Journal of the Society of Arts : Volume LI, No. 2623 [‎712r] (13/32)

February 27, 1903.]
JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF ARTS.
matter for a great number of years, and it was so
still, in spite of everything that had been done to
bring about improvement. One need only to look,
for instance, at the miserable way in which heraldry
was impressed upon silver plate by the silversmith,
by means of engraving. An instance came under his
personal observation a year or two ago. It was desired
to put a shield of arms upon a piece of old plate, and
•one of the leading silversmiths in London was invited
<to engrave it. A preliminary sketch was made, but
a more pitiable thing was never turned out. The
■charges were reduced to the very smallest possible
•dimensions, so that they could hardly be recognised.
The artist seemed to desire to display as much as
possible the colour of the shield. The ordinary was
also of the smallest dimensions. He hoped that the
time was not very far distant when heraldry as a
means of decoration might be developed, and that
the practice of it would permeate through every class
of artificer. But that could only be brought about
by conscientious work, and by the example of men
who had made the subject their study. He believed
that a great deal was being done on the Continent in
developing heraldry in design. Probably continental
design would prove to be in the end rather more
florid than English people cared to see, but, as an
illustration of continental work he might refer to the
Munich almanack, which was published every year,
and which could be bought for a shilling. It was full
of heraldic designs. The publication of a work of
similar character was one of the ways in which heraldic
design might be popularised in this country.
Mr. R. Gar rawav Rice agreed that the subject
was of great interest. It was noticeable how much
better the earlier heraldry was than the later. If he
understood Mr. Eve’s work aright, it had gone on
the principle of trying to bring back that simplicity
which was true decoration, and to avoid excessive orna
ment. In the 18 th century, when classical forms pre
vailed in architecture, heraldry, which was essentially
mediaeval, was out of place, and it was very difficult
to introduce it, hence architecture and heraldry
seemed to have fallen apart. At the present day one
had the advantage of being able to study the various
periods, but it seemed to him that the difficulty which
a modern designer had to contend with was that
having at his finger-ends practically everything that
had gone before, it was extremely difficult to avoid a
kind of mixture. The difficulty of modern artists was
to give something pure and to avoid introducing
features which were out of place.
Mr. R. Phillips said that heraldry was a great
aid in ornament, but no doubt those interested
in the subject would agree that it had not retained
the dignity and importance which properly be
longed to it. He remembered in his wanderings
in the New Forest coming upon a perfect mine
of heraldry in the old Abbey Church at Chiist-
the greater beauty of heraldic designs on buildings
than in other things. He thought that the chief
reason of this was, that in buildings, heraldic designs
were always executed in higher relief.
Mr. George Clulow said that Mr. Eve had put
before them, in a very interesting way, examples ot the
decorative use of heraldic design in England and
other countries, but had omitted Germany. He
regretted this, because there were, in Germany,
numerous examples of the 16 th century which
abounded in the vigorous and decorative character
on which Mr. Eve had properly laid much stress.
As to the way in which heraldry is often expressed
on plate, they must look at the subject from the
point of view of the ability of the person called
in to do the work. The incident of which Mr.
Chad wyck-Healey had told them, displayed, of course,
great ignorance on the part of the designer and
engraver. It seemed to him that attention ought to
be called to the fact that there were among them
gentlemen who were capable of supplying heraldry in
scientific form, and according to the proper heraldic
use. The value of a paper, such as had been read,
was that it would call attention to that fact.
Mr. Frank Frederick, in reply to the Chairman,
said that the whole subject was absolutely new to
him, as he came from a country where heraldry was
not regarded, and where it was only seen in decora
tion and design. Only that day, in walking in the
South Kensington Museum, he was struck with the
fact that there was such a mine of wealth of design
there.
Mr. Alexander Millar said that he had derived
extreme pleasure from Mr. Eve's book. That was a
work which everyone interested in the subject ought
to possess. But, like another speaker, he had
been u little disappointed not to find more
reference to German heraldry. He possessed a
book of which an English edition was about to be
published, which appeared to him to be the fullest
and finest work on German heraldic design, so far as
ancient examples were concerned. In that book, the
crest appeared to be composed, in many cases, of
enormous horns, taking a sort of lyre shape, and
ending in a kind of trumpet mouth. He did not
think that he had seen anything like it in English
heraldry, though it was extremely common in Germany.
He should like very much to ask whether Mr. Eve
could explain what the purport of that design was.
Reference had been made to a German almanack,
which had been published for seven or eight years;
something of the same kind appeared in this country
this year and last year, and he had copies of it. This
book gave the English coats of arms in precisely the
same style that coats of arms were given in the
German almanack, but the design was less extravagant,
and had a more chastened method of expression.
Mr. Eve referred in his book to the origin of the