742

SUPPLEMENTARY REPORT OX DESTGX.

[Class XXX.

the pattern. Generally speaking, however, ornamentfor such fabrics should consist of small, rather than oflarge forms—should be treated flatly, and without lightand shade—and inclined to subdued contrasts of colour,and of light and dark. A geometrical rather than adispersed * arrangement of the forms moreover wouldbe found the most agreeable to the eye, and the mostconsistent with sound principles, some of the best patternsbeing formed by diapering sprigs, leaves, flowers, oroften even simple geometrical forms, regularly overthe ground. That such patterns are essentially in goodtaste is shown by their constant reproduction for themore cultivated class of customers; whilst the sprawl-ing trails ami coarse imitative treatments brought outfrom year to year as the novelties of the season, passaway and are forgotten, or are thrust cheaply on themarket at a low cost, to catch persons whose taste isregulated by their pockets, rather than bv their cul-tivated senses. To see the above principles carried outfully and completely, it is necessary to call attention tothe garment fabrics exhibited by the East India Company (p. 917): these are almost wholly designed on the principleshere presumed to be just ones; the ornament is alwaysflat and without shadow ; natural flowers are never usedimitatively, or perspeetively, but are conventionalized bybeing displayed flat and according to a symmetrical ar-rangement ; and all other objects, even animals and birds,when used as ornament, are reduced to their simplestflat form. When colour is added, it is usually ren-dered by the simple local hue, often bordered with adarker shade of the colour to give it a clearer expression ;but the shades of the flower are rarely introduced : the“ cloth of gold figured in the loom” (fig. 3, plate 1), andpart of an Indian scarf (fig. 2, plate 1), illustrate fullythese remarks. The ornament is geometrically andsymmetrically arranged, flat in simple tints* andbordered as above described, with darker shades of thelocal colour. The principle of colour adopted is a balanceof the complementaries red and green, in both cases withwhite introduced to give points of expression, and to leadthe eye to the symmetrical arrangement of the ornament:in figure 3, purple is introduced to harmonize with thegold ground, a harmony very frequently used in the richtissues of India : in fig. 2, variety has been obtained bvintroducing two reds, giving an interchange of a lighteVtint in every other''flower in the border. Theborders of these scarfs are beautifully illustrative of thesimple and graceful flowing lines which characterizeIndian ornament: and in fig. 2, we can observe thedifference between the Eastern and the mediaeval patterns:while the same principles are acknowledged in both, the

* By dispersed, is meant the attempt to distribute thepattern over the ground, without any apparent arrange- ;meat.

latter are often stiffer and more angular than the gracefulsprigs of this border. Both these works show how muchbeauty may he obtained by simple means when regulatedby just principles, and how perfectly unnecessary are themultiplied tints by which modern designers think togive value to their works, but which increase the diffi-culties of production out of all proportion to any effectresulting from them, nay, often even to the absolutedisadvantage of the fabric. If we look at the details ofthe Indian patterns we shall be surprised at their extremesimplicity, and be led to wonder at their rich and satis-factory effect; it will soon be evident, however, that theirbeauty results entirely from adherence to the principlesabove described. The parts themselves are often poor,ill-drawn, and commonplace, yet, from the knowledge ofthe designer, due attention to the just ornamentation ofthe fabric, and the refined delicacy evident in the selectionof quantity and the choice of tints, both for the ground,where gold is not used as a ground, and for the orna-mental forms, the fabrics, individually, and as a whole,are a lesson to our designers and manufacturers given bythose from whom we least expected it. Moreover, in theadaptation of all these qualities of design to the fabricsfor which they are intended, there is an entire apprecia-tion of the effects to be produced by the texture andfoldings of the tissue when in use as an article of dress,insomuch that no draught of the design can be made inany way to show the full beauty of the manufacturedarticle, since this is only called out by the motion andfolding of the fabric itself. An expression of admirationfor these manufactures must be called forth from everyone who examines them, and is justlj' due to meritswhich are wholly derived from the true principles onwhich these goods have been omameuted, and whichresult from perfect consistency in the designer.

In reverting to the general question of design for gar-ment fabrics, it may be remarked that the making up ofsuch goods for use should have due consideration in thegeneral direction of the pattern. Thus, while ' c up anddown” treatments in stripes and trails are proper, thehorizontal direction of pronounced forms is not to beadmitted, since, crossing the person, the pattern quarrelswith all the motions of the human figure, as well as withthe form of the long folds in the skirts of the garment;from this reason, large and pronounced checks, howeverfashionable, are often in very bad taste, and interfere withthe graceful arrangement of any material as drapery.

In designing for garment fabrics, it will generally befound that the simplest patterns are in the best taste.The efforts, however, both of designers and manufac-turers, have been too often directed to difficulty andcomplication, rather than to produce the greatest effectwith the least possible means. Thus we find the numberof blocks used in printing any pattern, or of colours inweaving, or the number of cards required to produce a