An effective use of a section of the Parthenon frieze in a room designed by Mr. Allen W. Jackson, architect. Finishing the vertical end* 
of the cast and also the corners with dark wood strips, leaving flanking panels of plaster would have been an improvement 
Plaster Casts in Home Decoration 
THE PLACE OF SCULPTURE REPRODUCTIONS ON WALL AND SHELF—THE 
RIGHT AND THE WRONG WAY TO USE CASTS—THE AVAILABLE MATERIAL 
by Russell Fisher 
Photographs by Robert Patterson and others 
I T is an unfortunate thing that whenever the words “plaster 
casts” are used the image called up in the mind’s eye is one 
of the Barye lion or the Venus de Milo. And these 
two examples, although they are undoubtedly 
among the most beautiful plaster reproduc¬ 
tions of sculptured masterpieces that we have 
are the “bromides” of the plastic art. So 
frequently has one or the other, or both, 
been seen gracing the golden oak shelf 
of a banal apartment mantelpiece or 
the top of a tidied table in the “front 
parlor” that the observer has vowed 
eternal enmity from that day on all 
plaster casts. I was interested to see 
that the author of an article on “The 
Art of Hanging Pictures,” in the Feb¬ 
ruary, 1910, issue of this magazine, 
made a similar point in connection with 
such pictures, beautiful as they un¬ 
doubtedly are, as Saint Cecilia, Watts’ 
Sir Galahad and others. It will be a 
pity indeed if we allow the natural re¬ 
vulsion of taste that is aroused by an 
unthinking use of plaster casts to pre¬ 
vent our making full and intelligent 
use of a form of decoration that has 
such splendid possibilities. 
While it is impossible to lay down 
any hard-and-fast rules as to what 
casts shall be used here and which in 
another place, there is apparently a 
tendency towards a decreasing use of casts reproducing “round” 
sculptures, such as the Winged Victory, the Discus Thrower and 
others that are meant to be viewed from all sides, in 
favor of the bas-reliefs and portrait busts. Just 
why this should be is not quite clear, unless 
it be that it is in line with the general tendency 
to keep our rooms free from detached bric- 
a-brac of all sorts and to strive instead for 
a more thoughtful and intelligent treat¬ 
ment of our wall surfaces. Plaster 
casts are among the most fragile and 
easily marred elements of the decora¬ 
tive equipment, and in this day of 
homes planned and furnished for com¬ 
fort as well as appearances, the use of 
casts on stands and tables introduces 
a note of instability that offsets what¬ 
ever beauty the sculpture may possess. 
Many of the bas-relief casts are im¬ 
proved to a surprising degree by judi¬ 
cious framing. The size of the framing 
molding and its character will depend, 
of course, on the subject, but in gen¬ 
eral it may be said that flat moldings 
of rather heavy appearance are needed 
to harmonize with the apparent weight 
of the cast as compared with pictures. 
Another way to use plaster casts 
effectively in the embellishment of the 
living-room or library is by building 
them into the walls or chimney-breast. 
The Madonna and Child with Attendant Angels, 
from the original by Andrea della Robbia 
( 345 ) 
