Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-08-11
TAPESTRIES.
A MARVELLOUS TRIUMPH OF SCIENCE
AND ART.
Lifetime Spent in Perfecting Details OF
Color and Neutrality-suspicious. ut
tho Paris Exposition.

lerv encircliup the upper part of the beau
tiful central dome Gaping the palace OF
diverse industries az the Exposition tho
national mandatory OF the Gobelns mas
spread the marvellous productions o. us
splendid industry for the admiration OF tho
world. Words fail 10 express the magnl-
foence of the splendid tapestries when
cover with their generous folds hundreds
of square feet of perpendicular space and
represent with faithfulness undergraduate
every line and tone of color lnyolVeu IN
some Of the greatest masterpieces OF art
which arc the pride OF the principai
European picture galleries.
All this not III OIL nor in frcsco, but IN
the laborious manipulation of 100000
colored threads which have been sewed
into the ground-fabric stitch by stitch
within the walls of the great establishment
which for centuries kings have honored
with their personal oversight and patron
age. This mandatory, which at the
present moment makes its show-rooms OF
the principal hall Of the Exposition, Is as
one Of the most important OF the French
national industries considered in mea-
sure as part Of the present Worlds. Far
itself. aud in treating of its production 1t
will be necessary to enter considerably INTO
IFS history, processes of manufacture, and
other important details concerning the
work which has won for II name which
stands alone IN the annals OF human handi-
work.
The appearance Of the mandatory seen
from the tops of neighbOrlng houses OF
more modern date Is not unlike that OF an
old Partisan faubOrg, forgotten IN the IN
vading march Of time, which has COM
Dlctelv metamorphosed all of its ancient
surroundings into the prosaic and unln-
teresting avenues of to-day. The plctu-
rescue is therefore a predominatlng
l.. ,taI,~ .s.l,o ~ gr
the architecture of the buildings which
COMPOSE THE HISTORIC GROUP.
The original style has been completely
overwhelmed by the mass OF additions and
out-buildings which have been imposed
one upon another during the lapse OF tho
three centuries which form the modest
figure of its present age. The Importance
of certain buildings mark the epOchs Wh'u
the manufaCtory's prosperity has been no
most pronounced, and the principal edl-
fice-a grand construction facing the gar.
dens which slope gently down To one or
the OutStretched arms of the little Bic
vres-rccalls tho reign Of Louis Nv, Whch,
in spite Of whose troubled administration
and numerous wars, the enterprise made
the most important strides which nave
marked its previous or subsequent history.
II is IN the midst of modern and prosaic
Paris a bit Of suburban lOveliness, "a SOU
venir of that long-past period, when Hght,
air. and space were not deemed lncOmPau-
bic with metropolitan magnliicence., The
beautiful gardens are appOruoned out
among the personnel Of the concern, for the
most part artists who love flowers and are
not sorry to lose such time as IS required
TO make their Wilderness bloom as
rose"
The Bievres to which we must first turn
our attention, although of but little mo-
ment 10 the present order OF things, is the
life source TO which the great mandatory
Of the Gobelins owes Its present SITUATION.
In the middle Of the fourteenth century
when Jean Gobclin. the first Of his line, an
obscure dyer. came from the interior OF
France TO exercise his meter Of dyer IN
scarlet at Paris. he was attracted like many
Others of his trade to the clean and hmpld
streamlet, the last vestlges OF when. thick
and filthy with the refuse OF sewers and
neighbOring tanneries. skirts the loot OK
the bit of mundane paradise Just Al
luded to- The factory. thanks TO modern
conyeniences Of tlteTlng, has brought TO us
watts the water Of the once deprecated
Seine, and the little rivulet, once, the
source of its life and being, Is desplsed
and disrcgarded gutter. The nature OF the
water employed, once considered the oO-
iect of prime importance to the dyers' art,
has become q consideration Tar secondary
to the particular qualities of the coiorlnS
matters EMPLOYED. These latter must be
firm and fast. able TO resist the gnawing
action of time and the fading influences OF
solar light and heat. Upon their dura-
blity depends the tapestries towhich their
brilliancy adds in value.
The principal care of all Of the chiefs
who have successfully and with honor dl-
rected the dyeing-rOoms has been TO strlKe
out from their LIST of colors the greatest
number of agents which time ana e4pe-
rience demonstrated to be at all alteraDle
in their nature. One after another have
such been laid aside until to-day the num-
her of practicable colOrs has been reduced
to an extremely low number. Three plants
wood madden. and indigo give yellow,
carmine. and blue. A single insect, the
cochineal-bug. gives red. These with IRON,
autgall, and several acids form the entire
LABORATORY OF THE GoDELINs.
but though few in number each element
can be depended upon TO play an I'm.
portant series of parts, not the least OF
which is impcrishability.
With these few fundaments it may sur
prise the reader 20 learn that catalogue
Of nearly $1,000 distinct tints IS in the pos
session of the Overs Of the GObellns and
| that. thanks to the march of science, new
| hues and applications are being produced
every dav The dyeing-TOOms occupy the
| self-same site once occupied by the humble
workshop of he who has bequeathed his
name to the industry.
Within one sees almost endless racks OF
skeIns in tho course of preparation, and
which, as the successive operations pro-
| gress. pass from one shade TO another with
infinite delicacy. The slightest departure
on the part Of one skein from its nelghbor,
| in matter of the precise tint, necessltates the
| dipping over and over again OF the same
roll, until both possess the required har-
mOnv. During long hours the workman
| handles and rehandles. touches and re-
| touches, and goes 10 an immense amount
| of trouble to secure eXactneSs IN ms work.
| Sometimes he takes an entire week TO dye
| a single skein. All of this care Is matter
| of enormous cost, and when one considers
| the expenses of the laboratory where the
| tinting formulas are prepared, the cost OF
raw material, the fuel for the heating OF
| the baths. it is not surprising that this
| branch alone becomes of most consldera-
| BILE cost.
Originally these tapestries were not de-
! signed to enter into rivalry after fashion
with the art of painting. The painted
| models submitted for the guidance OF tho
weavers were simple designs involving few
| colors, and those Of easy evolution; but
| during the reign of Louis Nv. Oudry, the
animal-painter, received the then remark
| aDle Cuhfge 10 SuptINttuu tuc tANN"tlOH
of some of ms original designs IN tapestry.
II was he who directed that the colors Of
| his beasts aud the delicate details OF his
Landscapes should be reproduced in thread
| bv the aid Of bobbin, so as TO give his
work the appearance of picture. From
the success of this primitive attempt it
became necessary to greatly augment the
resources OF the factory and elevate to the
standard of an art n profession which up
to that date had been well content to
merely initiate il.
Then it was that the colors Of the carpet
| DIVER were renowned for the more varied
range of the painter on canvas. Objects
| hitherto treated merely in light and shade
must now be composed with full respect to
their intermediary values. Tones, half
| tones. reflections. grays must now be man
aged in the slow and labOrious work Of the
weaver TO o final appearance OF the same
| dexterlty with which a painter would
| spread with his brush the desired hue from
! easily-managed dabs of color
In initiating the play of light in all its
forms and to give the smoothness OF n
painting the artist has recourse TO q COM
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