French terms belong so much to the art of tapestry weaving that it is hard to find their English equivalent. Tapestries of _verdure_ and of _personnages_ describe the two general classes, the former being any charming mass of greenery, from the Gothic _millefleurs_, and curling leaves with animals beneath, to the lovely landscapes of sophisticated park and garden which made Beauvais famous in the Eighteenth Century. _Tapisseries des personnages_ have, as the name implies, the human figure as the prominent part of the design. The shuttle or bobbin of the high loom is called a _broche_, and that of the low loom a _flute_. Weavers throughout Europe, whether in the Low Countries or in France, were called _tapissiers_, and this term was so liberal as to need explaining. WORKERS' FUNCTIONS The tapestry factory was under the guidance of a director; under him were the various persons required for the work. Each tapestry woven had a directing artist, as the design was of primary importance. This man had the power to select the silks and wools for the work, that they might suit his eye as to colour. But there was also a _chef d'atelier_ who was an artist weaver, and he directed this matter and all others when the artist of the cartoons was not present. Under him were the tapissiers who did the actual weaving, and under these, again, were the apprentices, who began as boys and served three years before being allowed to try their hands at a "'prentice job" or essay at finished work. WEAVERS The word weaver means so little in these days that it is necessary to consider what were the conditions exacted of the weavers of tapestries in the time of tapestry's highest perfection. A tapissier was an artist with whom a loom took place of an easel, and whose brush was a shuttle, and whose colour-medium was thread instead of paints. This places him on a higher plane than that of mere weaver, and makes the term tapissier seem fitter. Much liberty was given him in copying designs and choosing colours. In the Middle Ages, when the Gothic style prevailed, the master-weaver needed often no other cartoon for his work than his own sketches enlarged from the miniatures found in the luxurious missals of the day. These historic books were the luxuries of kings, were kept with the plate and jewels, so precious were considered their exquisitely painted scenes in miniature. From them the master-weaver drew largely for such designs as _The Seven Deadly Sins_ and other "morality" subjects.