There are few records of early experiments in the modelling and baking

of local clays by pipe makers; it was, however, soon discovered that

Broseley clay was most suitable for the tobacco pipe, and there are

pipes known to have been made at Broseley in the seventeenth century.

The flat heels of the early pipes were useful in that pipes could then

be laid down on the table. Then in the reign of James II an advance was

made by the spur-like projection of the bowl, which was found to be

convenient for the purpose of branding with the initials of the maker or

his trade mark, and there are many examples of old marks, some of which

are very curious, a not uncommon form being a punning rebus on the

maker's name; thus we have a gauntlet, used by a man named Gauntlet.

The earlier forms of clay pipes gradually gave way to the long-stemmed

"churchwardens," which in course of time were again superseded by pipes

with short stems. The meerschaum in its day had many followers, and some

of the curiosities of the smoker's cabinet (the term "cabinet" is used

here in a figurative rather than a realistic sense) are those

elaborately carved specimens of meerschaum, that remarkably light

material that lends itself so well to the carver's art.

Pipe Racks.

There appear to have been two distinct forms of racks--those used for

cleaning or rebaking clay pipes, and the racks on which they were

stored. The pipe rack was originally a wrought-iron frame upon which

dirty clay pipes were stoved in a brick oven and restored to their

original freshness. The stoving of pipes was a common practice not only

in taverns and public clubs but in private houses in the days when long

clay pipes were served to the guests, and a bowl of punch was placed

before them--it was thus that convivial spirits enjoyed themselves in

time gone by.

Now and then these old pipe racks are met with in some outhouse or

attic, but they are getting very scarce, for most of them appear to have

found their way into the scrap heap of the old-metal dealer. Some of the

racks intended for the storage of pipes and not for baking them were

exceedingly decorative, the ornamental sides terminating with acorn

knobs made of cast lead.

Tobacco Boxes.

It seems natural to suppose that the need of a suitable receptacle for

tobacco would early be felt. Many of the old tobacco boxes--those for

storage purposes--were made of lead or pewter. Lead was found to be cool

and was also used as an appropriate lining for boxes made of other

materials. Jars soon came into vogue, and there are quite ancient

specimens, especially the old japanned boxes, ornamented with figures in

gilt.

There is, of course, a vast difference between the storage jar and the

smaller box carried about by the smoker much in the same way as the

pouch is now used. Many still prefer metal to other materials, and it is

no uncommon thing to see brass and steel boxes in use in industrial

districts. Few, however, excepting modern replicas of the antique, are

decorated in the way the old Dutch tobacco boxes of brass were in the

seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. It is not very clear why so many

of them were engraved with scriptural subjects, for there does not

appear to be much connection between biblical history and the pipe!

Engravings of scenes depicting Noah and the Flood are common, the

incongruity of the clothing shown being often commented upon; one writer

upon the subject referred to the engravings on one of these tobacco

boxes as being ornamented with Jewish characters wearing knee breeches

of English type, talking to Dutch frauen. Historical portraits are not

uncommonly met with on these quaint boxes, and quite a number of battle

scenes have been engraved. Such metal work has been gathered together

in several museums, and in the British Museum there is a fine collection

of various shapes, some oval, others long and narrow, and some almost

square. The brass tobacco box illustrated in Fig. 83 has a medallion

portrait of Frederick the Great in the centre, such embossed subjects

being very popular in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, both in

England and in Holland, although Dutch artists gave preference to

scriptural subjects, many fine examples of which are to be seen in our

museums. Fortunately there are many really curious specimens obtainable

at a moderate cost.

[Illustration: FIG. 82.--THREE CURIOUS PIPE-STOPPERS.]

[Illustration: FIG. 83.--BRASS TOBACCO BOX.

(_In the British Museum._)]

Smokers' Tongs and Stoppers.

Curious little ember tongs were formerly used by smokers for taking up

hot embers or ashes with which to light their pipes. Of these there are

several varieties, most of them of polished steel, cut and chased. In

the eighteenth century similar tongs were used for holding cigars; some

were fitted with small knives, and a few of the earlier examples

included tinder boxes. Not infrequently one end of the handle terminated

in a tobacco stopper.

Stoppers, were, however, destined soon to become an independent and

important smokers' accessory. They were made of different materials,

including brass, steel, bone, and ivory, to some being added a pick for

clearing out the bowl of a pipe. Many curious handles were modelled,

among the varieties being some representing soldiers in armour of the

time of James I. There is one favourite type representing Charles I,

crowned, and wearing the collar of the Garter, and another a bust of

Oliver Cromwell. In one example a farm labourer works a flail, in

another a milkmaid goes a-milking with her pail. There are many

varieties of a hand holding a pipe, of jockeys and prize-fighters, and

of St. George and the Dragon.

The three stoppers illustrated in Fig. 82 are quite exceptional

specimens, illustrating, however, the kind of stopper which collectors

should keep a keen look out for. These examples are in the British

Museum along with a few others of seventeenth and eighteenth-century

manufacture, having striking characteristics. One is described as having

a human figure at the butt, and at the other end a crowned head. The

third example is an historic souvenir, having been made, as the

inscription on the stopper indicates, from the royal oak which sheltered

Charles II, by Mr. George Plaxton, at one time "parson of the parish."

In the Taunton Castle Museum there is an exceptionally beautiful stopper

made of ivory inscribed:--

"NOW . MAN . WITH . MAN . IS . SO . VNJVST .

THAT . ONE . CAN . SCARCE . TELL . WHO . TO . TRVST."

There are similar stoppers in private collections. The inscription on

one at South Petherton reads:--

"THE . FAYREST . MAYD . THAT . DID . BAYR . LIFE .

FOR . LOVE . TO . MAN . BECAME . A . WIFE."

Snuff Boxes and Rasps.

Snuff-taking has been a habit associated with smoking tobacco from quite

early days. The preparation of snuff was formerly achieved at home, and

consequently there sprang up the need of rasps, which were frequently

carried about in the pocket, many of the cases being very ornamental.

They varied in size, but the rasp cases usually held a plug or twist of

tobacco from which the snuff was made.

There are several fine old snuff rasps in the Victoria and Albert

Museum, one large rasp measuring 15 in. in length; its case, which is of

walnut and extremely decorative, is attributed to a Dutch carver who

executed it in the second half of the seventeenth century. There is also

a small iron rasp in a case of teak wood, which is inlaid with rosewood,

ivory, and tortoiseshell, the rasp measuring about 8 in. in length. An

eighteenth-century French rasp of boxwood is carved in low relief; on

one side a pair of doves is represented, under the picture being the

legend, "_Unis jusqu'a la mort_." On the other side there is a man

blowing a horn with the legend, "_La fidelite est perdue_," around which

is a rope-like frame supporting two cornucopiae. Another curious variety

of snuff rasp is made to run on wheels. When snuff-making became an

established trade, and the need for snuff rasps to be carried was not so

great, the decoration of snuff boxes became more ornate.

It was in the days of Queen Anne that the height of the glory of the

snuffer was reached; it was, however, during the reigns of the Georges

that so many beautiful boxes were made. There were boxes carved out of

a piece of wood, others of bone, papier-mache, and metal; indeed, all

the metals seem to have been used, for among the curiosities of old

snuff boxes are those made of iron, copper, brass, silver, and gold.

Some of the more costly were enriched with diamonds and precious stones,

and with tiny miniature paintings and beautiful Wedgwood cameos.

In the days when snuff-taking was a commoner practice than it is now,

the ornamental snuff box was the chosen gift to men of fame. Kings,

princes, and the nobility received gold and jewelled snuff boxes on

occasions when in more modern days they would have been given a scroll

of vellum in a golden casket.

Many provincial museums contain excellent collections of smokers'

requisites. In the handbook of Welsh antiquities published in connection

with the National Museum of Wales, in Cardiff, there are allusions to

several interesting specimens, the writer of the guide quoting some

lines penned by a sixteenth-century poet, who extolled tobacco thus:--

"Tobacco engages

Both sexes, all ages--

The poor as well as the wealthy;

From the Court to the cottage,

From childhood to dotage,

Both those that are sick and the healthy."

XIII

LOVE TOKENS AND LUCKY EMBLEMS

CHAPTER XIII

LOVE TOKENS AND LUCKY EMBLEMS

Amulets--Horse trappings--Emblems of luck--Lovespoons--Glass

curios.

The collector rarely troubles about attempting to solve matters of

dispute, and cares little to enter into argumentative discussions in

reference to the supposed purposes of the curios he collects, or the

different uses with which they have been associated. He does not inquire

too deeply into the faiths and beliefs which may have been held and

revered by his ancestors when he puts in his cabinet some curiosity

which may have been regarded almost with reverential feelings and

handled with superstitious regard by its original possessor. The more

thoughtful man does, however, pay some tribute to their early

associations. Our museums are filled with such relics, with delightfully

carved reliquaries, triptychs, and marvellously carved beads which in

their religious use as rosaries have been looked upon as something more

than mere specimens of the carver's art. There are mysteries in beliefs

which have been held dear in the past which are not understood by

succeeding generations.

It is difficult to understand in the present day the deep-seated faith

in amulets and charms, which were thought to have brought about what

would now be regarded as curious coincidences, or to place reliance upon

the babbling utterances of some old crone who posed as a witch or a

fortune-teller. Yet among such old-world stories there are germs of

truth although misapplied. The emblems, amulets, and charms so

implicitly believed in a few centuries ago are objects numbered among

collectable curios, valued even in this prosaic age not only for their

intrinsic worth and antiquarian interest, but for the so-called magic

influences they were supposed to possess.

There is something more understandable about love tokens, for we can

tell their purpose, and indeed to-day, stripped of the charm which was

often supposed to go with them, love tokens are given, received, and

valued just as much as they were in the past.

Amulets.

The amulet, which in its realistic form is regarded as an antiquity to

be preserved with care, was usually regarded either as a charm against

disease, accident, or misfortune, or as something the possession of

which would bring good luck. The efficacy of amulets was believed in by

the most cultured and scientific peoples in the past, for it was an

article of belief in Egypt and Chaldea. The Jews had regard for their

phylacteries, and the Greeks and Romans had their amulets. The image of

Thor was an amulet peculiar to the old Norsemen; and in Britain we have

had many examples.

[Illustration: FIG. 84.--COLLECTION OF HARNESS AMULETS AND TEAM BELLS.

(_In the possession of Mr. Charles Wayte, of Edenbridge._)]

Although not necessarily objects to be worn, no doubt charms usually

took the form of something which could be suspended, for the origin of

the word coming to us through the Latin has been traced to an Arabic

word, signifying a pendant. In the early Christian Church the fish was

worn as a symbol or charm, and in many parts of rural England to-day

amulets are kept, and even charms, as preventives against disease. Men

and women buy so-called amulets from the jewellers' shops at the present

time, and wear them on their watch chains or bangles, and round their

necks; but the faith reposed in such charms by the educated classes in

this country may be dismissed as a myth, for few really understand their

true significance, or place any real reliance upon such fanciful relics

of a former age--an age of superstition, when people blindly clutched at

any mysterious protective power or emblem.

Horse Trappings.

Among the commoner emblems of good luck handed down from the far-off

past, are the brass amulets worn on horse trappings even to-day. A set

of brasses consists of a face brass, taking chief place of prominence on

the horse's forehead; two ear brasses, which are seen behind the ears;

ten martingale brasses, worn on the breast; and three brasses suspended

from straps on each of the shoulders. These amulets were primarily worn

to keep off the "evil eye," and thus protect the horse and its rider or

its owner from calamity and harm. The brasses were varied in design,

some of the more important being developments of the crescent moon.

Some were made to imitate the sun with its pointed rays, others the

Catherine wheel; the Kentish horse, too, a relic of Saxon days, has been

frequently used, and there is the lotus flower of Egyptian origin. There

are Moorish and Buddhist symbols, and many curious developments which

have gone far astray from their original types. The agriculturist is

still superstitious, and does not like to lessen the number of these

somewhat weighty brasses suspended from his horse trappings. For

purposes of utility they are useless; they remain, however, a connecting

link with the superstitions of the past, and a collection of such

curious objects is of extreme interest. In Fig. 84 is shown an

exceptionally fine collection got together by Mr. Wayte, of Edenbridge,

who collects many such things.

Emblems of Luck.

There seems to be a distinctive difference between the amulets which

were protectors against harm and those which are emblems of good

fortune. Perhaps hovering between the two may be classed such curios as

those which tradition has held to be a preservative of luck, like "the

Luck of Eden Hall," that wonderful goblet preserved with such great care

in its charming case of _cour boulli_. In this category are the numerous

gifts from friend to friend having no special emblematic value, but

which were frequently handed over with such sayings as: "I give you this

for luck," and "May good luck go with you." The wish and implied virtue

in the charm has about as much value in it as the wish playfully and

unbelievingly uttered by the twentieth-century maiden at the wishing

well to-day.

There is still, however, an undeniable lingering belief in the

mysterious value in the possession of an emblem of luck, one of the best

known and commonly used to-day being the horseshoe, preferably,

according to old tradition, a cast shoe found and nailed up over the

doorway or in some prominent place. It is generally believed that the

horseshoe carries with it good luck on account of its form, which

resembles the crescent moon, a notorious symbol in the days of the

Crusaders, already referred to as being an important feature in the

amulets or charms on horse trappings--such is the curious mixture of

scepticism and superstitious faith met with to-day!

Lovespoons.

The collection of Welsh lovespoons in the National Museum of Wales,

several of which are illustrated in Fig. 85, is quite unique. Dr. Hoyle,

the Director of the Museum, in his admirable description of the case in

which these pretty little objects are shown, explains that they are

arranged to show the evolution of the lovespoon from the normal spoon.

Such lovespoons might, a few years ago, have been seen in many Welsh

homes, where they hung as things of ornament and sentiment, for it is

said they were given in "spooning" days to the girl of his choice by the

lover. The handle is of course the appropriate field of decoration, the

double bowl being symbolic of "We two are one." The dated spoons were

mostly made in the middle of the eighteenth century.

Glass Curios.

Some of the most pleasing love tokens are those made at Nailsea in

Somerset, and in Sunderland. The commoner kinds, chiefly made at the

latter place, were known as sailors' love tokens. They took the form of

rolling-pins, which were evidently intended for ornament and not for

use. A bow of ribbon was tied round the end of the pin by which the

roller could be hung up. These glass rolling-pins were covered over with

sentimental mottoes, generally accompanied by a ship, a typical feature

of the decorations commonly used. Some of these little mementoes given

away by sailors were of white semi-opaque glass, others were brilliantly

coloured.

Nailsea glass works were noted for the Italian influence shown in the

colour effects produced in them. Among other objects made at those

famous glass works were flasks and bottles for wines and spirits in

greens, browns, and blues, to which were added in smaller quantities red

and yellow. Other trinkets of an ornamental character were glass tobacco

pipes, bells, and coach horns. There were also Nailsea walking sticks

made of twisted glass, and many curious cups. Most of these were given

for luck, especially as love tokens when sailors were about to set out

on a voyage, the superstition attached to the gift being that if the

glass pin were broken it was a sign that the vessel in which the

giver had sailed had been wrecked. Hence it was that a ribbon was

securely attached, and the gift hung up out of harm's reach.

[Illustration: FIG. 85.--OLD WELSH LOVE SPOONS.

(_In the National Museum of Wales._)]

In association with glass rolling-pins and other love tokens there are

many sundry curios which from the mottoes upon them were evidently given

with a similar purpose. Even objects of metal and brass were frequently

inscribed with loving reminders of the donor. The pleasing little

trinket and patch boxes of enamels and glass, referred to in another

chapter, were given from sentimental motives as evidenced by their

inscriptions. Covers of pocket books and tobacco pouches were covered

over with similar legends, like a delightful beadwork tobacco pouch in

the Taunton Castle Museum, on which is the motto or sentiment, "LOVE ME

FOR I AM THINE, 1631," wrought by a seventeenth-century needleworker.

Similar mottoes are found on the little pincushions formerly carried in

the capacious pockets of women of olden time, sometimes wrought in

needlework and at others in beads.

XIV

THE MARKING OF TIME

CHAPTER XIV

THE MARKING OF TIME

Clocks--Watches--Watch keys--Watch stands.

The early marking of time was simple enough, for we are told that the

Arabs, by driving a spear or a staff into the sand of the desert, told

the time of day. The shadow of the sun roughly gave those who were

familiar with astronomy the lay of the land and the time, approximately.

When the dial and the gnomon were understood, dialling became a popular

science, and ere long the sundial on the church tower, in a public

place, or in a private garden, told the time. Then came the marking of

time by pocket dials--an advance which foreshadowed the watch which was

to come.

The pocket dial was soon followed by mechanical clocks, the clock watch,

and the more delicate work of the watchmaker. The watch has become more

accurate in its marking of time by the introduction of machinery in its

manufacture; and it is cheapened by competition, so that now every one

for a mere trifle can carry in his pocket a watch by means of which he

can tell accurately the hour of day, as Shakespeare has it in "As You

Like It":--

"And then he drew a dial from his poke;

And looking on it with lack-lustre eye,

Says, very wisely, 'It is ten o'clock;

Thus we may see,' quoth he, 'how the world wags.'"

Some further references to the sundial will be found in Chapter XVII,

the sundial being one of the accompaniments of the old-world garden.

Clocks.

In "Chats on Old Copper and Brass" some mention is made of old clocks,

and of the watch which grew in beauty and fineness of workmanship as it

evolved from the watch-clock and the still earlier lantern and other old

clocks, which were gradually introduced to supersede or supplement the

earlier sundials. Very remarkable indeed are some of these household

curios. The very movement of the clock, with its pendulum swinging to

and fro and the loud tick which can be heard all over the room, gives a

sort of venerated respect for the "grandfather," with its massive and

often richly carved or inlaid oaken or mahogany case, making it an

important piece of furniture in the room.

[Illustration: FIG. 86.--FINE GOTHIC FRENCH CLOCK.

(_In the collection of W. Egan & Sons, Ltd., Cork._)]

The Cromwellian lantern clock was beautiful in its way, and it may be

regarded as the earliest type of commonly used domestic clocks, most of

which were made at a later period than is denoted by the name of

Cromwellian. They are, however, of a good respectable age, and are now

really valuable household antiquities. The lantern clock may be

regarded as the ancestor of the "grandfather," the works of which were

protected by a wooden case. The evolution from the earlier type is quite

easy to follow, for the wooden hood to protect the clock on the bracket

shelf was added; then came the framed head, which was glazed, and

eventually the lower case covering the weights.

Much has been written about "grandfathers" and the smaller variety

commonly designated "grandmothers." The dials of the earlier specimens

are of brass and have only the hour hand, an onward step being marked

when the minute finger was added. The mechanical arrangement by which

the days of the week and the month were indicated was a happy addition,

although some would, doubtless, regard them as somewhat unnecessary. The

collector of antiques is likely to be imposed upon unless he is

acquainted with the technical construction of both works and frame or

case, for it is not an uncommon thing to fit in a modern antique case a

set of old works.

The timepiece is an innovation of comparatively recent days. From the

first it became the central ornament on the mantelpiece, and many

artists were employed in providing suitable designs and combining

various materials to produce clocks in keeping with prevailing styles of

furniture and decoration. The French clockmakers became experts as

designers of the smaller and more varied cases of mantelpiece clocks,

many fine examples of the Empire period ranking as art treasures as well

as curios.

Fig. 86 represents an exceptionally fine example of a Gothic French

clock, beautifully modelled, and in excellent condition. Some of the

gilt clocks and side vases to match were bought as mantelpiece

ornaments, rather than for their merit as timekeepers, although the best

makers always put in reliable works--there were no such works as those

made by machinery and sold so cheaply to-day!

The timepieces of early Victorian days are scarcely antiques, and few of

them are treasured as such, although undoubtedly curious.

Watches.

The first step towards watches as we understand them was the manufacture

of pocket clocks (many of which show Dutch influence in design), some of

the cases of which were very beautiful. The watches which followed in

due course were at first without glasses, and for the better protection

of the works and of the delicate engravings and ornamentation of the

backs and dials loose cases of metal or shagreen were made. Some of them

were highly ornamental, little studs of gold or silver being arranged in

geometrical and floral patterns on the exteriors. Two very pretty

examples of such cases are shown in Fig. 88.

[Illustration: FIG. 87--SPECIMENS OF OLD WATCH KEYS.]

[Illustration: FIG. 88.--TWO ANTIQUE WATCH CASES.]

Many of the watch backs were chased and perforated and beautifully

enamelled; the dials were covered with painted miniatures, and gold

watches were enriched with jewels. From Switzerland and Nuremberg come

many choice examples; but there were clever watchmakers in England too,

among them John Stevens, of Colchester, a sixteenth-century

watchmaker noted for his pierced and engraved brass-gilt cases.

Classical figures and designs showing Dutch influence became popular

late in the seventeenth century; then fashions changed, and the Court of

the Emperors of France exercised an influence over art in this and other

countries, and watch cases and other lesser objects were made more or

less in harmony. At one time curiously shaped cases were the fashion; at

another octagonal watches, such as were made in the seventeenth century

by Edmund Bull, of Fleet Street, who is said to have made an elliptic

silver watch engraved all over with minute scriptural subjects.

The collection of watches is a hobby indulged in by but few; there are,

however, many single examples included in household curios, and not

infrequently several handsomely engraved old watch cases are seen

exhibited in the modern glass-topped curio tables so fashionable in

twentieth-century drawing-rooms--now and then the interest in them being

increased by the musical bells of the repeaters, many of which were made

a century or more ago.

Watch Keys.

Keyless watches have been invented within the memory of most of us; it

is obvious, therefore, that old watches were supplied with old keys,

many of which were curious in form. The collector in search of a small

group of collectable curios finds the watch key an excellent variety on

which to specialize. When larger clocks were supplemented by the pocket

watch, the loose key with which to wind it up naturally took the form of

the larger clock keys. Such keys soon became more ornamental, for they

were either carried in the pocket or attached to a chatelaine or bunch

of keys; many of the bows were modelled on the pattern of other keys on

the bunch.

In the accompanying illustration, Fig. 87, some little idea may be

formed of the early developments. The three keys in the upper row are of

the clock-winder type, showing the gradual improvement in their

formation. Then came a development of the metal keys, mostly of brass,

the engraving and modelling of the key itself being improved, the

ornamentation being supplemented by enamelling. The watch key ultimately

became very ornate, for the more precious metals were gradually

introduced, and rich enamels, rare gems and stones, and Wedgwood cameos

were added.

Pinchbeck metal was very much used for watch keys, the fob seals

remaining in fashion until knee breeches went out. Some of the French

keys are extremely decorative, and many cut and polished steel keys are

worth collecting. It is said that Switzerland is one of the happy

hunting-grounds of the watch-key collector, but there are many curio

shops, both on the Continent and in this country, where fancy keys can

be bought still at reasonable prices. In some localities special designs

and metal have been made. Thus it is said that in Holland the silver

keys of large size were long favoured, and many of these are still on

sale. Another special feature about these curios is that makers at one

time specialized on trade emblems, and it is quite possible to get

together an interesting collection representing the attributes of

musicians, butchers, bakers, and horticulturists, one signifying the

latter industry being shown in Fig. 87, that on the left-hand corner of

the lower row being fashioned in the form of a spade and a rake.

Watch Stands.

There are some very quaint old wood watch stands used chiefly as the

temporary home of the watch at night, although some seem to have been

permanently used by those who possessed a second watch. Some of the wood

carvings were covered with old gilt; others were relieved in colours.

Some were classic in design; others were like the little French clocks

of the Empire period. Some were shaped like musical instruments, and

others of more elaborate forms of decoration represent Mercury and

Hercules supporting the watch stand. Some of the most beautiful are made

of French lacquer and ornamented in the Vernis Martin style. To these

may be added watch stands of marble, and curious inlays, of papier-mache

and japanned wares, and some of brass and bronze.

XV

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

CHAPTER XV

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

Early examples--Whistles and pipes--Violins and harps.

There are few homes without some old musical instruments, indicating

that at one time or other one or more members of the family have been

musical. There is a sadness about the discovery of a long-neglected

instrument, telling of the breaking up of the old home or of an absent

one whose instrument has been cherished in memory of happy moments when

harmonious sounds and beautiful music were drawn from the now

long-neglected piano, harp, or violin. To its owner a simple flute or

bugle is probably of as much value as an old piano, although the more

important instrument may be more valuable as a curio and antique. There

are some old instruments which increase in value, such, for instance, as

violins made years ago by masters of constructional art, for they have

become mellow with age, and, like the bells of some old parish church,

now give out rich and yet soft notes when handled by a master hand. The

story of the development of the piano from the very early prototypes is

an enchanting theme to the lover of music, for there is a far remove

from the modern pianoforte, and still newer player piano to the

virginal, harpsichord, and spinet which may occasionally be found among

the curios of the household.

Early Examples.

In the eleventh century, when musical notation came into being, a

monochord was used to teach singing. The clavichord followed in due

course, and by a rapid process of development regals, organs, and

virginals evolved. The virginal, although distinct, was associated with

the spinet, which with the later harpsichord may be found in houses

which have been but little disturbed since the middle of the eighteenth

century. It was in that century that the piano came, but not until it

was well advanced, for in an old playbill of Covent Garden Theatre,

published in 1767, it was announced that "Miss Brickler will sing a

favourite song from _Judith_, accompanied by Mr. Dibdin on a new

instrument called the piano forte." Of such instruments and of earlier

types there are many fine examples in the Victoria and Albert Museum at

South Kensington, in the Royal Scottish Museum, and in the Crosby-Brown

Collection in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. In Fig.

89 is seen a beautiful spinet in excellent condition.

Whistles and Pipes.

It is said by the exponents of artistic furnishing and decoration that

no home can be complete without music, for it gives an atmosphere of

art which nothing else can impart; and certainly a collection of

household curios cannot be complete without some musical instrument,

although but a humble example. It may be a moot point among collectors

whether the insignificant whistle or primitive call can be regarded as

sufficiently musical to rank in this category. It is certain, however,

that it is one of the commonest of sound producers; if there is a boy in

the home there is almost sure to be a whistle in the house. Few trouble

about the scientific explanation of the sound produced by this common

instrument, but experts tell us that the sound comes because

condensations occur by the collision of air against the cutting edge

placed in its path. Of antique whistles there are many types, those

shown in Fig. 90 being the most frequently met with. The one marked "D"

is said to be an attempt to increase the volume of sound by the

extension of a cutting edge. A double sound is produced by that marked

"F," whereas "A" is of the more familiar type, the example illustrated

being an ivory whistle used upwards of a hundred years ago.

From the whistle came the tin pipe capable of producing tunes in the

hands of a skilful player. The whistle and pipe were in olden times

associated with coaching days and inns. At one time it was customary for

a whistle to be attached to the handles of spoons used on inn tables.

Thirsty travellers blew the whistle when refreshment was required, and

from that custom we get the common expression, "You may whistle for it."

The horn, too, was a favourite instrument, and very necessary in days

gone by, when it served many useful purposes.

The horn is probably the most ancient of all wind instruments. It was

used at the Jewish feast of the Atonement, and the Romans used it for

signalling purposes, their infantry carrying circular bronze horns.

There is an interesting popular fable that horns were first introduced

into Western Europe by the Crusaders; but that is incorrect, in that

bronze horns have been found in prehistoric barrows. The horn was

commonly used for summoning the folk mote in Saxon times, and in quite

early days horns sounded in English homes on the arrival of guests. The

hunting horn was found in every house of importance in mediaeval times,

and in the sixteenth century it had become semicircular. Great composers

testify to the value of the horn in instrumental music, Handel and

Mozart writing pieces specially adapted for its use.

Some very quaint old flutes are found among household instruments, the

origin of the primitive pipe or flute being lost in the mists of

antiquity. Among household curios old flutes beautifully inlaid stowed

away in antique leather cases are interesting relics of former days.

[Illustration: FIG. 89. OLD SPINET.

(_In the collection of Mr. Phillips, of Hitchin._)]

Violins and Harps.

To many the chief charm of old instruments is found in the delicious

tones and notes produced by an old violin, which, if the work of a

well-known maker, commands a fancy price; among the most valuable being

an authentic Stradivarius. Many old English violins were made in Soho

in the eighteenth century, for that was the centre of the trade,

although in still earlier days violin makers worked in Piccadilly. In

Soho, too, horns, trumpets, drums, and guitars were made. The guitar,

but in slightly altered form, was the popular home instrument played

upon by Greek and Roman maidens. Many of the earlier European lutes were

in reality guitars. Some beautifully inlaid specimens are occasionally

met with. Of these there are many varieties in the Victoria and Albert

Museum; among them there is a guitar lyre, on which is a mask of Apollo,

an exact imitation of the lyre of the Ancients, which was formerly used

by a member of the Prince Regent's Band at the Royal Aquarium, Brighton.

There is one other instrument which ranks high among the musical

instruments of olden time found in British homes. It is the harp, heard

to perfection in the drawing-room and the concert hall--an instrument

upon which such beautiful melodies can be produced. There are many

pretty legends about the harp heard with such delight and yet

superstitious awe by the Vikings, who, on their return from Britain,

told of the mysterious shores where mermaids of great beauty were said

to rise from the seas, and, sitting upon the foam-lashed rocks, played

upon their harps music of sweetest sound. American collectors to-day pay

large sums for genuine Irish harps, which differ somewhat in size and

form from those upon which Welsh maidens played. There are still a few

such ancient instruments to be met with in Ireland and Wales.

Of minor instruments there is not much to say--all are intensely

interesting when they carry with them memories of former owners, for

they are veritable mementoes of home amusements, pleasures, and

delights.

XVI

PLAY AND SPORT

CHAPTER XVI

PLAY AND SPORT

Dolls--Toys--Old games--Outdoor amusements--Relics of sport.

It would appear that there have been amusements at all periods of the

world's history, and that everywhere work and play have gone hand in

hand together. The occupations of the nursery have been an intermixture

of lessons and play; amusements, although not always of an elevating or

educative character, have for the most part tended to develop and form

the mind, as well as strengthen the body. Recreation has played an

important part in the upbringing of child and man, and when absent the

advance has been retarded. The youth of all ages has found time for

games and sports, which have enlivened the duties of manhood and

womanhood by physical and mental pleasures. Even as age creeps on, men

and women lessen the monotony of daily toil by indulging in indoor games

and outside sports, suitable to their age and inclinations. As few games

can be played or sport engaged in without accessories, it is not

surprising that many relics of the play and sport of past generations

are to be met with.

Some of the appliances and apparatus which were acquired in the pursuit

of these pleasures have become of antiquarian value, for many of them

are curious and represent amusements almost forgotten. Others tell of

the steady survival of the oldest games and amusements, but show the

developments and alterations which have gone on in the methods of

playing or in the appliances which have been invented to enhance the

interest in those delights. These changes are seen more especially in

sports and games of skill. As an instance, we may take one of the great

manly sports, that of hunting game, a custom surviving from days when

this England of ours was a wild and uncultivated forest and swamp, full

of strange birds and many wild animals roamed therein. The flint-pointed

arrow of primitive man was but the beginning in the evolution of arms.

In the relics of these former plays and sports there is much to admire,

and many objects to collect.

There is something very pathetic about the household relics of the

playroom and the nursery. Many little articles of clothing and valueless

toys and trinkets are retained by a fond mother years after her

offspring has grown up. They remind her of her early married life, and

very often of children who have played in the nursery but who never

lived to grow up. These pathetic relics have been carefully preserved

for at least one generation. Then their associations have been

forgotten, and those into whose hands they fall probably know nothing of

their origin; to them they are merely curios. A sympathetic feeling may

have induced a new owner to retain them for a little while longer,

although of no great intrinsic value; but oftener than not they have

been kept as connecting links between the old and the new, and thus they

have been handed on until their age alone would make them collectable

curios in this day of reverence for all things old!

[Illustration: FIG. 90.--CURIOUS TYPES OF WHISTLES.]

[Illustration: FIG. 91.--QUAINT OLD TOY.

(_In the possession of Mr. Phillips, of Hitchin._)]

There has been a remarkable sequence in the toys of children of all

generations, and of races far apart. The same games have been played,

and the same toys used. Now and then a child more careful than usual

preserves his or her toys when grown to man's or woman's estate; but

such collections are rare. There are some noted collections, however,

which have passed into the range of museum curios, grouped together as

representative of the period when they were played with--authentic

records of the playthings of that day. In Fig. 91 there is a remarkable

old toy now in the diversified collection of household curios and

antique furniture of Mr. Phillips, of the Manor House, Hitchin.

Dolls.

Probably the commonest toy is the doll, which children have ever

regarded as the ideal plaything. The maternal instinct is strong in the

youngest girl, and dolls are often looked upon as something more than

mere toys. They are talked to, played with, and treated as if they were

human beings. Their realism, at first imagined, seems to have grown up

with their long use until a personality surrounds each one of the dolls

in the nursery. Now and then a quaint doll is treasured as having been

the plaything of more than one generation, especially so the old wooden

Dutch dolls, strong and lasting, which have in some instances been

handed on as playthings, almost as family heirlooms.

The most famous collection of dolls played with by one child, and yet

dressed to cover almost every period of English history--a veritable

history of costume--is that famous collection in the London Museum,

consisting of dolls dressed by and for the late Queen Victoria, who,

doubtless, had unique opportunities of copying correctly the costumes of

the Court, and of others less high in social status, during the reigns

of the English sovereigns who had preceded her.

Few, if any, can hope to possess such a representative collection; there

are many who can find, however, curiously dressed dolls which are very

helpful in learning something of local costumes and useful instructors

in research after the habits and occupations of people who may have

lived in places and districts little known to the present generation.

Some children's toys are much older than they appear at first sight to

be, for many very similar playthings were found in the playrooms of boys

and girls who lived two thousand years ago. There are the dolls and

quaint little figures played with by Greek and Roman children. Among the

more familiar objects were little wooden tortoises, ducks, and pigs.

Some were cleverly carved out of wood, and the arms and legs of dolls

moved, much the same as the Dutch dolls of later days. Those children

had chariots and horses of metal much the same as children have leaden

soldiers now. They trundled hoops of bronze, in some of them bells being

placed in the centre, ringing as they ran along. Some of the toys of

these little Roman and Greek maidens and youths were very elaborate, and

must have belonged to the children of the wealthy, who, like modern

parents, gave presents to them on "name" days.

Toys have always served the double purpose of amusement and education.

Years before kindergarten methods were adopted--although unknown,

probably, to parents--scientific and philosophic toys were doing good

work, and driving home elementary truths. There were curious cylindrical

mirrors, the inevitable kaleidoscope, and the water imps, an amusing

toy, for the imps, inserted in a bowl or bottle of water, bobbed about

in a curious way when the india-rubber cap which covered the neck was

pressed and manipulated by the fingers. The modern picture theatre, with

all its attractions to grown-up folks, was foreshadowed in the very

primitive magic lantern, which threw a cloudy disc and an almost

undiscernible picture, by the aid of an evil-smelling oil lamp, on an

old sheet hung up in the nursery.

Old Games.

There are many curios reminding us of indoor games and winter amusements

now obsolete, and of the change which has gone on in games still played.

When we recall the number of new games which have been introduced during

the last quarter of a century, it is surprising how few have survived.

New games come and go, and their accessories are discarded as but toys

of the moment. Most of the popular games are those which have been

handed down throughout the ages, many of them of great antiquity,

especially scientific games and games of skill. Among these games, or

rather the apparatus for playing them, are often curios, for they are

quite different to and often more decorative than those used in playing

similar games to-day. We are accustomed to plain leather or wood chess

and draught boards and the regulation patterns of the men nowadays, but

formerly much time was expended in decorating and enriching chess boards

and men. The boards often served other purposes too, many being

beautifully inlaid and reversible; thus the older game boards were

fitted with slides for backgammon, provision being made for chess,

merelles, and fox and geese, the oak of which they were often made being

relieved with rich marqueterie (_tarsia_) of ebony, ivory, and silver.

It is not often that a collection of old chessmen is found among

household curios, although it was not uncommon to discover among sundry

ivory carvings a few odd pieces which had been secured on account of

their beautiful carving. In India and China some very remarkable

chessmen have been produced. The origin of the game is lost in

antiquity, although it was played in the East at a very early period. It

is said to have been introduced into Spain from Arabia, and to have been

played by the Hindus more than a thousand years ago. It was certainly

known in this country before the Norman Conquest. Some few years ago a

very remarkable collection of chessmen, such as may be seen in isolated

sets or still more frequently represented by single pieces in cabinets

of old ivories, was dispersed under the hammer in a London saleroom.

There were Chinese sets in red and white, wonderful figures standing

upon concentric balls; antique Persian sets in cream-coloured ivory

decorated in colours and gold, kings and queens on elephants, knights on

horses, and bishops on camels; Burmese sets with royal personages seated

on chairs of state; and some very remarkable English porcelain, Wedgwood

ware, and Minton pottery sets.

Several finds of Scandinavian chessmen, made, probably, in the twelfth

century, have been made in the island of Lewis. From these and other

sets met with in other places much has been learned about the evolution

in the game.

The queen does not appear to have been introduced into the game until

the eleventh century. The castle has undergone many changes; its older

name of "rook" was derived from the Persian word _rokh_, a hero. No

doubt all the pieces were then carved personalities, well understood

from king to pawn. In the modern forms of Staunton and London Club

patterns the knight alone retains its semblance in the horse's head--a

poor substitute for the beautifully carved warrior on horseback seen in

some of the older sets.

Draughts, or dames, is also a game of antiquity; and in the British

Museum there is a set said to date back to the Saxon period. Some of the

old boards are interesting relics, and the sets of carved draughtsmen,

now scarce, are beautiful works of art.

Backgammon is one of the older kindred games, frequently played on the

interior of the chess board which was for that purpose marked with

twelve points or fleches in alternate colours. In this game dice were

used, and some of the old dice cups are very prettily decorated.

Cribbage played with cards and a board is said to be essentially an

English game. Some very remarkable cribbage boards were made many years

ago, many of metal, others of wood and ivory; one exceptionally

interesting piece, a brass cribbage board, in the Victoria and Albert

Museum, is engraved: "MR. CHRISTR ELLIOTT AT WINBORROW GREEN, SUSSEX

1768."

Cards, of which there are so many curious types among the old examples

found in many homes, were introduced into the West of Europe from the

East about the fourteenth century. At first they were hand drawn and

coloured, then printed from wood blocks, being subsequently printed from

blocks and plates engraved on the types which were gradually

standardized. Some very interesting collections of old cards have been

made, one of the most complete being that of Lady Charlotte Schreiber,

now in the Department of Prints and Drawings in the British Museum.

In the days when card playing was at its height many fine brass counter

trays and curious card trays were fashioned in brass and copper. Some of

these may very well be collected, and are suitable receptacles for old

metal counters, of which there are many varieties. Some of these

counters were made by the diesinkers who helped tradesmen to provide

themselves with token change, and they bear a striking resemblance to

the contemporary metallic currency. Others were chiefly hand engraved,

and often sold in small metal and silver boxes, those dating from the

time of Queen Anne being the most interesting. The most popular card

counters in the early days of the nineteenth century were brass copies

of the spade-ace gold guinea, which they closely resembled, and it is

feared, when gilt, were not infrequently palmed off as genuine gold.

Outdoor Amusements.

The outdoor games practised when household curios were being fashioned

necessitated fewer accessories than such games do to-day, and many of

them were crude and obviously the work of amateurs. Yet the same games

were being played and possibly enjoyed as much, although the sport was

rougher!

When we think of winter amusements in the past somehow we conjure up

pictures of hard frosts and crisp snow, although rain, damp, and fog

were probably frequent visitors in Old England. Some of the games can be

traced back to very early days--such, for instance, as skating, many

ancient skates having been found. There is a remarkable contrast between

the beautifully made skates now used on the comparatively rare occasions

when the ice bears and the roller skates used all the year round, to

those curious bone skates, so very primitive in their construction,

examples of which are to be found in several local museums. In the Hull

Museum, among the Market Weighton antiquities, there is a choice

collection from East Yorkshire; one, made from the cannon bone of a

horse, is smooth and well polished, having seen some active use,

evidently belonging to some skater in the fifteenth or sixteenth

century.

The bone skates were fastened on to the feet much the same as metal

skates, but they had no cutting edges, and consequently the skater

carried a stick shod with an iron point, and by its aid propelled

himself forward. Fitzstephen, writing in the time of Edward II,

describes the ponds at Moorfields where the citizens of London skated.

The ponds have long been dried up and built over; it is there, however,

where, during excavations, some very fine examples of the old bone

skates have been found.

Relics of Old Sport.

Among the relics of old sport met with are the curious and often

beautifully embroidered hoods of white leather used in the days of

hawking. These pretty little hoods, which were placed over the head of

the hawk when carried on the wrist to the hunting field, were often

embroidered in panels and furnished with braces for tying round the

hawk's head. In the British Museum there is a curious silver lock-ring

for a hawk engraved with arms and owner's name, apparently of

seventeenth-century workmanship. No doubt the real purport of such

curios is often overlooked, for not infrequently hawks' hoods have been

found amongst old dolls' clothing, having been given to children in

later years as playthings.

Guns, Pistols, and Flasks.

Eastern weapons have been brought over to this country in large numbers,

some of them very ancient. It is said that among some of the Arab tribes

it is no uncommon thing to meet with swords and daggers of antique form,

richly damascened, and sometimes with jewelled hilts, made a thousand

years or more ago, and a few years ago Crusaders' relics could be met

with in the East. Many of these knives have silica blades, some of the

handles being of jade. Those of grey jade are often pique with gold,

others, of ivory, being inlaid with jewels.

There is not very much to interest in old guns of English make, for few

found in houses date back beyond the commencement of the nineteenth

century. Among them, however, are flint-locks and here and there an old

wheel-lock. The pistols met with among household curios are often

handsome and have been preserved in leather cases, carefully stowed

away. Some of them record the days of duelling, others the dangers of

the road, when highway robbers lurked in every wood, and many a family

coach was waylaid and its occupants robbed of their jewels and their

purses of gold. To those interested in sporting, and familiar with the

breech-loading guns of the present day, much interest attaches to the

old powder flasks which were once necessary accompaniments of sportsmen.

There are many beautifully engraved, embossed, and decorated flasks in

museums, some of the early seventeenth-century specimens being made of

boxwood, others of ivory, frequently ornamented with hunting scenes. In

Fig. 92 is shown a curious flint-lock powder tester, then also regarded

as one of the essential accessories of the sportsman's outfit. The

copper powder flask illustrated in Fig. 93 is now in the Hull Museum. It

is specially interesting in that the plain copper work is engraved in

the centre with its original owner's monogram--"W R" in script. This

flask, made about the year 1750, was evidently a keepsake, for engraved

round the circular disc is the legend "Keep this for Joseph's sake."

In the Victoria and Albert Museum at South Kensington there are some

more elaborate specimens, two of which are illustrated in Fig. 94. They

are magnificent examples of metal repousse work--a favourite decoration

in the eighteenth century, copied in more inexpensive forms in the

nineteenth century by makers of sporting accessories, who stamped them

from dies and reproduced some of the old hunting scenes.

A review of the outdoor sports and relics of former days would scarcely

be complete without some mention of swords and rapiers, which were once

commonly worn, along with pistols, alas! too frequently in use when a

hasty word called forth a challenge to a duel. Many of these old swords

are rusty, but they frequently show marks of former use. They are needed

no longer by civilians in this country, and take their places in

trophies of arms, forming important features in the decorative curios of

the household.

[Illustration: FIG. 92.--A POWDER TESTER.

FIG. 93.--A PRIMING FLASK.

(_In the Municipal Museum, Hull._)]

XVII

MISCELLANEOUS

CHAPTER XVII

MISCELLANEOUS

Dower chests--Medicine chests--Old lacquer--The tool

chest--Egyptian curios--Ancient spectacles--Curious

chinaware--Garden curios--The mounting of curios--Obsolete

household names.

There are many household curios which cannot be classified under the

headings of the foregoing chapters. They represent well-known features

in every home, and yet each little group has an individuality of its

own. Some may say that the main features of house-furnishing have been

left out of consideration, and that they are the most interesting

household curios when age and disuse have come upon them. Household

furniture, however, has been fully dealt with in the "Chats" series in

the two volumes entitled "Chats on Old English Furniture," and "Chats on

Cottage and Farmhouse Furniture," to which books those interested in the

curiosities of cabinet-making and village carpentry are referred. Yet

notwithstanding the completeness of those works there are a few objects

which have so entirely passed into the range of household curios, and

their uses were so entirely apart from present-day furniture, that some

of them are specially noted in the following paragraphs, together with a

few other isolated antiques.

Dower Chests.

If there is one piece of furniture above another that is surrounded with

a halo of romance, surely it is the dower chest! We can picture the

incoming of the coffer in all the newness of hand polish, fresh from the

hands of the village carpenter or the retainer who had wrought the

gnarled old oak grown on the estate for a favourite daughter of his

lord--that chest which was to be packed full of fragrant linen, between

which was laid sweet lavender, and richly embroidered garments for the

bride, who, with her personal belongings stowed away therein, was to

pass from the parental home to her newly wedded and unknown life. There

are ancient chests full of historic memories, such as those in which the

wealth of monarchs has been stored, like that in Knaresborough Castle,

which, according to legend and some reference in old deeds, came over

with William the Conqueror. In the Castle Museum there is another chest

made for Queen Philippa in 1333--a veritable dower chest.

Some of the older chests have had loops for poles by which they could be

carried about; but such were more correctly treasure chests. The dower

chests usually remained in the home of the bride, and in time became her

receptacle for bedding and other household stores, the little tray or

corner box for jewels and trinkets being disused and eventually done

away with altogether. The evolution of the chest until it became a

cabinet or a chest of drawers is a story for the lover of old furniture

to tell, but the dower chest in its earlier forms is a curio rich in

legend and folklore. It may interest American readers to record that

many of the oldest specimens in the States were first used as packing

cases of unusual strength, gifts from the old folks at home, when

colonists in Jacobean days crossed the Atlantic. Curiously enough,

American craftsmen copied them and maintained the purity of the old

English style long after the makers of English dower chests had been

influenced by Dutch and French design and inlay.

Medicine Chests.

Some of the early English medicine chests, the foundation of which is of

wood, are covered with tapestry, others with green satin, sometimes

ornamented with floral devices made of puffed satin, overlaid and

outlined with gold thread. Medicine chests varied in size, but few

households were "furnished" without a fitting receptacle for home-made

recipes for simple ailments, such as were much resorted to in the past.

The chests were usually well fitted with bottles and phials, and with

glass stoppers or silver or pewter tops. Many of the medicines had been

prescribed by local practitioners, and were regarded as sovereign

remedies to be used on all occasions; others were family recipes held in

high repute. In such chests there was often a drawer or compartment

containing bleeding cups and lancet--a remedy often resorted to when an

illness could not be diagnosed.

Old Lacquer.

The beautiful red lacquer work is getting scarce, although it has had a

long run, for it is more than twelve hundred years since the Japanese

learned the secret of making it from the Coreans, who in their turn had

it from the Chinese. The secret of producing in China and Japan lacquer

which cannot be imitated in other countries lies in the _rhus

vernificifera_ which flourishes in those localities. It is the gum of

that tree commonly called the lacquer-tree, which when taken fresh and

applied to the object it is intended to lacquer turns jet-black on

exposure to the sun, drying with great hardness. It will thus be seen

that although French and English lacquers have been very popular, the

imitation lacquer applied can have neither the effect nor the durability

of the natural gum which sets so hard, and in the larger and more

important objects can be applied again and again until quite a depth of

lacquer is obtained, sometimes encrusted over with jewels and other

materials embedded in it.

The best English lacquer was made in this country between the years 1670

and 1710, and was a very successful imitation of the Oriental. At that

time and during the following century very many tea caddies, trays,

screens, trinket boxes, and even furniture, were imported; and it was

those which English workmen copied, gradually increasing the variety of

household goods for which that material was so suitable.

[Illustration: FIG. 94.--OLD POWDER FLASKS.

(_In the Victoria and Albert Museum._)]

Old English lacquer differed from the more modern papier-mache in that

instead of the pulp being composed entirely of paper, glued together and

pressed, it was composed of a basis of wood, covered over with a black

lacquer, on which the design was painted in colours. It was made under

considerable difficulties, in that it had to compete with the imported

Oriental wares which were made in China and Japan under more favourable

natural conditions.

The art of japanning was revived in England late in the eighteenth

century, and some remarkable pieces appear to have been the work of

amateurs who painted and gilded so-called lacquer work, tea caddies, and

jewelled caskets. It must be remembered that the art of japanning was

looked upon at one time as an accomplishment, for about the year 1700

many gentlewomen were taught the art.

French artists took up the Oriental style, and produced some very

successful lacquer work, striking out in an entirely distinct style,

which, as Vernis Martin decoration, became famous. The varnish or

lacquer forming the foundation for those delightful little pictures was

not unlike in effect the Oriental lacquer which to some extent it was

intended to imitate.

In the early nineteenth century lacquering as an art fell into

disrepute, and such decorations were largely associated with the

commoner metal wares, stoved and lacquered by the so-called japanning

process carried out in Birmingham and other places, although there is

now some admiration shown by collectors for small trays, bread baskets,

candle boxes, and snuffer trays of metal, japanned and decorated by hand

in colours and much fine gold pencilling.

The Tool Chest.

There have been amateur mechanics in all ages, and among the household

curios are many old tools suggestive of having been made when the

carpenter had plenty of time on his hands to decorate his tools with

carvings, and frequently to make up his own kit. Thus old planes and

braces were evidently the work of men who possessed some humour and

skill, too, for some of the carved decoration is quite grotesque. There

is a fine collection of old tools made and used in the seventeenth and

early eighteenth centuries on view in one of our museums. There is a

carpenter's plough, dated 1750, moulding planes and skew-mouthed

fillisters of beechwood, and a router plane of carved hornbeam. The

modern hand brace becomes more realistic, and its origin understood at a

glance when we examine the old hand brace of turned and carved boxwood,

dated 1642, in that collection. The part where the bit is fitted is

literally a hand, carved out of solid wood, and the curious crank

indicates an imaginary twist in the arm, perhaps suggested by some

carpenter who was able to manipulate his tools in a way not commonly

understood, thus giving to future carpenters a most useful tool.

Egyptian Curios.

Among the collectable curios of old households are many antiquities from

foreign lands. Perhaps the most interesting, in that they afford us

examples of the prototypes of household antiques as they were known to a

nation possessing an early civilization, polish, and refinement, are

those which have been discovered recently in Egyptian tombs. Some

representative examples may be seen in the British Museum. There are

toilet requisites including mirrors, combs, and even wigs and wig boxes,

as well as a glass tube for stibium or eye paint. There are ivory

pillows or head rests, models of the ghostly boats of the underworld,

and a vast variety of children's toys, including wooden dolls with

strings of mud beads to represent hair, porcelain elephants, and wooden

cats; and there are children's balls made of blue glazed porcelain, and

of leather stuffed with chopped straw. There are many games and

amusements, such as stone draught boards, and draughtsmen in porcelain

and wood. There are bells of bronze and some remarkable musical

instruments like a harp, the body of which is in the form of a woman;

and there are reed flutes and whistles and cymbals such as were carried

by priestesses. There are curious ivory amulets, quaintly carved spoons,

ivory boxes, and even theatre tickets. Necklaces and pendants and other

articles of adornment are plentiful, for the Egyptian maidens possessed

much jewellery--bracelets, rings, and necklaces. One very exceptionally

fine relic of this far-off age is a toilet box complete with vases of

unguents, eye paint, comb, and bronze shell on which to mix unguents,

and other trinkets. Many such antiquities find their way into museums

and private collections of household curios, and are useful and

interesting for purposes of comparison, telling of customs which change

not, and of the many connecting links which exist between the past and

the present.

Ancient Spectacles.

It is truly astonishing how many ancient spectacles, which to collectors

of such things would be veritable treasures, lie neglected and allowed

to "knock about" until broken or otherwise damaged. Those mostly

discovered are the heavy brass and silver-rimmed spectacles of about one

hundred years ago, some very interesting specimens of which are to be

seen in several of the larger local museums.

Spectacles are of very respectable age, although they cannot be traced

back to the ancient peoples, for the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans,

notwithstanding that they polished glass and rock crystal and possessed

much scientific lore, were ignorant of their use as aids to sight.

It is said that the credit of the discovery of how to make use of

artificial aids to defective sight must be accorded to Roger Bacon, who

in his book _Opus Majus_, published in the thirteenth century, mentioned

magnifying glasses as being useful to old people to make them see

better. True spectacles are said to have been fashioned in 1317 by

Salvino degli Armati, a Florentine nobleman. At first they were convex;

indeed, no mention of concave glasses for shortsighted persons was made

until towards the middle of the sixteenth century. From that time onward

there were developments, and among the household curios are to be found

silver, brass, and tortoiseshell rims, and glasses of more or less

utility.

Curious China Ware.

Old china and pottery have been fully dealt with by many specialist

writers, but there are some household curios made of porcelain, china,

and earthenware which cannot be omitted from this survey of household

curios. Foremost among these are the now scarce Toby jugs, made at so

many of the famous potteries. In a large collection the variations are

at once recognized; yet the same idea seems to have run through the

minds of the artists in fashioning these jugs, so essentially typical of

the age in which they were made and used. Among the Sunderland jugs are

many variations both in size and colouring; they were rich in colours,

too, and look exceedingly well on an old cabinet.

The posset cups of silver were supplemented by tygs and posset cups and

many-handled drinking cups of early Staffordshire make. The brown and

yellow slip decoration of this ware is a striking characteristic. All

the early seventeenth-century ale drinking cups like the tygs had

handles, and in those days of conviviality the double or multiplied

handle served a useful purpose, for the vessels were in use when it was

the custom of the ale-house for several friends to drink out of one

vessel, just as in more polite society and on public occasions the

loving cup was passed round.

Some of the so-called portrait busts and statuettes of the eighteenth

century are especially interesting to collectors. There are figures to

suit all; musicians may delight in that of Handel; others in the busts

of Wesley and Whitfield; explorers in the statue of Benjamin Franklin

made about 1770, and some in that of John Wilks seated near an old

column of a still earlier date. There is also a cleverly modelled figure

of Geoffrey Chaucer. One of the best known groups is that of the "Vicar

and Moses," made by Wood, of Burslem.

Garden Curios.

It is said that garden craft, like most other forms of art, came from

the East; that the cultivation of gardens commenced in Egypt, Persia,

and Assyria, travelling westward through Greece and Rome; and in some of

the early English gardens which horticulturists are so fond of copying

to-day there are traces of Eastern influence still remaining.

Although the garden is the place where we expect to find flowers,

foliage, and perhaps fruit and vegetables, it has always been associated

with home life, and some of the charms of domestic comradeship owe their

greatness to the garden and pleasance.

It has always been the aim of the professional and the amateur gardener

to furnish the lawn and flower-beds with appropriate settings, some of

which have become very quaint in the eyes of twentieth-century

horticulturists.

The Egyptians had their trellised bowers, and their tiny pools of clear

water. The Greeks, however, were fortunate in having undulated and even

hilly ground to cultivate, and their gardens were much more picturesque

than the level ground of Egypt, although the Orientals built terraces,

and by artificial means enhanced the beauty of their gardens. The

adornment of gardens with statuary comes to us from Greece, and many

modern reproductions of ancient Greek statues are regarded as the curios

of the modern garden. Delightful, indeed, are some of the statuettes in

stone and lead representing Aphrodite and the Graces. The Roman gardens

were magnificent in their miniature temples, replicas of which are found

in the old Georgian summer-houses, such as may be seen at Kew, and in

many private grounds, dating from that period. The Romans were lovers of

roses, and had many charming rose bowers, curiously and cunningly

formed.

The dawn of gardening on some approved plan, and then ornamenting the

portions not covered with greenery, began in monastic days. The oldest

of the occupations of civilized man, it was long held in high repute,

and many worthy men have posed as amateurs. Indeed, there have been

Royal gardeners, among the most familiar being Edward I and Queen

Elizabeth. From Tudor times onward the once waste land in the immediate

vicinity of castles and palaces was cultivated, and the gardens of the

nobility along the Strand in London were full of beautiful stonework and

statuettes. A writer in the sixteenth century, describing an English

garden of his day, wrote: "Every garden of account hath its fish pond,

its maze, and its sundials."

Many fine old fountains or miniature fishponds remain, and sundials are

among the curios associated with the outdoor life of the home. The

garden houses of the eighteenth century included a bowling green or

court, viewed from the terrace; and towards the end of that period many

leaden figures were cast, the favourite being replicas of Roman statuary

dedicated to such deities as Bacchus, Venus, Neptune, and Minerva. These

lead statues have been collected by dealers during the last few years.

Some of them are really very beautifully formed, although in many

instances the wear and tear of a couple of centuries has covered them

over with scratches and indentations. A few years ago lead statues

received little consideration from their owners, and the children made

them targets for stone-throwing. They are thought more of now, and at

several recent sales lead statuettes and vases have sold for

considerable sums.

Sometimes ancient lead cisterns are seen outside old houses; many of

these and even rain-water spout heads, beautifully moulded and cast, are

among the household curios for which there is some call among

collectors.

The Mounting of Curios.

A miscellaneous assortment of curios displayed without any regard to

their proper setting has just the same effect as a badly framed

picture, or a painting with an inappropriate frame. Sundry curios may be

made to look charming when properly shown in a glass-topped table or a

suitable case, their value as home ornaments being materially increased.

Indeed, there are many beautiful objects which look nothing unless

properly framed. The Wedgwood cameo gems so varied and so very minutely

tooled require proper display; according to their colours so should they

be arranged on a velvet or cloth background with an ample margin to

separate them. A group of miniatures looks nothing unless in suitable

setting or mount. Much of the beauty of old china is lost because it is

simply laid out without a colour scheme. A cup and saucer look very much

better when shown on a stand, so that the saucer can be seen and every

detail of the cup examined, the richness of the colouring inside or out,

as the case may be, being thrown up by the ebonized stand on which it is

placed. Carved ivories should certainly be shown with a dark setting. In

a similar way Oriental plaques and even smaller plates with light

backgrounds are set off to the best advantage when shown in dark ebony

frames. The Orientals know the value of framework perhaps more than any

other people, and among the curios they have sent over to this country

are appropriately carved frames and stands. The almost priceless ginger

jars when placed upon carved-wood stands, for which the Chinese are so

famous, are beautiful indeed, the contrast of the black and blue against

the black base being very striking. Indeed, much of the carved furniture

of the Orientals has been specially designed as a framework for

mother-o'-pearl and gem ornaments. The rare jade carvings in black ebony

screens, and the marvellous carving of the larger screens are but

appropriate settings to the painted and needlework pictures so rich in

colours and gold. In Fig. 57 we illustrate a very remarkable piece in

which the artist has expended his wonderful skill in providing a

suitable stand or frame for a very beautiful early porcelain plate.

Every detail of the carving is worthy of close inspection. This

beautiful piece was included in a collection of jade, cloisonne enamels,

and carved furniture gathered together in Java some years ago by a

well-known collector of Chinese and Oriental curios. Now and then such

pieces are to be seen in the shops of West End dealers. But it would be

difficult indeed to find one so characteristic of the Chinese carver's

art as the one shown.

Obsolete Household Names.

Most household goods and both useful and ornamental home appointments

used at the present time are the outcome of progress and development,

and their names have changed but little. The change has been in style,

material, and manufacture rather than in newness of purpose. It is true

that in modern household economy some of the present-day household

utensils are the outcome of modern invention, having no similarity in

form to the simpler primitive contrivances which they have superseded.

Thus, for instance, the vacuum cleaner has little in its appearance to

associate it with the old-fashioned carpet brush, neither has the

modern knife cleaner much in common with the old knife board. There are

some articles, however, which have become quite obsolete, and their

names are fast disappearing from inventories of household goods, and,

like the older antiquarian relics, are likely soon to be forgotten. In

the foregoing chapters mention has been made of the collectable objects

of household use, dating from the period of bronze to modern times, and

no doubt there are many other articles which have entirely disappeared

on account of their perishable nature, or from their very character,

there being nothing to suggest their retention. It may be useful for

purposes of reference to note the following articles of furniture,

kitchen utensils, and mechanical contrivances, which were mentioned in a

book published about one hundred years ago--house furnishings, about the

ancient uses of which we hear nothing at the present time.

AMPLE--An ointment box, formerly carried by a medical man.

APPLE-GRATE--A sixteenth-century cradle of iron in which to

roast apples.

BOMBARD--A large leathern bottle for carrying beer; a term also

applied to ancient ale-barrels.

CANISTER--The ancient canister was a pannier or basket, the

name being appropriated to its modern use when tea came into

the market.

CHAFING-DISH--The name appropriated to modern cooking vessels

was originally applied to a dish upon which perfumes were

burnt, and in Roman times was an ensign of honour.

COMFIT BOXES--Boxes divided into compartments in which were

rare spices, handed round with dessert.

FINGER-GUARD--Horn finger-guards were formerly used by writing

masters to protect their nails when nibbing pens.

FIRE-SCREEN--Fire-screens are noted as early as the fourteenth

century, long before they were filled with needlework; they

were made of wicker, described by a sixteenth-century writer as

"a little wicker skrene sett in a frame of walnut tree."

SCRIP--Scrips were hung from girdles, and differed, among the

chief varieties being the shepherd's scrip, the pilgrim's

scrip, and the traveller's scrip, a kind of purse or wallet.

STANDISH--The old name for an ink horn or vessel, afterwards

applied to the stand or dish, or, as we call it now, inkstand,

which contained the box or vessel for ink, and another for

blotting powder.

TRENCHER--A wooden platter, a term more particularly applied to

the beautiful hand-painted circular boards for sweetmeats or

cakes.

In conclusion, in the foregoing pages most of the best-known household

curios--regarded as such by the collector--have been passed in review.

The list is, however, by no means exhausted, for as search is made among

the relics of former days many little-known objects come to light, and

as isolated examples find their way into public and private

collections.

INDEX

Ale tubes, 178

Almanacs, 259-262

American museums, 49

Ample, 355

Andirons, 42, 44, 47

Apple-grate, 355

Apple-scoops, 138, 141

Arms of Cutlers' Company, 80

Banner screens, 165

Basting spoons, 133

Battersea enamels, 91, 183, 212

Beakers, 104

Bellows, 57

Bellows blower, 129

Bells, 311

Bilston enamel, 183

Bodkins, 239

Bohemian glass, 154

Boilers, 133

Bombards, 355

Boule, Charles, 29

Bow cupids, 112, 113

Bristol glass, 176

British glass, 96

British Museum exhibits, 92, 138, 141, 165, 208, 246, 278, 331, 347

Bronze pots, 133

Buhl work, 29

Caddies, 112

Candle boxes, 65, 66

Candle moulds, 65

Candles, 65-67

Candlesticks, 67

Canisters, 355

Carving-knives, 85

Caskets, 192

Caudle cups, 99

Chafing dishes, 355

Chantilly porcelain, 91

Chatelaines, 216

Chelsea cupids, 112, 113

Chessmen, 328

Chestnut roasters, 142

Chests, 191

Chimney ornaments, 150

China, 349

Chinese influence, 100

Chinese lacquer, 29

Chippendale influence, 101, 162

Clocks, 298, 299

Clog almanacs, 259

Cloisonne enamel, 183

Coaching horns, 197

Cocoanut cups, 103

Cocoanut flagons, 103

Coffers, 191

Combs, 206-208

Comfit boxes, 355

Continental gridirons, 137

Cooking vessels, 138, 141

Copper urns, 117

Cordova leather, 187, 188

Couvre de feu, 39

Cream jugs, 108, 111

Cribbage boards, 330

Cruet stands, 96, 97

Cuir boulli work, 84, 90, 188, 190, 192

Cupids, Chelsea and Bow, 112, 113

Cups, 99, 100

Curio hunting, 24

Cutlers' Company, 80

Cutlery, 80-95, 239, 240

Damascened steel, 90

Derbyshire spar, 154, 157, 158

Dolls, 325, 326

Domesday Book, 23

Dower chests, 340, 341

Draughts, 329, 357

Dressing cases, 215

Dutch influence on art, 30

Dutch ovens, 130

Egyptian curios, 347

Egyptian influence, 153

Enamelled wares, 212

Enamels, 182-184

Fenders, 53, 54

Finger guards, 355

Fire-dogs, 47

Fire drills, 39

Fireirons, 53

Fire-making appliances, 36-39

Fireplace, the, 41-44

Fireploughs, 39

Fire screens, 356

Flesh hooks, 138

Floor candlesticks, 67

Fluor spar, 157

Flutes, 314

Food-boxes, 141

Forks, 85

French art, 26

French influence, 153

Gallybawk, 134

Games, 327-330

Garden curios, 350, 351

German wall warming stove, 50

Glass and enamels, 175-184

Glass beads, 235

Glass curios, 290-293

Glass ornaments, 178, 181

Glass pictures, 181

Glass rolling pins, 235

Gourd cups, 104

Grandfather clocks, 301

Gridirons, 137, 138

Grills, 137, 138

Guildhall Museum exhibits, 85, 99, 193

Guns, 333

Hair ornaments, 196

Hampton Court fireplaces, 48

Hawk hoods, 332

Home ornaments, 149-170

Horn books, 197

Horners, Worshipful Company, 197

Horns, 313, 314

Horn work, 196, 197

Hull Museum exhibits, 193, 229, 332, 334

Inkstands, 263

Irish curios, 67

Ivories, 166, 169

Jack knives, 83

Jade, 158, 161

Japanned trays, 101

Jewel caskets, 220, 221

Kentish ironmasters, 50

Kettles and stands, 108, 133

Kettles, miniature, 169

Kitchen grates, 129-133

Kitchen, the, 125-145

Knife-boxes, 117

Lace bobbins, 232, 236

Lantern clocks, 298

Lanterns, 72-75

Leather and horn, 187-197

Leather bottles, 192-194

Leather flasks, 194

Leather pictures, 194

Leather ships, 194

Lights of former days, 61-75

Lille enamels, 212

Limoges enamels, 182-183

Links extinguishers, 68

Locks of hair, 219

London Cutlers' Company, 84

Love spoons, 235, 240, 289

Love tokens, 283-293

Lucky cups, 190

Lucky emblems, 283-293

Mantelpieces, 41, 42

Marking of time, 297-307

Marqueterie designs, 30

Matches, early types, 41

Medicine chests, 341

Meissen porcelain, 91

Met-soex or eating knives, 83

Miniature curios, 169

Monochord, 312

Mosaics, 157

Mother-o'-pearl, 107

Mounting curios, 353

Musical instruments, 311-317

Nailsea glass, 177

National Museum of Wales, 129, 141, 280

National Museum of Naples, 45

Needles of wood, 240

Needlework, 246

Nutcrackers, 113-117

Oak settles, 162

Obsolete names, 355, 356

Oil lamps, 71, 72

Old gilt, 165, 166

Old lacquer, 342

Ormolu, 150

Pastrycooks' knives, 138

Pastry wheels, 138

Patch boxes, 204, 211, 213

Peg tankards, 100, 103

Pens, 264, 267

Perfume boxes, 213

Pianofortes, 312

Piggins, 141

Pipe racks, 273

Pipes, 271, 272

Pistol tinder boxes, 40

Pistols, 333

Play and sport, 321-334

Playing cards, 330

Pomander boxes, 214

Pontypool wares, 106

Porridge bowls, 141

Porringers, 99, 100

Pounce boxes, 263

Priming flasks, 334

Punch bowls, 98

Punch ladles, 97

Puzzle cups, 100

Queen Anne style, 100

Roasting cages, 130

Roasting jacks, 125

Rolling pins, 177

Roman influence, 153

Rushlights, 62-65

Russian customs, 92

Salt cellars, 95, 96

Sand boxes, 263

Saucepans, 125, 126

Scrap books, 255, 256

Scratchbacks, 215

Sheraton influence, 112, 162

Ships of glass, 182

Shoes, 195

Shovels, 53

Skates, 332

Skimmers, 133

Smokers' cabinet, 271-280

Smokers' tongs, 277

Snuff boxes, 196, 279, 280

Snuffer extinguishers, 68

Snuffers, 67-71

Snuff rasps, 279

Spectacles, 348

Spice boxes, 213

Spinning wheels, 226-231

Spits, 125, 129

Spleen stone, 158

Spoons, 86, 89, 117

Staffordshire figures, 150

Staffordshire wares, 97

Stained glass, 181

Standishes, 356

Straw-work, 232

Style, influence of, 26

Sugar nippers, 111

Sugar tongs, 111, 112

Sussex backs, 42, 47, 50

Sussex foundries, 50

Table appointments, 79-118

Tapestry, 190, 191

Tapestry factories, 26

Taunton Castle Museum exhibits, 177, 193, 246, 278, 293

Teapots, 107

Teatable, the, 107, 108

Thimbles, 239

Tickets, benefit, ball, etc., 256

Tinder boxes, 39-41

Tobacco boxes, 274, 277

Tobacco pipes, 271, 272

Tobacco pipes (glass), 177

Tobacco stoppers, 277, 278

Toddy ladles, 97

Toilet table, the, 203-221

Tools, ancient, 346

Tower of London exhibits, 95

Trays, 105-107

Trenchers, 141, 356

Trencher salts, 96

Trivets, 54-57

Turnspits, 130

Vases, 153, 154

Venetian glass, 91, 178

Vernis Martin varnishes, 29

Victoria and Albert Museum exhibits, 48, 57, 86, 89, 90, 142, 188, 191,

192, 215, 231, 241, 279, 312, 317, 330, 334

Vinaigrettes, 214

Violins, 314

Virginals, 312

Walking sticks (glass), 177

Wallace collection, 29

Wallets, 195

Warming pans, 142, 145

Watches, 302, 305

Watch keys, 305, 306

Watch papers, 259

Watch stands, 307

Waterford glass, 176

Wedgwood cameos, 170, 280

Whistles, 312, 313

Wood carvings, 161-165

Wooden cups, 104

Woodware, 117

Work boxes, 225-250

Writing cases, 262

Writing tables, 262

* * * * *

UNWIN BROTHERS, LIMITED, THE GRESHAM PRESS, WOKING AND LONDON

End of Project Gutenberg's Chats on Household Curios, by Fred W. Burgess