CHAPTER V

THE CHOICE OF DESIGN AND COLOUR

The present chapter is devoted to some remarks on colour combination and the composition of ornament, based on the personal experience of the author.

Three colours, for the groundwork, ornament and high lights respectively, will, in many cases, be found sufficient for a scheme of decoration. A multitude of colours, worked in great detail on a relatively small surface, confuse the eye and hinder it from grasping the effect of the decoration as a whole. Only special styles of decoration, such as Moorish geometrical patterns, allow of the use of a great variety of colours. The circumstance already explained, that in leather decoration dyes may be used one over the other, enables interesting effects to be produced.

A design of sea, with seaweed and fish, can be effectively rendered entirely with sulphate of iron of varying strength. A weak solution is washed evenly over the whole; the waves are then drawn in with a flat brush dipped in a stronger solution, and the dark outlines afterwards bleached with acid where they border the first tint. The fish and seaweed in relief are similarly treated with decolorant, and a light wash of yellow over the whole completes an effective decoration.

The foliage of the chestnut tree in autumn lends itself exceptionally well to decorative treatment, both as regards form and colour. The large variety of greens and yellows are most effective on a ground of brickdust red.

A groundwork of soft grey, brightened by an underwash of very pale yellow, is suitable for reserved or bleached designs. Deep carmine constitutes a rich colour for groundwork, and is produced by using bright red over potash and deepening the effect by rubbing.

In planning a decoration, the artist has generally some special effect in his mind which he wishes to reproduce. It is not unusual, however, for the result to be totally different from what is anticipated, since uncertainty constitutes one of the charms of the art of colouring leather. These failures, as they may be considered from one point of view, often produce interesting effects and sometimes lead to valuable discoveries.

Marbled leather should be decorated with flat ornament only.

Figures in high relief belong properly to the domain of the sculptor and should be avoided in leather work, much of its individuality lying in the value of the outline in producing an effect of relief.

Some skilful artists produce in leather not only the relief, but the turned over edges of petals, etc., and treat twisted ribbons in open-work; the result, though pleasing, is essentially evanescent, owing to the extreme fragility of the detached portions of the leather.

Of all the uses to which leather work may be applied, none offer greater scope to the inspiration of the artist than bookbinding. It has become the fashion not only to provide a more or less rich covering for a beautiful edition, but to suggest in its design the nature of the contents of the volume, should these lend themselves to such treatment. The artist, however, will do well to practise this principle with due restraint, avoiding, on the one hand, what may be called anecdotal design, and, on the other, an over subtle symbolism.

Leather coffers, when well executed, constitute veritable works of art. They present considerable difficulties in the mounting of the leather over the wooden coffer so that the lines of the ornament come exactly in the right place. It is necessary that the lines forming the framework of the design should accurately correspond with the dimensions of the coffer to be covered. A coffer usually consists of a box with a hinged lid; the measure is taken by laying the leather round the whole; the leather is then cut, leaving a small surplus at the edges to be pared and folded over at the sides. The join should be arranged for at the lower border and not at the intersection of the lid and the box. The leather at this point is better left to be cut after it has been stuck on the wood in mounting.

When the leather is decorated in mosaic and consists of panels each enclosed within a patterned border, the probability of its stretching when it is fixed on the wood, must be taken into consideration; Cape morocco, however, if fairly thick will hardly stretch perceptibly.

During the process of outlining the design, which is done before mounting the leather on the wood, it should be stretched to its full extent on a flat board.

When the decoration is in relief, the padding should be very firm, so as to counteract the tendency to stretch during the process of mounting.

Generally speaking, designs based on naturalistic flowers do not give the most satisfactory effects in the decoration of coffers, since the style is not suited to the restricted size of the panels, even when the design ignores them and extends beyond. Designs in the modern style, or Gothic designs in the style of the fifteenth century, or those based on the Arabic decoration of the best period, are much to be preferred; in the last two styles punches used with a hammer will greatly assist in lowering the groundwork, so that the design stands out in relief without the necessity of stuffing it, as in embossed work. By introducing _gouache_ or bronzes into the impressions made with the punches, rich effects of colour can be produced.

[Illustration: 17. BINDING OF STAINED CALF, CUT, EMBOSSED, TOOLED AND _PATINATED_ BY HENRI GODIN. MODERN FRENCH.]

There are numerous other styles appropriate to the decoration of leather coffers.

In the decoration of large surfaces, such as the panels of wall-hangings, the artist is cautioned against the abuse of detail, frequently the stumbling-block of the beginner. He is recommended to exercise a wise restraint in his composition, and to avail himself of the numerous resources of the conventional art of the modern school more particularly in their application to the ornamentation of large surfaces. Technical efficiency in the use of the tools is essential and must be gained by practice, but may be said to be second in importance to a thorough knowledge of decorative design, which can be attained only by the intelligent study of the best models. The education of the eye is a considerable factor in the conventional interpretation of natural forms. The artist cannot do better than to study the ancient Japanese school, which has found such favour with the initiators of the so-called “Modern Art,” and which affords the best examples of balance in design in its rejection of unnecessary detail in the interpretation of natural forms. He may also find inspiration in the fields of Egyptian and Assyrian art, in the interlaced patterns of the disciples of St. Dunstan, and in the quaint renderings of leaves and flowers in the hangings and brocades of the Middle Ages.

APPENDIX

LEATHER HANGINGS AND FURNITURE

The origin of the use of decorated leather for hangings and furniture has been the subject of much controversy. After consulting various books on the subject, we believe, as already stated, that its introduction into Spain may be attributed to the Moorish conquerors about the eighth century. In an Arabian manuscript of the sixth century of the Mohammedan era, mention is made of the industry as flourishing in the town of Ghadames in the Sahara. Jehan de Garlande, author of a Latin dictionary composed in 1080, mentions _Cordouans_ first manufactured at Cordova in the eleventh century. About the same time, the Monk Theophilus, in his curious encyclopædia of the arts which unfortunately has not come down to us in its complete form, gives the following description of the processes of gilding leather:——

“For laying on gold or silver, take the clear liquid of white of egg beaten up without water, paint some with a brush over the part which is to receive the gold or silver. Damping the end of the same brush in your mouth, bring it in contact with a corner of the cut leaf (of gold or silver). Then lifting it with extreme rapidity, you lay it on the prepared place and spread it with a dry brush. At this point you must take precautions against a draught, you must hold your breath, for if you breathe you will lose the leaf and find difficulty in recovering it. When in position and dry you may, if you wish, put a second over it in the same way, and then a third, if it is wanted, so as to be able to give a more brilliant polish with a burnisher.

“You can, if you wish, apply the leaf on a ceiling or a wall; in the same manner, over a lining of tinfoil. If you have neither gold nor silver, you will use tinfoil, which you will apply thus....”[15]

[15] _Theophili Presbyteri et Monachi_, Libri 3 _seu Diversarum artium schedula_.