248 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



October, 1906 



cate blush of color, and the apple display- 

 ing its richness, all of which is secured 

 through the divine gift of light, so pro- 

 fusely and liberally bestowed. 



A window lately finished for Mr. 

 William Gillette, who has in his unique 

 house-boat several decorative pieces of 

 marine mosaic, is truly an expressive piece 

 of impressionism — a picture in true color. 



A landscape with the rising sun, a disc 

 of brilliant red, casts its reflection of re- 

 fulgent beams across the wide space of sea 

 in the foreground. Iridescent waves of 

 mauve, purples and gray-greens, with the 

 occasional sparkle of a "white cap," is the 

 impressionistic rendering of the combined 

 vibration of undertones. 



Out of the broad expanse of seascape 

 rise rough promontories composed of 

 stones, with rich hues of purple and red so 

 placed as to give effect of light upon the 

 rocky crags. Below, in the foreground, 

 are to be seen the natural Crustacea, crabs, 

 as if sporting in the deep water. 



The dense foliage of trees with huge 

 trunks looms up into a brilliant crimson 

 sky, fleeced with deep purple and violet 

 clouds. The trunks of the trees are the 

 natural razor-shells which give true form 

 and color. This picture is the last of 

 three made to represent in order — sunset, 

 moonrise and sunrise. 



A finished piece of marine mosaic pos- 

 sesses a recognized advantage in display- 

 ing upon its face a double effect, each of which is artistic and 

 beautiful. One, with the penetration of light from without, 

 shows with rich brilliancy a wealth of splendor in color; the 

 other, with light from within, shows in detail the given lines 

 of the picture in subdued monotones, harmonious and im- 

 pressive. 



W. Cole Brigham, whose studio is at Shelter Island, Suf- 



Memorial Window Typifying the 

 " Glory of the Cross " 



folk County, N. Y., is the maker or 

 marine mosaic. He has for several years 

 made this work a study, and by continued 

 experiments attained a degree of perfec- 

 tion which places this product among the 

 fine arts. 



Marine mosaic has been utilized in 

 many ways. Several memorial windows 

 and decorative windows for residences 

 have been executed; it has been used for 

 cabinet and cupboard-doors, fire-screens, 

 lamps and lanterns; also in an applied 

 manner, representing raised carved work 

 in colors. 



Undoubtedly this new scheme, which 

 might be styled a discovery, is bound to 

 create an influence upon established rules 

 and secure favorable recognition. 



This new art shows, in a very interest- 

 ing way, that the developments of decora- 

 tive art have not yet reached their limits. 

 It would seem, indeed, as though the pos- 

 sibilities of most materials in a decorative 

 way had been well nigh exhausted. 

 Marine mosaic, however, shows that this 

 is not the case, but that even the despised 

 shell may be pressed into artistic use and 

 transformed into a handsome decoration. 

 Few natural substances are so beautiful 

 as shells; but shells have, until now, been 

 chiefly retained in the cabinet of the curio 

 collector, where their beauty interest is 

 little understood and perhaps not always 

 appreciated. 

 Their new utilization in this form may not mean an ex- 

 tended revival of a new art, but it clearly means that the 

 decorator has found a new material which he has put to new 

 use. This in itself is an achievement of no mean order, and 

 when the material is as beautiful as that used in this work it 

 means a great deal. Marine mosaic, at present, is something 

 new, but it has doubtless an excellent future before it. 



A Living Sun-dial 



By W. A. Mount Stephen 



HE accompanying illus- 

 tration depicts a living 

 sun-dial which may be 

 seen in the grounds ad- 

 jacent to one of the well- 

 known castles in Lanca- 

 shire, England. A well-trained yew-tree 

 constitutes the pin of the dial; the closely 

 clipped box the Roman figures. This 

 sun-dial has now been growing for nearly 

 two hundred years, having been planted 

 in March, 1732. This fact is marked on 

 the dial by clipped box in the same 

 manner as the Roman figures. The outer 

 circle denotes the hours, while the inner 

 one denotes the quarters. The correctness 

 of this dial compares favorably with 

 those of modern construction. An inter- 

 esting development of the clipped yew- 

 tree so characteristic of English gardens. 





A Living Sun-dial 



