12 
KXRAMIC STUDIO 
CHINA DECORATIONS ON FURNITURE 
Fanny Roivell 
OMBINING china decorations with the Verni 
Martin style of furniture in really tasteful 
ways, requires a knowledge of the way 
Verni Martin employed the Watteau 
style of painting in his decorations. Also 
innate taste must guide in reproducing the 
ideas. The tone given to the gilded furni- 
ture is of the greatest importance. The furniture should be 
of the French, Louis XIV. style, if possible, with carved legs, 
and as dainty as can be found. Pieces could be made 
especially by a cabinet maker, or by home talent, and left un- 
varnished for the decoration, and new furnitures may be 
bought that are made in excellent shape, well put together, 
but not finished as we would enjoy using them ; of ugly color, 
that we can change by our decorations, but even if they are 
not of lovely shape, china closets, small desks, and quaint 
tables may be changed into beautiful pieces of furniture. If 
they have something of the daintiness of French shapes, it is 
astonishing to find how exquisite they are when they lose the 
glare of their factory freshness, and are toned and painted 
with artistic skill. Curved and mirrored pieces of furniture, 
bought for a small price, may be so treated that they become 
art treasures. 
You may possibly find suitable pieces in yam garret, or 
in the garrets of your friends, discarded because they are ugly. 
Many old pieces of furniture were made of quite ordinary 
wood and stained with time, never having been worth the 
polish of mahogany, but being in good shapes they are excel- 
lent for decorating in the Verni Martin style. Leave the fine 
old wood in stately elegance, but to the poorer wood that has 
found its way into good shapes apply a coating of gold paint, 
rub down with emery paper, apply a second coating of gold 
paint, and rub again to get quite smooth. Then tone by 
rubbing into the surface terre verte in oil colors in some 
places, and in other parts, burnt sienna. The greenish 
tone should predominate on the gold. The landscapes usually 
take on a sienna tone. Decorate with palette of oil colors. 
The decoration almost makes over a shape. The result does 
not seem to depend so much upon the shapes as upon the 
decoration, for an ugly shape skilfully treated may become 
graceful. Ignore angles. Get away from them as you would 
from everything unlovely. Change angles in the shapes by 
curving the decorations. Scrolls forming panels, borders, and 
holding festoons, beautify a shape immediately. Varnished 
furniture should be sandpapered before the gold is applied. 
What kind of gold or lacquer? 
Just ordinary gold paint and liquid, not the precious ma- 
terial, the real metal, we use on china. Not having to go 
through the fire, the quality is not so important. It becomes 
mellowed by time, and more beautiful in tone. The object is 
not to get a brightly gilded piece of furniture, but one having 
lovely tone of gold with old faded decorations. The art stores 
and paint shops sell the gold and medium. Buy both in quan- 
tity. The work may look crudely bright at first, the toning 
with terre verte and sienna in places will bring it into harmony. 
Tiny roses and forget-me-nots in sprays are used abun- 
dantly on the furniture, in panels, on borders, in bouquets, in 
horns of plenty, and in festoons. Tone the painted flowers 
with terre verte, slightly rub over with sienna, if too clear 
and bright. When dry, varnish and oil. If the varnish 
should crack, it gives an excellent effect. Wax to a fine 
polish. Verni Martin gave to the wood work a very high 
polish, which may be imitated by using white varnish over the 
gilded and painted wood and afterward polishing with wax. 
This style of rich furniture brightens a room. It is so 
decorative and bright, so dainty and altogether charming that 
it is well worth the work of decorating. The china panels 
that may be inserted are highly ornamental. French china 
panels come in oval shapes, of many sizes, and when finished 
should be inserted in the wood, and kept secure with borders 
of brass. The brass comes by the yard, and may be bent 
around any shape. Brass binding may be used lavishly on 
the furniture, and should also be toned with terre verte and 
sienna. 
Large china panels or tiny ones may be placed in the 
furniture, as centre pieces of panels, under handles, or at regu- 
lar intervals on borders. 
Cabinets made after shapes of Sedan chairs may appro- 
priately have these panels inserted. Paint French landscapes 
on the china as if seen through arbors with the foliage of the 
arbor in the foreground, and paint figures, if you are profi- 
cient, of love lorn swains and maidens, or grand ladies with 
powdered hair, and the attendant courtiers that go to make up 
that Boucher and Watteau period of romance. 
Have the china tone in well with the color of the decor- 
ation about it. Tone it down to sienna and browns. Fire 
for a high glaze. 
Table tops have been beautifully painted, but often 
foolishly mounted. They should be considered as only large 
panels and placed in furniture accordingly. With one large 
circular table top, or with tiles a useful table may be made. 
Set into a wooded table with plaster of Paris and water. 
Firmly set the china becomes a useful table — a chafing dish 
table perhaps, not merely a pretty stumbling block for orna- 
ment only. Such a table with tiled top is excellent for wood 
carving or wood burning. 
Tiles set firmly on furniture with brass finishings can 
scarcely be broken. Even the small panels are permanent, for 
they are against a solid background, and protected by an 
edge. 
The finest of gold work, paste and enamel may be put 
upon the panels. The more exquisite the better for combin- 
ing with Verni Martin furniture. Panels of china to combine 
with burnt wood may be treated in a heavier and darker way 
if the wood is to be kept dark. The style of the design of 
furniture and carving must guide the work on the china that 
ornaments it. Very elaborate work and picturesque treat- 
ment suits the gilded French furniture. 
Jk J- 
TREATMENT FOR MILKWEED DESIGN 
Mary A It a Morris 
FOR the most prominent pods use Yellow Brown, Brown 
Green, Finishing Brown, light. Air Blue in high lights. 
For seeds use Meissen and Finishing Brown. Ivory Yellow 
for silk like down, shade with Grey for flowers, taking out 
high lights white. Paint some of the less ripe pods with Yel- 
low Green, Yellow Brown, Brown Green, adding a touch of 
Black to green for grey tones. 
In retouching strengthen above colors making them 
warmer or cooler in tone as required. Avoid getting 
them too brown, or green, keeping more in the grey tones. 
Lay in background with Ivory Yellow, Air Blue and 
Pompadour, shading in browns and greens at base. 
