﻿December, 
  1907 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  463 
  

  

  •i&tai- 
  

  

  Carved 
  Teakwood 
  Base 
  

  

  Japanese 
  Bronze 
  and 
  Teakwood 
  

   Incense 
  Burner 
  

  

  Teakwood 
  and 
  Jade 
  

  

  The 
  Romance 
  of 
  Old 
  Teakwood 
  

  

  By 
  Mary 
  H. 
  Northend 
  

   With 
  Photographs 
  by 
  the 
  Author 
  

  

  ■-■->■'& 
  

  

  V% 
  

  

  M 
  

  

  HERE 
  is 
  an 
  elusive 
  charm 
  about 
  old 
  teak- 
  

   wood 
  furniture 
  that 
  endears 
  it 
  to 
  the 
  heart 
  

   of 
  the 
  collectors, 
  causing 
  it 
  to 
  share 
  in 
  the 
  

   popularity 
  of 
  the 
  Sheraton 
  sofas 
  and 
  Chip- 
  

   pendale 
  chairs 
  which 
  the 
  present 
  craze 
  for 
  

   antiques 
  has 
  made 
  valuable. 
  To 
  this 
  

   charm 
  teakwood 
  owes 
  much 
  of 
  its 
  value, 
  

   although 
  rarity, 
  age, 
  exquisite 
  workmanship 
  and 
  beauty 
  of 
  

   material 
  all 
  combine 
  to 
  render 
  the 
  genuine 
  pieces 
  of 
  old 
  

   teakwood 
  furniture 
  almost 
  priceless 
  in 
  

   value. 
  Practically 
  speaking, 
  teakwood 
  

   has, 
  with 
  the 
  quaint 
  old 
  pewter 
  pots 
  

   and 
  Wedgwood 
  china, 
  become 
  a 
  thing 
  

   of 
  the 
  past, 
  for 
  while 
  there 
  is 
  still 
  im- 
  W*A*^' 
  

   ported 
  furniture 
  presumably 
  made 
  of 
  

   that 
  wood, 
  so 
  many 
  are 
  the 
  deceits 
  prac- 
  

   tised 
  in 
  the 
  modern 
  importations, 
  and 
  so 
  

   poor 
  is 
  the 
  workmanship 
  when 
  compared 
  

   with 
  that 
  of 
  a 
  century 
  ago, 
  that 
  its 
  value 
  

   is 
  scarcely 
  one-fourth 
  of 
  the 
  original, 
  and 
  

   may 
  be 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  constantly 
  deteriorating. 
  

   To 
  find 
  the 
  best 
  specimens 
  one 
  must 
  look 
  in 
  

   the 
  old 
  Colonial 
  mansions 
  along 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  

   New 
  England, 
  which 
  were 
  once 
  the 
  homes 
  of 
  

   merchant 
  princes, 
  whose 
  delight 
  it 
  was 
  to 
  fill 
  

   their 
  homes 
  with 
  rare 
  and 
  curious 
  articles 
  from 
  

   abroad. 
  

  

  Although 
  the 
  raw 
  material 
  grows 
  only 
  in 
  India 
  

   and 
  a 
  few 
  other 
  countries 
  in 
  Southern 
  and 
  Eastern 
  

   Asia, 
  little 
  of 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  Indian 
  artisans 
  has 
  been 
  

   imported, 
  nearly 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  furniture 
  which 
  has 
  

   found 
  its 
  way 
  to 
  our 
  country 
  being 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  

   Chinese 
  and 
  Japanese, 
  to 
  whom 
  the 
  most 
  exquisite 
  

   of 
  wood 
  carvings 
  may 
  be 
  attributed. 
  The 
  furniture 
  

   used 
  in 
  the 
  houses 
  of 
  even 
  the 
  wealthy 
  Chinese 
  

   was 
  plain 
  to 
  excess, 
  although 
  it 
  was 
  by 
  

   no 
  means 
  lacking 
  in 
  a 
  certain 
  artistic 
  fjl 
  

   merit; 
  but 
  the 
  importations 
  have 
  always 
  

   been 
  decorated 
  with 
  intricate 
  patterns 
  

   the 
  carving 
  of 
  which 
  meant 
  not 
  days 
  

  

  ^( 
  

  

  but 
  weeks, 
  months 
  in 
  some 
  cases, 
  even 
  

   years, 
  of 
  patient 
  labor 
  for 
  the 
  comple- 
  

  

  Teakwood 
  Stand 
  and 
  Chinese 
  Porcelain 
  

   Punch 
  Bowl 
  

  

  tion 
  of 
  the 
  work, 
  \fyhen 
  the 
  merchant 
  princes 
  of 
  New 
  

   England 
  imported 
  the 
  richly 
  carved 
  chairs 
  and 
  ornaments 
  

   of 
  teakwood 
  the 
  domestic 
  question 
  had 
  not 
  yet 
  become 
  a 
  

   problem, 
  and 
  both 
  mistress 
  and 
  maid 
  delighted 
  to 
  dust 
  the 
  

   quaint 
  carvings, 
  tedious 
  as 
  was 
  the 
  task. 
  

  

  Chairs 
  and 
  tables 
  of 
  teakwood 
  are 
  among 
  the 
  more 
  com- 
  

   mon 
  pieces, 
  nearly 
  all 
  of 
  these 
  being 
  really 
  wonderful 
  speci- 
  

   mens 
  of 
  artistic 
  skill, 
  covered 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  with 
  strange 
  and 
  

   beautiful 
  devices. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  difficult 
  to 
  distinguish 
  the 
  carv- 
  

   ing 
  of 
  one 
  nation 
  from 
  another, 
  though 
  

   there 
  are 
  three 
  represented 
  in 
  the 
  work 
  

   which 
  has 
  come 
  to 
  our 
  country, 
  namely, 
  

   the 
  Japanese, 
  the 
  Chinese 
  and 
  the 
  In- 
  

   dian. 
  Of 
  these 
  three, 
  the 
  Indian 
  is 
  most 
  

   crude, 
  the 
  carvings 
  being 
  fewer 
  and 
  

   clumsily 
  executed. 
  It 
  is 
  most 
  difficult 
  

   for 
  the 
  artisans 
  to 
  obtain 
  perfect 
  speci- 
  

   mens 
  of 
  teakwood 
  for 
  their 
  work, 
  as 
  they 
  

   dare 
  not 
  use 
  any 
  wood 
  which 
  is 
  even 
  re- 
  

   motely 
  associated 
  with 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  numerous 
  

   religious 
  superstitions 
  of 
  their 
  race, 
  and 
  teak 
  

   is 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  construction 
  of 
  their 
  temples. 
  

   Small 
  articles, 
  curious 
  and 
  quaint, 
  are 
  frequently 
  

   made, 
  and 
  the 
  combinations 
  of 
  teak 
  and 
  other 
  

   substances, 
  jade, 
  crystal, 
  rock 
  salt 
  and 
  tortoise 
  shell 
  

   being 
  prime 
  favorites, 
  are 
  extremely 
  beautiful. 
  The 
  

   native 
  styles 
  of 
  wood-carving 
  are 
  derived 
  from 
  the 
  

   old 
  Dutch 
  models, 
  brought 
  by 
  the 
  early 
  traders 
  to 
  

   the 
  East. 
  

  

  Some 
  of 
  the 
  oldest 
  and 
  rarest 
  pieces 
  of 
  teakwood 
  in 
  

   America 
  may 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  Heard 
  collection 
  at 
  

   Ipswich, 
  Mass. 
  The 
  old 
  family 
  mansion 
  is 
  a 
  veritable 
  

   treasure 
  house, 
  but 
  among 
  the 
  rare 
  and 
  costly 
  things 
  

   stored 
  there, 
  none 
  are 
  more 
  beautiful 
  than 
  the 
  fap- 
  

   anese 
  and 
  Chinese 
  articles, 
  numbering 
  among 
  them 
  

   the 
  teakwood. 
  Nor 
  is 
  this 
  house 
  alone 
  in 
  its 
  fine 
  

   collection, 
  for 
  it 
  is 
  but 
  one 
  of 
  many 
  along 
  

   the 
  coast 
  which 
  boast 
  behind 
  their 
  stately 
  

   portals 
  rare 
  pieces 
  the 
  equal 
  of 
  which 
  can 
  

   not 
  now 
  be 
  found 
  among 
  later 
  day 
  pro- 
  

   ductions. 
  In 
  Salem, 
  Mass., 
  probably 
  the 
  

   best 
  collection 
  of 
  teakwood 
  belongs 
  to 
  

  

  