great height against one of the central pillars of the church, and usually magnificently carved, as was also the dais, and the sounding-board by which it was surmounted. To form an idea of the degree of perfection attained in wood-carving from the thirteenth to the fourteenth century, we ought to inspect the stalls of St. Justine, at Padua, those of the cathedrals of Milan and Ulm, the church of Aosta (Figs. 23 and 24), &c., and the stalls of the churches of Rodez, Albi, Amiens, Toulouse, and Rouen (Fig. 25). And if we would examine a very ancient example of the art attained by workers in iron, we have but to notice the hinges, dating from the thirteenth century, which stretch, in arabesque designs, over the panels of the western door of Notre-Dame, Paris. [Illustration: Fig. 26.--Design on the Stalls in the Church of St. Benoît-sur-Loire.] TAPESTRY. Scriptural Origin of Tapestry.--Needlework Embroidery in Ancient Greek and Roman Times.--Altalic Carpets.--Manufacture of Carpets in Cloisters.--Manufactory at Poitiers in the Twelfth Century.--Bayeux Tapestry, named “De la Reine Mathilde.”--Arras Carpets.--Inventory of the Tapestries of Charles V.; enormous Value of these Embroidered Hangings.--Manufactory at Fontainebleau, under Francis I.--The Manufacture of the Hôpital de la Trinité, at Paris.--The Tapestry Workers, Dubourg and Laurent, in the reign of Henry IV.--Factories of Savonnerie and Gobelins. If there is an art which bears brilliant testimony to the industry and ingenuity of mankind in the remotest ages, undoubtedly it is that of weaving, or of embroidering tapestry; for, however far back we trace the annals of nations, we find this art flourishing and producing marvels of workmanship. Let us first open the Bible, the oldest of all historical documents; we read therein of woven fabrics, not only worked on the loom, but also made by hand, that is, richly embroidered in needlework on linen or canvas. These magnificent fabrics, which were laboriously and minutely executed, represented all kinds of designs in relief and in colours; they were used as decorations for the holy temple, and as ornamental garments for the priests who performed the religious ceremonies. Indubitable proof of this is the description, in the book of Exodus, of the curtains surrounding the tabernacle. Some of these embroideries, in the manufacture of which gold and silver thread, combined with dyed wools and silk, was used, were named _opus plumarii_ (work in imitation of bird’s plumage); others--such, for example, as the veil of the Holy of Holies, which represented cherubim in the act of adoration--were called _opus artificis_ (work of the artisan), because they were made by the weaver on the loom; and, with the aid of numerous shuttles, the woof of wools and silks of various hues was introduced.