The Washington critic., 1888-01-21
AMERICAN HERALDRY.
People who Decorate Their Homes
with Armorial Bearings.

People who Decorate Their Homes
with Armorial Bearings.
Coats-of-arms are much used now
in house decoration. In one OF the
grand old houses in Westchester
County, which, like its first owners,
has seen vicissitudes, the family arms
are painted on glass over the front
door, and the decoration remains
there where it has been for a hundred
years. This fashion is often followed
in halls of private houses, but princi-
pally in mosaic instead of painted
glass. In country houses the coat-of-
arms often forms part of large win
dow in the hall. A window of this
kind recently finished by we'll
known firm in this city, for
a private house in one OF
the Eastern cities, shows two
full-length, life-sized female figures,
while in the two upper lights are the
coats-of-arms and crests OF each side
of the family. In smaller window
representing a graceful figure of a
woman, with border, the arms were
displayed in the upper corners and
repeated in the lower ones. In a
handsome country house ON the Hud-
son the long, broad hall has large
fireplace at one end, on one side of
which is a small stained-glass win
dow, containing the arms of the
owner, and on the other side win
dow containing those of his wife.
Next to the hall window the library
offers an appropriate field, and popu-
lar one for the display of heraldic de-
signs, and several houses in this city
have Libraries in which the arms form
the whole of q small window, or q
panel in large one. Many families,
who care little for display, but regard
coat-of-arms as an honorable posses
sion, have them illuminated on white
paper, simply framed, and hung in an
inconspicuous place in dining room
or library A far less ostentatious
way of exhibiting arms than in
stained glass is in carved wood.
Panels carved with such designs are
sometimes inserted in doors, Bullets,
cabinets, chair backs or as part Of a
border to wainscoting. This is
either done in relief or incised. In a
tryptich of mahogany, intended for q
portrait, brass panel inserted over
the doors was engraved with crest.
Panels of wood or brass or tile, deco
rated with the coat-of-arms, may be
used in any way that fancy suggests,
the mantel-piece seeming particularly
appropriate for armorial designs.
China for the table is often deco
rated with the arms, or with the crest
above the initial or monogram, and
where the house linen is made to
order the arms are frequently woven
in with other designs. Embroidery
offers the largest field, perhaps, for
such decorations. Aside from the
smaller articles on which arms may
be embroidered, and which ladies
find SO necessary to their comfort,
such as sofa pillows, foot stools,
sachets, pincushions, mouchois cases
and the like, the coat-of-arms may be
seen to great advantage on screen.
On low fire screen it would, of course,
bethe sole design and occupy the entire
space, but on higher screen it would
be appropriate as part Of panel or
border. A firm on Fifth avenue has
recently embroidered on a satin bed
quilt q coat-of-arms requiring very
brilliant coloring; the effect is very
handsome. On portieres the design
Is effective, whether used as q centre
piece or in the border as it is, also, on
the back of an upholstered chair
IN. Y. Mail and Express.