. .••' TED TAPESTRY m ITS APPLICATION TO NJEBKffi DECORATION JULIEN GODON. (Vecoratii^cAtt QouethotL' STIRLING AND FRAN CINE CLARKE ART INSTITUTE L1BRART Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2012 with funding from Federally funded with LSTA funds through the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners http://archive.org/details/paintedtapestryiOOgodo -o PAINTED TAPESTEY LONDON : PRINTED BY SPOTTISWOODK AND CO., NEW-STREET SQUARE AND PARLIAMENT STREET PAINTED TAPESTEY AND ITS APPLICATION TO INTERIOR DECORATION IJrattrnil Wessons IN TAPESTRY PAINTING WITH LIQUID COLOUR BY JULIEN GODON TE AN SLATED BY B. BUCKNALL, ARCHITECT LONDON LECHEETIEE, BAEBE, AND CO. 60 REGENT STREET 1879 t\fU '*^- TRANSLATOR'S NOTE. Among the various means that have been employed for the decoration of interior wall surfaces there are none more pleasing or richer in effect than the woven tapestries so commonly used in former times for the embellishment of apartments and churches. Clothing the bare Avails, these hangings present an aspect of warmth and comfort, while their soft blended tones engage the eye and soothe the mind. Woven by hand, the very exigencies of their fabrication assist in giving them an artistic character, and prevent mechanical reproductions such as those which render our modern wall papers so commonplace. In a climate like ours, whose moist atmosphere is so unfavourable to the durability of mural painting, this means of decoration has special advantages ; — the non-conducting material of the tapestry hinders the condensation of vapour, through which every process of wall-painting soon becomes soiled and faded, while the hangings can be rolled up and put by when the apartment is not in use. There is, however, one serious obstacle to the general V'i TRANSLATOR'S NOTE. use of -woven tapestries, which is, their enormous cost, rendering them unattainable by any but the most wealthy. A very admirable substitute for woven tapestry has been invented, called ' Painted Tapestry,' consisting of canvas manufactured for the purpose, and painted with ' liquid ' colours. By tins means, the flexile character and pleasing effects of actual tapestry are obtained at a cost that allows of their general adoption. The canvas employed for this painted tapestry is woven in imitation of the various fabrics of the old tapestry cloths. Having no ' body,' the colours penetrate into the material of the canvas, as would a stain or dye. The canvas thus preserves its ' grain ' and its pliancy, and the design has every appearance of having been woven with coloured threads. The process of painting on the canvas with these liquid colours is simple, and can be easily learned by any one pos- sessing a previous knowledge of drawing in colours ; and as the painting can only be executed by the artist's own hands, it will have all the merits of original work. Painted tapestry may either be hung against the wall in the manner of ancient tapestries, or stretched on wood frames, or fastened <>n the wall with some adhesive substance. In either <-:i-<' tlii> mode of decoration has undoubted advantages, in point of duration, over any process of wall painl ing dow pracl ised. To those who are :i^ yet unacquainted with painted translator's note. vii tapestry, no higher recommendation can be desired than the fact of its being employed by the distinguished French architect, Monsieur Viollet-le-Duc, for wall decorations in his beautiful buildings. Coloured illustrations of Bon* the simpler of these are given in his charming book, 'How to Build a House,' (page 251) where the following description occurs in reply to Paul's observation concerning them : — ' I never saw any hangings like this painted canvas before ; they look very well ; one might fancy they were tapestry.' 'Yes; I cannot imagine why these kinds of hangings, which were formerly much used, should have been abandoned, for it is clear that everybody could not have Flemish or Gobelin tapestry, any more than Cordova leather. Those things were very costly ; whereas painted canvas hangings do . not cost much more than wall papers, and less than up- holstery hangings, chintz excepted. But it would scarcely do to hang a drawing-room or a dining-room with cliintz ; it does not look sufficiently substantial, though it may be well enough for a bed-room. In the principal apartments, hang- ings should have a velvety, warm, substantial effect.' ' And are these of painted canvas substantial ? ' ' In appearance certainly, and in reality also ; in proof of which you may see at Eheims some dating from the fifteenth century, and which are perfectly well preserved. . . . The cost of the material is trifling, and the value ot % the hangings depends on the artist's work. The cloths can be rolled up and sent anvAvhere at small expense. On the spot VUl TRANSLATOR S NOTE. they are fastened on thin frames called tapestry strainers. Thus there is a space between the wall and the hanging, which is necessary in the country, where sized papers always spoil ; and this is so much the more convenient as if the rooms are not warmed in winter, and if damp is feared, the cloths can be taken down, rolled up and put in a dry place, to be replaced in the spring, as we do with tapestry.' ' I thought when I opened the drawing-room door that it was tapestry.' 1 The coarse texture of the cloth does in fact resemble the tapestry stitch, and the painting has the flat tone of the wall. On the whole the painted tapestries of our house scarcely cost more than the high-priced papers that are made now-a- days, and they last longer, to say nothing of our being sure not to see our own patterns on everybody's walls.' ' Very true ; often on going into a drawing-room I have recognised a paper which I had seen elsewhere.' Painted tapestry is being largely employed by French architects and decorators for the adornment of interiors, and its great advantages cannot fail to be soon duly appre- ciated by ourselves. Benjamin Bucknall. A i.i.i BBS : January L879. PREFACE. Painting, properly so called, held only a secondary place among the arts of ancient times. 'Decorative Painting, regarded as the complement of Architecture, was co-extensive with the latter.' ' The further we go back into Antiquity,' says M. Viollet le Due, ' the more intimate do we find the alliance between Architecture and Painting. All the build- ings of India, Asia Minor, Egypt and Greece were covered with painting within and without. The Architecture of the Dorians, that of Attica, of Magna Grrecia and of Etruria was painted.' In the present day the employment of decorative painting- has received a considerable impulse. Now, especially, the progress of the Arts, the refinement of taste, the caprices of fashion, the demands of luxury, but above all the habituation to elegant comfort that has been prevalent throughout society, have made the decorative painter an indispensable auxiliary in the embellishment of modern buildings. Public buildings, such as Churches, Palaces, Theatres, Chdteaiuv, Mansions, Hotels, etc, are not considered finished X PREFACE. until they have received an artistic completion at the hands of the decorative painter, which supplies a kind of final consecration to the architect's work. As every step in advance leads to another, a novel branch of aesthetic industry has made its appearance as an effective auxiliary in the extension of this form of art. We refer to the use of decorative painting on canvas for ceilings and wall spaces of rooms. It was in 1861, at the first Exposition de Vunion Centrale des Beaux Arts appliques a V Industrie, that this novel appliance was brought into notice. It had been invented some time before by M. Binant, one of the original founders of the Union Centrale des Beaux Arts. The following year in London, at the Great Exhibition of 1862, these hangings again attracted attention on account of their large dimensions without seams ; and the widths of 20 ft. and 26 ft. there exhibited, and for which prizes were awarded, assured the adoption of this novel appliance for decorative painting. The Art Journals of the time, Le Moniteur des Arts, Le Propagateur Jllustre, Le Journal-Manuel de Peinture, Le Con- .settler (Irs Artistes, etc., called public attention to the revolu- tion which must result from this new branch of artistic indusl ry. Results have justified their predictions. 1 Consequently, 1 in the Beoond pari of this worl will be found a notice of the principal PREFACE. xi since the dates referred to, how many paintings I. been executed in the atelier, with comparative ease, and with the advantage of having the materials all at hand ; in how many important decorative works have these hangings been used, besides the large paintings of the New Opera, the interiors of the Churches of St. Augustin and La Trinite, the Hotel de la Legion d'Honneur, etc. ; how many works have been sent to distant places, ready finished, — thus obviating the necessity for a method of painting on the spot on scaffold- ings — nearly always inconvenient and often dangerous. In the domain of progress all things exert a reciprocal influence, and innovations apparently the most trifling have often a most important bearing both on art and manufacture. The influence of a particular invention on the customary processes of any branch of productive industry cannot there- fore be ignored. Decorative industry forms no exception ; the impetus once given, it will follow the progressive move- ment of the age. Through what phase in the aesthetic life of the nation are we now passing ? Never, to all appearance, has the taste for works of art been so general. When have Exhibi- tions been so much in vogue as now? The number of visitors, as also that of the objects sent for exhibition, is yearly increasing. The productions of painters and sculptors create a warm interest, and receive well deserved praise on the advantages offered by these hangings, both as regards decorative art ar.d architec- ture, and an enumeration of the many works in which they have been employed. xii PREFACE. part of the visitors. The number of buyers increases, and prices are rising. A further proof of the aesthetic tendencies of the time is the multiplication of expensive works treating on special branches of art, and which are so largely read. The idea of bringing examples of ancient as well as contemporary art with- in the reach of the public is a happy one, and has afforded the originators the double satisfaction of a well merited success and legitimate profit. It need not be feared, as some have suggested, that imag- ination will be dulled and finally paralysed by the facilities thus afforded for procuring ideas. The mind of the true artist will only be roused and stimulated to invention by the treasures thus put within his reach. On the other hand he who lias not the priceless gift of inspiration, will at least derive from them the means of rendering his works toler- able. He does not run the risk of losing his power of origin- ation if he does not possess it, or if it is too feeble to hinder him from interpreting ill the ideas of others. We learn from the official reports published on the occa- sion of the Industrial Exhibition of 1828, that we had become dependent on foreigners for numerous productions of an artistic character, such as paper-hangings, chintzes, costly furniture, and in fact, for most of the new designs which constitute I he ' fashion. 9 Now, however, the conl rary is the case ; instead of having to borrow anvthins from without in matters of taste, it is we PREFACE. xiii who supply the foreigner. Paris has become the centre of a host of skilful artists who furnish designs, not only lor our own looms but for those of other countries. In decorative art our neighbours have for a long while been indebted to our designers and ornament makers. This dependence, however, is becoming irksome to them, and we must not ignore the fact that the founding of Schools of Art and other national institutions with a similar object is tend- ing to render them more independent. One of the most definite results of International Exhibitions is that they have enabled us clearly to appreciate — in fact through ocular demonstration — our distance behind or in advance of rival nations in the various branches of art and manufacture. It has become almost a patriotic duty for the wealthy classes to encourage our artists by taking an interest in their works, but especially by acquiring the cultivation necessary for appreciating with discernment, knowledge and taste those novel productions which receive from the public so little intelligent criticism. The best incentive to a sincere artist is the certainty of being criticised by real connoisseurs and enlightened amateurs. It would be well if we could see restored that numerous body of intelligent critics to whom in former times our decorative arts owed nearly as much as to the very skilful artists who produced them. The race of real amateurs is sadly diminished in number ; it now forms only a minority too feeble to offer any serious counterpoise to the mass oH XIV PREFACE. the opulent or well-to-do public which, without having taken the trouble to form or educate its taste, buys, orders and assumes to direct or influence the artist and the work- man. We are too apt to forget the good service which a few persons of refined taste, whose opinions are in the long run sure to influence those of the public, might render to the art of a country. But men cannot become enlightened critics or distinguished amateurs without some practical acquaintance with the subject, for it is always difficult to form a well- founded judgment in any branch of art when we are entirely ignorant of all those practical methods which constitute what may be called its technical grammar. Should they devote themselves to sculpture or painting properly so called ? If they have perseverance, leisure, ability, and natural genius — that is, if they combine in them- selves the conditions and faculties which make great artists — without doubt we should urge them to become sculptors or painters. But how many years would be required to pro- duce any tiling even tolerable in either department ! In the imitation of tapestry, by painting on a particular kind of canvas, and with special colours, we have however a branch of pictorial art which does not present such serious difficulties, but affords lively enjoyment to the amateur at an early stage of his progress, because he very soon acquires the power of producing original or at least meritorious wi >ik. PREFACE. xv In the Exposition of last year, so successfully organised by the Union Ccntruli' s llaux Arts appliquis a VIndu tri the palace of the Chain])- Elysees, therewere exhibited many of these painted tapestries which obtained the well-d - admiration of all. Here again manufacture has aided art, and tissues have been produced by M. Binant, who, taking the initiative in this effort also, has succeeded in producing specimens character- istic of various epochs, in the style of which any subject, or copy of a piece of tapestry may be rendered so as to realise all the effect of ancient needle-work. Harmonising with the £esthetical movement above referred to. these painted tapes- tries will naturally find their place in interior decoration, whether in panels, curtains or wall-hangings, and accommo- date themselves to the taste which has lately arisen for this kind of painting, and which has spread so rapidly among amateurs and artists. But if we would thoroughly understand the various kinds of ancient tapestries and the worth of our manufactured materials, we must know how to distinguish the various modes of fabrication : a point we shall endeavour to make clear. We shall then describe the principal historical pieces existing in our churches and museums, and shall con- clude with some general reflections on the influence which this revival of a pictorial art of former times is calculated to exert on modern decoration. CONTENTS. Translator's Note . Preface . v PART I. Notes Historical and Technical on Tapestry Haute-lisse (vertical warp) Tapestry . Basse-lisse (horizontal warp) Tapestry Savonnerie Tapestry Remarkable Tapestries Painted Tapestries Contrast of Colours Ornamental Borders 1 14 IV 17 41 PART II. Requisites for Studio and Preliminary Operations Liquid Colour Process : — First Lesson ..... Second Lesson . ... Third Lesson . ... Fourth Lesson . Grenei'al Instructions .... 61 66 67 71 XV111 CONTENTS. Vaeious Processes: — Albumen Paintiug Wax Painting .... Turpentine Painting . Mixed Paintiug .... Oil Painting on Prepared Canvas Acid Paintiug .... Gilding Canvas of great Widths for Decoration Fixing (Marodflage) of Painted Tapestry Artistic Restoration of Tapestry . 75 76 77 77 78 79 81 88 87 88 PAINTED TAPESTEY. PAET I. NOTES HISTORICAL AND TECHNICAL ON TAPESTRY— REMARKABLE TAPESTRIES— ANCIENT PAINTINGS ON CANVAS. NOTES HISTORICAL AND TECHNICAL ON TAPESTRY. 4 We possess no examples of woven tapestry of earlier date than the fourteenth century,' says M. Darcel, in his interesting essay recently published in the ' Gazette des Beaux Arts * in reference to the Exposition de 1'Union Centrale, ' but as the unity of Art in the Middle Ages enables us to trace back- wards from the known to the unknown, we may be certain that, like mural paintings, the most ancient hangings were only enlarged miniatures.' The art of producing tissues in imitation of paintings by the combination of threads of various colours has existed from the earliest times. 1 The description given in the Book of Exodus of the hangings which embellished the interior of the Tabernacle prove this. Certain of these stuns, em- broidered in silk, wool, and gold thread with the needle, were called opus plumarii (product of the workman) because they 1 Larousse, Lictionnaire dv, XIX l>hi Such-. B L 2 PAINTED TAPESTRY. came out of the workshop of the weaver who made them by combining, with the help of numerous shuttles, wools and silks of divers colours. At Babylon, also, the temples of the gods and the palaces of the kings were decorated with storied hangings. According to Apollonius, the Babylonian women excelled in the making of these sumptuous fabrics. Philostratus informs us that in the palace of the Assyrian kings were to be seen tapestries woven with gold and silver, which por- trayed the Greek fables of Andromeda, Orpheus, &c. The famous tapestries which in the time of Metellus Scipio were sold for 800,000 sesterces and which later on were bought by Nero to cover his festal couches, for the exorbitant sum of 2,000,000 sesterces (about 16,400/.) were of Babylonian origin. On some of the Egyptian monuments may be seen portrayed looms and shuttles which are closely analogous to those which have been since employed in manufacturing tapestry. The Medes, the Persians, the Phoenicians, and many other Eastern nations, were celebrated in ancient times for their skill in manufacturing tissues of rich design and brilliant colours. According to Herodotus, certain nations on the shores of the Caspian Sea were wont to ornament their garments with representations of animals, flowers, and landscapes. For many ages the East retained the distinction of supplying Europe with stuffs, hangings, and woven or embroidered tapestries. Greece and Rome eagerly sought these precious fabrics. Bomer frequently makes mention of works of this kind. The well of Penelope, portraying the exploits of I'lysses, has become famous. It was on tapestry that Philomela, a prisoner and dumb, embroidered her adventure with Tereus and by means of it informed her sister Procne of the bar- NOTES HISTORICAL AND TECHNICAL ON TAPESTRY. barous infidelity of her husband. Helen, during the - of Troy, worked at an embroidery representing the combats of the heroes who were slaying each other on her account. On the cloak of Ulysses was represented a dog tearii child. Of course we are not to infer that all these work-, real or fabulous, are to be understood as tapestries, in the strict sense of the term ; but the descriptions of them which the Gt authors have left us show that the taste for pictorial fabrics dates from very remote times. The Eoman authors, again, make frequent mention of rich hangings used for draping the walls of houses and covering festal couches. The t< tea Attalici, so named because they had been bequeathed to the Eoman people by Attalus, king of Pergamus, were of incom- parable magnificence. We find an historian of the reign of Theodosius describing the young Eomans in the decline of the Empire as engaged in making tapestries. In the earliest period of the Middle Ages we find em- broidered or woven fabrics used for ornamenting churches. Gregory of Tours often mentions them in his descriptions. At the consecration of the Church of St. Denis, the walls were covered with tapestries embroidered with gold and enriched with pearls. Queen Adelaide, wife of Hugh Capet, presented to this same church a chasuble, an altar frontal, and hangings wrought by her hand. Doublet, the historian of the ancient abbey of St. Denis, mentions Queen Bertha's having embroidered a series of representations portraying the glorious deeds of her ancestors. Some French churches still possess ancient fabrics of raised silk work ornamented with figures in which ecclesiastical dignitaries were arrayed on days of high ceremonial. We may mention among others the cope of St. Mesme at Chinon; the winding-sheet B 2 4 PAINTED TAPESTRY. of St. Germain at Auxerre ; the cope of St. Louis d'Anjou, at Saint Maximin (Var), the chasuble of St. Yves at the episcopal residence of Saint Brieuc. ' From these fabrics to storied tapestries or pictures in wool,' says M. Lacordaire (' De l'Origine des Tapisseries reunies aux Gobelins ' ) the transition might have been silently effected, during a long course of time, beneath the shadow of the cloisters and cathedrals, to which this kind of interior decoration was so perfectly suited. The ancient historians of the town of Auxerre say that St. Anthelme, bishop, who died in 840, had many fabrics made for his church. About 985 a verit- able manufactory of tapestries and of various stuffs was established in the monastery of St. Florent de Saumur. ' In the time of Eobert, third Abbot,' say Dom Martenne and Dom Durand, ' the works or manufactures of the cloister were enriched by splendid paintings and sculptures ac- companied with inscriptions in verse. The said Abbot, an enthusiastic lover of art, sought and obtained a considerable quantity of magnificent ornaments, such as great dorserets (dossels), woven of wool, curtains, fastiers (canopies), hang- ings, seat-cloths, and other ornaments embroidered with various designs. Among others he caused to be made two i ;i jxjstries of great beauty and width representing elephants ; and these pieces were wrought by paid weavers of tapestry, in cosily silk. He also ordered two dorserets to be woven of wool. Now dining the making of these cloths, the said Abbot being absent in France, the brother cellarer bade the weavers Hoi to execute the weaving as usual. The work is to prove tin' truth of the circumstance. They made, therefore, several cloths whose length was equal to their width, representing silver linns on a yv<\ ground, with a white border representing figures of animals and birds in red. NOTES HISTORICAL AND TECHNICAL ON TAPESTRY, This unique tapestry remained in our possession as a mode] of work of the kind and was considered the most remarkable of the tapestries of the monastery. In fact, on greal • ■■ sions the Abbot had the cloth of the elephants displayed, and the Prior the cloth of the lions.' A portion of a certain letter that passed in 1025 bet an Italian bishop named Leo and William IV. Count of Poitou, shows that at this period the tapestries of Poitiers enjoyed great repute. The cities of Eeims, Troyes, Beauvais, Ambusson, Felletin, &c, were also famous at an early date for works of this kind. M. le Baron Ch. Davillier, in his interesting sketch, ' Une Manufacture de Tapisserie de haute lisse a Gisors,' informs us that a certain Adrian Neusse, a native of Oudenarde, who had left the subsidised manufactory of Beauvais, came and settled at Gisors in 1703. He asked from the municipality the same privileges as the king had granted to the Beauvais manufactory, and in return for the liberality with which he had been received he presented to it in 1708 a portrait of the king in tapestry. This portrait was sent to Paris, ' to have a suitable 1 frame made for it and a glass over it to preserve the colours.' ami twelve days afterwards it was placed over the great fire-place of the Hotel de Ville, strongly fixed with several fastenings, with a curtain over it hung on a rod. The portrait in question, with its frame of carved and gilt wood, and its bevelled glass, was exhibited in one of the Historical Tapestry rooms at the Exposition de rUnion Centrale. But it was not only in France that skilful weavers were to be found in early times ; the ' Chronique des Dues de 6 PAINTED TAPESTRY. Normandie,' written by Dudon in the eleventh century, informs us that those of England were inferior to none in point of skill and taste ; a specimen of magnificent em- broidery or rich cloth was designated as English work. The same chronicle tells us, moreover, that the Duchess Gronnor, wife of Kichard L, with the aid of her embroideresses, pre- pared hangings of linen and silk ornamented with subjects and figures representing the Virgin and the Saints, to embellish Notre-Dame de Eouen. The Bayeux tapestry attributed to Queen Matilda, wife of William the Conqueror, is the oldest work of the kind in existence. 1 It was not till the twelfth century,' says Paul Lacroix (' Les Artsdu Moyen-age '), ' after the return from the Crusades, which had been the means of creating in the West an admira- tion and desire for the wonderful tissues of the East, that the use of tapestry, becoming still more general in the churches, obtained in the castles. While in the monasteries the monks had found occupation in the artistic weaving of wool and silk, such occupation would naturally be yet more welcome as a source of pleasant distraction to the noble dames in the irksome confinement of their feudal homes. Sur- rounded by their tire-women, as in ancient times the noble Roman matrons by their slaves, these fair ladies, deeply stirred by the stories of chivalry to whose recital they were listening, or inspired by profound faith, devoted themselves to the portrayal with the needle, of the pious legends o\' the Saints or the feats of warriors. Thus covered with touching scenes or martial exploits, the bare walls of bhe greal castle halls assumed an impressive eloquence which could not fail to fill the mind with inspiring visions and noble emol i( »ns.' In the twelfth century beds were bun;'' round with tape NOTES HISTORICAL AND TECHNICAL ON TAPESTRY. 7 tries which enclosed them like a tent; in the fourteenth century the castle halls were almost entirely hung with fringed tapestries, at a sufficient distance from the wall : person to be able to hide behind them. These great apart- ments, says M. Viollet le Due, did not afford sufficient prr for familiar intercourse ; this explains why we often find in castles, close to those large rooms, deep recesses to which persons might retire for private conversation. Towards the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, under the influence Oriental habits, the custom of being seated on carpets was introduced into the courts of the West. From this period also we may date the very frequent use of rich tapestry for tents used in war and the chase. They were also displayed on the walls by way of decoration, on great occasions, and to hide their bareness, as e.g. at the visits of princes. Festive halls were hung with magnificent tapestries, which added to the brilliant effect of the entremets or interludes which were acted during the banquets. At tournaments the lists and the galleries were resplendent with brilliant stuffs which represented scenes of heroic daring. Lastly, the caparison — the livery of the noble steed — displayed its rich and brilliant imagery to the wondering multitude. It may also be remarked that the tapestries wore usually emblazoned with the armorial bearings of the noble for whom they had been fabricated, doubtless with a view to occasions when they might be publicly exhibited. An inventory dated January 21, 1379, preserved in the Biblio- theque Nationale, and in which arc mentioned, together with all the jewels of gold and silver, k all the chapels, rooms o( embroideries and tapestries' of King Charles A'. — may give us an idea not only of the great number of hangings and cloths that formed part of the royal furniture, especially at 8 PAINTED TAPESTRY. the Hotel Saint-Pol, but likewise of the variety of the subjects represented thereon. A few of these tapestries are still in existence, but among those which have been destroyed or lost may be noticed : the great cloth of the Passion of our Lord, that of the Life of Saint Denis, and that of the Life of Theseus ; the great cloth of Goodness and Beauty, that of the Seven Mortal Sins, that of the Twelve Months, that of the Fountain of Youth (' Fontaine de Jouvence ') ; the two cloths of the Nine Preux, that of the Ladies who hunt and, who fly (that is, who hawk), that of the Wild Men, that of Godefroy de Bouillon ; a white chapel-cloth, in the centre of which was represented ' a compass and a rose ; ' a fine large cloth ' which the king bought, which was enriched with gold, picturing the Seven Sciences and Saint Augustin ; ' a large arras cloth representing the Battles of Judas Maccabceus and Antiochus, another representing the Battle of the Puke of Aquitaine and. Florence, &c. The list is endless. ' And it must not be supposed,' says M. Paul Lacroix, ' that royal mansions alone presented these sumptuous displays. The taste for rich cloths was, it may be affirmed, diffused throughout the upper classes ; an expensive taste, if ever there was one, for in addition to the proof afforded by the examination of these wonderful productions that they could have been acquired only at very great cost, we find in ancient documents more than one formal attestation of the fact. For example, Amaury de Goire, weaver, received in 1348, from the Duke of Normandy and Guienne, 392 livres, 3 sous, 9 deniers for a •woollen doth on which were pictured -ernes from the old and New Testament.' In L368 Euchon BartheTemy, money-changer, received 900 francs d'or for a 'wrought cloth, representing the Quest of the Holy Grail, and in L391, the cloth of the History >>/' Theseus, mentioned above, wsls NOTES HISTORICAL AND TECHNICAL ON TAPESTRY. bought by Charles V., for the sum of 1,200 Urn — values for the period.' The tapestry manufacture of Flanders waa already in high repute in the twelfth century ; it became ?ery extei during the succeeding centuries, and the works executed at Arras were sought after throughout Europe. The Church of La Chaise-Dieu, in Auvergne, possesses tapestries which are said to have been made at Arras in the fourteenth century from the cartoons of the Florentine painter Taddeo Gaddi : they represent subjects taken from the Old and New Testa- ment alternately. So highly esteemed were Arras tapes' in Italy that in that country the name arazzi was given to all works of the kind brought from any manufactory in Flanders. The arazzi executed for the Vatican from the cartoon- of Raphael are justly celebrated. Brussels, Oudenarde, and other Flemish towns had important workshops for the weaving of tapestries. The Musee de Cluny contains several Flanders tapestries of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries ; among others a series often pieces (nos. 1C92 and 1701) re- presenting the History of David and Bathsheba. Yasari informs us that the Grand Duke Cosmo de' Medici employed Bronzino, Pontormo and Francesco Salviati, all three painters of great merit, to design cartoons, which were reproduced by a Flemish weaver named Jean Rost ( ' maestro Giovanni Rosto arazziere flamingo ') ; he adds that that prince was so charmed with these tapestries that he established in Florence itself a manufactory which soon pro- duced excellent works. At Mantua, the Duke Frederic, and at Urbino the Duke Francesco Maria, established manu- factories of arazzi. Venice likewise possessed work-shops where ' storied ' fabrics were made, and cloths in which silk and o-old were mingled. 10 PAINTED TAPESTEY. In England, the art of weaving haute lisse tapestries was imported by William Sheldon, towards the end of the reign of Henry VIII. King James I. founded at Mortlake in Surrey a manufactory whose management was entrusted to Sir Francis Crane, and the inspection of the works to the painter Cleen or Cleyn of Eostock ; it was in this manufactory that in Charles I.'s time were executed in tapestry the seven famous cartoons of Eaphael now kept at Hampton Court. The most ancient weavers of cloths in France were called Sarrazinois, according to what we are told by Pierre du Pont, master-weaver to Henry IV., in a curious little work published in 1632 entitled ' Stromatourgie, or, Of the excel- lence of the manufacture of Turkey cloths newly established in France under the direction of that notable man Pierre du Pont, weaver in ordinary to the king for the said works.' Pierre du Pont tells us : ' It is probable that after the utter defeat of the Saracens by Charles Martel in 726, some of them — possibly fugitives or wanderers who had escaped after the defeat — who were skilled in the weaving of these cloths, settled in France to gain their livelihood, and set up a manufacture of Saracenic cloths. As to the fabric and style of their cloths, we have no means of judging beyond what we may infer from a legal decision of the year 1302 which says that these Saracenic tapestry weavers had been established long before the weavers of haute lisse tapes- try, and had long been the only makers, but were now declining, and that the said weavers of haute lisse had begun to establish themselves and to supersede the said Sarrazinois, as in i.-K'i t hey ha~s e done.' The Saracenic tapestry-weavers formed in Paris, in the twelfth cenl my, an important corporation, with regulations for its members, and which among oilier privileges had thai oi NOTES HISTORICAL AND TECHNICAL ON TAPESTRY. 11 exemption from service in the watch. The legal decision of 1302 mentioned by Pierre du Pont, had the effecl of incor- porating the weavers of haute lisse with the Saracenic 1 In 1652, this guild was again augmented by the incorpora- tion of other guilds which had only a distant relationship with the tapestry-weavers: the couverturiers-ndtressergiera and the contrepointiers-coutiers. These three trades en j< the same privileges ; the entire corporation had four patrons : St. Louis, St. Genevieve, St. Sebastian, and St. Fra d'Assisi. We find in the ' Notice sur la manufacture des Gobelins ' by M. Lacordaire, the following information respecting the origin of the royal manufactures of tapestries in France. The weaving of tapestries was exclusively a private manufacture until Francis I. brought from Flanders and Italy some master-weavers, and established at Fontainebleau a manufactory of tapestry of haute lisse, under the direction of Philibert Babou, Sieur de la Bourdaisiere, superintendent of the royal buildings, and of Sebastian Serlio, his painter and ' architecteur ' in ordinary. Some of the numerous painters employed to decorate the Chateau de Fontainebleau were entrusted with the execution of designs which were, for the most part, merely reproductions on paper of the paintings constituting part of the decoration of the chateau. The accounts of the Poyal expenditure from 1540 to 1550, in referring to this branch of outlay, frequently mention Claude Badouyn as commissioned to execute works of the kind. They also give the names of fifteen master-weavers receiving from the king silk, wool, gold, and silver thread — materials for their fabrication — and paid, according to their skill, at the rate of ten or fifteen Uvres a month : they were under the special and daily inspection of the brothers 12 PAINTED TAPESTRY. Solomon and Pierre de Herbaines, master-weavers to the king and having charge of the furniture and tapestries of the chateau. The French hangings of this period were enriched in a novel manner by the admixture of gold and silver introduced into the texture, but still more remarkably by the designs of the first painters of the time, among whom was Primaticcio. Felibien mentions among other tapestries executed from the designs of this master, ' a hanging at the Hotel de Conde painted on silver canvas, with light colours, which was formerly at Montmorency.' The impulse given by Francis I. to the art of tapestry-weaving was not con- fined to the founding of manufactories at Fontainebleau ; he encouraged by numerous orders the manufactories of Paris and even those of Flanders, from which he purchased, at a cost of 22,000 crowns, tapestries then considered the master- pieces of the workmen of that country — the Battles of Scipio after Giulio Eomano, a collection which Henry II. completed some years afterwards by the Triumph of Scipio, executed in tapestry from the cartoons of the same painter. Henry II. maintained the establishment founded at Fontainebleau, and entrusted the general management to Philibert Delorme, superintendent of the royal buildings and his architect in ordinary ; he also established at the Ilopital de la Trinite, in Paris, a manufactory of tapestry which, through the con- cession of privileges of various kinds, soon became verv prosperous. Among the remarkable tapestries produced in these new workshops, Sauval mentions those oi' the Church of Saint Bierry, executed in l-V.H by a master-weaver named Dubourg, from designs by Lorambert. In L597 some weavers of haute lisse were settled by Benry IV. in the Convenl of the Jesuits, in the Faubourg St. A.ntoine, vacant ;it the expulsii n of the order. Laurent, ' fl skilful weaver,' NOTES HISTORICAL AND TECHNICAL ON TAPESTRY. 13 says Sauval, was appointed manager of the new manufactory, and Dubourg was afterwards associated with him. After the recall of the Jesuits, the establishment was transferred to the galleries of the Louvre. In 1604, Pierre du Pont was authorised to establish in the same galleries a manufactory of cloths in the style of the Levant. Henry IV. did not confine himself to found- ing these various manufactories ; he sent to Flanders for about two hundred working weavers, and installed them first in certain apartments of the ' Palais des Tournelles ' which still exist, and whence they afterwards migrated to the ' Faubourg St. Germain.' Under Louis XIII. an enact- ment of the Conseil royal dated April 17, 1627, accorded to Pierre du Pont and Simon Lourdet ' the right to fabricate and manufacture all kinds of cloths, and other furniture and productions of the Levant, in gold, silver, silk, and wool,' on condition that ' in all the towns of the kingdom where the weavers settle they shall instruct in the art a certain number of poor children placed with them by the adminis- trators of the hopitaux.' The number of these children was fixed at a hundred for the City of Paris, and the place appropriated to the new manufacture was a large build ing which had originally served as a soap manufactory (Savonnerie), situated near the banks of the Seine, not far from Passy, on the site of the modern Qua! de Billy. The tapestries produced by this manufactory — the only one of the kind which existed in France — rivalled the pro- ductions of the Gobelins ; they were destined to furnish the royal residences. Piganiol de la Force mentions among the productions of the Savonnerie a carpet which was to cover the entire floor of the great gallery of the Louvre, and which consisted of ninety-two pieces. 14 PAINTED TAPESTRY. On the founding of houses intended as asylums for the poor, a certain number of indigent children were placed in the Savonnerie, and there received a Christian education and were also taught the art of tapestry-weaving ; but some time after the foundation of the Hopital general, differences arose between the administrators of the establishments for the poor who wished to interfere in the management of the Savonnerie, and the director of that house. The interven- tion of Colbert became necessary, and in 1663 that minister gave the manufactory of the Savonnerie a new organisation. Towards the end of Louis XIV. 's reign the establishment lost somewhat of its ancient repute; but in 1713 it resumed all its activity in consequence of the exertions of the Due d'Antin, the superintendent, who had the buildings repaired. The chapel had been founded, in 1615, by Marie de Medicis, under the invocation of St. Nicholas. This fine establish- ment prospered till 1728, at which date it was incorporated with the Gobelins manufactory. Part of the old buildings were taken down to make way for new ones intended for the storage and administration of provisions for the army. We will conclude this account with an explanation of the looms employed for manufacturing the different kinds of tapestry, and some technical details respecting their working. HAUTE LISSB (VERTICAL WARP) TAPESTRY. In the looms for haute lisse tapestry, a fabric is made with :i warp and a weft; but the weft only appears on the face and back. In making, the warp is stretched vertically. The warp-yarns, parallel to one another and in the same plane, are strung on alternate sides of a beam placed HAUTE LISSE TAPESTRY. I ', horizontally, called the crossing-beam [bdton de cro so that, relatively to the weaver, seated between the warp and the pattern when he is at work, half the warps are in front, and the other half behind the fabric. But the back warps can be drawn forwards by means of strings, called Msses, which clip them and connect them with a pole called the lisse j)ole, which is movable and placed below the warp beam and outside the loom. The woof is wound on small wood shuttles, called broaches, tapered to a point at one end. The process of weaving is as follows: the broach h passed from right to left between the front and back warps. Suppose them to be ten in number — five front and live back warps. The weft thus passed forms a demi-throw ; it covers, on the side of the weaver, the five back warps; drawing these forward by means of the lisses, then passing the broach between the back and front warps a second demi-throw is made, which covers the five front warps ; the weft is pressed with the point of the shuttle. At every pass the weft is pressed down with an ivory comb, whose teeth penetrate between each thread of the warp to make the superposed demi-throw lie close and so conceal the warp. The five front and five back warps are completely covered by the weft on both sides and they are brought to the same plane. It is evidently possible to form any kind of figure whose shape or outline shall be oblique to the warp, by varying the length of each demi-throw, or, if the demi-throws are of equal lengths, by varying the starting-point of each ; but the oblique outline will manifestly not be rectilineal or re- gularly curved ; it will always be jagged. On the other hand, the surface of the tapestry, instead of 16 PAINTED TAPESTRY. being plane or smooth like that of a painting or a mosaic, is ribbed b}^ the threads of the warp, and the ribs are striated by the threads of the weft which are perpendicular to them. From this structure it results that the surface of a silk tapestry stuff — Gobelins, for example — forming a white ground, will never have the sheen of an equally white satin formed of parallel threads whose surface is as smooth as possible ; the surface of the tapestry presents ribs that reflect the light and grooves and striatums that partly absorb it. From this double arrangement of the weft and the warp result the particular effects presented by the tapestries and which form their special decoration. If the preceding details have been clearly understood, it will be easy to imagine how the artist reproduces the design although he only sees the back of the copy he is mak- ing. Each demi-throw showing on the front, the effect of the whole throw is the same front and back. Besides, the weaver always has in view the black or red outline marked on the warp in conformity with the pattern reproduced ; the marking indicates the extent of each throw. If the thread ends of the weft-thread did not show at the back of the tapestry, it might be said that the stuff had no back. The haute lisse loom is the only one now in use at the Ciobclins because it lends itself to all the requirements of the largest design, both as regards the size of the figures and the number of the details, and is also specially fitted for weaving hangings or copies of the Longest and widest histori- cal pictures. BASSK-LISSE AND SAVONNERIE TAPESTRY BASSB-LISSB (HORIZONTAL WARP) TAPESTRY. The basse-lisse loom differs from the haute-lisse loom in the warp being stretched nearly horizontally and the being over it ; he thus works with the back towards him like the weaver of haute-lisse. The small wood shuttles on which the weft is twined are called flutes instead of broaches. No outline is marked on the warp, because it is traced on a paper fastened to a table placed beneath the warp. The basse-lisse loom is now the only one employed in the Beauvais manufacture. It lends itself to all the requirements of the most finished tapestry work for furniture, while it allows of greater rapidity in the execution. It was employed at the Gobelins until 1826 ; it was used concurrently with the haute-lisse loom and for the manu- facture of tapestries for furniture. An attempt was made to work with the front to the weaver, but without success. The principal disadvantage was the difficulty of preventing the soiling caused by the touch of the workmen and by the dust. SAVONNERIE TAPESTRY". The Savonnerie cloths are produced by a process alto- gether different from the preceding, for these fabrics arc veritable velvets. Their structure is very complicated ; neither the warp, which is of wool, nor the weft, which is of hemp, shows when the tissue is woven. The weaver si - the front of the cloth and not the back ; the warp is stretched vertically, but the dimensions of the loom are greater. In this kind of weaving, which we shall also describe, (as it is but little known) the warp consists of parallel threads ; c 18 PAINTED TAPESTRY. the warp beam so divides the series of back threads from that of front threads, that each front thread is opposite a back thread. The cloth is begun with what is called the fabric (luiere) which is woven in the same way as the Gobelins tapestry. A weft of wool is wound on a shuttle ; it is passed between some of the front threads and the back threads from right to left ; this is called wefting. Then having drawn the lisses forwards, the weft is passed from left to right between the back threads drawn forward and the front threads ; this is called throwing. After this double passing of the shuttle, every thread of the warp is surrounded by the weft both in front and behind. At each passing the weft is pressed down with an iron comb to prevent the warp from showing. We must now explain how the knotted pile of these cloths is made when the fabric (lisiere) is of sufficient height. This pile is made with a yarn of wool wound on a shuttle. This yarn is nearly always formed of five threads of wool, but sometimes of ten ; there are three ways of mingling the threads. 1. With threads all alike ; for grounds nearly always. 2. Witli threads of one scale of colour, but of different tones. 3. With threads belonging to different scales of colour, but of nearly similar tones. The mingling of threads com- posing the yarn allows of an almost endless variety in the colours, not only in point of tone, but also in respect of shade. The wool which constitutes the pile or yarn is the only part of the cloth that shows when in its place. To make the knot, the yarn shuttle is passed from right to left behind one of the front warp I h reads. A kind of loop SAVONNERIE TAPESTRY. L9 is left on the front of this thread by not tightening the pile yarn. By pulling forward a tisse, the contiguous back thread which corresponds with the former front thread ifi brought forwards. It is in this contiguous warp thread, thus advanced, that the knot is made. To do this the shuttle is passed from right to left behind it, and then brought so as to knot the yarn round this thread. Each knot is pressed down with the thumb and fore- finger, and the loops are opened with the scissors; or, to economise the pile, use is made of the thread-cutter, which is a cylindrical piece of iron -^ of an inch in diameter, ter- minated by a knife blade. Before making the knot the thread-cutter is placed horizontally at the height of the intended knot, the wool being at the weaver's left hand. After having passed the shuttle on a first warp thread, the pile is wound around the cylindrical part of the thread-cutter, thus forming a loop of a similar kind to that mentioned above ; then the knot is made on the companion thread, and this time the shuttle is passed behind the thread-cutter, whereas in the first instance it passed in front to surround it. The same thing is repeated continuously. On completing a series of horizontal knots whose loops surround the cylindrical parts of the thread-cutter, the latter is drawn from left to right, to cut them so as to divide the loop into two ends which are set perpendicularly on the warp. Thus in the Savonnerie tapestry each thread of the warp is double, since each consists of a front thread corre- sponding with a back thread, while in the Gobelins and Beauvais fabrics each thread of the warp is single. When a horizontal series of knots of a certain length c 2 20 PAINTED TAPESTRY. has been made, it must be strengthened with hempen threads. These are arranged on two shuttles ; on one is wound a double hempen thread called duke ; on the other is wound a single hempen thread called trame. The horizontal series of knots are fixed by passing the duite from right to left between the front and back warp threads ; and then striking it with the comb to press it down on the knots. If the duite, which exceeds the length of the knots to be strengthened, be not cut, it may be laid back from left to right in the interior of the stuff. The back warp threads are drawn forwards by means of lisses, and the weft is then passed from right to left between the front and the back threads which are brought for- wards. The work is again pressed down with the comb, and the pile is thereby made firm. It is evident that this hemp thread makes with the woollen thread of the warp an actual tissue, for every woollen thread is bound round with hemp thread. This may be plainly seen by looking at the back of the tapestry : the pattern shows distinctly, but it is flat, not in pile, and the woollen pile is separated by the hemp threads. When several rows of knots have been superposed and tightened, the pile is clipped perpendicularly to its axis with wide-bladed scissors whose handles are crooked at right alleles. By this clipping the interior of the woollen pile is ex- posed and presents the visible surface of the cloth when in place. To produce a satisfactory effect, it is evident that the partial clippings should be managed so as to appeal- of ;i single clear and even cut. It LS in the selection of the woollen pile threads which the weaver judges most suitable for rendering a cartoon. SAVONNERIE TAPESTRY. 21 and in the art with which he blends them together, that his skill consists, for this is not mere mechanical work. From the foregoing it may be concluded that in the present day the Gobelins and Beauvais manufactures pre* the most advanced phase of tapestry fabrication in point of beauty of effect; that the Gobelins manufacture is the type of tapestry fabrication for hangings with historical designs, and is wrought in vertical warp looms ; that the Beauvais manufacture represents the fabrication of tapestries for furniture and employs the horizontal warp looms ; and that the manufacture of la Savonnerie represents the most advanced stage in the fabrication of what are called Turkish cloths. We may add that the Flanders tapestry contains from 10 to 12. | strands to the inch ; that of the Gobelins 21 to 22. J, Beauvais 26 to 27^, Paris 18 J> ; Brussels 16, and Alencon 9. If we would appreciate the characteristics of our manu- factures in point of origin and quality, we must evidently first make ourselves acquainted with the differences between the Gobelins and Beauvais tapestries on the one hand, and the fabrics of la Savonnerie on the other hand ; and next distinguish the tapestry for hangings or the copies of pictures executed at the Gobelins from the tapestry for furniture executed at Beauvais. We trust that our readers will now be able to make this distinction. 22 PAINTED TAPESTRY. EEMAEKABLE TAPESTEIES. Tapestries of Aix — Anet — Angers — Arras — Aulhac — Auxerre — Bayard — Bayeux — Beauvais — Berne — la Chaise-Dieu — Dijon — Middleburg — Nancy — Paris — Reims — Toulouse — Valenciennes. THE AIX TAPESTRY. Made at the beginning of the sixteenth century, this tapestry bears the arms of Henry III. of France, and those of William Warham, Archbishop of Canterbury. It came from England, but had been purchased at Paris in 1656. It is divided into twenty-seven compartments, representing the principal events in the lives of Jesus and Mary. It is worked in wool mingled with silk. THE CHATEAU D'ANET TAPESTRIES. These tapestries date from the middle of the sixteenth cen- tury — the time when the chateau of Diana of Poitiers was built. They came from the manufactory of FontainebleaUj founded by Francis I., and which PhiKberl Delorme, architect of Anet. was commissioned by Eenry TT. to superintend. They are four in number, but they must have formed part of a more numerous scries which embellished a gallery or hull of the first story. They represent mythological siil) jects — The Fable of Tphigenia; the Fable of Meleager ; the REMARKABLE TAP: Fable of Laiona, and the F I In the bo r the arms of Diana of Poitiers, besides emblems an'": - ornamented with inscriptions character:- -.his period. In the top border is a larg ing the descrip- tion in French verse of the subject represented 1 tapestry. The upright borders consist of architectural fea: intermingled with caiyatides, female figures, ciphers and emblems special to Diana of Poitiers. In the middle of the lower border is a large cartouche with figures and inscriptions. Height 15 ft. 6 in., width 13 ft. 6 in. THE AGGERS TAPESTEY. Judging by the architectural decorations of the pictures, and the initials and arms with which they are ornamented, the tapestries bearing the name of the Apocalypse date from two periods — the fourteenth and the fifteenth centuries. They contain no less than forty-two subjects, on grounds alternately red and blue. The first subject, which is a sort of preface to the work, represents a man meditating on the Apocalypse which is placed on a desk before him ; a fabric enriched with fleur-de-lis and crosses forms a canopy above his head and a dossel behind his chair : butterflies whose wings are diapered with the arms of Anjou and Brittany are flattering in the air ; lastly, two angels at the summit of the cai which shelters this personage, hold two standards bearing arms of Anjou and the Cross of Lorraine. The first Apo- calyptic scene exhibits St. John listening to the celestial voice which is speaking to him. and viewing the book in which he is going to write his vision, to send it to the Seven Churches which are before him. guarded by seven angels. In the forty-second compartment the angel who meas- 21 PAINTED TAPESTRY. the Holy City holds a golden rod ; he is taking St. John by the hand and leading him to the Heavenly Jerusalem. THE ARRAS TAPESTRIES (CALLED ARAZZI). These celebrated tapestries of the Vatican, executed at Arras (whence this name) for the decoration of the Sixtine Chapel, Avere designed by Eaphael in 1515-16. It has been asserted that they were not executed in Flanders till 1520, and that they did not arrive in Eome until after the death of Raphael ; but authentic documents prove that they were brought to the Vatican in 1518, and that this great master had the pleasure of seeing his work crowned with perfect success, for the enthusiasm of the Eomaiis was inde- scribable. Vasari, speaking of these tapestries, says that ' they appear rather as if created by miracle than produced by the hand of man.' It is supposed that the Fleming Bernard Van Orley, who had studied under Eaphael, superintended the fabrication of the Arazzi. These tapestries, the subjects of which are borrowed from the New Testament and the Acts of the Apostles, occupy a special gallery in the Pontifical Museums called the Gallery of the Arazzi. The most admired are the Miraculous Draught of Fishes; the Massacre of the Innocents (in three compositions) ; the Cure of a Lame Man by St. Peter ; the False Prophet Ely 'mas; Si. I'f St. Stephen left in the place of his Martyrdom and exposed to the Beasts ; two angels are carrying to heaven the soul of the holy deacon. In the second compartment is seen ' how Gamaliel (Gamaliel) secretly, for fear of the Jews, carried the body of St. Stephen into the town called Capharmagala, and placed it in the Sepulchre.' In the third scene the Priesl Lucian is informed three times in a dream by Gamaliel of the place where the body of St. Stephen lies. The fourth scene sees Lucian revealing his vision to John, Bishop of Jerusalem. The arms of I. Baillet, Bishop of Auxerre at the end of the fifteenth century, appear on a column and on a well which separate two of the scenes. THE CHATEAU DE BAYARD TAPESTRY. This tapestry, like that of Aulliac, represents scenes from the Iliad : — Penthesilea, Queen of the Amazons, coming to help the Trojans, received by Priam and his Court ; the said Queen in combat with Diomed, while Philomenes is engaged with Ajax, son of Telamon ; Pyrrhus armed as a Knight with the customary Ceremonial of the Middle Ages. These various scenes are rendered with dramatic force ; the figures are fine and the costumes rich and elegant. 28 PAINTED TAPESTRY. This tapestry long adorned the great hall of the Chateau de Bayard, near Grenoble. It was taken to Lyons, where it was purchased by M. Jubinal, by whom it has been described and illustrated in his work entitled ' Anciennes Tapisseries historiees ; ou collection des monuments les plus remar- quables de ce genre qui nous soient restes du moyen age, a partir du XI e jusqu'au XVT siecle inclusivement ' (Paris, 1838, 2 vol. in-folio). Height 14 ft. 3 in., width 7 ft. 8 in. THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY. This is the oldest work of the kind known. It represents the history of the Conquest of England by William of Normandy, in a series of scenes whose subjects are explained by a Latin inscription. The series begins with the departure of Harold from the court of Edward, and ends with the battle of Hastings. The figures, rude and barbarous in the drawing but most expressive in gesture, are embroidered on linen canvas with wools of eight different colours, viz., light and dark blue, red, yellow, light and dark green, black, and dove colours. These colours are by no means distributed accord- ing to the nature of the subject. The filling in of the figures is done with wool laid flat and afterwards fastened down by chain stitches ; the outlines, the articulations, and the folds of the dresses are edged with n kind of cording. The contours of the flesh are simply indicated by a blue, red, yellow, or green line. The historical scenes occupy a height of only I 3 in., and arc comprised between two borders in which are figured vr:\\ or fabulous animals, scenes from (lie chase and from rural life &c. Mr. Frank Rede Fowke, in his magnificenl work (London, L875, quarto, with 79 plates). REMARKABLE TAPES] RIES. thus describes the tapestry: — 'The ancient work of art pre- served at Bayeux is a band of linen upwards of 230 ft. in length by about 20 in. in width, on which the history of the Norman Conquest is portrayed with the needle by means of woollen thread of eight different colours. ' It contains 72 compartments or scenes, in which are figured 623 persons, 202 horses and mules, 55 dogs, 505 animals of other kinds, 37 buildings, 41 ships and boat-, and 49 trees ; making a total of 1,512 objects. The historical part of the tapestry is chiefly confined within a width of 131 in., the top and bottom forming fantastic borders, con- taining lions, birds, camels, minotaurs, dragons, sphinxes, some of the fables of iEsop and Phsedrus, feats of horseman- ship, scenes of the chase, fishing, &c. Sometimes the border exhibits references to the history, containing allegorical allu- sions to the events represented.' According to the tradition still extant at Bayeux this tapestry was the work of Queen Matilda. Another supposi- tion attributes an English origin to it, as testified by the orthography of certain words, such as ceastra, franel, oeligyva, &c. Others maintain that the work, which from the earliest times has belonged to the cathedral of Bayeux, was fabricated by the order of Bishop Odo, brother of William the Conqueror, whose portrait appears there several times. Most archaeologists agree in regarding the Bayeux tapestry as a work of the eleventh century, their reason for this judgment being that the falcons have no hoods — these having been introduced only about the year 1200 — the two Vs instead of W, the resemblance of the letters to those seen on the products of the eleventh century, the conformity of the costumes, arms, &c. Everything seems to indicate that 80 PAINTED TAPESTRY. this remarkable tapestry was probably executed at Bayeux for Bishop Odo by native workmen. This tapestry barely escaped being destroyed at the Bevolution by soldiers employed in the commissariat, who were on the point of cutting it up to pack military effects in. Sent to Paris by order of Napoleon I. it was later on restored to the town of Bayeux, which in 1839 decided on building the gallery of the Hotel de Ville where it is now exhibited. The Bayeux tapestry has been drawn and otherwise copied several times. Eeproductions of it specially deserving of notice are those in the ' Monuments de la Monarchic Fran- chise,' by Montfaucon ; the ' Antiquites Anglo-JSTormandes,' by Ducarel ; the ' Anciennes tapisseries historiees,' by M. A. Jubinal ; the work by Fowke, 1 with its photo-engravings ; and the full size facsimiles in photo-engraving of the South Kensington Museum. THE BEAUVAIS TAPESTRIES. Guillaume de Hollande, Bishop of Beauvais from 1444 to 1462, presented to his cathedral tapestries of haute-lisse which decorated the choir of that church until the eighteenth century. Several pieces of this decoration have perished ; the fragments that have been preserved represent the Acts <>f Si. J'r/n\ Ajmstle. One of these fragments belongs to the MiiM-cde CTuny and bears the following inscription which explains the subject, ' How the Angel led St. Peter out of Herod's Prison. 5 The other fragments whieli are preserved in the cathedral of Beauvais are, like the one just mentioned, remarkable for the richness of the costumes and the natural 1 The Bayeux Tapestry f reproduced in autotype plates, with historic notes, by li.mk Rede Fowke, 4to. London: Arundel Society, L875, REMARK AI II, K TAPESTEIES. -I expression of the faces. Other tapestries of the first half <>f the fourteenth century, and which are said to have been the production of the manufactories of Arras, but which \ probably were executed at Beauvais itself, relate to the founding of various Gallic towns, and present figures of personages more or less apocryphal, to whom tradition ascribed their foundation ; such as Belgius, king of the Gaul-, founder of Beauvais ; the Phrygian Paris, founder of Pari- ; Lugdus, king of the Celts, founder of Lyons; Remus, brother of Romulus, founder of Reims. One compartment present- a map with the names of countries, rivers, &c, spelt as follows : le Rhin, Souisse, Savoye, Mediterranee, Loyre, Aquitaine, Gironde, Gascoigne, France, Seine, Bretaigne, Xormandie, Picardie, Angleterre, Flandres, Artois, Holende, Ardene. THE BERNE TAPESTRIES. These are ten in number. Six of them were taken as booty at Granson and at Morat (1476) and appear to date from the first half of the fifteenth century. They represent the Adoration of the Magi; the Judgment of Trajiui. St. Gregory of Nazianzus by his Prayers delivering the soul of that Emperor from Hell; Cossar passing the Rubicon; &c. The other four date from the first half of the sixteenth century, and represent the Life of St. Vincent. These tapestries. whose execution is remarkably beautiful and which are well preserved, are exhibited within the choir of the cathedral of Berne on special occasions, as, e.g., at the opening of the Helvetic Diet. 32 PATXTED TAPESTRY. THE CHAISE-DIEU TAPESTRIES. The best archaeological authorities agree in regarding these tapestries as not of older date than the beginning of the sixteenth or the end of the fifteenth century. They exhibit the arms of Jacques de Saint-Nectaire, last regular abbot of the Abbey of la Chaise-Dieu, and were presented by him to that monastery in 1518. But there is reason to believe that they were fabricated after the Cartoons of an Italian artist, perhaps even made in Italy — at Florence or Venice ; the figures have an elegance of attitude and a nobility of type not to be found in the works of Northern schools. The fabric of the tapestry is rich and fine ; the tissue is loom- woven, with woollen, golden, and silver threads. These tapes- tries are fourteen in number, three of which, square in form, measure eleven feet each way, and represent the Birth, Death, and Resurrection of Christ. A fourth is 28 ft. long and 6 ft. 8 in. high. The other ten are only 20 ft. by 6 ft. 8, and are each divided into three compartments separated by colonnettes ; the centre compartment generally exhibits an event in the life of Christ, and the other two, scenes from the Old Testament prefiguring the New. Latin inscriptions explain and comment on the subjects. THE DIJON TAPESTRY. Tli is tapestry represents tln'ce episodes in the Siege of Dijon by tfo> Swiss in h>lo. The iirst subject is the com- mencement of the siege by the allied armies of Switzerland and Germany, whose chiefs, Jacques de Watteville and Cflric of Wurtemburg, are <»n horseback, in lull armour, in the foreground of the scene; near them the Seigneur de REMARKABLE TAPESTRIES. Vergy, at the head of the volunteers of (Tranche Comte* directing the fire of the artillery againsl the ramparts of Dijon, where a breach lias been already effected, and on which floats the standard of La Tremouille. The militia of Dijon, commanded by the Master of the Horse, Jean de Bessey, and the Seigneurs d'Arcelot, d'Arc sur Thil. and d'Auvillars are preparing to resist the assault. In the bark- ground are seen the steeples of Dijon. The second subject has relation to the cessation of hostilities, which was at- tributed to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin ; the image of Notre Dame de Bon Espoir is carried in procession with great pomp along the ramparts of Dijon; the clergy are arrayed in the most magnificent sacerdotal vestments ; the chief magistrates, followed by the ladies of the city and the citizens, form a numerous and brilliant cortege. The background of the tapestry exhibits the church of the Jacobins and that of Notre Dame. In front the besie<>in<>- army is preparing to retreat. The third subject is the enemy in actual retreat; a white horse is laden with two iron chests supposed to contain the gold which induced the Swiss to raise the siege ; in the mid-distance, men of family or distinction belonging to Dijon are giving themselves as hostages into the hands of the Bernese and Imperial armies. In the background, within the church of Notre Dame. La Tremouille, Governor of Burgundy, is praying before the image of the Virgin. These three subjects are divided by columns ornamented with garlands ; above the capitals and within the held o\ the pictures there is a cipher which some writers have sup- posed to be the weaver's mark, but which there is better opinion for believing to be the monogram of the Admiral, Philippe Chabot, who governed Burgundy some years after D 34 PAINTED TAPESTRY. the raising of the siege of 1513, and who may very well be supposed to have given orders for the making of this tapestry. The style of the drawing shows that this work was executed soon after the event it portrays. The richly elaborated designs and quaint figures quite recall the French miniatures of the beginning of the sixteenth and end of the fifteenth centuries. This tapestry formerly belonged to the church of Notre Dame at Dijon ; having at the close of the last century fallen into the hands of a dealer, it was bought for the city by M. Eanfer de Bretomere, mayor of Dijon from 1802 to 1806, and placed in one of the rooms of the Hotel de Ville ; it has since been transferred to the Museum. Length, 32 ft. 9 in. ; width, 8 feet. THE MIDDELBURG TAPESTRY. This piece of tapestry is divided into three compartments representing the victories of the Zealanders over the Spaniards in 1574 ; inscriptions in Latin verse explain each subject. This interesting tapestry, executed in 1593 by Jean de Maegt, of Middelburg, was formerly placed in the palace of the States of the province of Zealand. It was exhibited at the Paris Exposition Universelle in 1867, in the gallery de Vhistoire du travail (History of Labour). THE NANCY TAPESTRY. This comprises two quite distinct subjects: one, Ahasue- rus revoking his proclamation against the Jews, in presence of Esther^ Baman, and Mordecai ; the other is an allegory whose purport is to show the ill-eU'eels of good living. The per- sonages of I his latter scene bear their names \v rill en on I hem. The hosts are called, Dinner, Supper, Banquet; the guests, REMARKABLE TAPESTRIES. 36 Pastime, Good Company, Gluttony, Daintiness. ) "our good health, Compliance, Habituation. After the repasl their gue* attacked by certain very disagreeable personages — Apoplexy, Paralysis, Pleurisy, Colic, Quinsy, Dropsy, Jaundice, Gravel, and Gout ; they are aided by Sobriety, Pill, ( lyster, &c. The inscriptions in black-letter explain the scenes. Unfortunately the tapestry is incomplete and the conclusion is lost ; the tapestry having suffered cutting and interpolations at various periods. The costumes, ornaments, and furniture, and the style of the work itself belong to the fifteenth century. This tapestry decorated the tent of Charles the Bold when that Prince went to besiege Nancy (1477) ; it came into the hands of the Lorrainers. It embellished the palace of the Dukes of Lorraine till the time of Charles IV., who pre- sented it to his sovereign court. It is now in the Lorraine historical museum. Length, 82 ft. ; width, 13 ft. H in. THE PARIS TAPESTRIES. The Musee de Cluny possesses several very valuable historical tapestries, the products of several manufactories. At the Louvre is a piece of tapestry which belonged to Kichelieu, and which Charles X. bought of the painter Eevoil ; it represents a Miracle of Saint Quentin, and mea- sures 27 feet 4 inches in length by 13 feet 1J inches in height. It is framed in a magnificent border decorated with foliage, fruits, and various designs. The dresses, the character of the designs, and even the style of execution, seem to indicate a Flemish origin. Among the masterpieces in the Gobelins gallery we may mention the portrait of Louis XIV. by Kigaud (the original 36 PAINTED TAPESTRY. of which is at the Louvre) executed in tapestry by M. Collin, an admirable work ; Titian's Assumption, an immense piece, measuring 23 feet in height, is also to be seen there, a very successful work (the original of the latter is at Venice) ; repro- ductions of several paintings by Boucher, delicately finished pictures, difficult to render on account of their light indescrib- able rose-tints ; a head after Nicholas Poussin by Marie Gilbert, &c. THE REIMS TAPESTRIES. These tapestries consist of ten pieces ; they were given to the Church of St. Eemi, in 1531, by Eobert de Lenoncourt, Archbishop of Reims. The subjects are as follows : The Birth of St. Bemi, his Alms and Miracles ; the Battle of Tolbiac, the Baptism of Clovis, the History of St. Genebaut, and Clovis punishing a Miller for disrespect to St. Bemi ; St. Bemi raising a dead man to life, and several other actions of that Saint ; the Plague of Beims, and lastly the Glorification of St. Bemi. These tapestries — remarkable for the skill displayed in the work, the life-like and picturesque composition of the various subjects, and the ability shown in the drawing of the figures — were engraved in 1838 from drawings by Victor Sansonnetti. The Cathedral of Reims possesses other tapestries, the gift of Robert de Lenoncourt in 1530, portray- ing the Life of the Virgin. THE TOULOUSE TAPESTRY. This tapestry now belongs to the Cathedral of Angers. It formerly decorated the Church of St. Satu minus at Toulouse, and represents three scenes from the Life of St. Saturninus, Bishop of thai city. REMARKABLE TAPES! RIEfi 7 In the first compartment is a representation of Christ receiving St. Satnrninus into the company of his seventy- two disciples; and in the background are the Crucifixion, the Resurrection, the Ascension, the Descent of the Holy Ghost, and the Miraculous Draught of Fishes. Th e second subj ect pre - ■ the Farewells of St. Peter and St. Saturninus, St. Paul giving his commission to St. Satnrninus to preach the Gospel, and St. Saturninus building a church. The third scene is the Martyrdom of St. Saturninus. These compositions are framed in pilasters ornamented with grotesque designs. THE VALENCIENNES TAPESTRY. This represents a Tournament ; twelve knights in armour, and mounted on richly caparisoned horses, are engaged in fierce combat with the dagger ; the chivalric lances haw- been broken and their splinters strew the lists. The general arrangement of this composition is perfect; a remarkable harmony prevails between its various parts ; the rules of perspective, which are often disregarded in tapestry, are here carefully observed. The border is ornamented with 20 shields, presenting, as far as the faded colouring enables us to ascertain, the arms of families of the district of Liege and the Bhenish provinces. This tapestry was fabricated in Flanders in the fifteenth century ; it was discovered in 1830 in a garret of the Hotel de Ville, and it now occupies one of the large rooms of that building. Width, 18 ft. ; height, 16 ft, 5 in. 38 PAINTED TAPESTRY. PAINTED TAPESTRIES. Painted tapestry of the Fifteenth Century — Paintings on Canvas in imitation of ancient tapestry — Their adaptation to the purposes of interior decoration — Contrast of Colours — Borders. Although the quantity of works of the kind produced by the looms of France and the neighbouring countries is enormous, tapestry of real artistic value is very rare ; its cost is therefore sometimes excessive, and it is in all cases too expensive for ordinary amateurs. This consideration and the difficulty of using it for the decoration of modern dwellings on account of its uncertain dimensions, has led to the endeavour to obtain a substitute by quicker and less ex- pensive means. Hence the idea suggested itself of producing painted tapestry on canvas prepared for this purpose. The idea however was not a new one, but as old as the fifteenth century, for the Hotel-Dieu of Reims has preserved a great number of painted tapestries, which dale from that period. M. Vitel was the first to call attention to them, and this is whal In- says of them: 'The hangings of the E6tel-Dieu at Reims are nol tapestries, bul large sheets of painted canvas, intended probably to be copied by weavers of tapestry. These hangings were mosl of them painted aboul the middle of the fifteenth century. The drawing is free and bold, the colours laid on with a master hand ; they are pictures of 11FTEENTH CENTURY WORKS. great merit, apart from historical interest and their value in point of rarity and singularity. ' The Edtel-Dieu of Reims still possesses twenty-seven of these paintings, eleven of whose subjects are scenes from the Mysteries of the Passion ; seven, illustrating The Wrath of Our Lord Jesus ( 'hrist ; ten, the Most admirable Mystery of the Old Testament. Three compartments are occupied by portraits of Aposi Irs.' It is not known at what period the Hotel-Dieu of Reims became possessed of these works of art. It is extremely probable that they were, if not bequeathed to it, at least deposited in this building by the Chapter of Notre Dame, at whose instance they were executed. We know for certain that for a long period these hangings have been regarded as part of the furniture of the Hotel-Dieu. Oil-painting was applied to tissues and often combined with the effects of woven material in the time of Henry H., Louis XIII., and Louis XIV. ; proof of this is to be found in the accounts of the disbursements of that period, in which the canvas and the colours are mentioned. The great tapestry of Louis XIV., discovered in the Tuileries, and kept in the Garde-meuble, gives a notion of this kind of painting, which has long since fallen into desuetude. It appeared, therefore, that at a time like the present. when a taste for art is daily gaining ground in all classes of society, the revival of this neglected style of decoration, and the invention of means that would place its productions within the reach of the many, would be a veritable boon and afford a new source of high aesthetic enjoyment. This revival, however, presented many difficulties of a particular kind : the manufacture of canvas whose texture should be an exact imitation of the various kinds o\' 40 PAINTED TAPESTRY. tapestry, and the securing of colours, which while easy to apply to these tissues, should be at the same time fast and brilliant. The difficulties of this double problem have, however, been overcome. Proper colours have been prepared, and, as will be seen in due course, canvas may now be had — expressly manufactured for painted tapestry — of remarkable pliancy, and which perfectly fulfils all the required conditions. There are fifteen or twenty different kinds of canvas, and they are all to be had in widths sufficient for paintings of the largest dimensions. Further explanations will show the advantages afforded by the variety and large dimensions of the canvas. To painters, decorators, and architects this invention will be a real boon, as it will enable them to obtain beautiful painted hangings, possessing all the merits of those tapes- tries which are the most harmonious in colouring and effec- tive in drawing, with every other advantage belonging to this kind of decoration, without the drawbacks of slow pro- duction and high price. An essential advantage also offered by this mode of decoration is the possibility of at once producing an original work — to which the best renderings are always inferior. To be assured of this we have only to call to mind the chef- d'ceuvres of the Gobelins : we feel that despite all his skill the weaver is only the translator of a conception not his own. By superseding the common-place paper hangings, these painted tapestries, which afford the means of a really artistic decoration, will greatly contribute to the awakening of a love for fine art; for each piece will have an intrinsic value, since ii will be an original work, and will be so much the CONTRAST OF 0OLO1 I 1 1 more decorative as it will have beer designed and painted for the particular place it occupies. At the present day we too often sacrifice the interior decoration of our buildings to exterior display, as if the con- trary were not more rational. But a reaction j-. we beli setting in, and architects who give such proofs of skill where they have full play for it, will bestow more of the resources at their disposal on the ornamentation of interiors, in which they will find these painted hangings a valuable aid ; for no form of mural decoration can compare with them in point of taste, elegance, harmony, and richness of effect, or even in cheapness. CONTRAST OF COLOURS. It is very important that both the painter and the weaver should be thoroughly familiar with the physical law of the contrast of colours. The principle of contrast is the reverse of that of mixture. Thus, while yellow and blue, properly mingled, produce green, an orange-coloured stuff in juxta- position to a blue stuff appears of a brighter orange, and the latter takes a more violet hue. As the phenomenon occurs every time two colours are seen together, we see how important to every artist who uses colour is the observation of this comprehensive law. The painter who is ignorant of it cannot intelligent lv and with full consciousness of the grounds of procedure, copy the colours of any design whatsoever ; because these colours, seen together, produce a sensation different from what they would produce if they were seen apart. The phenomena of contrast, classed as simultaneous contrast, successive contrast, and mixed contrast, enabled M. Chevreul more than thirty years since, to place instruction 42 PAINTED TAPESTRY. in the perception of colour on a basis of certainty which was previously lacking. We now know that the contrast of two colours in juxta- position affects both the tone and the colour. When, for instance, the neighbouring colours are of different tones, the deepest appears deeper than it really is, and the other pro- portionally lighter. When the colours belong to different scales, they affect the eye as if the complementary colour of the one were added to the other. Physicists call complementary colours the two colours optically pure whose mingling produces white. When the colours placed together are yellow and blue, the violet, which is complementary of the yellow, is added to the blue, and the orange, which is complementary of the blue, is added to the yellow ; at least, these are the sensations we experience as the result of the colours in juxtaposition — effects, however, of which we are still far from having found a satisfactory physiological explanation. It is only by the observance of the law of contrast that white or grey designs on a coloured ground can be prevented from appearing united with the colours complementary of that ground. The means consist in slightly tinting the white or grey with the colour of the ground. White, or more strikingly a grey ornament, on a blue ground will assume a russet hue; by tinting it with blue the russet-tint disappears. These and the Following observations are of special importance as regards the execution of painted tapestries such ;> s those we slmll treat of further on; 1 1 1 <.> artist or amateur should never lose sighl of them. He musl remember them in the selection of designs for tapestry, and take account of the impossibility of defining forms so sharply CONTRAST OF COLOURS. \.', as in painting. Hence the designs should as far as possible present unblended colours, and the contrasl of colour and tone should conduce to render the forms distincl al a distance at which the groovings and striations of the tapestry cease to be visible. Tapestry, or paintings on canvas in imitation of it, executed in contravention of this rule, will always have a too sombre an effect. To charm the eye and lead the imagination into the land of dreams by enchanting visions is the object of Oriental art. and this is the effect sought in the tapestries of the East. Colour forms their principal charm. The ornamental design is derived from natural forms, but with an interpretation which allows considerable scope for fancy. Arabesque-, scrolls, and interfacings are regularly designed, but are never stiff. Geometry plays an important part in the arrangement of the lines, but the richest tones profusely shed their warm rays over these combinations. Long before tapestry was known even by name in Western Europe, the Orientals were manufacturing the most beautiful fabrics. Our earliest models were therefore derived from the East. Unfortunately we have departed from them, and, disregarding the essential conditions of true decorative design, instead of tapestries Ave have made pictures. It is true that the greatest painters of their respective periods (Mantegna at the close of the fifteenth century. Eaphael at the beginning of the fifteenth, Rubens in the earlier part of the seventeenth, and Boucher in the eighteenth) devoted the best efforts of their genius, or — in default of genius — of their talents, to the painting of cartoons for tapestry. But their compositions, it should be observed, were expressly designed for the tapestry- 44 PAINTED TAPESTRY. looms of Flanders or the Gobelins, and the painter did not fail to consider the special requirements of the case. He worked as much as possible in flat, i.e. unshaded tints, and his colours were simple rather than blended. The cartoons themselves resembled tapestry ; and it is certain that the tapestry made from the designs would never resemble pictures properly so called. This is the essential considera- tion. We must not confound works of art that differ in kind ; each should preserve its special character. A piece of tapestry which does not present the appearance of tapestry is a hybrid product which has no name in the language of art. In fabricating such mongrel work we produce two bad works at the same time, a bad tapestry and a bad picture. In accordance with the principles we have been explaining, the effects which tapestry, and, we may add, the imitation of tapestry, can produce have been ascertained ; it has long been used for interior decoration, but most of the specimens we now see are more or less faded ; the effect would, therefore, be greatly enhanced if these appeared in all the brilliance of fresh colours. Original works might, however, be executed, without deviating from the style adopted for the interior decoration of a public edifice or a private dwelling. We may add that the more general adoption of this kind of decoration in furnishing would be readily welcomed by the public, since a taste for such works lias been widely developed. ORNAMENTAL liORDKRS. For the guidance of amateurs who are adopting tapesl ry- painting for the ornamentation of room walls <>r for decora*- tive panels, we may remark thai according as the subjectsof ORNAMENTAL BORDERS. \o the painting consist of figures or of ornamenl simply, borders assume very differenl degrees of importance. On this point we shall cite the remarks of M. Darcel. 'Borders usually constituted an important part in tapestry designs. Though in the Middle Ages they \ altogether absent or consisted of only a narrow edging who-e effect was insignificant, at a later date the finest tapesl were regarded as incomplete unless framed in a border form- ing part of the general design. ' At the Eenaissance the borders were widened. They were of endless variety, and consisted of ornaments of more or less classical character, combined with figures. Generally border designs of small pattern accompanied the large figures composing the central subject, but care was taken to give firmness to certain parts by the use of ornaments on a larger scale. The middle of the horizontal borders, and especially the corners, were marked by shields and medal- lions, which were sometimes also interpolated in the upright borders. 'In the time of Louis XIV. upright borders in the form of flowering stems were for a short time in vogue ; they were suggested by the wish to adopt running designs intended for the decoration of too narrow piers. Later on, small figures were introduced, combined in the most graceful manner with slender foliage and delicate scrolls contrasting with straight or angular designs. The ornament stands out on a ground in which gold is the prevailing tint, and the tone of the border is generally lighter than that of the subject. 5 The above hints will be useful to artists who may have to design or furnish a complete set of tapestry-paintings for buildings of any particular style. The amateur artist especially, who undertakes work of this kind, should give 46 PAINTED TAPESTRY. them careful consideration as likely to aid him efficiently in its successful prosecution. By facilitating the production of works of art we contri- bute to the enjoyment and love of them, and thereby to the elevation of the mind and the advancement of human pro- gress ; for while the statues of false divinities, to which humanity has at various times done homage, have one after the other been displaced from their pedestals, those of Science and Art are destined to perpetuity. The first bestows the greatest material good, and the second the highest intellectual enjoyment. LESSONS JX TAPESTRY-PAINTING. 17 PART II. PRACTICAL LESSONS IN TAPESTRY-PAINTING WITH LIQUID COLOURS. REQUISITES FOR THE STUDIO AND PRELIMINARY OPERATIONS. Befoee considering in its practical details the process of which it is our purpose to treat, we deem it desirable to give some information respecting the appliances which are neces- sary for its proper execution, and to explain as briefly as possible the use of the various requisites for the studio. THE EASEL. The winding up easel is the best for the purpose. being the only one capable of supporting canvasses of any size. For pieces of exceptionally large dimensions, a wooden rail may be affixed to the top of the upright, the width oi the stretcher on which the work has to be done ; the stretcher is fastened against this rail, and thereby acquires the steadiness which is absolutely requisite. THE STRETCHING FRAME. The stretcher is indispensable for straining the canvas ; it should be made like picture-stretchers, that is, the frame 48 PAINTED TAPESTEY. should be bevelled so that the canvas may touch only the outside edges. It should always be an inch or two longer each way than the size of the subject to be painted. If the stretcher much exceeds a yard in width, it must be strengthened by cross-pieces to keep it stiff, as the canvas, when wetted by the colour, shrinks, and may warp the stretcher. The wedged stretcher may also be advantageously used ; it allows of the canvas being re-stretched at pleasure. It need scarcely be remarked that the canvas should always be clear of the wood to prevent the running of the colour in the latter, which would be very injurious to the effect. THE CANVAS. The canvas called Binant canvas is that which we prefer ; bein. II and 17, for imitations of ancient tapestry with line and irregular stitch. Xos. 12, for ancient square stitch tapestry, of which the famous Bayeux tapestry is one of the finest examples. Nos. L5, L6, L9, 20 and 2] — called points (lobelias — as well as Nbs. L3 and II — fine and coarse ribbed reps — suit all other kinds of tapestry, from the tapestries of Flanders, Saumur, Fontainebleau, &c, to our tapestries of the Gobelins, Beaiw ais, and A.ubusson. LESSONS TX TAPESTRY PAINTING. L9 For the Flanders tapestries : Of 2 yds. and upwards, Nos. 14 and 21 are used. Of 1| to 2 yds. no. 16. Under 1J, yds., Nos. 13 and L5. For the tapestries of Beauvais, Gobelins, and Aub I (haute lisse and basse lisse). Of 2 yards and upwards, No. 16 is used. Of 1 to 2 yards, Nos. 13 and 15. Under 1 yard, Nos. 19 and 20. When the copy to be made is to be of the size of the original, it is best to use the canvas which contains as many threads to the inch as the original. When a stock of canvas is kept it should be protected from the dust ; and it is well to beat the dust out of that which is being worked upon, every two or three days. FASTENING THE CANVAS ON THE STRETCHER. When chosen the canvas should be cut one or two inches larger than the size of the stretcher. Then it is spread on a table or clean floor, and the stretcher placed on it, with the bevelled side downwards, of course ; and the four corners are fastened with small sprigs pushed in a little way. One is put in the middle and at the corners of each side to keep the canvas in place. The stretcher may now be taken up and held in a vertical position to finish the straining, the sprigs being put in two inches apart. When one side is tacked, the opposite is done, and so with the other two. It is very important, especially for the Gobelins canvas, to strain it so that the strands or ribs are kept, straight and parallel to the edges of the stretcher. This is easily managed E 50 PAINTED TAPESTRY as follows : Let a b c d (fig. 1) represent the stretcher. After having pinned the canvas at the corners and middle, the stretcher is raised up in order to fasten the side a b {straight in the grain) by gently pulling from A to b. The temporary sprig in the middle of the side a d and those at the corner D are withdrawn ; the corner d is tight- FlG. 1. ened by pulling from a b, and that corner is permanently fastened. The corner c is next tightened by a pull from c to b so as to get the same number of strands or ribs between c and B as there are between A and D ; the side c i> is nailed, keeping the rib parallel to the edge ; and so on with the sides A d and b c. Care must be taken not to strain the canvas too tightly, for in painting the moisture will render it too rigid and the Strands will part- company and no longer retain the colour. And on no account must, the canvas be wetted in order to stretch it; the puckers, when there arc any, are not got rid of by stretching, bul in the course of the work ; the moisture of I lie colours makes I hcin disappear. Where much work is done in tapestry painting a good LESSONS IN TAPESTRY-PAINTIXGh 51 many stretchers will be accumulated, but in the case of a design whose dimensions do not agree with any of them one larger than the canvas is selected and the canvas Is stretched upon it in the following manner. Let a e fg (fig. 2) represent a piece of canvas and A B C D a stretcher of larger size ; two sides of the canvas, i: k and F G are hemmed to prevent it from unravelling. Then the two sides a e and a g are fastened on the stretcher in the way above described ; and with ordinary twine one end of Fig. 2. Fig. 3. which is fastened at B and with a packing needle, the canvas is corded to the uncovered sides of the stretcher (at intervals of about two inches), the canvas being strained by drawing the twine at each loop, taking care, as before explained, that the strands c F of the edge of the canvas are everywhere parallel to the edge d g of the stretcher. When working with Gobelins or Eep canvas, the edges e f and f G (fig. 3) of the canvas are nailed on a bar oi' wood an inch wide and three quarters of an inch in thickness. The needle is put through near the bar as at E f. or — which is preferable — through rings previously screwed in the edge oi! 52 PAINTED TAPESTRY. the bar as at G F. As the pull acting on the bars strains the canvas equally along its height and breadth, the undulations caused by the pull of the cording are avoided, and the strands or ribs are kept, as they always should be, straight and parallel. COLOURS. The names of the liquid colours are the same as those of the colours used in water-colour drawing. They are as follows : Ivory Black Payne's Grey Sepia Burnt Sienna Vandyke Brown Raw Sienna Roman Ochre Cadmium Yellow Deep Chrome Yellow Light Chrome Yellow Carmine Light Red Red Lead Vermilion Ultramarine Cobalt Blue Prussian Blue Indigo Bright Oxyde of Chi'omiuin Olive Green Hooker's Green Violet Carmine These twenty-two colours suffice in most instances ; they are very fast colours. For delicate work requiring fresh tints, the following colours may be added to the above list : Madder Lake Pn rplc Like Solferino Rose Madder Purple These fugitive colours should be sparingly used. Pearlash and picric acid arc also used; the former to remove colour in certain cases ; the Latter, in crystals of a fine yellow, on which ordinary water is poured as required, gives a solution which serves for mixing colours and for washes. LESSONS IX TAPESTRY PAINTING. POTS. The pots should be of porcelain or glazed pottery, metal being rigorously excluded. These pots should be straight and without a lip ; 1 used for preserves, drugs, or perfumery are well adapted for the purpose. Several sizes are required : No. 2, 11 in. high. No. 2,l.i in> m No. 3. 3 in. „ No. 4. 4. in. „ (two). One of these last will hold the water intended for spreading the colours ; the other that for washing the pencils ; and in each case the water should be often changed. BOTTLES. The bottles should be of clear glass. Two kinds are necessary, large and small : The larger, holding three or four ounces, are for keeping the colours in ; they will form the store from which colour? will be taken when required. The smaller, intended to stand in the palette, and whose neck should be rather wide so as to allow of the brushes being easily dipped in. Both large and small should have glass stoppers. On no account should corks be used ; they are apt to stick to the sides of the neck and break in being withdrawn, leaving impurities which affect the colour. Even the glass stoppers should be rubbed with grease 54 PAINTED TAPESTRY. to prevent them from sticking too tightly ; tallow is best for this purpose. The store bottles should always be well stopped ; but the small bottles may remain open without harm during work- time. When colours have to be mixed together, it is necessary to avoid as much as possible dipping the brushes alternately into different bottles ; it is best to pour a little colour on the palette so as not to dirty the colour in the bottles. It is needless to add that when a bottle has been emptied it should be carefully cleaned before re-filling, THE BRUSHES. Three medium length sable pencils are required, of three different sizes. These pencils are for outlines and any fine touches in small work. Half-a-dozen short hair round hog hair brushes of various sizes, like those for oil-painting ; these brushes are intended to be used for filling flat tints within the outlines and for the laying of smaller tints. Six brushes, called tapestry brushes, made purposely (fig. 4) for the large washes in trees, skies, ground, dresses, &c. Pig. i. Fig. 5. Some short bog hair brushes (fig. 5) complete the ortment ; they serve to make the colour penetrate into the grain of the canvas. All these brushes, selected as bard as possible, prove by :■ little use will mi LESSONS IX TAPESTRY PAINTING. .... One set of brushes should, as far as possible, be made to serve for colours of the same scale; thus the brushes which have been used for green tones should not be employed for bright yellows or for reds, as that would sully each of the tones- Four series of brushes suffice ; One for greens. One for browns. One for blues. One for reds and yellows. SPONGES. Two sponges of medium size, but of fine quality, are required, and they should be close in texture. One will serve for washing the canvas, the other for wiping the brushes on. THE PALETTE. The palette is generally a thin wooden board, around which are compartments for placing in their due order the bottles containing the colours for use (fig. 6). Fig. 6. These bottles should always remain in the same order 56 PAINTED TAPESTRY. The brushes are placed in front of the compartments or in a box of their own, which is preferable. In the middle of the palette a hollowed plate of porcelain or ground glass on which are mixed colours required in small quantity, as when trying tints and for finishing touches, The pots containing the colours are ranged in front of the compartments. On the right are the two water-pots and the sponges. PAINTING TABLE. For the processes here described we have devised a table palette on which everything required, without exception, may be placed on shelves (fig. 7). Fig. 7. Tin- table serves al the same time for a palette, ft may ),c mounted on castors, so as to be moved as the work requires. THE MAHL-STICK, The mahl stici is bo well known thai we mention il here only to recommend its use and to condemn the bad liabil LESSONS IN TAPESTRY PAIN! I which some have of resting the hand immediately on the canvas. PAPER AND POUNCIX'. The sketch of the subject to be painted should always be previously drawn on ' papier bulle ' (French sketching pa not fluffy. This paper is manufactured in sheets or in rolls, and is the paper used for pouncing. When a piece of tapestry or a painted design has to be copied, and the copy is intended to be of the same siz the original, a tracing maybe made which will serve for pouncing. Tracing paper, which is made in large sheets or in rolls, will suit in most cases ; for tapestries that are some- what faded, however, it is sometimes necessary to employ ' Vegetal' tracing paper, which is much more transparent and stronger than the former. When either of these tracing papers is employed, and the tracings have to serve for the sketch, the drawing should be pricked from the back, that is on the side opposite to the sketch, and consequently to the surface on which the pounce is rubbed. As the prickings stand out on the front side oi' the drawing, they retain the pounce better and exhibit the design more clearly than papers that are too smooth, pricked on the right side. THE PEICKER. The pricker is simply a needle whose head is driven into a bit of wood — a brush-handle for instance. Laying the paper perfectly flat on a woollen blanket folded double, the lines of the drawing are pricked through, the needle being held strictly upright. The design is then re- 58 PAINTED TAPESTRY. peated on the other side of the paper by a series of holes which should be sufficiently close together to clearly mark the design without being close enough to cut the paper. Ready-made prickers can be bought, called tracing-points, (fig. 8), which are so contrived that the needles may be replaced when they break, which often happens. Fig. 8. The necessity of holding the pricker quite upright cannot be too strongly insisted on. If this is neglected the pounce- powder will not go through the holes. THE PRICKING WHEEL. The pricking wheel resembles the rowel of a spur with the stem fixed in a wooden handle (fig. 9). Fig. 'J. Instead of placing the design to be pricked through on a blanket, it is placed on a board of soft wood ; poplar with- oul knots is well fitted for the purpose: the roulette is run along the lines of the drawing while pressed sufficiently for the holes to be well marked. The pricking wheel cannol be w>v^\ I'^v small details ; but for Long straighl lines — t hose of architecture, the chief curved or swelling lines of trunks of trees, the larger folds of draperies (^c — ii is very useful, and considerably shortens the rather tiri onie work of pricking through. M nerds a little prac- LESSONS IN TAPESTRY-PAINTING. tice to use the instrument properly, its only drawback being that of tearing the paper. THE POUNCE-BAG. The pounce-bag is made with a square bit of canvas rather worn but without holes, the interstices of the warp and the weft forming a sieve. On this rag is spread a fine powder — black or any other suitable colour. The corners and sides of the rag being gathered up, they are tied together with a string, and the pounce-bag is thus made (fig. 10) ; the powder must not be Fig. 10. too tightly compressed within the canvas, otherwise it will not readily sift through. To pounce a drawing the bag is rubbed on the pricked paper, which is fastened to the canvas by means of a few drawing pins on the edges of the stretcher. Only a slight pressure should be applied to the bag, so as to leave the con- tents a little play ; passing through the cloth and the holes of the pricked design, the powder lies on the canvas and indicates the line. It is necessary to rub carefully and to avoid any tapping, which would have the effect of spreading the powder on the canvas and rendering the lines indistinct. The powder of charcoal finely comminuted and well sifted is preferable to any other ; it adheres to the canvas sufficiently to permit the drawing to be outlined, and is easily brushed off when that is effected. We shall say more of this advantage further on. 60 PAINTED TAPESTRY. "When the part on which a design has to be pounced is too dark to render the charcoal dust visible, talc is used, as it supplies the only white powder that is available for the purpose. Chalk cannot be thoroughly removed ; whiting will not pass through the pounce-bag ; and lime, besides producing a dust disagreeable to breathe, and irritating the eyes, affects the colours. Plaster of Paris might also be used for the purpose, but only by keeping the pounce-bag exceedingly dry. For pouncing on fine and very white canvas, such as the Gobelins JSTos. 13, 15, 16, 19 and 20 of the series of Binant canvas, a grey powder is made use of, obtained by mixing wood ashes and charcoal dust. This powder, which should be well sifted, does not soil the outline. drawing-pins. Small steel points riveted into disks of brass. They serve for temporarily fastening paper patterns or pouncing-sheets. Two or three dozen are enough for a studio. 61 TAPESTRY PAINTING ON FLEXIBLE CANVAS. LIQUID COLOUR PROCESS. EXECUTION OF LANDSCAPE (PL. V.). FIKST LESSON. In copying the landscape (PI. V.), which is the reproduc- tion of a Flemish rural subject, the artist must proceed thus : As the painting will be 3 ft. Sin. wide and 5 ft. high, the canvas must be fastened on a stretcher 3 ft. 5 in. by -3 ft. '2 in., so as to leave an inch or two of margin for fixing the painting in its ultimate destination when finished. The canvas being well stretched, as previously described, a sheet of ' bulle ' or cartridge-paper of the same size is fas- tened on it by drawing-pins stuck in the edge of the strainer ; this sheet of paper is intended for the pouncing. CHARCOAL SKETCHES. The canvas arranged as above being placed on the easel. a beginning is made. With a charcoal pencil, and the lightest touch possible, the trees, the undulations of the 62 PAINTED TAPESTRY. ground, the bridge, the stream, and the steeple in the back- ground are indicated. The main outlines thus sketched in, and their proper places and proportions according to the copy marked, the next thing is to denote more in detail the foliage, the trunks of the trees with their exterior lines, the portion of the ivy-leaves on the left-hand tree, the plants in the foreground, the arch of the bridge and the causeway, the bushes of the middle and farther distance, and the houses and steeples on the horizon. After blowing lightly on the marks to remove the excess of charcoal, the outlines are drawn as carefully as possible, so as to get a perfectly distinct drawing such as is shown in b (PL I.). POUNCING OF THE DRAWING. The paper is taken off the canvas, and the drawing is pricked through and pounced. In performing this last operation it is well to make sure that the drawing is every- where distinctly marked. To do this the pins should be withdrawn from the bottom and sides, and the paper cautiously lifted to see whether any part of the outline is left unmarked. If it be so, the sheet which is always hold by the top pins is laid down again, and the pounce-bag rubbed once more over the defective parts. When ilic whole is well pounced, the paper is quite removed and the design is seen dolled on the canvas as at ■Mil [.)■ LINING-IN. The next thing to be done is to line in the drawing as :ii B(P1. I.)- In order to hinder drops of colour from falling on the LIQUID COLOUB PROCE canvas, the stretcher is permanently fastened on the e care being taken to lean it, slightly forwards. A fine sable pencil is u*ct\, and colours sufficiently diluted with water to render the outline rather faint, so that it may not be too marked at the completion of the work. This lining should be done with colour- appropriate to the tone of the objects to be painted : thus, for the foliage and plants a green tone is used ; for the trunks of the I and the ground details, burnt sienna. It will be readily understood that it is indispensable to make the outline as fine as possible. The design thus lined-in, the canvas must be tapped with a switch, to shake off all the pounce-powder, which will disappear completely, if nothing besides pounded charcoal lias been used, as previously recommended. PREPARATION OP THE COLOURS. For executing the tapestry design in question three scales of colour are required. The foliage, plants, and turf are of two different scales. One is blue green, the other yellow green. The ground and the bridge are of another warmer scale. Each scale consists of four tones whose subdivisions are as follows : — BLUE-GREEN SCALE. For the ivy and the foliage of the left-hand tree, the top of the foliage of the right-hand trees, the water, the trees of the background, the banks, a . I the plants of the foreground. 1st Tone (light). — Raw Sienna. Light Chrome Yellow. Olive Green. Pure water (in considerable quantity). G4 PAINTED TAPESTRY. 2nd Tone (local). — The same mixture as the first tone, but more Raw Sienna, and the addition of a touch of Ultramarine. 3rd Tone (for defining). — Ultramaiune. Raw Sienna. Payne's Grey. Chrome Yellow. 4th Tone (touching up). — Prussian Blue. Ultramarine. Yellow Ochre. YELLOW GEEEX SCALE. For the right-hand tree, the bush at the foot of the tree, and part of the turf about the bridge. 1st Tone (light). — Raw Sienna. Chrome Yellow. Olive Green. Water (less than in the hlue gamut). 2nd Tone (local). — Prussian Blue (a little). Raw Sienna. Vegetable Green. Water. 3rd Tone (defining). — Prussian Blue. Vegetable Green. Raw Sienna (very little). Burnt Sienna (very little). Water. 41 li Tom-: (touching up). — Cassel Earth. Burnt Sienna. Vegetable Green. WARM SCALE. For the ground, the bridge, and the tree-trunks. I : Toni (lighl i. — Raw Sienna (a little). Cassel Earl b. I';i\ nr's (licv (a Little). LIQUID COLOUR I'KOOUSS. 65 2nd Tone (local). — Raw Sienna. Burnt Sienna. Cassel Earth (a little). Water. 3rd Tone (denning). — Burnt Sienna. Cassel Earth. 4th Tone (touching up). — Cassel Earth. Ultramarine. Carmine. As the colours become paler in drying, it is desirable to make every tone deeper than that of the copy. And it must not be forgotten that the required tint is not generally obtained at once ; several washes of the same tones must be given to obtain the desired result, as we shall see in the course of our work. All the mixtures being completed, the pots should be placed in methodical order on the palette, each being ticketed with the name of the scale and the number of the tone. EXAMPLE. Blue Green Scale. Blue Green Scale. Blue Green Scale. Blue Green Scale. No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 (pale tone). (local tone). (defining tone), (touching-np tone). Yellow Green Settle. 1'ellotv Green Scale. Yellow Green Scale. Yellow Green Scale. No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 (pale tone). (local tone). (defiuing tone), (touching-up tone). Warm Scale* Wtzrm Scale* Warm Scale. Warm Scale. No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 (pale tone). (local tone). (defining tone), (toucbing-up tone). 86 PAINTED TAPESTRY. SECOND LESSON. With a tapestry-brush of medium size the tone No. 2 of the yellow green scale is laid on over all the foliage of the right-hand tree and over the distant ground, leaving merely the light yellows uncoloured (c, PL II.). This preliminary operation completed, the brush is care- fully washed and the tone No. 2 of the blue scale is similarly laid on for the left-hand tree, the tree and bushes of the background, the houses, the ivy in the foreground, the water and the lighter part of the bush at the foot of the left-hand tree and the plants of the foreground (c, PL II.). The same operation with the tone No. 2 of the warm scale for the bridge and the trunks of the trees (c, PL II.). In laying on all these tones care must be taken to rub the brush well and to keep it full of liquid ; otherwise the colour, not penetrating sufficiently into the canvas, will not cover it, but leave white spots, producing a most disagreeable effect. It is therefore necessary to dip the brush often and not mind the liquid going quite through the canvas, if it can. With a brush of the same size, the tone No. 3 (defining) of the yellow green scale is taken for laying on the parts of the foliage in shade, the ground of the distance, and the lower foliage of the Left-hand tree (n, PL II.); the same operation with the tone No. 3 (defining) of the blue scale for the bushes and trees of the background, the houses, the water, the ivy, and the plants of the foreground (d, 11. 1L). The tone No. 3 of the warm scale is applied similarly for the trunks of the trees, the ground and the bridge, (D,P1. II I LIQUID COLOUR PROC1 Oi With a rather smaller tapestry brush the fourth tone (touching up) of each of the scales is Laid on as directed at R (PL III.) and at f (PL IV.). In the preliminary work just described ii is essential to mark very distinctly the various shapes in which each I is enclosed in order to avoid indecision and confusion. To obtain this result, patience and especially practice are necessary for those who have not already some experience in drawing. THIRD LESSON. The sky is the next consideration. It is thus painted : tone No. 2 of the blue scale is used for the upper part, and tone No. 1 of the same scale for the lower part; these two tones are laid on rather abundantly, and, with a brush for each, are carried to their respective destination, care being taken to soak the canvas well and to pass a slight wash over the trees, excepting always the lighter parts ; the work is then left to dry. When the whole is quite dry, with the No. 1 of the different scales a wash is passed over the light parts and- those already covered by No. 2, rubbing hard on the former and lightly on the latter. With No. 1 of the yellow scale a wash is also given to the trunks of the trees on the right hand, the lower ground, and the plants of the foreground excepting the ivy. Having reached this stage, the work presents the appear- ance exhibited at H, (PL IV.) a state in which the tints that have been laid on want connection, and are often of insuffi- cient strength. It is therefore necessary, after the canvas has been thoroughly dried, to go with the respective tones over all the parts that are wanting in vigour, connecting F 1' 68 PAINTED TAPESTRY. them with the lighter parts by etching. Thus, for the foliage, we must pass the fourth tone with a full brush over the third wherever the second ought to stand sharply out, and finish by etching over the other parts ; and with the same tone by means of etching the parts painted with the tone No. 1. should be heightened, over those painted with the tone No. 2. It should also be remarked that all the light parts — that is, those painted with the tones No. 1 — have not the same strength ; these same tones passed again over the lighter parts will give the effect desired. Nothing now remains to be done except the very strong parts which will require a brown tone that is not to be had ready prepared ; but which may be obtained by a mixture of Cassel earth, burnt Sienna, carmine, and a little ultramarine ; which is left till by evaporation it becomes slightly thick. This tone is then applied, like the other liquid colours, on the parts to be strengthened — the tree-trunks, the ground and parts of the foliage, as shown in Plate V. At this stage, if some parts of the work are deficient in harmony, tone, and vigour — if, for instance, the ground on the left hand of the foreground is too light — the requisite tones are mixed on the palette according to the formula given above, without addition of water, however, and the parts that require to be heightened in tone are gone over wiili them. It is important to keep in mind that as this kind of paint- ing is produced only by a scries of washes or by superposi- tion, every additional wash given to a tint increases the intensity of the tone. A PL. I. .- .■■■■ B LIQUID COLOUB PBOC1 EXECUTION OF THE TENIEES SUBJECT (PL. VI) FOURTH LESSON". If the instructions relating to Plate V. have been atten- tively followed, a sufficient acquaintance with the palette and the methods of execution will have been acquired for an exact reproduction of Plate VI. 1 To render it easier of execution we will suppose this painting 4 ft. high and 6 ft. wide, so that the figures may be at least 14 in. high. If, however, the space at disposal all iws of a canvas large enough to make the figures 16 in. high, it will be still better. After the pouncing and the outlining, three scales • f colour are prepared, such as those described in the first lesson. To these are added, for the costumes, three auxiliary tones : No. 1, Prussian blue, diluted with water : No. -. burnt Sienna and a little chrome yellow, likewise diluted ; No. 3, Payne's grey, a very little burnt Sienna and water. The scenery and the ground are proceeded with just as in the previous lesson, till the work is brought to the st4 _ exhibited in the part c (PI. II.). The house on the left should be rough ed-in like the bridge D (PL II.) covering altogether the figure in the dm r- way with tone No. 2 of the warm scale; adding to this a little Payne's grey and water for the extreme left of the house. The palings, the turned-up tub, the table, the stool, and 1 "We shall give further on some supplementary explanations which for the sake of clearness we have thought better to defer to the next chaj ter. 70 PAINTED TAPESTRY. the little bridge should be roughed in with Nos. 2 and 3 of the same warm scale. The figure dressed in blue should be rough ed-in : the jacket, with the Prussian blue tone, leaving the canvas ground for the lighter parts of the back ; the sleeves with the same tone mixed with a little burnt Sienna, or better with Cassel earth ; the latter tone, with the addition of burnt Sienna, will produce the cold shade of the breeches- as well as the lighter part of the hat of the man on the right hand ; it will also serve as local tone for the breeches of the latter, and as light tone for his gaiters. The auxiliary tone No. 3 will make the local tone of the coat of the same figure, the shade of the jacket of the man on the left, as well as that of his breeches and hat. The jacket of the man with the red cap will be roughed in with the first auxiliary tone ; his breeches, gaiters, and the strong touches of his coat will require the fourth tone of the warm scale, as also the shades of the yellow jacket and those of the gaiters of the man in blue, the strong touches of the tub and of the jacket of the left-hand figure ; the light part of the same jacket will be coloured with No. 1 of the warm scale. The dresses of the two accessory figures in the background will be indicated with the same tone ; lastly, the bluejacket will be touched up and heightened with Prussian blue more or less diluted. The parts in shade of the flesh-tints will be roughed in with light red diluted according to the distances. The red cap will be touched in with pure vermilion. The figures and their accompaniments thus roughed in, the fourth tone of each scale is applied wherever necessary. Then follows the execution of the sky with the two tones (.(' the previous lesson, and a third tone a little darker, as LIQUID COLOOE KROC] 71 shown in Plate VI. It will be desirable to use the lig tone for the distance formed by the eminence on which stands the little castle. While the sky is drying, the ground, the trunks of the trees, the houses, &c., are finished with the first and fourth tones of the warm scale, using the first tone for the light parts and the other tones either with a lull wash or by etching as in the previous lesson. The woman in the doorway is put in with the same tones, adding a little blue for the apron. When the sky is dry the foliage is to be finished ; then. returning to the figures, we complete them with the judg- ment acquired by practice with the palette. For the flesh-tints of which so far we have only indicated the parts in shade, the local tone usually consists either of a mixture of light red and chrome yellow, or a mixture of the same yellow and golden rose lake, according to the freshness that is desired. Lastly, the finishing touches are given, and the details brought out, as shown in the plate, with the dark tone assigned in the previous lessons to the strong pari--. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS. It will be understood that our instructions must be applied in their spirit rather than in their letter, and that it is impossible to give the exact proportions in which the colours should be mixed, or the washes that maybe required. The judgment acquired by experience can alone serve as a guide, and to acquire that judgment we must make repeated trials with different tones on strips of canvas of various 72 PAINTED TAPESTRY. texture, and give these tones when dry the washes of colour that suggest themselves for any desired effect. Thus a strip is coated with a tone of Prussian blue ; to one part we give a wash of pure picric acid, to another part a wash with the same acid greatly diluted (with water) ; others with carmine, yellow, &c. The same process is adopted with all the colours of the palette, and thus an acquaintance with its resources is rapidly acquired. We are ourselves continually making these experiments, and by repeated combinations, mixings and superposings of colours on cuttings of canvas, are ever and anon discovering fresh means for obtaining artistic effects. We have referred to the difficulty of getting strong tones. This difficulty may be overcome by putting together all the residue of the pots, and adding to the mixture some carmine and ultramarine ; tones may be thus obtained having the strength which manufactured colours do not supply, i.e. tones nearly black and yet warm, which are so valuable in finish- ing. Reds are the most difficult to obtain. The Beauvais and Gobelins tapestries, and even some of those of Flanders, exhibit reds of inimitable richness. Such tones can only be produced by superadded washes. Suppose a dress of which (he parts in light are yellow, the parts in shade bright red, mid the strong shadows dark red, and, as sometimes happens, the reflected lights golden yellow. The whole of the dress should he washed over with picric acid. When dry, the dark red parts are coloured w it h ( iassel earth, and the reflected lights either with raw Sienna or Roman ochre; the canvas is again left to dry and the whole is washed w it b pure carmine, leaving out of course the parts in light and the reflected lights which should GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS. 7 . remain yellow; sometimes vermilion is best adapted for the under wash. Here also experience will be the best guide. We shall not enlarge further on the mixtures of colours, nor is it necessary to insist more at large on the necessity of keeping the canvas clean and therefore of not resting your hand upon it. It may happen that parts which should have been left light become too dark; in which case, with a very hard brush and clean water the part to be softened must be rubbed so as to oblige the tone to retire, as it were, within the canvas. After rubbing for a few moments the brush is washed, and the operation repeated for several minutes. By dint of soaking the canvas becomes very dark ; this is of no consequence however, as in drying it will become light again. Instead of pure water, pearlash water may be used ; but in either case, particularly if the part has been some time painted, the result is unsatisfactory. The best way is to try to correct the maladroitness of the hand by the aid of the imagination, and by some detail or other relieve the effect of the unsuccessful tone. In the course of the preceding lessons we have insisted on the necessity, in roughing-in, of keeping the tones distinctly clear of one another; and it will be remembered that in finishing these tones were blended by etching. We think it worth while to revert to this particular. In examining tapestry, whether Flanders or any other kind, it will be remarked that the etching is always upright, pointed, sometimes tapered, but always vertical, never slanting, nor curved in any way ; this is one of the character- istics of tapestry resulting from their mode of fabrication. 74 PAINTED TAPESTRY. Etching produces excellent effects ; it leaves the coutours all the requisite strength, it blends them sufficiently, causes the tones to vibrate through each other and gives that warmth of appearance which is one of the advantages of this kind of painting. This work, which appears tedious at first, becomes very easy of execution with a little practice. In all tapestry the tones may be classed in scales ; it very rarely happens that a tone cannot enter into one scale or another. If any such exist, it can always be corrected with the help of the palette. We cannot too strongly urge the importance of not pro- ceeding too fast at the commencement, of not dreading failure, and of first copying from painted copies as the readiest means of learning to copy actual tapestry ; being careful, however, to begin with landscapes in the Flemish style as the simplest. These are the general principles and the practical methods that must be followed, and by conforming to which with due perseverance the efforts of the learner cannot fail to be rewarded by sure and early success. / ■) FLEXIBLE CANVAS TAPESTRY PAINTING. VARIOUS PROCESSES. Besides the liquid-colour process we have been describing, and which leaves the canvas all the suppleness of actual tapestry, there are other processes which, without producing such good results, may yet in certain cases present special advantages. We shall briefly review them, pointing out their several advantages and disadvantages. ALBUMEN-PAINTING. This process, in which white of egg or albumen is the medium, is certainly one of the oldest known. It is generally agreed that the famous painted tapestries at the Hotel-Pieu in Eeims were executed by some such process. The ordinary colours are employed, earths, ochres, lakes, &c, reduced to an impalpable powder and ground up with white of egg. For spreading' these colours on the canvas a liquid is used which is obtained by beating up the whites of eggs mixed with an equal quantity of water, until the whole becomes a thick froth, and it has been left to settle. Care must be taken to grind the colours very fine, and. 76 PAINTED TAPESTRY. which is rather difficult, to spread them in sufficient quantity to cover the canvas, without, however, filling in the grain. The painting is next washed over with a solution of acetic acid or vinegar diluted with water, or it is subjected to a heat of 140° F., so as to coagulate the albumen con- tained in the painting and thereby fix it. This process, which, at first sight, seems to present many advantages, since it enables us to produce paintings in some degree waterproof, is unfortunately of little practical value ; the dearness of the materials, their instability (white of egg is decomposed rapidly) and their offensive smell, have dis- couraged the meritorious endeavours lately made by capable artists. Hence it is only theoretically that we notice this kind of painting. WAX-PAINTING. This process enables us to use oil-paint colours while it leaves the canvas much of its pliancy. It will be understood, however, that the pliancy does not equal that which is obtained by the use of liquid colours. Painting according to this process is executed on pre- viously sized canvas, 1 with a rather hard brush — rubbing vigorously to penetrate the canvas thoroughly — and oil-paint colours ground with gluten; the colours arc mixed with a solution of white wa.x and turpentine in sufficient quantity to obtain a slightly thickened liquid. The tones are prepared in pots as in the case of the liquid colours, and they are juxtaposed ID a coat of even thinness. If, when the : i loin paste is beaten up with about a third of its weight of water; after being made into n thin paste of equal consistency, it is strained to get rid of all LmpuritieSj and ihf canvas is sized with it. VARIOUS PROCESSES. colours are dry, the desired effect is not obtained, a thin coat may be laid over. As the tones always pale in drying, it is necessary to work with a higher scale than that intended. This process, which is easy of application to those who are accustomed to paint in oil, is perhaps rather more expeditious than that of liquid colours ; but its tones are less transparent, and it is difficult, if not impossible, to obtain tones of great strength . Palettes of a particular kind are necessary for this kind of painting, and the cups are so contrived as to hinder the drying of the colours. TURPENTINE-PAINTING . Ordinary oil-paint colours maybe likewise employed witli this medium, simply mixed with rectified spirits of turpen- tine, exactly as for the wax process — that is by previously preparing the scales in cups so that the materials may be well mixed. The sizing of the canvas for this kind of painting should, as for the wax process, be very slight. MIXED PAINTING. For those who have not the leisure necessary for the manipulation of liquid colours, but who thoroughly under- stand painting in oils, this process has an advantage over all in which oil-paint colours are used, inasmuch as it least interferes with the pliancy of the canvas. The canvas should be used without sizing. After it has been strained and the outlining, &c, is finished, the painting is roucdied-in with the first and second tones of each of the 78 PAINTED TAPESTRY. scales of the liquid colours ; it is then finished with ordinary oil-colours, to which are added a few drops of the dissolved wax. This process differs from the previous one inasmuch as the thick colour must be laid on by lightly passing the brush over the canvas so as not to enter the grain. The colour, being thus laid only on the surface of the canvas, leaves apparent the preparation of liquid colour painting beneath and thereby affords pleasing effects. We shall not describe distemper or sized painting. This process, which is specially employed in scene-painting, pro- duces wonderful effects, but it is so seldom applicable to domestic decoration that we think a description of it un- necessary ; moreover, it requires the use of appliances that are inconvenient for amateurs. OIL-PAINTING ON PREPARED CANVAS. When the paintings are intended to cover walls that are liable to be affected by moisture, oil-colours alone can be used. Canvas may be had ready prepared for this kind of painting ; it may be fastened with an adhesive substance on the wall itself, either before or after the execution of the painting; the wall must be previously coated with a speci- ally prepared mastic. In this way painting of a perfectly durable character can be secured. In process of time the canvas adheres bo firmly to the wall thai it is impossible to remove it without injuring the latter. The old walls of the Great Mazarin Gallery al the Bibliotheque Rationale have been thus decorated by us with Binant canvas prepared and fastened up before paint- VARIOUS PROCESSES. 79 ing. The Sallesd* Assises of the Palais <1<- Ju-tirr. tin- Salles du Conseil d'Etat at the Palais Poyal, and tin- K>ill<- Manages at the Mairies of the fourth and eighth arrondb ments, have been also decorated in the same manner. We have even executed some of these decorations in pi exposed to all weathers, and always with satisfactory results. Whether the canvas is previously fastened up or not, it is painted with ordinary oil-colours. ACID-PAINTING. A patent was taken out in 1869 (it has since been abandoned) for a process which by its very nature gives small promise of durability. It consists in the exclusive use of mineral colours previously mixed with sulphuric, nitric, and acetic acid in equal proportions. The colours must be well ground, and in employing them — says the inventor — they must be mixed and liquefied with spirits of wine and ammonia in the proportion of 3.V oz. of colouring matter to 1£ pints of spirits of wine and 7 oz. of ammonia. Those who know the destructive effects of sulphuric and nitric acids on tissues will feel no inclination to adopt the process ; in fact, we only refer to it hero to warn our readers against its destructive effects. It will be evident that without exceeding our limits we cannot enter further on the consideration of the different kinds of painting we have been noticing ; in fact, each might form the subject of a separate treatise. We have only endeavoured to point out to those who understand painting 80 PAINTED TAPESTRY. in oils the best means for obtaining the pliancy of which our process admits. To those who are familiar with water-colour drawing the use of liquid colours will offer no difficulties, and the result will amply repay the adoption of the process. PL2. D PL. 4. PL. 5. _i-_ 81 GILDING. Gilding plays a part in decoration of sufficient importance to render it worth while to explain its application in the processes we are describing. When the part to be gilded is intended to serve as a ground, as many coats of shellac varnish as are required to make the canvas shine should be applied — reserving the parts not to be gilded, otherwise the canvas will absorb the mixture it is next coated with. This mixture is oil expressly prepared for gilding, and is manufactured ready for use. It is slightly tinted with chrome yellow in oil to facilitate its use. The mixture is spread with a brush in the way of ordinary colour, care being taken to make it penetrate thoroughly into the grain of the canvas. This mixture is left to dry protected from the dust until, without adhering to the fingers, it has still a tendency to adhere. Experience soon teaches the necessary degree of dryness, which requires some delicacy of touch to appre- ciate. The ground of the gilding being thus prepared, the gold is put on — that is, the leaves are laid on the sized parts. This operation is performed with a gilding cushion, on which the leaf is spread with a gilding knife, which also G 82 PAINTED TAPESTRY. serves for cutting it when required ; with a thin camel-hair brush the gold leaf is taken up and laid on the size. The gold leaf is laid on, beginning at the bottom of the canvas ; it is pressed down with a soft pencil made for the purpose, so that it may sink well into the grain of the canvas ; it is then dusted either with a fitch brush or a pad of cotton wool, always beginning at the bottom, so as to pass the residue of the gold leaf over the parts where there are any vacancies. When the surfaces are extensive and at some distance from the eye, tin is often used in lieu of gold, glazing it with Soehnee varnish, called gold varnish, which is a considerable saving. By this means a yellow metallic tint is obtained, which, though not having the splendour and delicacy of gold, may yet suffice in many cases. When the gold is applied in parts already painted in oil, it is unnecessary to coat with the shellac varnish ; the parts are merely rubbed over with white of egg beaten to froth, the .gold size is applied, and the gilding is effected as before. The white of egg is then removed with a soft sponge thoroughly soaked in water. This precaution is necessary to hinder the gold from adhering to the painting in the unsized parts. Gold sometimes will adhere to the white of egg ; but when the latter is washed ofl'it disappears along with it. 83 CANVAS OF GREAT WIDTHS FOR DECORATION. It remains for us to direct the attention of our readers to the advantageous use that may be made of very wide canvas in decoration. Before the invention of this novel means of expediting work, much inconvenience was suffered through inevitable delays in the execution. In the case of a general decoration — that of a mansion in course of building, for instance — the artist was compelled to wait till the work of all the various trades needed for the realisation of the architect's design was completed, before he was able to begin his work. The work of the decorative painter, to be carefully performed, requires time for its execution. Necessarily coming in after the already tedious stay of workmen of all descriptions he wearies the employer, and the latter is thus often induced considerably to restrict the intended works of decoration even if he does not suppress the greater part. The artist then finds himself deprived of that remuneration of his pre- liminary studies, sketches, designs, &c, on which he was justified in counting. Another not less serious disadvantage which also deserves notice is that, pressed by delays resulting from engage- ments in hand, the artist has been obliged, in order to G 2 84 PAINTED TAPESTRY. complete the work in due time, to employ assistants more or less competent in executing a design whose conception belongs to an order of ideas special to himself. The disadvantage to the artist has been of a still more marked character in another respect. All are aware that in building, the expenditure often exceeds the estimates from causes beyond the control of the architect. And at the con- clusion of the work — and it is unfortunately not till then that the decorative painter is called in — the exhausted resources leave no considerable share for him. The adoption of canvas for decorative painting has not indeed obviated all these disadvantages, but it has un- doubtedly done much to diminish them. Thus, as respects the acceleration of the work, every architect is aware of the possibility of proceeding at the same time with the masonry and the painting of the ceilings. We might cite many examples of this mode of procedure. While the walls are being built, and the timber work, joiners' and smiths' work is being prepared in the workshops, the artist, by means of accurate information supplied by the architect, without either himself or his assistants being obliged to move from the studio, thinks out and quietly executes at his own convenience and without fatigue, the decorative designs which will go into place when the other works are finished ; so that fixing up is all that has to be done to complete the architect's conception. This course has been adopted of hitc years in most of Our public buildings and private dwellings; churches, theatres, and mansions have h;id their painted decorations executed during the course of the building, and the results have been most satisfactory. Another great advantage arising from the use ^i' canvas CANVAS OF LARGE DIMENSIONS. is that the paintings are protected from the inevitable injuries caused by accidental damage to the plastering. An accident of this kind can always be remedied by removing and after- wards replacing the canvas. When to the foregoing we add that the painting thus fixed can be removed at any time and fixed elsewhere, we shall have enumerated the chief advantages afforded by the use of canvas for decorative painting. The parts of a room that are usually decorated with painting are the ceilings and the wall-spaces. There are special kinds of canvas for each ; thus, for the ceilings of comparatively low rooms, under ten feet for instance, canvas of fine texture should be employed ; for those of the ordinary height, ten to thirteen feet, canvas of medium texture is preferable ; while for ceilings of greater height than thirteen or fourteen feet, the canvas called coarse grain ceiling canvas should be adopted. For wall-spaces of rooms on which canvas has to be fixed, the decoration canvas is generally used ; for decorations in which there is gilding, whether in parts or all over as a ground, there is a special canvas, which is smooth, without grain, and easily fixed. Coarse-textured canvas, called tapestry canvas, is adapted for fixing on the wall surface of Dining-rooms. Staircases, Billiard, Smoking, and Work-rooms, Libraries. Galleries. Ante-rooms, Vestibules, Shops, Cafes, and Refreshment- rooms. This sort of canvas is made in several varieties of texture. Square, Fern, Eeps, &c, and of several degrees of coarse ness. The adoption of canvas in the decoration of ecclesiastical buildings is destined to a wide and important development. 86 PAINTED TAPESTRY. Hitherto the mural paintings in most churches have only- been executed on the stone or the plastering. The decora- tive paintings in Notre-Dame and those of the Church of St. Germain l'Auxerrois are so. The former, of recent date, ' have not suffered any deterioration ; but it is to be feared that these fine decorations will not more than any others of the kind, long resist the effects of time. As regards the latter, these effects are already too manifest ; those in the porch especially are in an advanced state of decay. And we could cite many similar cases. Drawbacks of this kind, which are very serious from an aesthetic point of view, may in future be in a great measure obviated ; mural paintings executed on canvas in the way we have described, and afterwards firmly fixed with white lead, will assure to such works of art a very long duration. The ornamental painting of churches, as also historical subjects, may be executed on canvas in the studio, and afterwards fixed on the walls and ceilings, and thereby a very considerable saving in the general outlay may be effected. An admirable means of decoration for ecclesiastical buildings is presented by the use of pliant canvas of various textures, on which Scriptural subjects may be represented in the style of tapestry, and having the rich effect of the old mediaeval hangings. This novel branch of decoration thus opens a wide field to the artist ; and the satisfactory results already obtained are an earnest of tin* entire success with which persevering efforts will be rewarded. 87 FIXING (MAROUFLAGE) OF PAINTED TAPESTRY, Maeouflage is a technical term for an operation which consists in fixing canvas on any surface whatsoever by means of an adhesive substance called maroufle. It is an operation of some difficulty, and its successful performance requires a certain degree of manual skill in order to avoid accidents such as cracking, tearing, effacing, &c, accidents which are very serious, irreparable when they happen to the works of ancient masters, and always apparent, even after the most skilful touching up, when they happen to modern paintings. The paintings on canvas which exist in our principal buildings have hitherto required the assistance of a con- siderable number of persons to put them in place, but me- chanical means have been contrived which allow of the operation being performed with great precision and perfect security. It is of the greatest consequence, therefore, in the case of important works, to entrust this operation only to ex- perienced hands. 88 PAINTED TAPESTRY. AUTISTIC RESTORATION OF TAPESTRY. The extension of sesthetic taste to which we alluded in our introduction, and the increasing esteem for ancient tapestry of every period, has naturally caused these works of art to be actively sought after by collectors. Fine and well-preserved specimens have for the most part been long in the possession of wealthy collectors, and they are becoming more and more rare. From time to time however, pieces are discovered which, though less perfect, may yet acquire a considerable value by a skilfully executed artistic restoration. A restoration effected by darning is very expensive, sometimes costing many pounds for a few superficial inches ; but speculative dealers have invented a speedier and more economical process, which consists in making up a piece of tapestry with scraps and bits taken from odds and ends ; cutting away the faded parts and replacing them with other bits of better-preserved colour, and thus forming a piece of work having something of the appearance of old tapestry. This method of reconstructing old work is generally effected by means of gluing roughly done and concealed by a Lining, after which ii is offered to the public. Some collectors are thus taken in and only discover the deception when they have become the possessors of the worthless article. RESTORATION OF TAPESTRY. It is therefore necessary to examine very carefully the mending of the subjects, the texture of the tissue, and the thread of the seams, which, if of the same period, will have preserved in the thickness of the stuff the original shade, although faded at the surface. It is far better to secure a piece of which some parts have lost their colour or are even wanting but which have not been already patched. The restoration can then be easily managed, and is very simple ; it will be sufficient to procure some bits of stuff of the texture of the period and fill in the parts that are wanting by means of seams running the same way as those which exist in the material of the tapestry, and with liquid colours paint in the part of the subject to be completed on the part that is patched, with one wash over another, until the general strength of tone is obtained. By the addition of lines, bands, or borders some pieces may be enlarged and made to suit the dimensions of the surfaces which the cloths are intended to decorate, without disturbing the effect of the principal subject. This way of restoring is very expeditious and inexpensive ; it is also artistic, as it does not change the character of the restored subject. In fact the result produced is iden- tical with that of a restoration by darning, since the thread employed for this latter process is in fact only stained thread. LECHERTIER, BARBE, & CO. AETISTS' COLOTJEMEN AND STATIONEES, MANUFACTURERS AND IMPORTERS. ESTABLISHED 1827. HONOURABLE MENTION, PARIS UNIVERSAL EXHIBITION, 1878. LIST OP COLOURS AND MATERIALS FOR TAPESTRY PAINTING, OIL PAINTING, &G. LONDON : 60 REGENT STREET, W. ; 7 GLASSHOUSE STREET, W. 1879. ,-- LIQUID COLOURS PREPARED SPECIALLY FOR TAPESTRY PAIXTLN'G. Ivory Black Vermilion Payne's Grey French Ultramarine Sepia Cobalt Blue Burnt Sienna Prussian Blue Vandyke Brown Indigo Kaw Sienna Oxyde of Chromium Boman Ochre Olive Green Cadmium Yellow Hooker "s Green Deep Chrome Yellow Violet Carmine Light Chrome Yellow Madder Lake Carmine Purple Lake Light Red Rose Madder Red Lead Purple Price per bottle ... . %d. „ „ double bottle . la. „ „ half litre 5*. Carmine, double t he above prices. The names applied to the colours only designate the known colours they resemble, and not the substances of which they are composed. TAPESTRY PAINTING COLOUR BOX, FITTED WITH LIQUID COLOURS. LECHERTIER, BARBE S. CO In oak, size lih inches by 12 1 , and 3J inches deep, containing 17 Colours, 15 Jars, Palette Slab, Sable Brushes, Hog-hair Brushes, Scrub Brushes, Palette Knife, Pricker, and Pounce Bags. Price £2. 10s. PAINTING TABLE In Stained Deal, fitted same as the above Colour Bos. Price £3. 10s. LECHERTIER, BARBE, & CO.'S FINELY GROUND OIL COLOURS, IN COMPRESSIBLE TIN TUBES. Most Colours are in 4-inch tubes, a limited number in 3-inch tubes, and the expensive ones are in 2-inch tubes. (SEE EWGEAVINGS OPPOSITE.) BLACKS. Blue Black Ivory Black .each 4 Lamp Black . „ 4 s. d. ...each 4 BLUES. Antwerp Blue Cobalt Cocruleum French Ultramarine Indigo Pi i manent Blue ... .5. rf. each 4 „ 1 „ 6 „ 1 „ 4 „ 4 Prussian Blue each Ultramarine Ash (light) ... „ 2 „ „ (deep) ... „ 5 „ (lapis lazuli, deep) „ 10 ( very deep) 21 BROWNS. Asphaltum I'it omen Bone Brown .. Brown Madder Ochre ... Pink ... Burnt i 'lulu i ... i lap] ah Brown each I o Cassel Earth ... Mars Brown ... Mummy Raw I'mluT ... Rubens' Madder Y;hmI\ ke Brown Verona Brown each ii 1 l ., M Leciiertikr, Barbk, & Co., 60 Rkoknt Stbmt, W. ?AWS1ENB Ihertier.bars LONDON 5 1ERT1ER.M( *crtt£ QUADRUPLE TUBE. Cinnabar Green, No. 1 ... „ No. 2... Cobalt Green Emerald Green Green Oxide of Chromium Malachite Sap Green GREENS. 2-IX. TUBE .. each 1 (1. 1 1 >» 4 ,, 1 M 1 ... „ 4 Scheele's Green each Terre Verte Transparent Oxide of Chromium Verdegris 1 4 4 4 Veronese Green „ Vert Emeraude ,, 1 4 6 Lechertier, Barbe, & Co., 60 Regent Street, W. GREYS. Mineral Grey flight) ... 5. d. 1 ...each 4 | Mineral Grey (deep) MEDIUMS. Megilp „ double tube s. d. 1 ...each 4 Roberson's Medium ... „ 8 1 Sugar of Lead PURPLES. Purple Lake „ Madder s. d. ...each 4 ... .,2 6 Violet Carmine s. d. ...each 4 .each . . .each s. d. 1 4 5. d. 1 6 REDS. s. d. s. d. Burnt Lake ...each 1 Madder Carmine each 3 „ Roman Ochre ... ,, 4 „ Lake , 1 „ Sienna ... ,, 4 Pink Madder , 1 Carmine ,, 2 6 Puzzoli Red , 1 Crimson Lake 4 Rose Madder , 1 Indian Lake „ 4 Scarlet Lake , o 4 „ Red ,, 4 „ Vermilion , 1 Laque Robert, No. 1 ... ... ,, 1 Venetian Red , o 4 Light Red „ 4 Vermilion , o 8 WHITES. Flake White double tube s. (I. J j. d. .each 4 | Flake White, quadruple tube, each 1 4 . „ 8 1 Zinc White „ 4 YELLOWS AND ORANGES. t. d. s. , i, (deep) ... >» 1 (deep orange) ,, 2 6 Orange Vermilion „ 1 Chinese ( hrange ,, 1 Pinitrt'x Antimony Yil low, ( Ifarome (lighl ) ... „ 1 Nos. I, 2, :? II 1 <", (deep) ... ,, i i.'.iw Bienna ., 4 (orange) ... ,, 4 Roman Oohre ... ,, 4 (deep orange ) ... ... „ 4 siinni inn Fellow 1 . ,1. s. 3 6 » » ... ), 11 12 Lechertiek, Barbe, & Co., 60 Regent Street, W. SABLE AND CAMEL-HAIR WRITERS, IN QUILLS. Crow Duck Goose Small Large Swan Swan a re - Quill Crow Ihi.k n Small Assorted, Crow, D . I i Camel-hair Brown Brow 11 Riggei . Sjll.li' Sable \\ liters, Riggers Linen, Liners, or or or SI ripcrs Writers Stripers per do . j. ,/. 6 9 1 6 o 11 each each .<. ./. ». ,/. o 6 — 6 5 !> 8 1 i; 1 I .'{ !• 3 7 6 5 (i 1 1 II :» 8 Red Sable Riggers, or Writers eai h s. ./. 6 6 o 9 il Lechertikr, Babbb, Aj Co., 60 R-bgeki Street, W. 13 ROUND RED SABLE BRUSHES FOR OIL PAINTING, Tin Ferrules, Polished Cedar Handles. No. „ 1 „ 2 „ 3 » i „ 5 „ 6 Long -hair The brushes are the same size as the engravings. No. 7 .5. (I. each 5 „ 5i „ 6.| „ 7| „ 9" „ 10k „ 1 8 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 . each ] ed,for tracing or writing, Nos. 1 to 6, same j?riee as above FAN-SHAPE SABLE BRUSHES For light feathery touches, foliage, &c. Nos. 1, 3, 5 each 9d. 14 Lechertier, Barbe, & Co., 60 Regent Street, W. FLAT RED SABLE BRUSHES FOR OIL PAINTING, Tin Ferrules, Polished Cedar Handles. No. I •1 :t 4 .") <; The brushes are the same size as the engravings. s. d. . each 5 5j f>J 7| 9 1 < » ! . 1 No. 7 8 <) 10 11 L2 *. d. each i 6 >» 2 " 2 3 7 3 ,, 4 (i „ 1 9 GILDERS' CAMEL-HAIR MOPS OR DABBERS, Two Ties of Wire. 1 quill 2 „ 8 „ (, tf, .*. ./. eac i it :; o 6 I qui] 5 ,, 6 each I 1 i 6 Lechertier, Barbe, & Co., GO Reobiti Street, W. GILDERS' CAMEL-HAIR MOPS OR DABBERS On Handles, Four Ties of Wire. Jo. 1 each 7 No. 7 each 1 10 „ 2 „ 8 „ 8 2 I „ 3 „ 10 „ 'J 2 '■< „ i „ 1 2 „ 10 ,. 3 „ 5 „ 1 5 „ 11 „ 3 G » 6 „ 1 7 » 12 „ 4 GILDERS' BEAR-HAIR DABBERS IN QUILLS Tied with Wire. No. 2 .«. d. s. d. each 4 No. 3 each 7 „ o 5 „ 4 „ 8 GILDERS' BEAR-HAIR DABBERS ON HANDLES, Tied with Wire. No. 00 „ 1 •t. d. each 7 j) 9 No. 2 „ 3 each 1 3 „ 1 7 GILDERS' CAMEL-HAIR TIPS Short, middle, or long hair Best ditto ... .«. d. each 3 » 4 BURNISHERS. .«. d. Gilders' Flint Burnishers, small or large each 3 „ Agate ,, 2 3 Illuminating Agate Burnishers, in albata ferrules, straight, curved, or club shaped „ 2 GILDERS' CUSHIONS. Best make, 8{ inches by 5| » >» ° )> "i each 2 ., 2 ti SPONGES. From id. to Is. each. 16 Lechertier, Barbe, & Co., 60 Regent Street, W. FRENCH UNPREPARED CANVASES For Tapestry Painting. Per .yard run Width Unprepared Sized Ft. In. s. d. 5. d. 10 10 13 10 12 15 10 12 15 10 15 IS 10 18 10 18 6 10 12 6 10 15 10 15 No. 10, Fern Pattern „ 11, Tapestry, medium stitch .. ,, 12, Tapestry, coarse stitch „ 13, Keps „ 14, Keps, coarse corded „ 15, Gobelin Tapestry, tine stitch ,, 19, Keps, fine corded ,, 20, Gobelin Tapestry, extra tine stitch „ 21, ,, „ extra large stitch WIDE WIDTH FRENCH PREPARED CANVAS For large Paintings, Ceilings, Decorative Panels, &c. Strong Ticken „ Canvas Coarse grained, for ceiling paintings, >mc. . Medium „ ,, „ * Strong Cotton Canvas „ „ Cotton Canvas, for gold ground „ for decoration For theatrical scene painting Ditto * This canvas is made up to 26 feet in width. ARTISTS' FRENCH PREPARED CANVAS IN ROLLS, (Toile a peindre, fine, demi-fine et ordinaire, vne couche.') Per yard run £ s. d. . ... 9 feet 9 in. wide 1 9 3 . ... 13 „ 2 )» 1 19 6 . ... 13 „ 2 >> 1 2 . ... 9 „ 9 ,, 16 3 . ... 9 „ 9 ,, 16 3 . ... 8 „ 6 ,, 11 4 . ... 8 „ 6 ,, 9 2.V . ... 10 „ 6 ,, ■ ••• 7 „ 3 „ Fine Medium Coarse s. 7 6 5 4 „ 4 „ „ >> !) H 1(1 10 6 8 6 „ 6 „ „ }J J) )> !.-> 15 10 PREPARED CANVAS, In 6-yard rolls, fine linen, primed white in a superior manner, with fine or grained surface, warranted to keep without cracking. Canvas Romas Ticken .*. 3 *or81 2 8 3 2 3 (i i yard or 86 inches wide „ 3 3 6 I :; :; feel 6 inches wide :t s 1 ;» :i „ 9 „ i 9 5 o 6 6 i „ 6 ,, 6 f, 6 7 :. „ -j „ 7 3 S 8 3 •; ,, -j ,, s 6 io i; 1)1 7 „ - „ in 6 1 2 6 Lbchbrtibr, Barbb, cfe Co., 60 Kkoi.xt Stbbbt, W. 17 ACADEMY BOARDS FOR STUDIES OR SKETCHES. i. d . 24 inches by 10 inches each 10 Ditto, stout ,, ] i) Half size, half price PREPARED OIL SKETCHING PAPER. t. d. per sheet 8 Imperial, 30 inches by 21 inches ... CANVAS, PANELS, OR MILLBOARDS. >. d. Gilt over for Decorative Painting at per sq. foot 6 o PALETTE KNIVES. 13 3 in. H in. 4 ill. ii in. 5 in. -iA in. E in. s. J. a. .«. a. .(. d. s. » " >i Horn ,, ,, 8 „ each 7 „ 1 6 .. 1 10 j? 1 3 5? 1 6 ,, 1 6 ,, 2 )> 1 18 Lecheetier, Barbe, & Co., 60 Regent Street, W. GLASS SLABS AND MULLERS. For Grinding Colours. 6 „ * ■ 1 1 6 >) » 8 „ 8 i >» » 10 „ 10 J? »> )> 12 „ 12 j) Glass Mullers 1 in. diameter >) »> Hin. » >> )5 H„ „ )> )) )) )> 2 nl 3 „ J) each Slab only s. cl. 6 9 1 6 2 3 Slabs set in Mahogany Frame each 5 „ 8 „ 1 ?j 1 6 „ 2 ,, 2 6 TIN DIPPERS FOR OIL PAINTING. CONICAL, WITH CAPPED LID. WITH NECK. WITH REMOVABLE RINC Single ciiuical each 6 3 Doable ,, , G „ with capped li 4 Doable ,, ,, , 8 Single semi-spheiical, \% i 1 1 1 removable i Ing it. pi evenl the o 1 spilling ... (i 1 Single conical, wil i> sen w top Doable ,, ,, „ , 1 G Leciiertihr, Babbe, & Co., 60 IU.oi.m Btbbet, W. 1 • JAPANNED TIN OIL BOTTLES, BRUSH WASHERS, &c. ROUND BRUSH WASHER. SQUARE BRUSH WASHER. / SMUDGE PAN. Square Oil Bottles, with screw top Round Brush Washers Large square Brush Washers, with hinged lid Round Brush Cases, 14 in. by 2 in Plain Smudge Pans, 14 in. by 2^ in s. d. each 1 ;• 2 2 4 2 6 TABLE EASELS. *• ■'. Mahogany Table Easel, with pegs, 21 in. high each 4 6 Ditto, ditto, 24 inches high 5 Ditto, with rack, 21 „ 11 6 Ditto, ditto, 24 „ 12 tf Folding-up Pocket Easel, in mahogany 3 6 20 Lechertier, Baree, & Co., 60 Regent Street, W. RACK OR PEG STUDIO EASELS. I III.nc II RACK KASKI., WITH IIAK. l'OMSHKP \V At. NUT-WOOD. Stained deal Closing Easel, 6 feel bigh „ „ „ folding in half, 6 Eeel high Mahoganj Closing Basel, 6 feel high „ „ Folding in half, 6 Eeel high in ach bei ch Rack Ea iel, 6 Peel l inches high ,, „ „ with sliding up bar, Bfeel I inches hig ,, ,, „ 6 Feel 2 inches high Bandsome Rack Basel, in polished walnut, 5 Eeel I inches high „ I „ I „ „ Dwarl mahogan} Framed Basel, with rack, :s Feel high, exclusive of i' i j • i bening Frame £ ... 7 ... 11 ... 15 ... 1 •> ... [2 ... 17 ... 1 5 ... :i ... i 1.") ... i 15 Lechebtieb, Babbb, & Co., 60 Rbgbm Stbebt, W. 21 RACK OR PEG STUDIO EASELS-'-™"'""*'- CORBOULD EASEL, WITH DESK. £ «. d. Corbould's Rack Easel, in mahogany, 6 feet high, exclusive of lengthening frame ■"* 3 Ditto, with desk 4 MAHL STICKS. .«. J. Bamboo, about 36 inches, padded ball White-wood, 42 inches 54 „ „ 66 „ French -polished, 40 inches Portable, 36 inches, to take in three pieces „ 48 „ „ four „ ...each 8 ,, 8 ,, 1 1 6 1 ,, 3 ,, 4 22 Lechertjek, Baebe, & Co., 60 Regent Steeet, W. FRENCH WINDING-UP STUDIO EASELS. Nus. 102 and mi. WITH IJAK. W'itli these the beaviesl canvas is raised or lowered, or inclined forward, or removed from a place to another in the Btndio, with the slightest effort. They are made of solid oak, which i hem c insiderahle advantage over i hose made of I i ■ ■ I » i < -r wood, as [.•■'•pin:/ in better working order, being more suitable Eor an ari isl 'a b! adio, and being more stead] from their jreatei wei WITH i'i;\Mi; No. 106. Lechertier, Bap.be, & Co., GO Regret Street, W. 23 FRENCH WINDING-UP STUDIO EASELS— continued. No. 108.— To Incline Forward. • -(■ a •u — CO a :. ■r, i© * = ^ ^ 'C rfl I " ** +3 IS (!) i« "ao > 'ft s «4-l Si ei ■* 0) 4) o *c ■4-1 S-c O 03 V o fin O +5 +3 <0 3 ■P '% o g "2 o CO a o r: o CO CD CD o — CO -p bo s u 0> S3 =+H T3 o CO bo u to o to a CO s 0) s o a +3 O CO CO a> a bC o 4J O ■p CO 00 c3 53 to c JH O CO A rfl += ^3 .- +J id bD ."£ q 43 M - 3 A N ■* (O N CO O JS No. 119, With contrivance to lean picture forward, and desk at back 54 inches high , 121, Ditto, 57^ „ ... . „ 123, Ditto, 65 „ „ 112, Stained deal, with rack or pegs, chiefly used for exhibition 1 £ t. d. 7 7 . 8 8 , 9 . 1 15 24 Lechertier, Barbe, & Co., GO Regent Street, W. ARTISTS' STUDIO CABINETS. WITH PILLARS. They, or some other contrivance to answer the same purpose, cannot well be dispensed with in a paii.ter's studio, but the Cabinet is the most useful and business- like of all. The top part is provided with tin fittings, and is used for holding conveniently at hand the colours, oils, brushes, «fcc. ; the lid protects them from dust, and is closed with lock and key. The drawers are available for palettes and reserve of materiel. The Cabinets are all on castors, and can easily be moved to or from the easel. In polished walnut-wood, two drawers In oak, four drawers I Mil (i, the lid when opened forming a shelf on each side of the Cabinet Ditto, ditto, larger, with carved pillars Ditto, ditto, large size In walnut-wood, with black mouldings In ebonised wood, inlaid with ivory PORTFOLIO STANDS. Closing X-sbaped Stands, in oak WEDGED STRETCHING FRAMES, FOR CANVAS. £ s. d. ... 3 10 ... 1 15 ... 6 10 ... 7 10 ... 8 10 ... S 10 ... 12 £ .<. d. ... 1 9 by 6 ... . 6 ... . '.i 10 . i , 7 ... 10 . , 8 ... . 12 , , s ... 1 ' . 10 ... . 11 , , hi ... . 1 1 , !'_' ... . Lfi . , II ... . [fl , . 12 ... 17 . , i:; ... . 18 . , 12 ... • 18 , r.' , ,11... . 13 ... . each Odd s. 30 ,. 20... ii 6 30 . . - • > . . ii 6 36 „ L'l ... o 6 36 - 7 I 1 .. ::i .. 7 :,ii in ... u 8 56 .. II ... n 8 7 li. Mi in. by 1 ft. 10 8 8 ti. In in. by III Illl tl) iiril, r. I'Ml'll !> 9 1)