THE DECORATIVE TREATMENT OF NATURAL FOLIAGE.[1]

[Footnote 1: Lectures before the Society of Arts, London, 1891.]

By HUGH STANNUS.


_Lecture I._


§ 1.--THE ELEMENTS OF DECORATION.

The chief impelling Motives which have caused that treatment of
objects which is now termed _Decorative_, have been:

(a) That necessitated by the Usage, which is FUNCTIONAL;

(b) That resulting from the Instinct to please the eye, which
is ÆSTHETIC;

(c) That arising from the Desire to record or to teach, which
is the DIDACTIC motive;

The ÆSTHETIC instinct of the early peoples was gratified by:

(a) The _forms_ of their weapons or tools;