The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-06-29
Many Years of Patient, skiIlf.i Toll
Required for the Making of
Just Ono
Piece.
THE PROFESSOR GENTIL1
Spends His Life at the Art as Did
His Father Before Him When
the Industry Was
Revived.
by Henry Wood, Rome Correspond.

ent of the United Press.l
ROME, June 2S.--At the vatican,
tapestry work is fast nearing compile
tion-at least comparatively speaking
on single tapestry which has now
been in constant process of weaving
for over thirteen years. Professor Gem
till, director of the factory, and who
has dedicated the greater part of the
past thirteen years of his life to this
one work is now confident that the
tapestry will be finished early next
year, and arrangements are already
being made for it's installation In the
vatican with usual ceremonies and
honors.
The tapestry, which is of the ordin.
airy wall hanging size, represents Sain.
Joseph holding the infant Christ in
his arms. On each side are figures or
angels, one supporting sympolical
design representing the Catholic
church, and the other holding the
pontificial bull by which Saint Joseph
was made universal patron saint of
the entire church.
The tapestry is designed as the al
tar piece for the famous Sistine chap
ell In the vatican, where are held the
conclaves for the election of new
popes, the consistories for the eleva-
ton of new cardinals, and practically
all of the great religious ceremonies
at which the popes now officiate per-
sonally. AS it happens that the name
of the present pontiff is Joseph, 1t is
planned that the tapestry shall be for.
mally installed next year on st. Jo-
seph's day, with the pope himself par.
ticipating in the. function.
Professor Gentili has quite set his
heart on making the tapestry his
greatest masterpiece and 1t is largely
on account of this desire that some
fourteen years will have been required
for its completion. All of the work
has been done by him by hand, stitch
by stitch and the weaving in Of color
after color, each one a thread at a
time.
1t has happened repeatedly that the
merest kind of a mechanical blunder
has required weeks to repair. Some
times, too, a thread has not been of
just the right shade and the color eff
feet has been impaired. IN such cases
1t has been necessary to unweave that
portion of the tapestry and do it all
over again. always a stitch at time,
and every stitch perfect in itself.
Zone morning." Professor Gentili
told the United Press correspondent as
he displayed the tapestry with all the
pride of father, II came to work
and sat down a moment to admire it
and 10 make certain that stitch by
stitch. thread by thread color by col
or, it was fulfilling my ideal of years.
Suddenly my heart gave great leap
The angel, upon the curling and color
ing of whose hair | had worked for
months to make it ideally perfect,
was endowed with asses ears. A has
ty examination quickly showed me the
cause In some way in the weaving,
the threads had been drawn too tight
ly, and the ears of the angel whom |
had intended should be the perfection
OF heavenly beauty, had been greatly
Heightened. A few months enabled me
to repair the blunder.'
Professor Gentili now represents
the second generation of the modern
tradition and renaissance of tapestry
weaving in Italy The art which had
formerly reached a high perfection in
Italy fell into disuse in the seven,
teenth century During that time tap
estries which are now worth fabulous
sums were carelessly stored and piled
away in corners Of the vatican. Some
of them We're later dug out and used
for covering carts and similar utilitar-
ian purposes.
Later, however, in the eighteenth
century. interest in the art revived
and the popes took it up. They rescued
what tapestries could still be found
about the vatican and encouraged
schools of weaving. The school of San
Michele founded by Cardinal Barber
mi became especially 'amous. In fact,
its work SO rivalled that OF the fam