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THE SOUTH KENSINGTON MUSEUM: ART-MANUFACTURE.
The Department of Science and Art continues faithful to those two Feat motive principles of British national life—publicity, and " making it pay." Certainly no branch of the civil service lays these more tho- roughly to heart, or makes more capital out of them, than the existing administration of the quondam Schools of Design. Mr. Cole casts aside official reserve, and tells the public—what Mr. Carlyle calls the "twenty- seven millions, mostly fools' "—that such and such are the objects he proposes to himself, and such and such their results. And the twenty- seven millions take it in good part, as might have been expected. The last phase of publicity is the exhibition, now open at the South Kensington Museum, of " Works of Art-Manufacture designed or exe- cuted by Students of the Schools of Art." Here we see what has actu- _ally been done ; not the raw material of studies and designs, but the final outcome of these, and the influence which the schools are exercising all over the country in its practical trade and work. All is brought home to our " business and bosoms." The works consist of " any at- tainable articles of commerce that, either in their original design or in their entire or partial execution, have been carried out by those who have derived instruction from the schools at any period since their first establishment in 1837 "—chiefly by students, occasionally by the mas- ters, the great majority of whom were also students of the schools in their time ; a very small proportion only of the examples having been specially prepared for the exhibition. The collection is to be regarded as no more than a specimen of the whole work achieved by this system. Much of what has been done is now beyond tracing ; and often the ma- nufacturers or the designers themselves keep aloof from the display. In some cases, too, local circumstances prevent the works of this class from being a fair representation of the influence of the schools ; and this causes a further hiatus. But on the whole we have a frank and general indi- cation of the net result.
The exhibition may be fairly pronounced a cheering one. Many ob- jects are of excellent quality in design, many more of choice manufac- turing execution. Perhaps the textile fabrics, as an entire class, show best altogether. In fundamental style there is still a great deal to learn and do. The nineteenth century has not yet attained to the idea of a style—even of any style at all. We produce isolated good things more or less like good models bequeathed to us from the general past ; but we have not worked out a principle, nor even fixed a starting-point, for our- selves. We have not yet elicited a form of art ; but work very much at random and individually—each man doing what seems good in his own eyes. We have clever notions and show-specimens from clever men ; not an artistic community certain of its own powers, its own wants, and its own definite purposes. The key-note has yet to be struck, the harmonic scale constructed. But we are endeavouring and improving.
The classification of the objects (about 700) extends to glass; ceramic manufactures ; works in bronze, brass, iron, &e. ; silver plate, and plated wares, and decorated arms ; jewellery ; furniture and wood-carving ; lace and linen damasks ; silks, ribands, and trimmings ; printed fabrics ; woven shawls, &c.; carpets and tapestry ; and miscellaneous—twelve classes in all. We proceed to note a few of the examples most worthy of attention, without at all proposing to exhaust the list, or to glance at all the aspects under which the classes may be considered.
1. Glass. Generally of high finish in execution of form, but without clear distinctive character of design. The works by students of the Bir- mingham school, employed by Messrs. Lloyd and Summerfield ; those designed by Mr. William Fell, and manufactured by Messrs. Robinson, of Warrington and Bolton, in the classic taste ; and the red and white flint glass designed and executed by Mr. John Northwood, and manu- factured by Mr. Richardson, of Wordsley ; are noticeable.
2. Ceramic. Jewelled plate (porcelain) with portrait of the Queen,— painted by Thomas Allen, manufactured by Minton and Co. A bad type of work, delicately executed. Thorough painting of human figures, &c., like this of the Queen, has no business to be done in porcelain. Many other examples—copies of celebrated pictures, &e.—occur in the collec- tion. Oval dishes with medallions—Palissy ware,—modelled by Hamlet Bourne ; Minton and Co. Very creditable as works of colour, and imi- tations of the Palissy style ; the medallion-figures lumpish and wanting in crisp definition. Green glazed dessert-plates and comport : designed by Henry Brownsward ; Wedgwood and Co. The passion-flower used with great skill of design in oue, the vine in another, and divers leaves in combination in the third. Nothing could be much better than these ; the remaining works by Mr. Brownsward also have merit, but inferior. Celadon Vase (No. 125) designed and modelled byteorge Britis ; Minton and Co. Choice in execution. Another uncatalogued vase of the same type, and we presume from the same hand, is still finer, and truly ex- quisite in execution. The delicate transparency of such objects as the lightly relieved butterfly's wings is perfection in its kind, though may be the realization of nature, so distinctive of modern work, is carried somewhat too far for decorative design. Parian vase, jewelled and gilt, violet wreath, &c. : painted and ornament designed by Fanny Blood ; Kerr and Binns, Worcester. The ornament conventionalized, and rightly so ; rich and pretty.
3. Ornamental Metal Work. Three Art Mantelpieces (Apollo and the Muses ; the Chase ; Shakspere, and types of expression suggested by his works) : designed and modelled by Robert Jefferson : W. Potts, Handsworth. Massive and elaborate works. The bronzes in the second approximate to the excellence of French work ; the designs of the other two have some graceful ability, but fail in any attempt at the grotesque. A Gothic sepulchral monument by the same designer and manufacturer *poverty itself. Balcony designed by M. J. Higgins ; Hart and Son, Wych Street. Both rich and dignified in design. Gilt passion-flowers and chocolate-tinted leafage form the work of the balcony. A series of models in Metal of Coffin Furniture ; designed by Joseph Ash ; Hart and Son. Two of these five designs, in steel and braes foliated, are more especially sweet and beautiful; quite the handiwork of an artist. 4. Silver Plate, te. Tea and Coffee Service in eleetro-plate ; designed and modelled by J. J. Allen ; Prime and Son, Birmingham. Indicates a gradual suppression of the florid modern manner in favour of the classic; a gain so far. Oxidized Bas-reliefs, &c.; designed by Clark Stanton ; Elkington, Mason, and Co. Mr. Stanton is evidently a man of great skill and cleverness, with the niceties of his art at his finger-ends ; albeit we do not observe in him any very high qualities of design. Much the same may be said of similar work by the late John Guest. The Chester Cup, 1858 ; William the Conqueror conferring the earldom of Chester upon his nephew Hugh Lupus ; designed and modelled by H. H. Arm. stead; Hunt and Roskell. Vastly superior to most such productions. Like the old gold or silversmith's work, the design indicates the caps, bilities of a sculptor, and the execution those of an artist.
5. Furniture and Wood-Carving. Side-board, carved in ebony : ear. nod out by J. S. Cuthbert and Z. King from Professor Semper's de. sign; carving executed by natives of Ceylon. A splendid piece of furniture, and the design, in which peacocks play a prominent part,
mainly judicious and effective—the elephants' heads insignificant and ill-
placed. The Cingalese workmen show a quiet completeness of mechani- cal work which might teach a useful lesson at home. The Robin, and other bird subjects in lime and boxwood : designed and executed by William Perry. Extremely delicate and laborious, and done with affection as well as pains. Not quite first rate, however. As much characteristic truth might be given with less labour, while there is still a higher point as regards refinement of style ; not to mention that these ingenuities of wood-carving always suggest some regret for effort run- ning to waste. Papier-miché Envelope-case—primrose and violet; designed by James Robbins : Jennens and Bettridge. The flowers rather too much conventionalized—their life and truth (at least of the violets) almost gone. Nevertheless, a nice piece of decoration, and, along with Mr. William Whitehead's card-tray, with gold scroll orna- ments on a white ground, the best example of papier-maché in the collection.
6. Lace. Although the introduction to the catalogue cites lace especially as an improved field of design, we find nothing of great excellence in this class : the patterns lack reserve in quantity, and expression in form. The Lace 'Window-blind designed by J. Tfifnell, with a geometric pattern which recalls the forms of ice-crystals, and manufactured by Adams and Co., Nottingham, is one of the best.
7. Silks, Itibands, Some very pretty well-adapted designs by Joseph Sharpley, (Pearson and Co., Macclesfield,) James Rigby, (Smith, Langley,) and William Owen (Collingbourne and Browett, both of Coventry).
8. Printed Fabrics. Specimens of oil-printing applied to shawls and garments : designed by Walter Yuill ; Strang and Brown, Glasgow. The colour often rich and dark, and well concentrated in single points. In- dian garments, &c. : designed by James Doeherty ; Monteith and Co., Glasgow. The character and colour most successfully rendered in several instances. No. 572 may be remarked as overdone in colour, however; the use of the three primaries together is dangerous. 9. Woven Shawls The designs of David Morran (M‘Naughten, Paisley) are generally admirable, though sometimes tog rich for their purpose—" Gentlemen's scarves " : No. 599 a beautiful thing, in the Indian manner.
10. Carpets and Tapestry. We remark the designs of William Fell (Harrison, Stourport) and Robert Uric (Whytocks and Sutherland, Greenock) ; both dark patterns not dull, as carpets should be.
11. Miscellaneous. Sixteen photographs (coloured) from a series of portraits of the Tudor family, executing for the Print=s' Chamber in the new Palace of Westminster, in the training school of the department, by Richard Burchett, Head Master, and some of the students. Painstaking in point of accuracy, being copied or modified from authentic origi- nals, and showing well generally in the photographs. ' The single speci- men of the actual pictures, however, is not right. The execution is car- ried up only to the level of fair decorator's work : such subjects demand artist's work, or else to be left alone. Statuette of Ruth ; Alto-Rilievo of our Lord's Agony : executed by Samuel Ruddock. Downright fail- ures. The Department does not profess to educate sculptors, but only to impart the principles which lead to design ; no good can come of abortive ambition like this. Tracing from illuminated bordering of an address presented by the Corporation of London to the Prefect of the Seine : designed by C. P. Slocombe. A meaningless commonplace, flourished off in wnting-master's style. We should not have noticed it, but that Mr. Slocombe is " Master in Central School" ; his pupils must resist any attempt to induct them into these inanities. Paper-ban:pug for a Library : designed by James Aumonier ; Woollams and Co., Lon- don, (No. 665.) The best of several patterns by Mr. Aumonier, and quite satisfactory ; a geometrical diaper of chocolate-red, brick-red, and gilt contour. Paper-hanging : designed by Christopher Dresser ; Wool- lams and Co. Also very good ; a conventionalized floral pattern with crimson blossom and arranged stem and leaves.
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