Class XXX. j

SUPPLEMENTARY REPORT OX DESIGN.

747

ture from the true style in his works. The relaxation ofjust principles is, however, seen, even in those which pur-port to be simply imitations of Cashmere designs; it isshown in the introduction of small landscapes on thespaces of the ground between the large leading forms:in representing in the pattern borders of ornament quilledor gathered in the manner of a fringe; and in the spacesfilled up with small diaperings being imitative of foliage,palm-trees, &c., instead of being merely Hat , graceful, andliowing ornamental forms. So far from endeavouring tosuppress novelty, it is most desirable to encourage it asfar as possible, since true novelty is not an extreme cha-racteristic of the present time, but it must be sought byother means than those reprobated; the designer mustnot suppose that by exaggerating a secondary charac-teristic of style into undue importance, and adding newmaterials entirely out of harmony with it, anything reallybeautiful and new will he likely to result.

In the shawls exhibited this new manner is seen to bevery widely spread. The greater number of those on theForeign side, both printed and woven, are thus orna-mented, and Norwich and Paisley are following in thesame track. One French house exhibits two wovenshawls in juxtaposition, which may serve to compare thetwo systems. The one is an imitation Cashmere shawl,consisting of straps or bands filled in with gracefully-curved ornamental forms, powdered over with colour inthe usual manner, the Indian pine being slightly visibleonly in the border. The other design is in the new manner;it displays very great ability and cleverness, and is mostskilfully manufactured. In it the Indian piue form, ex-aggerated in all its peculiarities, is filled in with imitativeflowers, the size of nature, naturallv drawn and shaded,with such minute imitation that even insects have beendepicted on their surface. The variegation of some |llowers, as tulips and asters, and the shading of others, asroses, &c., is substituted for the diapering of colourwhich is characteristic of the style; simplicity of tint istherefore lost, and flatness wholly abandoned ; great painsand labour have evidently been bestowed on the design,yet the result contrasts unfavourably with the neighbour-ing Cashmere pattern, the negative colour of this lastbeing much more satisfactory than the hot unpleasant lineof the former, arising partly from the shades containingmore colour than the local hue of the flower, instead ofbeing more negative, and more especially from the impos-sibility of introducing the contrasting and harmonizingtints exactly where necessary, which can so easily bedone by the simpler methods of India . It is sincerely tobe hoped that this false manner will be abandoned; thatwhen imitations are intended they will be in a pure style,and when novelty is sought for it will not be attemptedby thus outraging true principles.

Ribbons.

In examining design applied to ribbons it is necessaryto have especial regard to their use, and the purposewhich they are intended to fulfil; for although many ofthe principles which have been laid down as regulatingthe decoration of garment fabrics are equally applicableto them, these principles are modified by the place whichribbons hold, largely partaking, as they do, of the natureof ornaments added to the other portions of the dress.

It may be said that, when the dress itself has muchpattern, ribbons, which serve as bands marking the lead-ing lines, or as borders, should be plain in colour andwithout much enrichment; their office is contrast, andeither simple colours or stripes in that case are mostdesirable: but when the garments themselves are plainand unfigured, or figured without strong oppositions oflight and dark or colour, then the ribbon may become atrue contrast by its ornamentation, and require markedforms and colours to give that expression which is sorequisite. When regulated by good taste, ribbons, besidegiving effect to form by their contrasts, serve anotherimportant purpose, by being the means of introducingbrilliant portions of pure colour complementary to thegeneral masses of the dress, thereby, when the pervadingtone of the dre*s is negative, giving that brilliancy and

heightening which, when judicious, is a great means ofenhancing its effect, and giving richness without gaudiness.This use of ribbons points out their proper ornamentation,which should he in simple forms, permitting the introduc-tion of pure tints; these require a geometrical arrange-ment to give them adequate force and expression, and forthis purpose the patterns of the Indian tissues offer mostvaluable suggestions to the ornamentist; even the intro-duction of gold and silver may he taken advantage of asa very suitable enrichment for these ornamenting fabrics.It is to be regretted that the great prevalence of naturalfloral treatments as the decoration of garment fabrics liascaused the adoption of the same style in ribbons, where it ismore peculiarly out of place, and that the rarest efforts ofthe designer, and the greatest manufacturing achievements,have been misapplied to overcome the difficulties thistreatment induces. The design of the Coventry ribbon,for instance, apart from the style adopted, is one of greatmerit, more successful than the best foreign efforts in thesame direction ; but while it is a rare proof of difficultiesattempted and successfully overcome, it is also a proof ofmisapplied excellence and unsuitable ornamentation, beingbased on the artistic principle of imitation rather than onthose proper to the ornamentist, abstract beauty of formand colour.

There is an evident tendency to gaudiness and overdecoration in the greater number of these articles exhi-bited, and it largely arises from the above cause. Theincreased width these goods are now manufactured, andthe wrong direction of the decoration applied to them,have greatly altered their character, and we find land-scapes, figures, portraits, and all kinds of natural imita-tions, applied as their ornament. It is pleasant, in theface of so much that is erroneous, to notice the just tasteexhibited by one manufacturer of these fabrics; the silkribbons of Ruisson, sen. (France, 1125, p. 1232', have acharacter entirely their own, the ornament consisting ofgeometrical figures in gold-coloured silk, diapered over aplain ground of some delicate tint, or borderings of geo-metrical ornaments on the same principle, having ananalogy to the Indian patterns without imitating them,and being very appropriate for the intended use of suchfabrics.

Lack.

The concluding subject of this section of garmentfabrics is lace design. Lace is assimilated to certainother classes of fabrics by its uses as well as by itspeculiar qualities; thus, to worked muslins, for instance,in its general lightness, and in being usually withoutcolour either in itself or in its ornamentation; and toribbons as being an ornamenting fabric to other parts ofdress. It is one of the peculiarities of laee that it isnecessarily ornamented, since, without some pattern uponits surface, it would hardly retain its name. Its charac-teristics of lightness and filminess of texture should neverbe forgotten in its ornamentation, which should essen-tially be light, elegant, and liowing; all straight linesshould he avoided, not only from the necessities of themanufacture, but because graceful forms are required topervade its ornamentation. At the same time this textuallightness may lead into the opposite error, and the orna-ment be so flimsy as entirely to lose proper point andexpression: and thus, where lace is used as a trimming,the line which it is intended to enforce or enrich beinefficiently marked from this very meagreness. The oldpoint lace, worked with the needle, was often too heavyin character, from too equal a distribution of the massesof its ornament; it wanted less crowded spots to givevalue by contrast to the general surface: whereas themodern lace, from the object of the manufacturer beingto cover large spaces with little work, too frequently errsin the opposite direction, and wants parts of more fullenrichment to give it point and character. The borderor edge, which in reality constitutes the true lace, shouldhave the most solid and marked ornamentation, out ofwhich should grow graceful curved forms, less markedand pronounced, gradually passing, in wide lace or inveils, &c., into diapers of sprigs or small ornamentalforms over the remaining space. While the natural lines