Pottery and Porcelain, from early times down to the Philadelphia exhibition of 1876Elliott, Charles Wyllys
History
Pottery and Porcelain, from early times down to the Philadelphia exhibition of 1876
Elliott, Charles Wyllys
Pottery -- History; Pottery -- Marks
Mrs. ANSON BURLINGAME's collection of Chinese porcelain, at Cambridge,
made while in China, is not large, but it has in it some of the best
examples of the "green," the "celestial blue," the "rose," and the
"chrysanthemum." Some of these have been exhibited in the Loan
Collection in Boston.
Dr. F. W. LEWIS and Mr. E. S. CLARKE, of Philadelphia, have small and
good collections, particularly devoted to Oriental porcelains.
Mr. W. S. VAUX and Dr. LEWIS have made interesting exhibitions of the
pottery of Greece and of Italy.
Mr. JOSEPH A. CLAY, of Philadelphia, has a small and valuable collection
of early Peruvian pottery, of the period before the Spanish Conquest.
There is also a varied collection of South and North American Indian
pottery in the Peabody Museum at Cambridge.
There may be, and probably are, in the United States many interesting
collections of which I know nothing. I am told that Mr. WALTERS, of
Baltimore, and Mr. PROBASCO, of Cincinnati, both have many very rare and
valuable pieces; but, I regret to say, I have had no opportunity of
seeing them.
I do not doubt that the love for these fine works of man's hand will
grow, that more and more small collections will be begun, and that time
will make them large and valuable and interesting.
A word of caution may be said to guard against imitations, which abound
in Europe. I hear now that the Chinese and Japanese are learning, all
too quickly, our Christian ways of counterfeiting, and are likely to
better the instruction.
In conclusion, I implore our people not to fill their houses with
imitations of old things--not even when the antiques are good is it
desirable to encourage porcelain-painters in that sort of thing: when it
comes to copying antiquity which is _poor_, it is inexcusable; and when
we reach the _counterfeiting_ of the antique, it smacks of baseness.
For this sort of thing we, the public, are responsible. The painter
paints what will sell.
No gentleman or lady should consent to be shabby, or to help other
people along that facile road. Let us keep our eyes open to any and all
_new_ work which is good, and especially to all which shows originality
and courage on the part of modelers or of painters. Let us moderns
admire the good in the Orientals, but let us worship our _own_ gods, and
dare and do for ourselves.
As far as practicable, I have in these pages pointed to examples, and
have illustrated by such as are owned in this country; so that many
persons who wish to examine these interesting works of fictile art may
see them for themselves.
The public collections are of course all open; and I am glad to say that
private collectors seem willing and ready to open their collections to
students as much as possible. It is human and pleasant to wish that
others should enjoy what we enjoy.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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