24 
KERAMIC STUDIO 
YELLOW VIOLET— HANNAH B. OVERBECK 
A COURSE IN CHINA DECORATION 
By JETTA EHLERS 
(Courtesy of the American Woman's League) 
CONTINUED 
THIRD LESSON— OVERGLAZE PAINTING 
GOLD, SILVER AND BRONZE DISCUSSION 
ONE of the most elegant decorations for tableware is 
gold, the beautiful sheen and luster of which seems 
to catch and reflect all the sunlight in the room. Most of 
us remember the company best china of our grandmothers, 
with its bands of gold. What a holiday feeling the sight 
of it gave us, when it was brought forth in honor of some 
guest or some special occasion. Gold-banded china still 
lends charm and distinction to the appearance of the table, 
and we still turn to it as something for "best" or formal 
occasions. 
Gold is a valuable metal, and therefore must be used 
with care to avoid any suggestion of ostentation and display. 
Any overloading suggests vulgarity, but if it is used with 
reserve it is refined and pleasing. There is no other kind 
of decoration in whose use restraint is so necessary. It is 
better to err by using too little than by using too much of 
it. Let the beauty of the design and the skill with which 
it is executed attract, and not the idea of costliness. 
MOTIF I 
Much overloading with go 1 is the work of careless, 
sloppy decorators, who try to at ne for poor and uninterest- 
ing design and execution by using lots of gold. There are 
a few pieces, such as salts and peppers, celery dips, candle- 
sticks, and small bonbon dishes, on which a solid covering 
of gold may be used with good taste. These simply suggest 
metal, and so do not offend. Be careful, however, not to 
use too much of this sort of decoration on the table. There 
is great danger of cheapening a rich thing by using too much 
of it. 
Used in moderation, with good design and fine work- 
manship, gold is indeed one of the choicest and most beauti- 
ful of china decorations. There are wide possibilities for 
the decorator who cares to specialize in this branch of china 
painting. Plates and other articles for table use with well- 
executed gold monograms and simple gold bands always 
find a ready market. 
In making a tracing of either of the motifs given, trace 
only one section. The dotted lines show where they join. 
In carrying out Figure II place the bands first, and then 
make separate tracing of the little flowerlike form. 
Subject — Gold. 
MATERIALS 
A box of mat gold for china. 
A small palette knife. 
A bottle of lavender oil. 
Clean turpentine. 
A sable outline brush. 
A No. 6 square shader. 
A bottle of burnishing sand. 
Toothpicks and cotton. 
China to be Decorated — Cup and saucer. 
The shape suggested is shown in the illustration on the 
following page. It costs about twenty-five cents. 
See that the cup and saucer are perfectly clean. Choose 
the design which you wish to use, and then carefully space 
the cup and saucer by means of the "divider." Mark as 
COMMON BLUE VIOLET— HANNAH B. OVERBECK 
