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The Front Parlor

Highlights from the Decorative Arts Collection

By Dr. Lesley Parness, Retired MCPC Superintendent for Horticulture Education

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The Front Parlor of the Tubbs residence is home to a comfortable sofa and several chairs along with a variety of Asian artwork. We know that of the brothers Tubbs, Henry was the one most often found in antique shops here in New Jersey, and New York. His artist’s eye was quick to find the beautiful and the unusual.

Here are two examples of his passion for collecting on exhibit in the Front Parlor:

From the Willowwood Archives: WW2004.12.1 A & B – Japanese Prints

  • From Appraisal: Pair Oriental processional watercolors on silk with needlework borders
  • From CCAHA:
    • 1-A Unknown, people marching with banners and gongs, watercolor and gouache, pith paper, thin wove paper, 9-1/2″ x 13-3/8″
    • 1-B Unknown, people carrying a palanquin, Chinese, watercolor and gouache, pith paper, thin wove paper, 8/5/8″ x13-1/4″

1-B-Palanquin

What is particularly interesting about these pieces is the material that they are painted on – pith paper. Pith paper is made from the stem of the Tetrapanax papyrifer tree. Also known as the Fatsia or Rice Paper plant, this evergreen shrub is native to Southwest China and grows in Taiwan and throughout East Asia where it is called “tung-tsao,” meaning “hollow-plant.” A member of the Araliaceae family, it is used in traditional Chinese medicine as a diuretic and was not adopted for use in painting until the early 1800’s.

At that time, craftsmen created images on pith paper for the tourist trade. Accounts from diaries of visitors to Canton suggest that there was a flourishing trade in pith paintings. Westerners in China snatched up such artwork, depicting local customs, costumes, birds, bees, and flowers. Tourists called them rice-paper paintings from the mistaken notion that this distinctive paper was made from rice. The pith paintings were inexpensive, light, and easy to pack.

Tetrapanax papyrifer can grow to as high as 30’, and its wood is hard and dense. A craftsman with skill and a big knife can slice its pith, the spongey cellular tissue in the stem, into a sheet of smooth, bone-white paper. The paper has great strength in its youth, and when damp may be stretched and folded into almost any shape. For centuries, the Chinese have used pith paper to make artificial flowers and decorative hairpins. It also absorbs watercolors or tempera readily, creating a relief texture with a velvety visual depth. Because of its honeycomb cellular structure, the gouache used by the Chinese sat on its the surface and produced a bright, sparkling, jewel-like effect. As chinoiserie, (the romanticized European imitation of Chinese art eventually copied by the Chinese themselves for export) works on pith paper served to whet the western appetite for emblematic motifs of Chinese art.

There are collections of paintings on pith in such prestigious museums as the Ashmolean, the British Museum, the Fitzwilliam, the Hermitage, the Peabody/Essex Museum in Massachusetts and the Hong Kong Museum of Art. However, because paintings on pith are not in general regarded as fine art, they are usually found in ethnographic or specialised collections, such as Economic Botany. So, we are very fortunate to have two beautiful examples of this unusual artwork right here in Morris County.

Willowwood Foundation elects New Officers

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Click to enlarge

With the departure of current President Rob Diemar and his family to warmer climes (although Rob will remain a Trustee for the Tubbs Trust), 15 year veteran Trustee Brace Krag was named President by the Board of Trustees at their June, 2015 meeting.

Other new officers include Jason Andris, Vice President, Kate Burke Walsh, Secretary and Stathis Andris continues as Treasurer.

Summer Pictures

As Summer gradually drifts toward Autumn, we thought you might like to see some beautiful images from summer at the Willowwood Arboretum. Be sure to visit soon so as not to miss out on the current splendor.

Spring is really here and blooming! May 8, 2015

Willowwood is just about to hit peak spring bloom!
The Cherries, Crabapples, Magnolias and Serviceberries are all in bloom.
Many of the flowering shrubs such as Viburnums, Daphnes and Azaleas are in flower. Enjoy the beauty of the flowers but don’t forget to check out their scent.
The wooded trails are filled with blue Ajuga and the tiny light pink flowers are Claytonia virginica (Spring Beauty).
On the Wood Walk to the right of Pan’s Garden you’ll find that the Japanese Primroses are putting on quite a show! The warm temps have brought them out a little early this year.
The Wisteria vines by the Stone Barn and in the Cottage Garden and Rosarie are popping.
And of course, it wouldn’t be May at Willowwood without the beautiful blooms of the Lilac collection. The flowers have started opening and there should be a succession of blooms over the next few weeks.

Japanese Flowering Cherries at Willowwood

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Anthony Aiello
Morris Arboretum Dir. of Horticulture

Willowwood Arboretum was the site on April 18, 2015 of a fascinating lecture on the history of Japanese flowering cherries in the United States, including the beautiful collection at Willowwood.

Anthony Aiello, Director of Horticulture at Pennsylvania’s Morris Arboretum traced the early 20th century arrival of these beautiful collections at Washington’s Tidal Basin, the Morris Arboretum, New York — and at our very own Willowwood Arboretum.

The talk was followed by a tour of Willowwood’s collection led by John Morris, the Morris County Park Commission’s Manager of Horticulture.

You may read an extensive article about the day on the Daily Record website.

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Charles Higan variety
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John Morse
MCPC Dir. of Horticulture