Page:An Encyclopædia of Cottage, Farm, and Villa Architecture and Furniture.djvu/1107

 GRECIAN AND MODERN VILLA FURNIJ LKE. lU8o view, the most satisfactory of these pillars is that marked b ; because the base of the conical part being commenced by the mouldings at e, the upper part of the cone appears to rise beautifidly out of the foliage over it ; whereas, in the Design a, the continuity of the cone is iirst interrupted by the hoUow at /, and afterwards by the neck at fi, though above this last letter, the cone rises in a satisfactory manner from the foliage which embraces it. In the De- sign c, the cone rises satisfactorily from the double neck ; but the Design d is altogether bad, from the multiplicity of its parts, the apparent weakness and want of continuity and of cooperation in its lines, and the obvious ef- forts of the designer to display ornament and produce novelty. Of the feet of these different Designs, that of a is unquestion- ably the handsomest ; and that of c the worst, in as much as it ap- proaches nearer than any other to the expression of weakness. If the preceding reasoning be found correct, it follows that, beautiful as these bed-posts ap- pear to be on the first glance, yet that, when examined and tested by principles, there is not one Oj them to which great objections cannot be made. If the foot, or claw, as it is technically called, of a were substituted for the claw of b, then b would be the piUar most to our taste ; and next would be the pillar c, with the same change effected on it. In this case, as in most others, the great fault is the deviation from simplicity. The cause of this fault is, that, in London, so great has been the demand for cabinet furniture, and so ardent the desire for novelty, that the great and incessant efforts of the upholsterer are directed to the production of something new ; and that this demand for novelty, instead of being met by taste and invention adequate to the supply, has only called forth mecha- nical changes or combinations of forms. The essential cause of this is the want of dis- crimination on the part of the public, between 1988 what is a mere mechanical change in the dispo- sition of parts, and what is really original design in composition. 2135. Bed-steps. Fig. 1985 shows a set of bed-steps, with two of the steps arranged as cupboards. The tread of the top step is hinged, and lifts up ; the middle step puUs forward ; and when drawn out its lid lifts up, and shows a space for a bidet, or other convenience. Where there are steps of this kind on each side of a bed, the middle step of the one may contain a night convenience, and that of the other a bidet. 2136. Bed Cupboard. Fig. 1986, on a scale of three quarters of an inch to a foot, forms a very convenient cupboard, with a shelf and top having two flaps, which fold out for books, &c., so as to form a table at pleasure, and thus disguise the use for which it is principally intended. Pieces of furniture of this kind are often made in the shape of pedestals, square or round, with marble tops, shelves within, and a hinged door opening from top to bottom. 2137. Wardrobes. Fig. 1987, to a scale of half an inch to a foot, is a lady's wmged wardi-obe, to be made of any fine wood, French polished, and showing no brasswork in any part of the front. The knoljs are of mahogany or ebony ; the mouldings on the