RERAMIC STUDIO 
RHODIAN WARE 
TF we desire inspiration for intelligent and appropriate 
-■- use of design in overglaze decoration, we should 
study the best traditions of ceramics. 
While in London, I spent much time in the museums, 
studying the pottery and porcelains, searching for examples 
which might be suggestive for overglaze work. 
In the South Kensington Museum (Victoria and Al- 
bert), there of course is much of interest, but the collec- 
tion of Rhodian ware (15th to 16th century) is particularly 
beautiful, and rich in suggestions to those interested in 
the decoration of tableware. The color is perhaps its 
chief charm, although in some instances the design was 
equally fine. 
I was able to get photographs of the three plates, 
cuts of which appear in these pages, but, although they 
are of interest, they are not those which interested me 
most. The finer ones were simpler and more restrained, 
having very narrow geometric borders (often in straight 
line), with plain space between them and the allover pat- 
tern in centers of plates. 
A slight idea of the color schemes may be had from 
the following notes : 
1st — Design in dark blue, cool dark green, small areas 
of blood red. Black outline, grey white ground. 
2d — White design without outline, on pearl grey 
ground, small areas of medium dark blue (this was very 
chaste and well suited to overglaze). 
3d — Designs in medium dark warm grey, dark blue, 
small spaces of turquoise, dark grey outline, grey white 
ground. 
4th — Dark blue, turquoise, grey green and white. 
5th — Bright green, small areas of bright red and blue, 
dark blue grey outline. 
The above are not names of pigments. 
Marshal Fry. 
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