters, and of the birds andchildren on the frieze, have great merit, apart from theskill with which the whole has been adapted for block-printing. The same may be said of the work exhibitedby Mader Brothers (France , 1369, p. 1241% which is anextremely fanciful and clever piece of decoration, and inas good taste as such false treatments can well be. Thefrieze of children is well designed and ably managed forprinting; the landscape of Zurban i France , 13G9p. 1241)has also much merit in its details; and the work ofGenoux has parts worthy of examination.

These decorations bear out the remarks at the openingof this Report as to the superiority of the French work-ing artists. The men who carry out the designer’s in-ventions in France must themselves have a large share ofskill and art-knowledge to be able to prepare the designfor the manufacturer’s processes with the ability so evidentin the works just remarked upon.

Among the English contributions in paper-hanging arespecimens of the lately-introduced processes of printingby such machinery as is used for cotton goods, and ofapplying many colours from one block. These are likelyto create a style of ornamentation for such fabrics of themost depraved kind. The largeness and flatness of de-tails attainable by block-printing are less suited to cylinderprinting than more minute details, and the new processesoffer ready means of applying several colours at a smallexpense; the reverse of what has hitherto been the case;hence the effort has been to impress as many tints as