The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-07-21
FRENCH TAPESTRY.
CARPET FOR RANAPARTMENT IN FONTAINE
BLEAU COSTING $60, 900.
Pail Nall Ga zette.

Pail Nall GA zette.
The display of tapestry at the Exhibi-
tion by the Gobelins is given a very prom
inent place, and naturally attracts great
deal of attention for ever since the de-
cline aud fall of the great Flemish manu- :
factories those of France have occupied
the fret position. Tapestry was introduced
into France in consequence of the intro
duction of Italian architecture. The one
was q necessary adjunct to the other.
About l543 Francis !. establiAhed q royal
mandatory of tapestry at Fontainebleau,
and a second was shortly afterwards Gre
ated in Paris at the Hospital of the Trinity.
In 1549 Henry Nv introduced italian work
men, and placed them in the Jesuit estab-
lishmsnt of the Faubourg st. Antoine,
whence they removed to the Louvre nine
years later. In 1901 Flemish workmen
eighty looms going and subsequently the
mandatory was removed to the GobeliDe,
while an extra atelier, with Italian work
men, was opened in the gardens of the
Tuileries for the fabrication of high h-warp
tapestry for the king. In 1862 the great
works and purchased the Hotel of the
Gobelins. The painter Lebran was placed
at the head of the establishment, which
under him, and in the space of twenty
seven years, manufactured ITO square
annes of high warp and 800 square aupes
of low warp. It is calculated that this
tapestry in money value of to day, cost the
were employed, and were paid by the
piece. A square auue of high warp was
paid 45O livres, or $540, and the low warp
not quite so much and this represented
the labor of year.
To, day the Gobelins mandatory pos
sesses a budget of little over $4,000
year. The administration costs $1,000,
the workmen's salaries $l9 600. the dyers
$32 900, the sch ool of design 50 600, raw ma
teriala and models Sc 400- The.ma q ufactory
now only employs SO workmen, twenty-tw
of whom are engaged in making "la
Savonnerie" carpets. The tapestry work
ers are very indIfferently paid. Thus, ten
and this after 20 years. service. Others
receive only half that sum. after long
apprenticeship. But it appears there is no
difficulty about recruiting for the Gobelins
on account of the prestige which is attach
ed to the place because the tapissers are
lodged, because each man has a little gar
den in the grounds surrounding the hotel,
and because when old age comes on
pension of from 5000 to $3.50 dollars year
is granted.
The Gobelins, too, is kind of family
concern. The tapissiers are tappitsiers
from father to son. M. Duruy, who was
Minister of Public Instruction ander the
minister, too-belonged to the family in
Q question. His father was one of the head
workmen at the Gobelins; he himself was
an apprentice, and two of his cousins and
several other relatives are to-day in the
establishment. One of them, M. Camille
Duruy, wove '.Le Glacier" copied from a
picture by Mezerolle, which is in the Ex-
hibition. The cost of production Of the
two large compositions of LebruD, called
"Terre" aud eau" which are each 25
equare metres amounts to $23 900 each.
AS 8 specimen of LA Savonnerie" work
two carpets are exhibited, the price of
which is enough to astonish one even
after the tapestry. One CARPET, destined
to cover the apartment at Fontainbleau
which WAS inhabited by lPiHs VII, during &
his captivity, cost $50 900. There is a
tendency on the part of the present direct
or of the Gobelins to give up copying pic
lures, and to confne his tapestry to the
decorative art.