The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-08-10
FREXCH TAPESTRIES.
The Productions OF tho GobeiIu. and snvor-
nerte Much Sought In London.

season been so barren OF novelties as the one
so rapidly drawing to its close. Few mar
riagos, hardly any scandals. and no Lions"
worthy OF universal homage with total
absence OF any excitement save tho electoral
one. make up this years social budget. The
only two innovations worth mentioning are
the appearance In the Row" at the fashions
able l. our OF fair equestriennes. not only In tho
most unorthodox costumes for riding. but
having added to the loose jacket, soft bright
blouse md tweed skirt surmounted by a sailor
hat, the browning incongruity OF carrying
alort an unfurled parasol OF striking hue
This is supposed to DO the last scream" OF
fashion. but it i'll replaces the neat dark rid.
ing habits Of which London tailors had made
such n clever specially.
The second notable change has occurred In
furnishing and house decoration. The best
people" and those who can afford 1t are de-
cdedly becoming inconstant to the long ago
revived reign OF Queen Anne and the fatiguins
monotony OF cosey corners. mullioned win
dows. pseudo Chippendale. and have awak-
cned to the consciousness that nothing could
be more Ill suited to London. whore it stulti-
nos space and increases the prevalent dark
ness. FIRST step was taken with the reintro-
duction Of the Louis XIV and Louis XVI. styles.
for it inaugurated a return to the rich bro
cades, heavy silks. and fine old figured nn,pas
Of That epoch. But to-day another stride has
been made. and the demand for old tapestry
Is on the increase. The Prince OF Wales.
the Duke Of Fife. and other arlstocrats and
rlutocrats have instructed dealers OF all
countries to keep them informed when any
rare pieces are In the market These dealers
mako 1t their business not only to hunt UP any
known specimens OF tapestry. even In private
houses. but to run up tho price OF those that
are sold at public auctions. SO as to keep up
the value Of their own stock, AS proof OF the
intrinsic merit Of good tapestry. It may be
mentioned that tho large carpet ordered By
the Emperor Napoleon III. and flushed in 1870.
which has Just been conveyed to Fontane-
bleau. Is estimated at over $1,000. It has.
however. been enormously attributed to the
Gobelins mandatory. where no carpets are
ever made: It came from the Savonnerie.
which. originally at Chaillot, was in 1929
Joined to the Gobelins. taking the place Of the
looms called basse lisse In use at Beauvai..
The royal mandatory Of the Gobeins like
that Of Sevres has been severely attacked in
the last twenty years. but the world wide rep,
utation of these two celebrated national es-
Establishments is such that no Government has
yet ventured on tho step OF handing tnem over
to private enterprise.
One OF tho most justified reproaches ad.
dressed to both Is that they limit themselves
take. but it has been gradually disappearing.
AS far back as 1906 Napoleon l.. who was
sometimes as good Judge Of industrial as OF
political questions issued from Berlin man
date to the Gobelins "forbidding them to
make pictures which could not rival the orlgi-
nails. and to contine themselves to hangings
and coverings for furniture"
The Emperor was perfectly right, but tn
command was not implicitly obeyed. for We
find the painters. David and Gros. complain.
ing that in the copies Of their paintings all
their defects arc enlarged"
Tapestry is essentially created to furnish
and decorate: it is purely ornamental hence.
the artist who designs tho subject should bear
In mind that large figures necessarily dwarf q
room and its occupants. and that the colors Of
the woods are more apt to fade than oils. He
should remember that the decorative features
rest as much with the coloring as the design,
and that is why the finest Gobelin tapestries
extant will always be the two series Of Don
Qui1ote by Coypel. with those OF Besaln and
Boucher at Beauvais.
In Flanders the weavers have. It Is true. ap.
piled themselves to the reproduction Of paint.
ings. and they have turned out matchless and
marvellous tapestries: but the subjects thus
treated were chiefly religious and destined for
churches. For ordinary decoration they re-
strcted themselves to much smaller figures
or landscapes. and they considered equally
important with the panel the frame borders,
which are exuuisitely beautiful.
Under the direction OF NJ. Galaud the Gcbe.
Inns have avoided one error and fallen into
another. They have produced decorative do.
signs Of excellent artistic perfection. but they
have employed tints OF such delicate and sub.
dued shades that the result has been q gen.
eral pallor OF coloring which will increase
with TINA fill hardly VII ~ oil
what were the original subIue1 tints. At the
present date the Gobelins are decidedly in
'erior to their great earlier reputation, al
though the price OF their tapestries Is still
at the rate OF E160 the square yard
On the loom. In one other respect tho manu-
factory seems in wrong groove. Ii
maintains the old trade system OF
idue hsse. which is moro costly than the
Jasse iisse loom work: with the former the
edsl Is behind n; tho worker IN the latter he
difference between the looms save the position
q the threads OF the warp. which is vertical IN
Is absurd to affirm that the hduie iisse tapes
tries les are more valuable than tho base iisss
Inns Is enormous and. according to some ex-
perts. excessive In 1878 they were computed
900. II has become impossible to test ,satis-
factoriy the solidity Of each shade. and their
whs and vcor
could DO obtained with far less numbers.
The industry Of tapestries Is ono Of the
Oldest in France. Tho powerful and wealthy
Dukes OF Burgundy owned looms in Paris.
worked by clever workmen. imported from
Flanders. The Gobelins. as every one knows.
derive their name from a family Of dyers who
came from Rheims and settled on the banks OF
the Bihvre. 1t was long believed that the little
stream possessed dual tiles specially favorable
todyeing, but eventually the waters of the Seine
a In bN ae t
!: and their number was added to by Henri
w. In 1852 Louis XIV. bought the enclosure
and buildings and the grants Of privileges OF
II royal manufnctOry We're acquired in 1897.
The painter Le Brun was the first director Of
the Royal Gobelins. followed by Mignard and
De Cote. After these Audran is the most
NJ, Chevreul superintendent the
lyenE and the laboratory for sixty-hve years.
The number OF ,workmen and tho pro-
portion Of production have varied great
Y during the present century. In 1919
tort we're sno todsv tSs9s nd
three, twelve Of whom u work on the sayonns-
ipced eighty.tqur or eighty five square yards
|lfnpI I'll rIa fha