MISCELLANEOUS.
Before closing this little book, it may be as well to present the reader
with a few more illustrations, and a brief explanation concerning them.
The following illustration of a piping study is from the original, which
was designed at the time that Great Britain was in the thick—or, rather,
at the waning point—of the Boer War. It will be too much repetition for
me to describe over again the methods to be adopted in piping these
figures, but briefly the top left-hand figure was intended to be that of
the ever-popular Baden-Powell, watching for the relief column which
eventually accomplished its purpose. It is needless to describe the
central figure in the top line, as he will be a backward eight-year old
schoolboy who does not recognise, or feel a certain thrill of pride at
the very utterance of the name of, “Bobs.” The equestrian figure on the
right was originally intended for the Earl of Airlie, for he bravely met
his death when charging the enemy at the head of his Lancers. The
remainder of the design will explain itself.
Our next study is a group of designs illustrating some important
episodes in the life of a fox, the central figure showing the
poultry-loving and “crafty gentleman” himself in the act of carrying off
his prey. “Notice to quit” follows, and so on to the moment of
retribution, when his misdeeds are finally expiated under the woodland
tree. This group was piped all white on a chocolate ground, and was the
forerunner, in a sporting sense, of the more ambitious work which is
given on page 66. It was in coloured piping, and was more in the nature
of a _bona fide_ picture in glacé Royal.
[Illustration: Plate 21.—EPISODES IN THE LIFE OF A FOX.]
ON BUTTER AND LARD PIPING.
[Illustration: Plate 22.—DESIGN IN BUTTER PIPING FOR BOAR’S HEAD, ETC.]
[Illustration: Plate 23.—“FULL CRY” (see page 65).]
Except for practice, or, perhaps, with some uneatable speciality for a
Christmas show, I would not advise the use of lard for piping. Both of
these mediums are prepared in the same way, however. That is slightly
warmed (not melted) in a basin, and then beaten up with a three-pronged
fork or small whisk, until it becomes of a creamy appearance, and about
the same consistency as glacé Royal. In using the lard for practice, any
of the foregoing designs might be utilized, and piped on the back of an
iron tray or any other dark enamelled surface, as it is then easier to
remove it when no longer required. This lard piping practice should
always be a forerunner to the butter decoration, which is used for
glazed ox tongues, hams, boar’s heads, beef, galantines, &c. Figure
piping lends itself readily to this class of work, and as the weight of
material is almost nil for the accomplishment of a design, it is just as
well to use a little of the best butter you can procure for the purpose,
so as to be in keeping with the quality of the viand it assists to
embellish. A fairly warm place should be selected for butter piping, as,
if it is done in a cold larder, the butter will get fast in the cornet
and become unmanageable, and that in the basin will become lumpy through
the surface and sides getting set. The piping itself may be done in
precisely the same way as with glacé Royal, and I herewith give a few
designs which are not only suitable for the purpose named, but have been
mostly executed in “grease,” and, as the illustrations will show, have
been used on boar’s heads. Piping on glazed ox tongues should always be
neatly done, and the designs not too heavy, otherwise they look vulgar
and “messy,” while the artistic effort of the piper makes it appear
overloaded.
[Illustration: Plate 24.—BOAR’S HEAD PIPED WITH BUTTER.]
In my experiences I have known a simple piping sketch in butter—which
has decorated a piece of pressed beef—to be the cause of bringing out
the whole family party, especially when some subject has been hit upon,
not altogether accidentally, which has had its bearing on the hobbies or
sporting proclivities of one or more members of the family. Indeed, on
one occasion, it was the means of getting an order for over 300 menus,
illustrated from designs in glacé Royal; and it is, perhaps, only
natural that the member of the family who is almost sure to be the
pioneer in taking notice of these little efforts, is the artist of the
house, generally one of the daughters.
Although I feel I have now got to the end of “Figure Piping,” I by no
means wish to convey the impression that the subject itself is unworthy
of further comment or effort. But I do think that the young piper who
wishes to vary his every-day style by a few figures, may get a few hints
from the foregoing pages which will enable him to start on a better
footing than if he had not studied them. Figure piping in its broad
sense is something like cooking and confectionery—the climax is never
reached; but in the first-named it is as well to bear the fact in mind,
that he who has the most artistic practice, and the keenest eye for
fresh subjects and general effect, will not only accomplish what few
things are delineated herein, but will open up a field for himself which
may reveal possibilities that he never dreamt of.
THE END.
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TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES
● Fixed typos; non-standard spelling and dialect retained.
● Enclosed italics font in _underscores_.
● Enclosed blackletter font in =equals=.