Quote#Money & Wealth
The great feature of our medieval chamber is the furniture ; this, in…
Quote byWilliam Burges · 1827–1881
Commonly attributed — not confirmed in an authoritative edition. Cited on Wikiquote to: Art applied to industry: a series of lectures, 1865, p. 71; Partly cited in: Export of objects of cultural interest 2010/11: 1 May 2010 - 30 April 2011. Stationery Office, 13 dec. 2011.
English (original)
The great feature of our medieval chamber is the furniture ; this, in a rich apartment, would be covered with paintings, both ornaments and subjects; it not only did its duty as furniture, but spoke and told a story.
— William Burges
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Decidedly the best application of art to industry is when a great many copies are made from an exceedingly good pattern.
Of course there is no prima facie reason why cheap things should be ugly, for a die or mould of a good design costs no more than a bad one; but still the fact remains that the objects in use in every-day life are not beautiful, and it is …
If we copy, the thing never looks right [and] the same occurs with regard to those buildings which do not profess to be copies; both they and the copies want spirit. They are dead bodies... We are at our wits.
I have been brought up in the 13th century belief, and in that belief I intend to die.
The civil engineer is the real 19th century architect.
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