Outdoor Ornaments at www.japanese-home-gardens.com

ONCE YOU have decided on the framework of your garden, add the decorative details such as arches and arbors, patio furniture, statues and other outdoor ornaments. Resist the temptation to have too many things, otherwise your garden will look fussy and cluttered. Whatever Ornaments you are using, they should be placed so as to appear the inevitable outcome of the garden design, rather than just an afterthought.

The use of metals in the interior Decoration of both England and America has followed similar lines. In the 17th century most of the hardware in both countries was made in wrought iron, although in England far more thought was put upon design than in America, where the village blacksmith usually made a latch, bolt, or hinge with utility as the only consideration. Fireplace accessories were also made of iron, although in the more elaborate homes in England brass Ornaments often enriched the baser metal. During the 18th century both brass and iron were used for hardware and irons and firetools, and far greater elaboration was given to ornamental details. The 18th century was also the great period of silver tableware and Ornaments in both countries, and France exported shelf clocks and Ornaments in ormolu that were designed especially to appeal to the English and American public.

Africa. In Africa the Niger Basin is the only important center of gold- and silverwork. Artistic influences seem to have percolated from Egypt and the North, and in the ancient kingdoms of Ghana and Mali rich gold Ornaments were made for the ruler and his court. The kingdom of Ashanti produced for its rulers wooden furniture sheathed in gold as well as magnificent gold ornaments, masks, and ceremonial objects. In general, however, African gold- and silverwork seems to have been restricted to jewelry and the ornamentation of weapons.