KERAMIC STUDIO 
THE VISITOR IN NEW YORK 
The The Visitor always takes a walk up Fifth Avenue 
Galleries ^ rom ' Twenty-third Street to Fortieth, at least. In 
that way he sees most of the best pictures open to 
public view, in the shortest possible time — I mean the best of 
the pictures that come and go. The Metropolitan Museum 
of Art is always with us, and the poor can go with us to see 
those works of "bigotry and virtue" at any time. There are 
other galleries, of course, but they are too scattered for the 
limited time of birds of passage. 
Just now most attention is centered on the exhibitions, 
and the galleries have less of interest than usual. There are 
some good things, though most we have seen before. 
At Knoedler's, the portrait of Pope Leo by Chartran still 
shocks the beholder's sense of the fitness of things. It should 
have been named "Mephistppheles." It is strange how Chartran 
always brings out the vicious traits of character. The Visitor 
saw a lot of portraits, in the same gallery last year, painted by 
the same man. They were presumably portraits of society's 
finest; but when the Visitor encountered the shock of all 
those eyes levelled directly at her, she felt as if she were in 
a Paris cafe full of roues and demi-mondaines. And yet they 
are brilliantly painted, and true — too true — to life. In the 
same gallery there hangs a Cazin and a Corot that assure you 
that there is still "balm in Gilead." Though "man be vile" 
Nature is still wholesome and true. 
Another lot of uncomfortable portraits to look upon are 
to be found at Boussod-Valadon & Co.'s. These are by Caro- 
lus Duran. When one sees the portraits painted here by the 
men whose names have loomed up from "across the pond," 
one has a sad feeling of disillusion. There are Madrazo's, 
too, across the avenue at Oehme's. When those men come 
over to paint America's four hundred and carry home their 
golden reward, the Visitor wonders if they think "any old 
thing" will go down with "ces parvenus Americans." There 
are some fine things at Boussod-Valadon's by Hitchcock. The 
Visitor would gladly have carried away one, especially, geese 
and a windmill in the long, rank, yellow Autumn grass. 
Durand-Ruel had a room full of Sisely. The uneducated 
visitor had a dreary sense of a lot of uninteresting subjects, 
very uninterestingly painted. The Visitor admires Monet ; 
but those who follow after! — a long, long way after,— Pissaro 
is another — are painfully monotonous and wearyful. 
By the bye, there was a fine example of this same master 
(Monet) at Durand-Ruel's — just a river with reeds on the 
hither side, and trees and bushes over the water. You could 
almost hear the reeds rustle and the water murmur, and the 
Visitor vows she saw the ripples move, and could breathe the 
fresh air, and feel the gentle breeze. 
Here are still some interesting panels of Puvis de Chau- 
vannes. We wish we could see more of them. The soul of 
Durand-Ruel is with the impressionists, the luminarists and 
the modern school in all its vagaries and struggles for truth. 
At present its galleries are open for " The Ten Painters " — of 
whom, later. 
© © © 
The There has just been an exhibition of Japanese 
E h'b'tions Art D J ects at tlie American Art Galleries. II 
the decorators would make it a part of their 
religious duty to attend everything of this kind that takes 
place, or take a walk through Vantine's or other Oriental 
shops every week, they would find their stock of ideas greatly 
increased and themselves inspired to originality. 
At the Kano Oshima collection, we noticed especially a 
long necked bottle of old Chinese celadon, with white flowers 
and insects in relief, and incised under the glaze. The haw- 
thorne, cherry, plum and Japanese quince are finely decora- 
tive, used as the Orientals use them, stiffly and yet naturally 
drawn. The same motive is used on another old Chinese 
vase with black enamel body. 
There were several vases with the famous peach-blow 
glaze, shading from light to dark ; an old Chinese vase, a blue 
glaze covering the entire surface, with dragons and flowers 
incised under glaze. 
The soft colorings and fine gold work of the overglaze 
Satsuma decorations are especially pleasing to the artistic 
sense, the creamy crackled body of the ware brings the whole 
decoration together in such a subdued and refined effect. A 
unique specimen of Satsuma Koro had views of castles and 
waves beautifully drawn in silver and colored enamels on a 
blue ground, with a silver open work cover. 
But the gem ot the collection was a vase of peach blow 
enamel over a silver ground, which gave the effect of golden 
sunlight shining through a ruby vase. It is the work of Nami- 
kawa, the celebrated enamel artist of modern Japan 
© © © 
The Some choice plates were shown in one of the 
Shoos shops that may give a suggestion. The rims were 
of olive green (warm in tone) with garlands of small 
roses and forget-me-nots intertwined. The flowers in each 
garland seemed to melt into the green, which was rather dark, 
and there was no gold except on the extreme edge. It is a 
plate that can be generally used. 
Many of the new English importations are in yellow and 
gold. 
[ A color which looks weak by gaslight, but which in daylight makes a 
brilliant effect on the table.— ED.] 
In undecorated china there is a new punch bowl called 
the " Hobson." 
The new lamps are not so high, but have a large base and 
larger bowl. 
China decorators, generally, are anxious to know about 
M. T. Wynne's removal. She has been on East Thirteenth 
for so many years that it will seem as though losing a home 
to give up that little shop, yet to be further up town will be 
much more convenient. 
There is something very refreshing about the Celadon 
china of the Japanese. This year there seems to be a better 
quality and it would make an excellent ground for over- 
glaze decoration — say white enamel — which would make a 
charming service for a summer cottage. 
All china painters will remember the shapes 
with dragon handles that were used during the 
reign of the Royal Worcester imitations. They 
are now to be found on the top 
shelves of most china shops, but 
they are well adapted for the 
lustre deco- 
rations. 
