*JONES, OWEN, architect, is well known from his works in that branch of his art to which he has given especial attention, namely, ornamental decoration, and the harmonious effect of colour. This he has applied not merely practically and to the enrichment of the interiors of buildings, but to book illumination and ornamentation ; and a considerable proportion of the drawing-room-table books' of the laid fifteen years, iu their title-pages, the margins of their leaves, and their bindings, display tasteful designs from Mr. Jones's hand. '1'e chromatic decoration his attention was directed through his studies during his extensive travels, and from some of these resulted his work, illustrating the palace of the Alhambra at Granada iu Spain. Mr. Jones was boru in Wales about the year 1809; he was articled to Mr. Lewis Valliamy, the architect, himself knowu for his studios in architectural ornamentation. Subaequeutly Mr. Jones left England, and was absent about four years,—extending his travels to Turkey and Egypt, with several French artists as companious. In 1834 ho was at Granada, and in conjunction with 11. Jules Goury collected the materials for the first section of the work on the Alhambra. M. Goury having died, the publication, in parts, was undertaken by Mr. Jones; who himself with assistants executed the printing in colours and gold, thereby mainly contributing to the general introduction of that branch of lithography into this country. The process, it is well known, requires attention as to the accurate "registering" or fitting of the separate stones, or colours; and this, Mr. Jones attained with great pains and ooet,—platee being frequently destroyed when not at first successful. The publication was commenced about the year 1836; in 1S37 Mr. Jones again visited Granada, and in 1842 the final portion of the work was issued under the title,—' Plans, Elevations, Sections, and Details of the Alhambra,' &c. It Includes a complete translation of the Arabic inscriptions and an historical notice of the kings of Granada, by Setter Pascual de Gayangos. From about this time Mi. Jones's name is found connected with the ornamental designs and chromatic printing, to many new works or new editions which were published with elaborate embellishments by Messrs. Longman and Co., and others. Ho has also made a considerable number of tasteful designs for the articles of stationery manufactured by the Messrs. De la Rue. His ornamentation has generally a character similar to that of what may be called the Mohammedan styles; the merit of which he has much advocated,—and with some reason, having regard to the amount of variety which is displayed in them with simple elements, and their recognition of one, much-neglected, but correct principle in surface decoration, namely, the avoidance of imitation of relief. In 1842 he published 'Designs for Mosaic sod Tesselated
Pavements,' with an essay by F. 0. Ward, on their material and structure, and in 1844, in the exhibition of decorative works sent in to the Commissioners of Fine Arts, he exhibited a large plan of the Houses of Parliament, including designs for the pavements of all the chief halls and corridors of that building. In addition to his works above referred to, Mr. Jones was engaged in the architectural deeigu and superintendence of some buildings, and he was a competitor in the competition for the building of the Army and Navy Club. In general architectural character however, and even in the ornaments of Moorish character which he introduced, he did not at that time succeed as well as in interior decoration, in which a well-known shop in Regent-street (Houbigant's) may be named as one of the most important attempts at that time in London to improve the artistic character of such places. A recent work of hill however iu the same street (Jay's) with less elaboration, shows what is probably a better treatment of colour, combined with much beautiful delineation of form ;—and in this he has adopted the character of Greek ornament. On the formation of the staff of officers for the Exhibition of 1851, Mr. Jones was named one of the " Superintendents of the Works,"— chiefly with a view to the decoration of the structure, and the effective grouping of the contents. The problem of the decoration was a novel one, and Mr. Jones's original proposals, which he stoutly supported by theory, were very freely discussed, and became somewhat modified in the application. He however always maintained the propriety of using the primary colours, and of using them in certain proportionate quantities in which the reflected rays are held to constitute white light, and also of using them on particular surfaces supposed to be adapted to the force of each colour; whilst his opponents we believe to the last, held that although a good effect was produced, it was not the effect previously described by Mr. Jones, but one which tended rather against than for the particular reasons which he had given. In the year 1852, one of the lectures at the Society of Arts, relative to the Exhibition, was given by Mr. Jones, and afterwards published under the title,—' An Attempt to define the principles which should regulate the Employment of Colour in the Decorative Arts; with a few words on the necessity fur au Architectural Education on the part of the public.' He gave courses of lectures subsequently at the London Institution and other places, on a similar subject.