of colour as crude as possible. The genius of the art is for
innumerable subdivisions, none obtruding, lest there be no whole. It
should be of the light of a brighter world subduing itself, veiling
its glory, and diffusing itself in mystic communication with the inner
mind; and like that mind, one in feeling with all its varied depths of
thought. Colour and transparency are the means of this beautiful art;
but these, as they are very powerful require great judgment and
determination of purpose in the use. The interwoven gold in the old
tapestries was more effectually to separate the character of the
material from the too close imitation of nature or the picture; so on
the transparent material of glass, the crossing, and sometimes
quaintly formed lead lines, always marked, answer the same purpose. Mr
Cleghorn is too sparing of remarks and information on the art of
painting on glass, which we the less regret, as we are shortly to have
before the public the carefully gathered knowledge upon this subject
from the pen and research of Mrs Merrifield. His chapter on tapestry
is more full and interesting. We have not seen the specimens of a new
kind invented by Miss King. It will be a boon to the public if, in its
adoption, it supersedes, with a better richness, the Berlin work, at
which ladies are now so unceasingly and so tastelessly employed. The
_Art-Union_ speaks highly of the invention. It is curious that, in
modern times, a Raffaelle tapestry should be destroyed to get at the
gold. The anecdote is characteristic of the equally infidel French of
1798 and of the Jew--excepting that the Jew was ignorant of its value.
Mr Cleghorn thus speaks of the celebrated cartoon tapestries--"They
were sent to be woven at Arras, under the superintendence of Barnard
Van Orlay and Michael Coxes, who had been some years pupils of
Raffaelle. Two sets of these interesting tapestries were executed; but
the deaths of Raffaelle and the pontiff, and the intestine troubles,
prevented them being applied to their intended destination. They were
carried off by the Spaniards during the sack of Rome in 1526-7, and
restored by the French general, Montmorency. They were first exhibited
to the public by Paul IV. in front of the Basilica of St Peter's, on
the festival of Corpus Domini, and again at the Beatification: a
custom that was continued throughout part of the last century, and has
again been resumed. _The French took them in 1798, and sold them to a
Jew at Leghorn, who burned one of them--Christ's Descent into
Limbus--to extract the gold with which it was interwoven._"
There is so much information in these little volumes, that were we to
notice a small part of the passages which we have marked with the
pencil, we should unduly lengthen this paper, which we can by no means
be allowed to do. We here pause, intending, however, shortly to resume
the pen on the subject of art, which now offers so many points of
interest.
KAFFIRLAND.[8]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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