KERAM1C STUDIO 
2^9 
the white band with colored floral decorations and was sold 
for twelve dollars. I have recently seen a fine collection of 
these pitchers, which, hanging upon a rack in a dining room, 
not only gratify the eye but form an interesting study to the 
collector. These pitchers are said to be extremely rare, 
although once common household utensils, and while some 
dealers will tell you they are of little value, " the proof of the 
pudding is in the eating," as was shown by the prices at sale 
of those in Prof. Marsh's collection. 
*• -f 
AUCTION SALES OF OLD CHINA 
WE have to record again this month some important sales 
of old china, especially from the collections of Wer- 
nicke, the dealer in Antiques, and of the late Prof. Marsh of 
Yale University. The china in the Wernicke collection was 
all imported and consisted chiefly of old Dresden, Berlin, 
Worcester, Sevres, Delft, no Anglo-American ware whatever. 
The two most noticeable features in the Marsh collection 
were a large and varied selection of Chinese and Japanese 
ware, both antique and modern, and a choice lot of old blue 
Staffordshire. 
American collectors are not very much interested in old 
European china and prices at the Wernicke sale were gener- 
ally low, Dresden and Berlin cups and saucers selling from $i 
to $3, a few bringing between $3 and $5. We noticed as 
rather low figures a Sevres dish of the First Empire epoch, 
decorated with the Napoleonic N and border in gold, selling 
for $2.50, while a large bouillon cup and saucer of the same 
set brought only $3. 
Some old Chinese blue and white from the Marsh collec- 
tion sold at fair prices, Hawthorn ginger jars, beaker shaped 
vases and other pieces with the Khang-hi period mark bringing 
from $13 to $55. But fine specimens of old Satsuma and old 
Cloisonne' sold ridiculously low. It may be clue to the fact 
that for old Satsuma and Cloisonne more than for any other 
Japanese ware, one never knows whether the piece is genuine 
or an imitation. However the Marsh pieces were probably 
genuine, and the old Cloisonne dishes, with their enamels so 
much more restful than the bright enamels of modern 
Cloisonne, ought to bring more than $1 or $2, whether genuine 
or imitation. It would not pay even a Japanese artist to 
make such clever imitations for such a price. 
Here are prices brought by interesting pieces of old 
Anglo-American china, most of them from the Marsh col- 
lection : 
Park Theater, plate, 10 inch $22.00 
Dr. Syntax, 4 plates, 10 inch each 21.00 
McDonough's Victory, 3 plates, 9 and 10 inch #12.00 and 17.00 
Cadmus plate, 10 inch 16.00 
Lafayette at Wahsington's Tomb, plate, 10 inch 16.00 
Niagara, old Clifton House, plate, 10 inch 16.00 
First Steamboat on Hudson, 2 plates, 9 and 10 inch $14 00 and 16.00 
Steamboat Chief Justice Marshall, plate, 8% inch 12.00 
La Grange, plate, 10 inch 1 1.00 
Landing of the Fathers, 3 plates. 9 and to inch each 1 1.00 
Winter View of Pittsburgh, plate 9.50 
Landing of Lafayette, 2 plates, 6'4 and 9 inch $6.00 and 9.00 
Niagara, Table Rock, 4 plates, 10 inch each 8.00 
Quebec, plate, 9 inch 8.00 
City Hall (Ridgway), 2 plates, 10 inch each 6.00 
Lafayette at Tomb of Franklin, plate 5 so 
Wadsworth Tower, saucer 4.00 
Hartford, Monte Video, sepia red plate, 7 inch 5.00 
Quadrupeds, plate, 10 inch 13.00 
St. Peter's, Rome, plate, 10 inch 11.00 
Regents Park, plate, 10 inch 10 00 
Windsor Castle, platter, 18 inch 1200 
States pattern, to plates, 10 14 inch each 1200 
States pattern, 3 plates, 9 inch each 5.00 
States pattern, 3 plates, 6'A inch each 5.00 
States pattern, t i plates, $)4 inch each 300 
States pattern, 10 plates, 4^ inch eaoh 2.50 
States pattern, platters, according to size from $1 1.00 to 21.00 
Old blue pitcher, " At the Well " 13-00 
Old blue pitcher, Arms of the United States it. 00 
Old blue pitcher, States pattern (White House) t 1.00 
Old blue sugar bowl, Arms of the United States 8.00 
Old blue sugar bowl, Washington 7.00 
Old blue teapots, Colonial Subjects $7 00 and 9.00 
Copper lustre pitcher, Polychrome Band 12.00 
Silver lustie spoon holder 16.00 
Silver lustre cream pitchers $4. 00 and 8 00 
Silver lustre bowl 7-°o 
Silver lustre teapot and sugar bowl each 6.00 
Delft vases, according to size and condit'on from #4.00 to 15 co 
Delft beer mug, pewter mountings, date 1732 1800 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS 
to lie answered by this department must be seat 
the month preceding issue. 
the loth at 
H. E. B.— The conventional poppy border is very good, well balanced and 
in proportion, the buds and leaves are not drawn quite right. You will need 
to study the forms directly from nature when you have the opportunity. 
Then you may exaggerate any point to suit your design, if necessary. 
Your water color studies are both too much worked over. 
Prepare your wet paper on a wet blotter, as directed by Mrs. Nicholls in 
the first number. Study your color well before putting it on the paper. Then 
use as clean and pure a color as possible, mixing on your palette, not on the 
paper. Your studies have a chalky look, as if you had used opaque white 
and then rubbed it off. This comes from fussing too much. Your shells are 
better painted than before, but have all the strength of color worked out and 
have a blackish tone in the shades. The green on the leaves of the Frisia is 
too crude, it is not the real color. The arrangement of the flowers is very 
pleasing and would suit the form to which you have applied the study. The 
vases in the March number by Valentine, Daly, McDonald and the right 
hand vases of Mrs- Alsop-Robineau's exhibit are on Japanese lines. 
You will find that Cobalt blue, Rose Madder, Yellow Ochre should be 
used in every water color study, Hooker's greens in flower painting, what- 
ever other colors may be used. 
MRS. G. C. P. — Peach blossom if dusted on lightly and carefully may 
stand all right in repeated fires, but if uneven or painted on heavily is liable 
to chip. We have no objection to the use of raised paste, in fact it adds greatly 
to some styles of decoration. We object as a general rule to Rococo orna- 
ment, especially in irregular unbalanced scroll work, but where the scrolls 
are reversed and balanced as in the designs like Mrs. Cherry's plate, it 
ceases to be Rococo pure and simple, and can be used with dainty and pleas- 
ing effect. 
H. C. R.— If vour gold came out dark when burnished, the brushes or 
palette knife or palette could not have been perfectly clean, or your paste was 
poor. Certainly one can make more gold out of a five dollar gold piece than 
can be bought for five dollars, otherwise no one would make gold, as they 
would not be paid for their time or trouble. We cannot tell you the exact 
amount saved, it will pay you to try. 
If your green ground is too green you can change it by covering with 
fine black or gold or white enamel dots according to the effect desired. If the 
color is not too heavy, you could dust a second thin coat of dark green 7. 
Good color studies for china are very difficult to procure. You can only 
pick them up here and there when you happen to run across them. Write to 
our advertisers of art materials. 
MRS. J. B. L.— You will find a list of reference bonks for keramics on 
the publisher's page, the first page in the magazine. For the study of Ker- 
amic Art in general we would suggest "The Ceramic Art," by Young 
(Harper Bros.) and "Pottery and Porcelain," by Litchfield (Truslove, 
Hanson & Comba.) 
S. M. M.— For the tall slender vase with handles we would suggest a 
decorative figure in lustres with black outlines— a male figure on one side and 
a female figure on the other— or if you prefer flowers, yellow jonquils in lus- 
