“The figure of Hope has a greyish-blue drapery, varied in tint and diapered with the pattern of a flower in stain. The scarf floating round the figure is sky-blue in tone and lighter than the dress. The figure of Charity has a ruby over-mantle, with a white dress underneath; while the figure of Faith has a blue dress beautifully and richly diapered, the upper portion with a sumptuous Venetian design familiar on the brocades of the Sixteenth Century, and the lower portion with a sprig of foliage. The tone of the backgrounds is a rich, warm green, and is very carefully painted with foliage, and the contrast yielded by [Illustration: OXFORD: TOWER AND ENTRANCE] [Illustration: OXFORD: CHOIR, EAST] the pale blue of the drapery, and the rich, warm green of the background in the two outside windows, is most harmonious and striking. The detail in this window is very elaborate, and every part of it bears traces of care and thought.”--(P. D.) The =Choir= consists of four bays, with the presbytery beyond. Perpendicular alterations are noticeable in the upper part. The triforium is late Norman. The pillars are larger than those in the nave and their capitals are very fine specimens of stone carving. Some critics go so far as to say they are Saxon. The most striking feature of the whole Cathedral is the pendant =ceiling= of the Choir. “Fergusson considers this work to be the most satisfactory attempt ever made to surmount the great difficulty presented in all fan-tracery by the awkward, flat, central space which is left in each bay by the four cones of the vault. At Gloucester, King’s College Chapel, Cambridge, Henry VII.’s Chapel, Westminster, and other places, various attempts were made to deceive the eye, and hide the unmanageable space; in Henry VII.’s Chapel the well-known pendants were boldly introduced with this object. None were wholly satisfactory, but, says Fergusson:-- “‘Strange as it may appear from its date, the most satisfactory roof of this class is that erected by Cardinal Wolsey over the choir of Oxford Cathedral. In this instance the pendants are thrust so far forward, and made so important, that the central part of the roof is practically quadripartite. The remaining difficulty was obviated by abandoning the circular, horizontal outline of true fan-tracery, and adopting a polygonal form instead. As the whole is done in a constructive manner and with appropriate detail, this roof, except in size, is one of the best and most remarkable ever executed.’