By GEORGE B. MITCEIELL 
W HILE the beauty of the plaster east when 
considered alone appeals to every one as a 
decorative feature, it is found difficult to 
reconcile it to its surroundings when placed in a 
room, because it is so glaringly white and lifeless. 
In visiting art stores and plaster shops one often 
finds remarkable reproductions from famous sculp¬ 
ture in European museums and bits of architectural 
detail, the originals 
of which adorn the 
facades and portals 
of various cathe¬ 
drals and palaces. It 
is interesting, how¬ 
ever, to the amateur 
decorator to realize 
that any of these 
pieces which he may 
fancy for beauty of 
line or detail, may 
be treated in a way 
to harmonize per¬ 
fectly with any set¬ 
ting, as they are as 
easily stained and 
waxed as a wood¬ 
carving. For in¬ 
stance, the head of 
the “Unknown 
Woman, ” that beau¬ 
tiful example of Ital¬ 
ian sculpture whose 
subtle charm has 
ever baffled the 
crayon of the “an¬ 
tique class” student, 
can be stained a 
soft ivory that is 
almost yellow, or a 
delicate gray green. 
This treatment, how¬ 
ever, would unques¬ 
tionably be bad taste 
for the bust of Wagner or of Mozart. Discretion, 
therefore, must be used in the selection of tint 
and finish. A preparation of oil and paraffin applied 
with a cloth will transform the cold white of the cast 
to the soft mellow tone of ivory and greatly enhance 
its beauty. The well known reproduction of the 
Venus de Milo when treated in this way, allowing the 
oil to settle well into the folds of drapery and inden¬ 
tations of the figure, 
has all the quality of 
an antique marble. 
Raised semi-mod¬ 
eled figures, such as 
the “Three Cherub 
Heads,” lend them¬ 
selves charmingly to 
this treatment. Bas- 
reliefs may be used 
most effectively for 
wall panels or to fill 
a frame space over a 
wood or marble 
mantel. Also an 
exceedingly pleasing 
effect may be ob¬ 
tained by framing 
such casts as the St. 
Cecilia and the Ma¬ 
donna by Donatello, 
or the “ Choir Boys ” 
by della Robbia. 
For the frames, nat¬ 
ural wood should be 
used stained a rich 
dark brown, or ma¬ 
hogany. 
In order to meet 
the increasing de¬ 
mand for bas-reliefs, 
a New York firm 
has recently pro¬ 
duced in plaster the 
Triumphal Entry 
Cast of a Florentine frame treated with gold bronze and green and rich 
enough for the daintiest sketch 
245 
