On the Modern Ornaments of Architecture, Sfc, 293 



all legitimate ornaments may be displayed. Of this class 

 the acanthus, "vignette, the branches of the olive, and leaves of 

 the palm, the crown of laurel, the chaplet of myrtle, and the 

 wreoth of r^es, are all proper T?hen judiciously introduced; 

 and"»thef'»oS€^^attd'^hd6leyst[ckle flowers, and the folicles, tre- 

 foils) 'bitl<lliefbiWi*&d]; which so often occur on sculpture and 

 plafetei! WCftt, i^e^'d^ aU proper, because they are imitations 

 of^htw^j anoiiuo^aoiq JxjnimiiD aiom .aamii ixia;j }> 



Bttt'ih^^btir^ prese»nt style of decorative execution, from the 

 m^t'^febdi^te finishing of a regal palace, down to the pattern 

 of ft^'ii^9k-ttifelid*s' gown, there is such latitude taken in the 

 display of licentious fancy, that imagination itself is baffled 

 to find anything in the infinite variety of nature's works, to 

 whibh th^ir designs can' be compared, or to which they bear 

 the most distant resemblance ! 



It is really unaccountable, that the whole tribe of our 

 artists^ the ornamental statuary, scagliolist, paper-stainer, 

 weaver^" chintz and cdtton printer, &c. should all be *' strain- 

 ing their low thought to form unreal" forms and figures; 

 and striking out designs the most intricate arid complicated, 

 to the utter neglect (except in very few instances) of those 

 numberless simple though transcendently beautiful configura- 

 tions, which everywhere appear in the works of nature. 



This is surely a dereliction of all propriety, an exuberance 

 of grovelling taste which no consideration can excuse, nor 

 reason justify. In this age of refinement, good taste should 

 be the guide and handmaid in all things where invention is 

 necessary, and design requisite ; whatever is grotesque or 

 faritastic, should be banished from our labours of art, and 

 the elegant forms of vegetable or aftimal nature alone take 

 their place. ■ ' ' ' 



'Ifl^it-be^ asked, how it happens that such obliquity of fancy 

 (fbriircanndt be called taste) should so generally prevail, the 

 ans\Vcr k, were these pattern-mongers to copy from nature 

 evety body could judge of their ability ris imitators, and, if 

 unfjiiidiftrf, Svould decry the artist; whereas, whilst bringing 

 forth his nondescript and nondescribable forms of imaginary 

 figures, he escapes the lash of the critic, which othenvise he 

 would be subjected tOr ;:..:..,';, v-.r 



