December, i g i 6 
45 
Siena was a republic. The Department of 
the Treasury was in the hands of four men 
elected to office and called Provveditori, 
who kept strict account of their expendi¬ 
tures. Their account books, beginning with 
the year 1226, are extant and have fur¬ 
nished some interesting details of the state 
of Sienese customs and habits. The house 
which became their official residence was 
known as the Biccherna, and, for some un¬ 
known reason, this name gradually attached 
itself to their offices. 
It was characteristic of the time that 
artists were called upon to design the coats 
of arms or other decorations desired to or¬ 
nament the covers in which official records 
were preserved. In the corridor of the Pic- 
colomini Palace at Siena there is a series of 
these covers, showing just how each admin¬ 
istration desired to be remembered by some 
event or personality depicted on the beauti¬ 
ful Tarolette della Biccherna, as this series 
of corners is now known, and succeeding 
generations of Sienese have thought well to 
preserve this interesting memorial of early 
times. Today it forms a picture of those 
days which is perhaps unique, and it is cer¬ 
tainly well worth the pains taken to retain it. 
Just how and where the application of 
graffito and polychrome ornament to furni¬ 
ture for household use became popular is 
an interesting question. We know of a 
similar use by the Spanish of decorations 
on leather at an early date, also that in 
Venice old furniture of the 16th Century 
showed graffito decorations. It is probably 
that the artists of both countries developed 
styles of their own in which graffito was ex¬ 
tensively and effectively employed. 
It has been considered possible that the 
application of graffito to the decoration of 
furniture may have come to Siena direct 
from Spain, since there was constant inter¬ 
change of commerce between the cities of 
Italy and those of Spain in the 14th Cen¬ 
tury. The peculiar enrichment of Spanish 
leather by means of raised ornament gilded 
and painted, may have suggested to the Si¬ 
enese a similar decoration for the wooden 
desks, chairs and cabinets made for house¬ 
hold use. Certainly graffito decorations on 
panels and wall surfaces became common 
throughout Italy at a very early date and 
may have been also used for the decoration 
of everyday furniture of which we have 
few examples, aside from the well known 
marriage chests of which there are many 
types extant in various places. 
Tempera, the old Italian method for the 
preparation of colors to be applied to a sur¬ 
face already prepared with gesso to raise in 
relief the too flat surface on which they 
would place ornaments, has been explained 
many times, so it needs but few words here. 
The early masters ground and prepared 
their own, colors, mixing each day a fresh 
supply with the white of eggs. This, dry¬ 
ing quickly, was followed by glazing which 
enriched and made permanent the whole. 
The tempera used by Signor Scapecchi is 
similar to that used in early times. Like 
the master painters of those days he mixes 
and grinds his own colors, prepares the va¬ 
rious glazes and follows the technique of the 
Sienese school of painters whose complete 
mastery of all the mechanical processes of 
their art has added to the preservation of 
their work. Applied to objects of use in 
the home it is of supreme importance that 
the ornament should neither crack, peel off 
nor otherwise deteriorate through the 
ordinary uses to which it may be put. 
Graffito may be employed in many ways 
in our modern American homes. Screens, 
cabinets, writing desks, chairs, tables, mir¬ 
ror frames, picture frames and armorial 
panels are all suitable for it. 
C "Fighting for Fun' 
' W'J 
Al.UfcO FBHWxS ItUTONS 
S T 5 • 1 ? W : : 
FOR BOYS FROM 
SIX TO SIXTY 
GILBERTS 
ELECTRICAL SET 
’"VI. T-f" 
''7 ~ 
After you look at these, read page 20, please. 
Thank you. 
(2156) For the hoy with the mechanical 
bent comes an electrical set with com¬ 
plete instructions and apparatus for 
making motors, magnets, gear boxes and 
wiring bells and lights. $5 
( 2159 ) For the young Joffres and Hinden- 
burgs comes “Fighting for Fun,” the 
newest war game. Canvas map with 
flag buttons of all the warring nations. 
In box 25" x 8", $1.25 
(2157) Embryo Ty Cobbs 
will revel in a baseball 
game that really plays 
ball. So will the grown¬ 
ups, too. 2' square. $6.50 
(2158) Give him a nickel 
Ingersoll and he’ll never 
be late. The figures shine 
in the dark. $2 
( 2 i 6 i) For defense against 
nursery Zeps comes an 
aerial gun of steel with 
mirror sight. Correct in 
every detail. Shoots ivood- 
en grenades. Can be raised 
or loivered. 11" over all. $2 
( 2160 ) Guaranteed to keep 
the speed laws, the latest 
flivver, the Velocycle. Iron 
frame, wooden running 
board and rubber tired 
wheels. $1.75 
( 2162 ) 
Driven by a key 
winder, this auto truck can 
drag its load. Painted 
green outside and grey in. 
The driver is in blue. 9" 
long, 2%" wide. 75 cents 
