CERAMIC ARTS—GENERAL SURVEY.
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source of materials. Chemistry has so far unlocked the secrets of the manufacture that it is no longer confined in empirical bands or limited in its range or locality. A few decades ago the knowledge of the details of compounding the materials for porcelain-ware, or for the glaze and decoration, was centered in but few persons. It was guarded as a secret; and the death of a master was perhaps the death of his art in the range of his labors; but now principles survive individuals, the art is universal, and seems established on an enduring basis. Chemistry has also given pottery a new life, and has enlarged the range of its uses, and has extended its capacity for decorative and ornamental purposes.
The great capacity of the potter’s art for advancement in many important directions is one of its greatest attractions. The increasing use of fictile productions for ornamentation, wot only in the interiors of our houses, but in the exteriors, m the form of enamelled tiles, plaques, medallions, terra-cotta ornaments, and bricks of various forms and colors, is highly gratifying, and marks a new era in the modern development of ceramics. But the capacity and known possibilities of the art are far beyond the artistic sense and appreciation of the people.
Necessity for Instruction in Art.
What is now needed is not so much the possession of materials, of knowledge, or even of artistic skill, as the elevation of the public taste, so as to create an appreciative a ud large demand for the products of higher efforts and greater skill. . The manufacturers need encouragement and a Ppreciation. The industry requires an artistic sense among ^e consumers of its products. If the public will not buy superior goods, the manufacturer cannot make them without l°ss. It is true that to a certain extent manufacturers should lead public taste; and no doubt their duty in this respect is Wot always appreciated by them, but it is well understood by some of the great establishments abroad, and they are reap- ln g rich rewards. Wedgwood, in striking out a new path, Wot only secured immediate support, but established a repu- hition of far greater value. Palissy’s art survives him and is Urn basis of an extensive industry. But the people generally 28