household furniture; a sideboard of magnificent dimensions, a stove in porcelain, encased in metal-work, metal dishes, &c., &c. All of elaborate workmanship and in characteristic keeping. There is not a single article that can be accused of being a mechanical imitation of an ancient model. The mind has evidently been at work before the hand; a proof is given of the establishment of those PRINCIPLES in which the greatness and glory of medieval art and even its technicality strikes its roots. All obeys a firm law of education of a mathematical nature which comes to light in endless variety of form, whilst in the treatment of the material the striving towards correctness and truth prevails. Most of the articles here exhibited are from the extensive ateliers of Messrs. Hardman of Birmingham, who employ more than a hundred workmen, and who among other things provided the highly finished metallic ornaments in the new Houses of Parliament. In the very midst of the roar of Birmingham's machinery where the competition for producing a cheap article naturally leads to the production of a poor one, high art has found a home, from which a formal restoration, especially of ecclesiastical art, has gone forth. Welby Pugin, the architect already mentioned, furnishes most of the designs.

In addition to articles of wood and metal, Mr. Hardman furnishes paintings on glass of excellent quality, as the samples in the Exhibition have proved. A whole row of painted glass windows in the upper galleries affords a comparison of the different methods employed in this branch of art. Those in the Romanesque style (small figures in medallions, on a dark blue ground, with foliage in arabesque) are generally the best, because here the connection with the antique is the most obvious. The Frenchmen Gerente, Thibaut-Dallet, Hermanowska, Thevenot, Maréchal, and others, may fairly take their stand in this branch by the side of Gibbs, Chance, Gibson, and Wailes; in the Gothic style, however, Hardman is superior to them all. His painted windows are above all things WINDOWS, that is to say they admit light freely; the paintings are selected for the glass, are treated as mosaic work, and have nothing in common with china or oil painting, nor with that still more unartistic proceeding of placing different coloured panes of glass together, which might serve as a sign-board for a glass-painter, but certainly not for churches, however often they have been so misapplied. One of the most controverted points in glasspainting is the question how far the medieval method of representation arose from the very nature of the thing, and how far it was conventional, influenced by accidental circumstances, therefore to be regarded as the property of individual taste. The samples in the Exhibition denote an unsteady wavering between the Antique and the Modern; of the Frenchmen, for instance, Maréchal of Metz is too little, Gerente of Paris too much, of an archaist; the former models too much; with the latter, the typical degenerates into mannerism. A certain Bertini of Milan has exhibited a perfect sample of glass painting as it ought not to be, a colossal window on the subject of Dante. Light and shade are studiously consulted and perspective preserved, in short the easel painter brought all his apparatus, palettes, brushes, into play, forgetting that the untransparent canvass, the necessary condition of his method,

was wanting. Unhappily, the Munich institution, which, however, is not represented in the Exhibition, seems to incline somewhat towards this direction, which has, in addition, the practical inconvenience of increasing the price very considerably; whilst the true mere mosaic method renders it possible for this almost indispensable ornament to our churches to be carried out, as was the case in the middle ages, by the mechanical labour of the glazier.

The wood carvings of Geerts, of Louvain, are well deserving a notice. Two most touching groups are his best productions: the Virgin Mary crowned by angels; and angels carrying to heaven the soul of a child whose death the bereaved mother is bewailing. A spirit of devotional piety is stamped upon those works, such as animated and moved the masses in the middle ages. Even in our days this spirit lives, and surely it is one of the callings of Art to nourish it,—when it slumbers to arouse it,-to shield the right of the mind and of contemplation from the ever increasing pretensions of reflecting reason, to defend the blossoms of Faith and Hope from the heavy breath of Doubt. It is in the very nature of things, after what has been said, that the middle ages offer for this purpose better types to the artist than the period of enlightenment which drew its inspirations from the books of impious sophists.

Curiously enough, Belgium, which is so well represented by Geerts, did not send many samples of good taste, at least in Christian style, to the Exhibition; some specimens on the contrary denote quite the reverse. For instance, Von Halle, of Brussels, exhibited three figures in wax as large as life, in episcopal robes, which for bombastic overloading of ornament cannot be surpassed. The cut of their robes and insignia might perhaps have been admired in the days of Louis XV. To complete the folly, these wax dolls were marked with the names of Thomas à Becket, Affre, and that of the still living Archbishop of Malines. The figures were got up at too great an expense to presume they were meant as a hoax. In ecclesiastical art, Belgium still remains far behindhand; in no other Catholic land is whitewash so lavishly used, buildings so badly restored, and such bad music performed in the churches; the above named episcopal mummery may be therefore appreciated at home. In the Exhibition, the three wax bishops were continually surrounded by a crowd, whilst Geerts' carvings were generally neglected. I am however confident that, howsoever the public may give its applause, the religious spirit which pervades Belgium will show itself again worthy, in an artistic point of view, of its pristine renown.1 In this respect Belgium might take a good example from France, from which country it has taken many bad ones.

Even secular industry can only be saved from total decline by a return to the path relinquished in the 16th century. The produce of civilized nations made to suit the taste of the day or individual caprice will not bear comparison side by side with the produce of uncivilized barbarians. The embroidery, the inlaid metal wares of India and Egypt, the rich stuffs of Persia, the filigree work of Tunis, the wood

1 Symptoms of this improvement have already manifested themselves in the resterations of the Cathedral of Tournay, and in the new chants introduced at Malines.

and ivory and earthenware productions of China, &c., rank far superior to anything of the sort that France, Germany, or England have placed in the Crystal Palace. On both sides we miss the tokens of the working of a higher idea; in the heathen figures of the Chinese and Indians we beheld a demoniacal grin but nothing more. The Barbarians however maintain nearly always the superiority of genuineness. The working of the machine shows itself inferior to that of the hand of man. It is only where a type is adhered to, traditions preserved, a particular school displayed,—as is the case with the laces of Brabant, the filigree-work of Genoa, the glass of Venice and Bohemia,-that the eye remains satisfied with the productions of civilized countries. But how long will Brussels lace stand the competition of English machinery, which produces an article which deceives an unpractised eye, and satisfies, in a great measure, the demands of the world of fashion? I break off here, purposing however to resume the subject another time.

I have not attempted a description of the building, because it is so well known already both from descriptions and from prints. Mr. Paxton undertook and efficiently executed his task rather as an engineer than as an architect. He has erected a tent, not a building; a work of combining reason, not of creative genius. It provides the greatest possible space at the least possible expense; its component parts can easily be made serviceable for other purposes, no point was left unconsidered, the whole as well as each individual part denotes a clear practical head and the tact of a man of experience, and however the high sense of the beautiful may have been overlooked, the total effect of the interior is magical, I had almost said intoxicating. The incessant and never ending motley of forms and colours, the transparency on every side, the hum and buzzing in every direction, the splashing waters of the fountains, and the heavy measured beat and whirl of the machinery, all together combine to form a spectacle such as the world. will scarcely behold again, as the earth-encircling power of England is alone capable of uniting so many and such different objects under one roof.

What will be the result of this rendezvous of nations? In a purely industrial point of view certainly of advantage. Many important inventions and experiences have been exchanged, many connections made. The spur of competition has been sharpened; but HIGH art will have been the sufferer rather than the gainer; a still greater universalization and levelling will be the result, the already too powerful preponderance of MACHINERY will be again and mightily increased,

390

SCHOOL OF ART FOR ARTIST-WORKMEN.

THE following paper has reached us. Precluded as we are by imperfect information from recommending on our own responsibility this particular scheme, we must say that it is certainly in the right direction. Although Mr. Bruce Allen is unknown to us, we have no reason to doubt that the proposal is other than a bond fide attempt to supply an acknowledged want. The principles announced are those which every true artist has long recognised. Indeed, what we want is artists instead of workmen. To teach men to love their work, to throw their soul into it, in a word, to make makers, or poets, is the hardest achievement of the intellect; so hard, that it is often thought to be a matter rather of gift than acquirement. But we must not sit down under the lazy satisfaction that endowment can supersede discipline. Much which is said to come by nature in fact comes through patience and reverence. So far as Mr. Bruce Allen's proposal recognises this great truth we wish him success. Other encouraging symptoms of the drift of public thought in this direction may be gathered from the results of the Great Exhibition; the lesson which it is on all sides acknowledged that we may learn from that wonderful spectacle, is our deficiency in art and poetry as applied to manufacture. The more barbarous nations beat us hollow in invention, and in loving faithful devotion to their work. To meet this evil as well as kindred deficiencies, it is that the schemes of Industrial Education are proposed, chiefly at present with reference to the mechanical and scientific appliances. But in a large scheme, such as is proposed, art schools will find their place. Mr. Bruce Allen might do well to connect his suggestions with the educational plans of the Commissioners. Anyhow, there are good auguries for educating craftsmen, and making them something better than practised machines.

"Proposal for establishing in the Metropolis a School of Art for ArtistWorkmen, together with a Museum of Medieval Sculpture, under the patronage of gentlemen eminent in the Fine Arts.

“The necessity that exists for such a school, and the advantages likely to follow its establishment, will appear from the following considerations: :

"The Exhibition of the Industry of all Nations has placed before the eyes of the public the combined productions of the artist and the workman, and it will be found to have shown that not only is the art of design in a most unsettled and crude state, but that the POWER TO

CARRY OUT THE IDEAS OF THE ARTIST BY THE WORKMAN IS ALMOST

WHOLLY WANTING. A careful study of many of the objects exhibited will have rendered this apparent, by simply considering the INTENTION (that is, not the mere idea of a building, or other work of art, as it exists in the mind of the artist, but what it would be if faithfully executed according to any given representation) of the artist, and then to

examine how that intention has been carried out by the workman. A careful and judicious observer cannot but have seen the shortcoming.

Every day's observation and experience confirms what has been thus so forcibly placed before us, as when we see the intention of the architect in a building, and the mode in which that building is executed; or, we may compare the workmanship of the present day with that of the times of the three Edwards, or of Inigo Jones, or Christopher Wren. The masterly idea of the Palace of Westminster is without doubt equal to the Chapel of Henry the Seventh, but a careful comparison of the workmanship in stone and wood and metal in them will be found to confirm the statement, THAT THE WORKMAN OF THE PRESENT DAY IS WHOLLY UNABLE TO APPRECIATE AND CARRY OUT THE IDEA OF THE ARTIST.

"The object now proposed, with a view to remedying this shortcoming, is to commence a model establishment, to be called A SCHOOL of art for artIST-WORKMEN, having for its purpose the instruction and guidance of the mind of the workman through his hand.

"The mode of accomplishing this is proposed to be by the daily attendance of the artist- workman, at convenient and stated hours, at the school, where he will be required to make copies in stone or other material, according to his trade, of some well known and approved model. He will commence with some very simple object, and one comprehending but few parts, as (supposing him to be a carver in stone) a leaf or flower, or other simple ornament from one of our cathedrals or churches, where it is found as the artist of old left it. He will repeat this again and again till his carving evinces that he begins to see with intelligence and to appreciate the work before him. To aid him in this, the most striking merits of the model will be pointed out to him by the teacher, and when finished, his shortcoming or his success fully explained. He will be required to proceed in this way from the most simple to the more difficult, and till he is found to have so far educated his eye as to be able to see for himself how near he is to his model. When thus far advanced, the teacher will point out to him, step by step, the principles which guided the artist in the production of the original work (for the true artist will always be found to have obeyed the laws which govern his art, although he may not have known them, just in the same way as a correct speaker is found to follow the rules of grammar, although ignorant of them), for his mind will be then, but not till then, in a fit state to receive such information. By this means the mind of the workman will be roused to a consciousness of its uses and powers, and he will in no long time discover that however ably and readily his hand moves, the constant and intelligent workings of his mind will assist it, and convert what is now but too often a toil-a going on in dull mechanism; and ending in dead matter -into pleasure and delight.

To render such tasks as little wearisome as possible, and to encourage the student to do his best, it is proposed in all cases where practicable to so apportion the work, and to provide such models to be copied, as shall when completed be capable of being put together, and so to form a complete thing in itself. Thus, a number of Wood carvers would