292 



and utilized in similar ways. In architecture we see how 

 a simple plant like the Acanthus has been conventionalized 

 to form the beautiful capitals of the Corinthian order, and 

 in Oriental architecture the Lotus and Papyrus form the 

 pervading inspiration. Renaissance decoration, with its 

 complicated scroll work and incongruous admixtures of 

 conventionalized animal, human, and foliaceous twists and 

 twirls, also owes much of its beauty to its imitations of 

 climbing and clinging tendrils which are used to knot the 

 designs together. In our household textiles, draperies, and 

 linen, and in ladies' artistic costumes, we see the vegetable 

 kingdom largely drawn upon by the designers for both floral 

 and foliage decoration, but where the fern fronds are utilized, 

 it is rare indeed to find them other than purely conven- 

 tional, so that even the experts can seldom determine even 

 the species. The same remark applies to ceramics generally, 

 only now and again do we come across true representations 

 of Ferns, but never, so far as our own experience goes, do 

 we find the far more ornate varieties profited by to enhance 

 the beauty of the designs. We can, however, easily con- 

 ceive that a surpassingly handsome dessert service could 

 be devised, ornamented with judiciously selected fronds or 

 portions of fronds of the elite of British Fern varieties, 

 tasselled, frilled, fringed, or otherwise diversified. Lace 

 curtains, too, instead of unmeaning conventional scrolls and 

 so-called shells, etc., could be rendered both more interest- 

 ing and more beautiful if some of the choicest Fern fronds 

 were introduced on graceful lines, and the remark applies 

 to all lace-like textiles in which foliage designs are intro- 

 duced. Carpets, rugs, and tapestries all admit of profitable 

 application of Fern patterns, though we admit that a fern 

 lover would be apt to consider it sacrilege to tread upon a 

 carpet or rug representing his favourites, though no one 

 feels the incongruity of doing so upon the floral gems 

 which these domestic articles so often display. 



Years ago the writer's wife, profiting by access to his 

 Fern collection, made a considerable number of beautiful 



