TRIBUTE TO BRITISH INDUSTRY

Evening Star, Issue 21709, 2 May 1934, Page 13

TRIBUTE TO BRITISH INDUSTRY

FAMOUS CARPET DISPLAYED RELIC OF THE 1851 EXHIBITION With the possible exception of the renowned products of ancient Persian craftsmanship, exquisite in their original patterns and quality of , texture, and forming a fascinating allure with their bright colourings, England still holds unlimited sway in carpet manufacture. A striking testimony to the patient labours required in making an article in keeping with that country’s reputation is given in a magnificent carpet, measuring 18ft Gin by 27ft 3in, which" is being shown in the British dominions, and which the Dunedin public will be given an opportunity of viewing in the windows of Arthur Barnett Ltd. from to-morrow until Monday, when it will be shipped to Australia. Manufactured eighty-three years ago bv Messrs John Crossley and Sons Ltd., of Dean Clough Mills, Halifax, for the Industrial Exhibition of All Nations held in Hyde Park, London, this example of “ printed worsted tapestry,” as it was quaintly, termed in those faroff days, has defeated the ravages of time. Its vivid shades of yellow, red, and blue delicately moulded by a master hand into a pattern of intricate yet studied expressiveness clearly reveal the inspiration of an artist who has successfully striven to reproduce an abstract ideal. An extract from the ‘ Illustrated London News ’ gives a glowing account of the opening of the exhibition. “On Thursday, May 1, the Crystal Palace of Industry was inaugurated by the Queen, accompanied by Prince Albert, the Prince of Wales, ,the Princess Royal, and attended by a magnificent and glittering cortege. . . . Along the galleries of the main avenue, the department for British goods, a succession of the most beautiful carpetry was suspended like bannerets, only more splendid, in a knightly hall of old. . . . Everything stood revealed at its best, and the vista along the whole line was perhaps the most splendid and extensive, as a piece of art and human contrivance, ever presented to human view.” Because of its workmanship, its age, and its historical associations the Dunedin public should not miss the opportunity of seeing this carpet, which was probably admired by the famous Queen victoria herself. Another interesting exhibit, the New Zealand chess championship trophy won this year by ‘ Air J. B. Dunlop, of Dunedin, will also be readily admired. Built in the form of a castle and standing 18*in high, the trophy is a particularly good example of the silversmith’s art. The spaces for the names of tho winners are in the form of bricks, of; which there are still enough to ensure its official recognition for at least another 100 years. It is forty years since the trophy was won by a Dunedin competitor. the last occasion being in 1894, when Mr J. Edwards secured the championship. The trophy was first competed for in 1879.