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  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  December, 
  1907 
  

  

  Mrs. 
  James 
  P. 
  Cook, 
  many 
  of 
  whose 
  rarest 
  pieces 
  are 
  

   now 
  photographed 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  time. 
  The 
  gem 
  of 
  the 
  

   collection 
  is 
  without 
  doubt 
  a 
  table 
  which 
  measures 
  over 
  

   four 
  feet 
  across 
  the 
  top. 
  The 
  carvings 
  include 
  a 
  floral 
  

   design 
  with 
  feet 
  of 
  open-mouthed 
  dragons; 
  the 
  top 
  is 
  of 
  

   Chinese 
  marble. 
  

  

  Dragon 
  forms 
  are 
  popular 
  with 
  Chinese 
  workmen, 
  and 
  

   find 
  a 
  place 
  in 
  many 
  of 
  their 
  finest 
  pieces. 
  There 
  are 
  few 
  

   pieces 
  of 
  teakwood 
  that 
  are 
  carved 
  alike, 
  owing 
  to 
  individual 
  

   interpretations 
  of 
  the 
  common 
  pattern 
  which 
  each 
  workman 
  

   of 
  a 
  shop 
  is 
  supposed 
  to 
  follow. 
  Formerly 
  each 
  family 
  had 
  

   its 
  own 
  pattern, 
  and 
  an 
  entire 
  village 
  would 
  be 
  devoted 
  to 
  

   the 
  work, 
  each 
  family 
  working 
  upon 
  a 
  piece 
  until 
  it 
  was 
  

  

  together 
  with 
  a 
  table 
  whose 
  decorations 
  are 
  of 
  dragon 
  

   forms, 
  are 
  splendid 
  examples 
  of 
  the 
  reptile's 
  use, 
  while 
  a 
  

   screen 
  has 
  solid 
  supports 
  carved 
  in 
  the 
  likeness 
  of 
  canines 
  of 
  

   rather 
  belligerent 
  appearance. 
  Half 
  way 
  up 
  the 
  standards 
  

   are 
  surmounted 
  by 
  smaller 
  dogs, 
  while 
  the 
  screen 
  of 
  silk, 
  

   richly 
  embroidered, 
  is 
  framed 
  in 
  a 
  filagree 
  design. 
  

  

  Occasionally 
  the 
  searcher 
  after 
  rare 
  teakwood 
  comes 
  upon 
  

   a 
  bit 
  of 
  Spanish 
  or 
  Portugese 
  furniture, 
  which 
  is 
  especially 
  

   valuable, 
  as 
  the 
  teak 
  long 
  ago 
  ceased 
  to 
  be 
  exported 
  to 
  Spain 
  

   and 
  Portugal 
  and 
  the 
  manufacture 
  of 
  these 
  articles 
  ceased. 
  

   The 
  European 
  designs 
  of 
  these 
  Spanish 
  artisans 
  are 
  less 
  in- 
  

   tricate 
  than 
  the 
  Oriental 
  patterns, 
  and 
  for 
  that 
  reason 
  are 
  

   more 
  popular. 
  For 
  example, 
  a 
  chair 
  in 
  the 
  possession 
  of 
  a 
  

  

  Teakwood 
  Furniture 
  in 
  the 
  Bowling 
  Alley 
  of 
  Mr. 
  E. 
  C. 
  Swift, 
  Magnolia, 
  Massachusetts 
  

  

  completed 
  for 
  the 
  market. 
  Now 
  the 
  artisans 
  are 
  banded 
  

   together, 
  some 
  twenty 
  or 
  more 
  belonging 
  to 
  one 
  shop, 
  and 
  

   the 
  work 
  is 
  carried 
  on 
  much 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  in 
  any 
  shop, 
  the 
  

   workmen 
  following 
  the 
  common 
  pattern, 
  which 
  is 
  seldom 
  

   changed, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  jealousies 
  existing 
  between 
  the 
  various 
  

   shops. 
  Flowers 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  profusion 
  in 
  all 
  the 
  carvings 
  

   of 
  the 
  Oriental 
  countries, 
  the 
  sacred 
  lotus 
  being 
  most 
  com- 
  

   mon 
  among 
  the 
  Chinese 
  carvings, 
  while 
  the 
  cherry 
  blossom 
  

   not 
  infrequently 
  forms 
  part 
  of 
  Japanese 
  work. 
  The 
  sacred 
  

   dog 
  of 
  Confucius 
  is 
  also 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  his 
  

   followers. 
  

  

  Splendid 
  illustrations 
  of 
  the 
  favorite 
  carvings 
  of 
  both 
  the 
  

   Chinese 
  and 
  the 
  Japanese 
  are 
  not 
  wanting, 
  and 
  a 
  table 
  whose 
  

   standard 
  is 
  formed 
  by 
  the 
  coils 
  of 
  two 
  immense 
  serpents, 
  to 
  

   which 
  little 
  forms, 
  half 
  beast 
  and 
  half 
  human, 
  are 
  clinging, 
  

  

  Boston 
  collector, 
  built 
  after 
  the 
  style 
  of 
  Charles 
  II, 
  and 
  

   carved 
  by 
  a 
  Spanish 
  workman, 
  is 
  valued 
  at 
  four 
  hundred 
  

   dollars, 
  while 
  another 
  chair, 
  fully 
  as 
  old 
  and 
  four 
  times 
  as 
  

   large, 
  was 
  valued 
  by 
  the 
  same 
  person 
  at 
  only 
  one 
  hundred 
  

   dollars, 
  because 
  the 
  carvings 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  were 
  not 
  so 
  well 
  

   designed 
  and 
  but 
  indifferently 
  executed. 
  Indeed, 
  the 
  Spanish 
  

   designs 
  excel 
  all 
  others 
  for 
  beauty 
  and 
  workmanship, 
  which 
  

   consequently 
  places 
  them 
  highest 
  in 
  intrinsic 
  worth. 
  The 
  

   specimens 
  of 
  Spanish 
  work 
  are, 
  however, 
  rare, 
  and 
  but 
  few 
  

   are 
  now 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  America. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  smaller 
  articles 
  of 
  teakwood 
  that 
  the 
  most 
  ex- 
  

   quisite 
  work 
  is 
  wrought. 
  The 
  dark 
  wood 
  lends 
  itself 
  to 
  

   other 
  substances, 
  making 
  them 
  more 
  beautiful 
  by 
  contrast, 
  

   and 
  the 
  wonderful 
  fancies 
  in 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  wrought 
  add 
  their 
  

   quota 
  to 
  the 
  effect 
  of 
  the 
  whole. 
  Nearly 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  teakwood 
  

  

  