The Turkish Bath, Its Design and ConstructionAllsop, Robert Owen
Science
The Turkish Bath, Its Design and Construction
Allsop, Robert Owen
Baths, Turkish
One portion of the tepidarium, and other bath rooms, admits of being
rendered very attractive; and that is the flooring. Mosaic work is
always pleasing, if it be designed with taste and executed artistically.
Marble and tile mosaics are both good, the former admitting of a
richness of effect quite its own, and the latter of brilliant colouring.
In designing marble-mosaic floors, however, one may well fight shy of
including that senseless, purposeless description which is nowadays so
often employed as a filling-in between borders. I refer to the
heterogeneous jumble of every colour mixed without regard to one
another, and giving at a distance a dirty grey tone, and near at hand an
effect like a gravel walk covered with faded cherry-blossom--to be
flattering. Despite the fact that this method of design is of antique
origin, and has a real classical designation, I cannot but think that it
is to be avoided, and that fillings-in should be made with tesseræ of
one tint, or that mosaic should be abandoned altogether.
Given the means, it is easy to render a set of bath rooms elaborate,
with faïence and modelled glazed ware, marbles and painted encaustic
tiles, and many other suitable but expensive materials; but for my own
part I prefer to see comparative simplicity in a sudatory chamber,
though by this I do not mean monastic severity of style.
The general air of the frigidarium requires some consideration. It
should have an effect of its own, quite distinct from anything else. It
should have something of the conservatory in it. It should be richly
carpeted, have much woodwork about it, and be pleasant with plants and
laden with the murmur of falling waters. It should be light, certainly;
cheerful, cool, and airy looking; and as lofty as possible within reason
and common sense. The ceiling should be of a light tone. A lantern-light
where the light may come in, rather than be seen, and where the vitiated
air may go out, is a pleasant and useful addition.
Points for emphasising with a view to ultimate effect are the stairs to
hot rooms--if a staircase be needed--the divans or screens for couches,
and an ornamental fountain as above described. The staircase may be
rendered attractive with bowl newels, and perhaps white marble treads to
the stairs. The divans may be rendered things of beauty by designing
ornamental, open-work wood partitions, in either an Oriental style or
otherwise. It is not easy to make small dwarf partitions, enclosing a
couple of couches, look handsome. As a rule, they are of a flimsy and
gimcrack order of architecture. They should be made as solid as
possible. For effect there is nothing better than prettily-designed
divans.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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