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DESCRIPTION 
 
 —OF- 
 
 Artemisia TTape^stries 
 
 BELONGING TO MRS. HEARST 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
 in 2007 with funding from 
 
 IVIicrosoft Corporation 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/descriptionofartOOffourich 
 
PREFACE 
 
 OlEUR NICHOLAS HOUVEL, or rather Houel, 
 ^^ first conceived tlie idea of illustrating in tapes- 
 tries certain events in the life of Catherine de 
 Medicis under the guise of Artemesia. 
 
 Houel was, according to Felibien and Guiffrey, a 
 notable citizen of Paris, a merchant apothecary and 
 grocer, who became toward the end of his life 
 Intendant and Governor of the house of Christian 
 Charity, established in the suburb Saint-Marcel in 
 1578. He was a singular and enigmatic personage, 
 fond of letters, and in business relations with the 
 highest personages of the court. He cultivated 
 poetry, encouraged artists, and devoted the fortune 
 he had acquired, by intelligence and industry, to 
 pious purposes. Guiffrey is almost tempted to 
 imagine that the superstitious Queen, with her belief 
 
 3 
 
in astrology and leaning toward alchemy, was the 
 real author of the idea of writing her own history in 
 tapestries, and that Houel was her willing tool; but 
 he declares that he only speculates, as none of the 
 known details of Houel's life offer any right to 
 doubt his uprightness or honesty of purpose. 
 
 According to general testimony as well as thor- 
 oughly credible tradition, Antoine Caron, an eminent 
 artist of the period, assisted, as Guiffrey and others 
 state, "by the best artists of France and Italy then 
 working at Fontainebleau and elsewhere," painted 
 thirty-nine models for these tapestries, each of which 
 illustrated a different episode in the career of Catherine 
 after the death of her husband, but not one-half of 
 which were ever interpreted into tapestries. It is 
 fortunate, however, that all were engraved, as it is 
 solely by means of these engravings, which are now 
 preserved in the Cabinet of Engravings in the French 
 National Library in Paris, that we are made ac- 
 quainted with the style and character of those which 
 were not translated into tapestries. Reiset, in his 
 Catalogue des dessins du Louvre, holds the opinion, 
 which is supported by other authorities, that there is 
 
 4 
 
such marked difference in the compositions as to 
 preclude the belief that all could have been painted 
 by Caron, and that in consequence other artists must 
 have collaborated in creating them, which confirms 
 both the testimony and tradition concerning their 
 origin. The engravings possess an additional in- 
 terest from the fact that different lines of the sonnets 
 written by Houel and dedicated to the Queen, to 
 impress his undertaking upon her memory, are copied 
 on the back of every one of them. 
 
 I have interpreted as well as adapted the title given 
 by Houel to each of the ten tapestries composing the 
 series which is the subject of this monograph, as 
 the same is quoted by Guiffrey, the present Director 
 General of the Gobelins, on pages 95 and 96 of his 
 Histoire Ge7ierale de la Tapisserie en France. I have 
 also placed beneath each title a translation of the 
 same line from Houel's sonnets that Guiffrey has 
 placed in a similar position in his work above 
 mentioned. 
 
 Inasmuch as the sonnets are written in old French, 
 constructed on old lines, and contain many obsolete 
 words, I was compelled in two or three instances to 
 
 5 
 
translate the idea conveyed instead of the literal 
 words. Guiffrey, although he had the advantage of 
 describing all thirty-nine of the compositions and 
 appending the same number of lines from the 
 sonnets, felt constrained to explain that, occasionally, 
 the verses copied upon a design apply better to 
 the one which precedes or follows than to the one 
 upon which they actually appear. He presumes 
 therefore, as seems eminently reasonable, that the 
 copyist must have inadvertently transposed the 
 original positions of some of the lines. 
 
 Eight of the tapestries described herein bear the 
 crown of France, the arms of France and Navarre, 
 the collars of the orders of St. Michael and the Holy 
 Spirit, and the cipher of Louis XIII, and two of them 
 bear the monogram of Marie de Medicis. 
 
%xih% ^mmi Jimi$^ |)im^n$t0n$ nnh ^x^mimt^ 
 
 No. I. ''Queen Artemesia, accompanied by lier son, 
 sacrifices a bull upon an altar before the as- 
 sembled people." 
 The sonnet begins : 
 ** The High Priest having read to all those assembled." 
 
 Height, 13 ft. 4 in. Width, 15 ft. 9 in. 
 Signed P ^^ in bottom selvage and KM and 
 ]j^ in right hand selvage. 
 
 No. 2. "Dignitaries of the Court carrying a vase 
 richly decorated, in the heart of a landscape 
 scene." 
 The sonnet begins : 
 
 "Behind these marched a grand company." 
 
 Height, 13 ft. 4 in. Width, 13 ft. 10 in. 
 Signed (^^ P in bottom selvage and KM and 
 "fe7 in right hand selvage. 
 
No. 3. "The Queen, seated, receives the petitions of 
 the people." 
 
 (The sonnet indicates that these petitions were 
 presented before the Queen actually assumed 
 the reins of government, consequently she is 
 represented by the Statue of Justice.) 
 The sonnet begins : 
 
 ** But before she came to rule her kingdom." 
 
 Height, 13 ft. 4 in. Width, 19 ft. 10 in. 
 Signed P c=^ in bottom selvage and |\|/| and 
 ~W~ in right hand selvage. 
 
 No. 4. "The Queen distributes rewards to the 
 soldiers." 
 The sonnet begins : 
 
 "In order to further increase her renown." 
 
 Height, 13 ft. 4 in. Width, 19 ft. 10 in. 
 Signed "^^ in bottom selvage and |\j/| and -^ 
 in right hand selvage. 
 
 No. 5. "The Queen attends the exercises in horse- 
 manship to which the young Prince devotes 
 himself near an amphitheatre." 
 
 8 
 
The sonnet begins: 
 
 " Afterwards he was taught all knightly qualities." 
 
 Height, 13 ft. 4 in. Width, 19 ft. 8 in. 
 Signed j\j/| in right hand selvage. 
 
 No. 6. "Attack on a fort surrounded by water." 
 The sonnet begins : 
 
 "Afterwards he was instructed in the arts of war." 
 
 Height, 13 ft. 5 in. Width, 20 ft. 2 in. 
 
 Signed P <^P and (j/ in bottom selvage and M/l 
 
 in right hand selvage. 
 
 No. 7. "The young Prince studying mathematics 
 and geography." 
 The sonnet begins : 
 
 '* He was also taught the sciences." 
 
 Height, 13 ft. 6 in. Width, 21 ft. 7 in. 
 
 Signed a^ P in bottom selvage and kT/i and 
 
 TaT" in right hand selvage. 
 
 No. 8. "The Queen and the young King summoned 
 around them the most noted artists. One of 
 them explains a project." 
 
 9 
 
Tlie sonnet begins : 
 
 ''The Estates assembled with infinite joy." 
 
 Height, 13 ft. 5 in. Width, 10 ft. 3 in. 
 
 Signed P<^^ in bottom selvage and km and 
 
 "bLT in right hand selvage. 
 
 The subjects of both following tapestries illustrate 
 part of the same story as the preceding eight, but are 
 enclosed in entirely different borders, are enriched 
 with gold and silver threads, and bear a different 
 royal monogram. 
 
 No. 9. "The Queen deliberates with the artists 
 
 about the monument she would erect to Mausolus 
 
 (and rewards the most prominent.") 
 The sonnet begins : 
 
 " Those noted artists presented the image." 
 
 Height, 15 ft. 4. in. Width, 12 ft. 7 in. 
 
 Signed P ^^ in bottom selvage and |\|/| and 
 
 a lily in right hand selvage. 
 
 No. 10. "The Queen (conquers and) pardons the 
 revolted Rhodians and re-embarks," and "The 
 Colossus of Rhodes." 
 
 10 
 
The sonnet begins : 
 
 *' The Queen at her return superb and sumptuous." 
 
 Height, 15 ft. 6 in. Width, 22 ft. 2 in. 
 
 Signed P c=^ in bottom selvage and M/i and 
 
 a lily in right hand selvage. 
 
 Whenever any tapestries are referred to in the 
 following pages by numbers instead of titles, those 
 numbers designate the individual tapestries similarly 
 numbered in the above list. 
 
 II 
 
^t$lar5t ©rigm ^nir |mporl^nt^ 
 
 Queen Artemesia is renowned in history for her 
 extraordinary grief at the death of her husband, 
 Mausolus, King of Caria. She is said to have mixed 
 his ashes in her daily drink and to have gradually 
 pined away during the two years that she survived 
 him. She induced the most eminent Greek rheto- 
 ricians to proclaim his praise in their oratory, and 
 build at Halicarnassus, to perpetuate his memory, the 
 celebrated Mausoleum, which was regarded as one of 
 the seven wonders of the world, and which suggested 
 the present generic term for any splendid sepulchral 
 monument. She educated her son with great care, 
 and ruled the kingdom during his minority with 
 firmness, skill and wisdom. She suppressed the 
 revolt of the Rhodians, who had succeeded in throw- 
 ing off the Athenian yoke by the assistance of her 
 husband, and erected on their island, as a memorial 
 
 12 
 
of her conquest, a monument which Houel, Caron 
 and Lerambert, with courtly gallantry, represent in 
 one of the tapestries of this series by the Colossus 
 at Rhodes. This abbreviated history of the Queen of 
 Caria is introduced to explain the reasons which 
 prompted two royal widows of France to accept her 
 boundless grief at the loss of her consort as emblem- 
 atical of their sorrow at the deaths of their respective 
 husbands. 
 
 Like Queen Artemesia, both Catherine de Medicis, 
 wife of Henry II, and Marie de Medicis, wife of 
 Henry VI, lost their royal husbands in the prime of 
 life; like her, they were declared regents of the king- 
 dom during the minority of their sons ; like her, they 
 passionately mourned their bereavement; like her, 
 they erected stately monuments to the memory of 
 their husbands; like her, they had contentions and 
 armed conflicts with their subjects; like her, they 
 superintended the education of their sons, the future 
 kings; and like her, they essayed to render their 
 reigns illustrious. No wonder then that the 
 courtiers around them compared them with the 
 celebrated Queen of Caria, and that finally the 
 
 13 
 
Medicis themselves desired to embody in tapestries, 
 under the guise and figure of Artemesia, some of the 
 most conspicuous features of their reigns as loving 
 royal consorts, devoted royal mothers, powerful 
 queens, and wise regents. 
 
 Lacordaire, formerly Director General of the 
 Gobelins, on page 21 of Notice Historique sur les 
 Manufactures des Gobelins, declares that during the 
 reigns of five succeeding sovereigns of France the 
 series Artemesia received the signal and unusual 
 honor of being repeatedly chosen for reproduction in 
 the royal ateliers of tapestry weaving in perference 
 to all other compositions, and that there were ten 
 series woven in these ateliers between the years 1570 
 and 1660, which contained altogether about sixty-six 
 tapestries, illustrating queens of France as Arte- 
 mesia. The inventories of the works of art belonging 
 to the crown, taken during the reign of Louis XIV, 
 disclose the existence, from 1663 to 17 15, of ten series 
 containing eighty-four tapestries in all, some of which 
 must have been woven since 1660, or Lacordaire 
 must have made an error in his calculations. In any 
 event the different series are readily distinguished by 
 
 14 
 
their dissimilar borders and the largest of them 
 contained only fifteen and the smallest bnt three 
 tapestries. These details are exceedingly interesting 
 because they show, among other things, that the 
 Artemesia tapestries were regarded by the monarchs 
 and the court of France with extraordinary favor for 
 nearly one hundred and fifty consecutive years. 
 
 Although the cartoons by celebrated masters of 
 famous subjects were often translated more than 
 once upon the loom, yet the chefs d'atelier practically 
 never surrounded the different interpretations with 
 the same borders. Each repetition is naturally an 
 original, if by a different chef d'atelier, and if an 
 interpretation of the original cartoons. 
 
 Lacordaire, on page 20 of the work previously 
 named, states that "Henry Lerambert, under the 
 regency of Catherine de Medicis, who was a particular 
 friend of the arts, began work on one of the most 
 important series of compositions that has ever been 
 designed for tapestries : the history of Mausolus and 
 Artemesia, in thirty-nine designs, or rather the 
 history of Catherine de Medicis under the emblem of 
 Queen Artemesia." 
 
 15 
 
All the series owned by tHe French Government 
 from 1663 to 1715 are described in GniiBFrey's In- 
 ventaire General du Mobilier de la Couronne sous 
 Louis XIV, but the tapestries which are the subject 
 of this monograph were presented Cardinal Barberini 
 by Louis XIII almost forty years before this in- 
 ventory was taken. 
 
 Lacordaire states, as previously mentioned, that 
 only sixty-six Artemesia tapestries were woven in the 
 royal ateliers of Paris, which number, according to 
 my calculations must be increased to say one hun- 
 dred, of which six belonged to the Foucquet collection. 
 The inventory above-named proves the existence of 
 eighty-four in the last quarter of the XVII century, 
 which, added to the ten formerly in the Barberini 
 collection and withdrawn, as above stated, before said 
 period, and to those in Munich, hereafter mentioned, 
 makes a total of about one hundred woven in all. 
 Guiffrey, in a late work compiled from the archives 
 at the Gobelins, proves that twenty-three were de- 
 stroyed during the Reign of Terror, but makes no 
 mention of the number burned during the Commune. 
 All authorities are in accord that there are now only 
 
 16 
 
twenty-eight in the National Garde-Meuble. These 
 twenty-eight, plus the twenty-three burned by the 
 Terrorists, plus the ten formerly in the Barberini 
 collection, plus say five in the royal palace at 
 Munich, makes a total of sixty-six, or all that were 
 ever woven if we take Lacordaire^s figures, but 
 thirty-four less than all if we take my figures. As 
 no trace of these thirty-four exists it is probable 
 that they were among the six hundred and thirty- 
 seven tapestries burned by the Commune in 1871. 
 
 I wrote Guiffrey regarding the discrepancy between 
 Lacordaire's opinion of the number woven and my 
 own, and received the following reply: "I consider 
 that the Artemesia tapestries in Munich constitute a 
 series independent of the collection of Louis XIV, but 
 all the same authentic. In regard to the series which 
 came from the Barberini collection and which you 
 possess, it is certain that it left France before the 
 editing of the royal inventory of Louis XIV and that 
 it belongs to the series owned by that monarch. You 
 are therefore nearer the truth than Lacordaire, with 
 his sixty-six pieces, in saying that there were woven 
 about one hundred tapestries with subjects drawn 
 
 17 
 
from the history of Artemesia. By rejoining yours 
 to those of Paris and Munich and adding the twenty- 
 three burned in 1797 we can at least settle the 
 destiny of about sixty-five or seventy of the whole 
 number." The balance, as I have above stated, were 
 probably destroyed by the Communists. 
 
 The earliest cartoons for the Artemesia tapestries 
 were painted, as previously mentioned, by Antoine 
 Caron and his assistants, to exemplify the grief of 
 Catherine de Medicis at the death of Henry II. 
 Nicholas Houel, as heretofore stated, composed the 
 sonnets which quaintly describe the subject of each 
 tapestry and dedicated them to the Queen, who was 
 so delighted with both the cartoons and the sonnets 
 that she gave orders to have them interpreted into 
 tapestries, according to Houel, in her Chateau au 
 Louvre in Paris, where a royal manufactory was 
 then established. 
 
 Marie de Medicis also commanded a series, v/ith 
 the same subjects rejuvenated by Lerambert, to 
 commemorate her grief at the death of Henry IV. 
 This series was enclosed in an entirely different 
 border from the preceding, and was woven, according 
 
 18 
 
to tHe evidence recited on a subsequent page, at the 
 Gobelins, where a royal manufactory had been 
 founded by her illustrious consort. 
 
 As some Artemesia tapestries bear the cipher of 
 Henry the Great, it is evident they were woven 
 before his death and that he was pleased with them 
 on account of their decorative compositions only, 
 since the subjects bear no personal application to 
 him. 
 
 It is difficult, if not impossible, to define the part 
 taken by Caron and Lerambert, respectively, in the 
 common work. Consulting the biographies of all the 
 personages interested gives nothing more than in- 
 dications. Nevertheless, as all authorities concur in 
 the statement that Caron and Lerambert were the 
 authors of all the cartoons, and as the former pre- 
 ceded the latter by eleven years to the tomb, it is fair 
 to assume that Caron painted the earliest and Leram- 
 bert the later models. 
 
 Felibien, in his Entretien su7' les vies des peintres, 
 states that "Henry Lerambert, painter to the King 
 (Henry IV,) applied himself particularly to painting 
 designs for tapestries. Those which are in the 
 
 19 
 
cliurcli Saint Merri, in which the history of our Lord 
 is represented, were woven after cartoons by him. 
 He also painted, in 1600, the designs for the tapes- 
 tries illustrating the history of Coriolanus and that 
 of Artemesia." In another part of the same work he 
 says that Lerambert was specially charged with 
 painting the cartoons for such tapestries as his 
 Majesty commanded for his own use, which is con- 
 firmed by Guiffrey in his Histoire Generate de la 
 Tapisserie en France. These statements are very 
 important, since the beauty and value of art tapes- 
 tries depend almost as much upon the cartoonist as 
 the chef d'atelier, for they should be actual col- 
 laborators in creating them. 
 
 Germain Brice, in the first editions of his Descrip- 
 tion de Paris, corroborates the declarations of Felibien 
 and Guiffrey, that the cartoons for the celebrated 
 tapestries representing the Life of Christ.^ in the 
 church of Saint Merri, were designed by Lerambert. 
 Sauval, in his Antiquites de Paris^ adds that the 
 tapestries interpreted in the Trinity atelier by 
 Dubourg after these cartoons created such a sen- 
 sation that Henry IV went to see them and was so 
 
 20 
 
profoundly impressed by them that he decided to 
 re-establish the weaving of tapestries in Paris under 
 royal patronage, the civil wars of the preceding reign 
 having almost destroyed the art industry in France. 
 It appears by this statement of Sauval, which is 
 confirmed by other authorities, that the creations of 
 Lerambert and Dubourg inspired the great efforts of 
 Henry IV in behalf of tapestry weaving, which natu- 
 rally sheds additional lustre on all tapestries woven 
 after the cartoons of Lerambert, although there is 
 other evidence which indicates, if it does not prove, 
 that Henry IV realized the advantages flowing from 
 this important and valuable art industry before he 
 mounted the throne of France. In any event it can 
 be safely asserted that the view of the Saint Merri 
 tapestries decided him to carry his convictions into 
 effect and start his country towards that supremacy 
 in all art industries which she has maintained to this 
 day. 
 
 Guiffrey says, on page 254 of Histoire de la Tapis- 
 serie depuis le mo yen age jusqu'a nos jours ^ "If the 
 history of Artemesia woven for Catherine de Medicis 
 was not interpreted in the Trinity Atelier, we do not 
 
 21 
 
know where it was made. The models, this time 
 again, were in part at least by Lerambert who as 
 painter to the King was specially charged to provide 
 cartoons for the royal manufactories of tapestries. 
 Regarding this series, as well as that of Saint Merri, 
 we fortunately possess contemporary testimony of 
 precious importance in the shape of thirty-nine en- 
 gravings of original models now in the Cabinet of 
 Engravings of the National Library. The book of 
 Houelhas the grand merit of enabling us to seize 
 the general idea which predominated in the com- 
 positions of the scenes represented. These mag- 
 nificent exhibitions of sovereign grace and presenta- 
 tion of gifts belong in part to the triumphal pomps 
 in which Artemesia celebrated her victory over the 
 Rhodians, and in others to the funeral services of the 
 King, her husband. Besides these subjects, which 
 lend themselyes admirably to decoration, and of 
 which the artist weaver knew how to take the best 
 advantage, there are other scenes which enable us to 
 watch the education of the young Prince in the arts 
 of war and equitation, and the care with which his 
 mother surrounded his adolescence. For a long time 
 
 22 
 
neglected and overlooked, the Artemesia tapestries 
 liave lately re-assumed in the estimation of connois- 
 seurs the place to which they are entitled." 
 
 Unfortunately nearly all the series have reached 
 us very incomplete, largely because of the vandalism 
 of the Reign of Terror and the Commune. Guififrey 
 wonders if the authors of the models were acquainted 
 with the famous triumphs by Mantegna which the 
 history of Artemesia recalls in certain directions. 
 This question cannot be answered positively, for 
 triumphal scenes and analagous subjects were in 
 such great favor almost everywhere during the XVI 
 century that it cannot be definitely determined where 
 they drew their inspirations. In reality the friezes 
 of Mantegna probably present less affinity with the 
 cartoons of Lerambert than the triumphs of Jules 
 Romain. No matter what the relationship which 
 suggested the series woven for Catherine de Medicis, 
 it offers in its details as well as in its entirety, as 
 Guiffrey declares, the characteristic traits of French 
 taste. In consequence he believes that the models 
 are thoroughly original conceptions, and that the 
 identity in the destinies of Catherine and Marie de 
 
 23 
 
Medicis contributed in a great part to the ceremo- 
 nious progress in the events illustrated. 
 
 As Catherine de Medicis was reared in the cultured 
 court of Florence, and as her ancestors were renowned 
 patrons of art, it was natural that she should have 
 possessed refined taste, should have ardently admired 
 the luxurious arts and should have exerted a felicit- 
 ous influence upon their development in her hus- 
 band's dominions. She exhibited particular solicitude 
 for the ateliers of tapestry weaving founded by her 
 consort, and left behind her, as Guiffrey states, a 
 grand memorial of her taste in the magnificent Ar- 
 temesia tapestries in which she indulged her grief 
 as an inconsolable widow, and proclaimed the pains 
 she took in the education of her children. 
 
 Marie de Medicis was reared under similar influ- 
 ences as the relative who preceded her upon the 
 throne of France, and like her possessed exquisite 
 taste and passionately loved the sumptuous arts. 
 Like her, she vigorously supported the royal ateliers 
 of tapestry weaving, and like her, she left behind her 
 a superb monument of her grief at the loss of her 
 illustrious consort, and of her devotion to her 
 
 24 
 
children's education, in other series of Artemesia 
 tapestries, of which those described in this paper 
 constitute an original part. 
 
 The Governing Committee at the Universal Ex- 
 hibition held in Paris in 1878 paid an unexpected 
 and involuntary tribute to the taste and skill of the 
 ancient tapestry weavers in general, and to the series 
 Artemesia in particular, by selecting it in preference 
 to anything else to line the walls of the three salons 
 occupied by the French statuary. They found 
 nothing ancient or modern which enlivened the cold 
 and icy aspect of these rooms with equal warmth and 
 richness, and at the same time made such an 
 admirable foil to the plaster and marbles, without 
 killing them by excessive coloring. 
 
 The ten Artemesia tapestries which are the subject 
 of this monograph were, like the preceding, woven in 
 the royal ateliers of Paris ; are, like them, interpreta- 
 tions from original cartoons, and are therefore entitled 
 to an equal share in the remarkable homage paid 
 them at the Exposition of 1878 as above recited. I 
 have carefully examined, by the courtesy of my 
 friend Mr. Williamson, formerly Curator of the 
 
 25 
 
Frencli National Garde-Meuble, whom I cannot 
 thank too warmly, most of the tapestries belonging 
 to the different series Artemesia therein preserved 
 and find that those of the era of Marie de Medicis 
 and those which are the subject of this paper are so 
 much alike in coloring and character, as well as in 
 technical and general treatment, that both must have 
 been woven about the same period, in the same 
 atelier, and after the same cartoons. By comparing 
 the tapestry representing An attack o?i a fort 
 surrounded by water belonging to the Barberini 
 Collection, with the illustration in Guiffrey's Histoire 
 Ge7ierale de la Tapisserie en France of the tapestry 
 with the same subject belonging to the French 
 National Collection; and by comparing almost any 
 other tapestry of the Artemesia series in the Bar- 
 berini Collection with the illustration in Guichard's 
 Les Tapisseries decoratives du Garde-Meuble of the 
 tapestry representing Artemesia receiving her subjects^ 
 in the French National Collection, any amateur or 
 connoisseur will convince himself of the correctness 
 of this conclusion. The tapestries representing An 
 attack on a fort surrounded by water and The Colossus 
 
 26 
 
of Rhodes, belonging to the French Government, with 
 many other magnificent pieces, were used to decorate 
 the walls of the Palais d'Industrie in 1889 at a fete 
 given there in honor of the Shah of Persia, and were 
 probably seen and admired on that occasion by many 
 other Americans besides myself. The ten tapestries 
 which are the subject of this paper were presented, 
 two hundred and seventy-one years ago by Louis 
 XIII of France to Cardinal Frangois Barberini, 
 nephew of Pope Urban VIII, when Papal Legate at 
 the French Court, and have been ever since carefully 
 preserved in the Barberini Palace at Rome by 
 successive generations of the family until they were 
 brought to America in 1891. 
 
 They are all interpretations from the designs of 
 Lerambert, were all woven at the command of Marie 
 de Medicis when regent of France, in one of the 
 royal ateliers at Paris, no doubt the early Gobelins, 
 when under the supervision of de la Planche and de 
 Comans, as hereafter shown. 
 
 Nearly all bear in the bottom selvage the initial P 
 and the fleur-de-lis of France, which is the authentic 
 mark of the atelier of de la Planche and de Comans ; 
 
 27 
 
all bear, in the right hand upright selvage the mono- 
 gram |\|/| , which may be composed of the initials of 
 their joint names, Frangois and Marc; and several 
 bear in the same upright selvage the monogram "tzsJ" ; 
 and two, the monogram -y^ or its reverse. 
 
 Two-thirds of the eighty-four tapestries, composing 
 the ten series Artemesia, owned by the French nation 
 between 1663 and 17 15, have disappeared or been 
 destroyed. During the Reign of Terror two of the 
 largest series, containing twenty-three tapestries in 
 all, were burned to obtain the gold and silver in 
 them, and during the Commune a lot more were also 
 burned, so that at the present time the Garde-Meuble 
 contains only twenty-eight of the original number 
 and these belong to six different series. In con- 
 sequence, the larger of the two series, which are the 
 subject of this monograph, is more important than 
 any of those belonging to the French nation, since it 
 contains more of the original tapestries and illus- 
 trates more of the original cartoons than any of 
 them. The origin of several of the prominent series 
 of tapestries heretofore belonging to the Barberini 
 Collection is recited on pages 72 to 77 of the MS. 
 
 28 
 
XLVIII, in Vol. 141, preserved among tlie Family 
 Archives in its celebrated library. From tHis docu- 
 ment the Chevalier Zenuti of Florence copied the 
 following statement for me, of which I give a verbatim 
 translation : 
 
 "Account given by the learned Luca Holstenio of the 
 Barberini tapestries with prices, commencing with those which 
 include the History of Constantine the Great, Artemesia, 
 Rinaldo, Diana, etc., presented by the most Christian King, 
 Louis XIII of France, to Cardinal Barberini, Legate to 
 France, 1625." 
 
 This extract proves that the ten tapestries com- 
 posing the above-mentioned series Artemesia, which 
 are the subject of this paper, were presented, as 
 heretofore stated, by Louis XIII to Cardinal Fran9ois 
 Barberini, and this fact naturally entitles them to 
 rank among the most historically important in ex- 
 istence. The monogram of the Cardinal (F B) is 
 stamped on the lining of several of them, and that of 
 a member of the Colonna family on the lining of one. 
 The latter stamp indicates that some were included 
 in the dot of Donna Cornelia Barberini when she 
 married Don Julius Colonna, who, thereafter, by 
 permission of the Pope, took the name and bore the 
 
 arms of the Barberini. 
 
 29 
 
The Chevalier Zenuti also copied another state- 
 ment for me from the MS. heretofore designated, of 
 which the following is a verbatim translation : 
 
 *'The collection which illustrates the History of Artemesia 
 is of the same excellence in quality and execution as the 
 History of Constantine, and cost the same price per aulne 
 when made." 
 
 Eugene Muntz, Curator of the Library and 
 Archives in the Beaux Arts at Paris, and the author 
 of several standard works on tapestry, published in 
 1874, copious extracts from the aforesaid MSS. in the 
 Revue des Societes Savantes, and states in his preface 
 that in addition to those he copied, there exist in 
 the Barberini Library "other documents which con- 
 tain the description of the Gobelins given Cardinal 
 Barberini by Louis XIII and the Gobelins, on sale, 
 which were offered him." It was from these "other 
 documents" that the Chevalier Zenuti made both the 
 extracts heretofore quoted. 
 
 In the palace of the kings of Bavaria at Munich 
 there is a large room wholly decorated with tapestries 
 belonging to a series Artemesia. On these there are 
 neither the monogram of Catherine nor Marie de 
 
 30 
 
Medicis, nor any of their sons, yet they are, according 
 to Guiffrey, authentic pieces made at the beginning 
 of the XVII century, and therefore of rare import- 
 ance and value. Naturally, however, those which 
 are the subject of this monograph, since they exhibit 
 the crown and arms of France and Navarre, two 
 royal orders, and the monogram of two French 
 monarchs, are of materially greater historic import- 
 ance and value. In the Cabinet of MSS. in the 
 National Library in Paris, there is a document 
 devoted exclusively to the history of Artemesia and 
 dedicated to Catherine de Medicis by the author, 
 Nicholas Houel. In the Cabinet of France, in the 
 same Library, there is a book also by Houel, in 
 which he records his reasons for composing the 
 sonnets heretofore mentioned, and for urging that the 
 history of Catherine de Medicis should be immortal- 
 ized in textile paintings. This book bears on its 
 back the inscription, "Tapisser . . . de Cather . . . de 
 Medici ..." and on its front the arms and monogram 
 of Louis XV, and the inscription, "Presented to the 
 Cabinet of Engravings of the King by M. Roussel, 
 Fermier General, in 1765." Houel died in 1596. 
 
 31 
 
The book remained in tlie possession of M. Bullion, 
 Superintendent of Finances, until his death in 1640, 
 when it was inherited by his grandson. Count 
 d^Esclimont, Provost of Paris in 172 1, who presented 
 it to M. Roussel. The cipher of Catherine was an 
 X with a crown on each of the four points. 
 Houel dedicated this book : 
 
 *'To the most virtuous, most illustrious, and most excellent 
 Princess, Catherine de Medici, Queen of France and mother of 
 the most Christian King, Charles, IX of the name ; Nicholas 
 Houel, her most humble and affectionate subject. Greeting." 
 
 If space permitted I would translate and insert, in 
 his own words, all of the interesting reasons which 
 prompted Houel to his self-imposed task, because the 
 results had far wider influence and shed far greater 
 lustre on the art industries of France than he, even 
 in the highest flights of his fancy, could have 
 anticipated. I must however content myself with a 
 summary of these reasons. 
 
 He aimed to draw up in writing the plans for a 
 series of paintings which should be adapted for 
 interpretation into tapestries. The friends whom he 
 consulted not only encouraged him in this project 
 
 32 
 
but heartily seconded the idea that the compositions 
 should illustrate the history of Artemesia, for they 
 believed he was specially fitted for the task since he 
 was well acquainted with the best painters and 
 sculptors of France and was held in high esteem by 
 them. He however hesitated on account of his 
 limited means, his lack of acquaintance with the 
 subject, the routine of his vocation, and particularly 
 because, as he said, "good painters are rare nowadays 
 in France as well as elsewhere," and would not paint 
 the cartoons unless strongly urged and well paid. 
 Nevertheless his earnest desire to surprise and please 
 the Queen, coupled with the importunities of his 
 friends finally decided him to begin the undertaking. 
 When his written designs and painted models 
 were nearly finished he puzzled over the best means 
 of bringing them to the notice of his Sovereign, as 
 he knew no one at court, although he had business 
 relations with some of its highest functionaries. 
 While in doubt what plan to adopt, she unexpectedly 
 called at his residence to examine some celebrated 
 curios and paintings belonging to him. He naturally 
 took advantage of the opportunity to have her read 
 
 33 
 
what he had already written concerning the history 
 of Artemesia, and see some of the cartoons already 
 painted. Although he kept her a great while, for 
 his dissertation was very long, yet she was delighted 
 with what she read and saw. This happy result 
 encouraged him to vigorously continue the work, 
 resolved to spare nothing which would render it 
 nearer perfect and more gratifying to her. In fact 
 he did not permit personal troubles nor even civil 
 war to interfere with its progress. When he had 
 finished his written plans and history, and when 
 most of the cartoons were ready for the weavers, he 
 wrote to her, saying: 
 
 ** Your Majesty will recall, by the books I now present you, 
 that which was done by the good Queen Artemesia, which is 
 to-day renewed in our time, so that it can be said that our age 
 is a repetition of that antique era in which reigned the good 
 Princess Artemesia. Indeed the chief end of my work has 
 been to represent you as Artemesia and to exhibit the re- 
 semblance between her era and ours." 
 
 He compared Henry II with Mausolus, Catherine 
 with Artemesia, Charles IX, the Dauphin, with 
 Lygdamis, son of Artemesia; the victory over the 
 French rebels about Orleans, with the war against 
 
 34 
 
the Rhodians; the Palace of the Tuilleries, Monceau 
 and Saint Maur, erected by Catherine, with the 
 Mausoleum at Halicarnassus and the monument at 
 Rhodes erected by Artemesia. 
 
 In conclusion he wrote that in his history and in 
 the cartoons, "which were painted by the first artists 
 of Italy and France, she would find much to please 
 her and would have rare and exquisite models for 
 translation into beautiful and costly textile paintings 
 for ornamenting her superb residences." 
 
 The original models were no doubt painted between 
 1565 and 1570, as HouePs allusions to civil war point 
 directly to that conclusion. The era in which the 
 different series were woven is easily determined by 
 the emblems, ciphers, and monograms in their 
 borders. 
 
 The mark of origin and the monograms of the 
 weavers will be found respectively in the bottom and 
 sinister upright selvages. 
 
 This mark, according to Guiflfrey and all other 
 authorities, consists of a P before or after a fleur-de- 
 lis, or two P's with a fleur-de-lis between them. The 
 P alone might indicate any Parisian atelier but the 
 
 35 
 
presence of the fleur-de-lis designates the royal 
 establishments only. 
 
 Guiffrey says, on page 97 of Histoire Generale de 
 la Tapisserie en France that "several series of the 
 history of Artemesia contain the cipher of Marie de 
 Medicis, an M and an A interlaced, either alone or 
 accompanied by the H of Henry IV .... and, in the 
 center of the top border, the escutcheons of France 
 and Navarre." The tapestries numbered 9 and 10 
 contain not only the above-mentioned cipher of Marie 
 de Medicis, but the escutcheons of France and 
 Navarre as well, in the center of their top borders. 
 
 On the installation of de Comans and de la 
 Planche at the Gobelins about the dawn of the XVII 
 century, by Henry the Great, the Provost and Alder- 
 men of the city of Paris attempted, but without 
 avail, to curtail the extraordinary rights and privi- 
 leges accorded these chefs d'atelier. Incensed at 
 their failure, they consoled themselves, after register- 
 ing the edict of the King in its original form, by 
 issuing a decree of their own which forbid the said 
 chefs d'atelier, during the life of their rights and 
 privileges, "from selling any other tapestries than 
 
 36 
 
those which they had woven and which were counter- 
 marked with the fleur-de-lis and the initial letter of 
 the city in which they were woven." Although their 
 action was no doubt largely incited by spite and 
 jealousy, yet it has proven of great service since it 
 establishes beyond question that the tapestries woven 
 in the early Gobelins, that is, the atelier of de 
 Comans and de la Planche, were required to bear the 
 fleur-de-lis and the initial letter P of Paris. The 
 Artemesia tapestries, which are the subject of this 
 monograph, bear these marks of origin, but as all the 
 royal ateliers in Paris, notably that installed in the 
 Gallery of the Louvre, likewise used them, evidence 
 of another nature is necessary to decide that the 
 Artemesia tapestries issued from the early Gobelins. 
 This evidence is found in the fact that they bear in 
 the upright sinister selvage the monogram |\M , 
 which, with comparatively little doubt, is composed, 
 as heretofore stated, of the initial letters of the 
 Christian names of de Comans and de la Planche, 
 viz.: M for Marc and F for Fran9ois. The mono- 
 grams woven in the right hand upright selvages of 
 any tapestries are, in many instances, those of the 
 
 37 
 
weavers specially charged with the production of the 
 particular pieces in which they appear. Nevertheless 
 several of the most renowned chefs d'atelier in 
 Flanders, like Raes and Geubels, signed their pro- 
 ducts in these selvages, particularly when they were 
 collaborators in the creation of the same series. 
 There is therefore every reason to believe that de 
 Comans and de la Planche, who were of Flemish 
 origin, did likewise, and that, as they were jointly at 
 the head of one and the same atelier for several years 
 after their arrival in Paris, they signed their products 
 with one and the same monogram made up in the 
 manner above-mentioned. Such a belief is supported 
 by the fact that when they separated they both 
 frequently, if not always, wove their individual 
 monograms in the right hand upright selvages of the 
 tapestries which issued from their respective ateliers. 
 In addition it is natural to believe that, having been 
 summoned from Flanders by Henry IV expressly to 
 introduce the system of weaving tapestries known as 
 "fa9on de Flandre" into France, they observed as 
 many national characteristics in their undertaking 
 as possible, among which the method of signing 
 
 38 
 
tapestries in vogue in their own country would 
 rank, next to the system of weaving, as the most 
 prominent. 
 
 I submitted my idea of the origin of the monogram 
 in question, with the reasons which gave it birth, to 
 Guiffrey in practically the same language as I have 
 used above, and in reply he wrote, among other 
 interesting things: "Your idea of the explication of 
 the monogram KM seems to me very ingenious and 
 apparently correct. As it is more than probable that 
 we will never have any absolutely certain explan- 
 ation of it, you can safely use the interpretation that 
 you have discovered, with the conviction that no one 
 can contradict it." 
 
 A number of the most valued tapestries in the 
 Garde-Meubles of Paris and Vienna bear the same 
 monogram, but unfortunately, although the names 
 of the chefs d'atelier, like de Comans, de la Planche, 
 Dubourg, Laurent, Jans, Lefebvre and others have 
 passed into history, those of the more humble artists 
 who worked under them have in the main been lost. 
 
 On page 299 of Guiffrey's inventory of the works 
 of art belonging to Louis XIV there is a description 
 
 39 
 
of the borders of a series Artemesia now in the 
 National Garde-Meuble at Paris which practically 
 defines those belonging to tapestries numbered 9 and 
 10. The following paragraph is an exact translation 
 of this description : 
 
 "29 — Artemesia — A series of tapestry in wool and 
 silk, enriched with gold, made in Paris at the manu- 
 factory of the Gobelins, representing the history of 
 Artemesia, designed by Lerambert, in a border with 
 dark ground, in the top of which is a blue oval space 
 in a cartouch, at each side of which are trophies and 
 prisoners of war in clair-obscure, in each of the four 
 corners is the muzzle of a lion, in each of the lateral 
 borders two Ms, interlaced with a caduceus, and in 
 the bottom border the arms of Navarre ^ 
 
 The words underscored do not apply to the borders 
 of tapestries 9 and 10 heretofore designated, but 
 errors are often found in old inventories, because 
 they were usually taken by household officials and 
 scarcely ever by experts. For instance, the mono- 
 gram of Marie de Medici s consisted of, as history 
 proves, an M and an A interlaced, and not of two 
 Ms. The four crossed batons of royalty in the 
 
 40 
 
bottom borders, together with the stems of the letters 
 M and A interlaced, might well be mistaken, without 
 close observation, for the crossed chains on the 
 escutcheon of Navarre. Marie de Medicis was not 
 simply Queen of Navarre, but Queen of both France 
 and Navarre united, as Navarre was joined to France 
 by Henry the Great when he mounted the French 
 throne, after the decisive battle of Ivry, and several 
 years before he married the Florentine. It is not 
 reasonable to suppose therefore that she would have 
 permitted the arms of Navarre unaccompanied by 
 those of France to be woven in any royal tapestries, 
 especially those which illustrated her grief at the loss 
 of the husband whose prowess had given him the 
 power to make her Queen of France. 
 
 In further proof that old inventories often contain 
 errors, both Guififrey's Histoire Generale de la Tapis- 
 serie en France, and Guichard's Les tapis series decora- 
 tives du Garde-Meuble, contain an illustration of a 
 tapestry belonging to a series Artemesia, now in the 
 Garde-Meuble at Paris, which represents the nobility 
 of the French court paying homage to the Queen 
 and the young Prince. The border of this tapestry 
 
 41 
 
is not described in the inventory of Louis XIV as 
 belonging to any series Artemesia, but is described 
 in said work as belonging to a series Coriolanus. 
 Wben a tapestry or its border clearly compares in a 
 general way, and in most of its particulars, witb an 
 old inventory known to have been drawn up by the 
 family or state to which the tapestry once belonged, 
 the source of its origin as named in said inventory is 
 accepted as conclusive unless there are proofs to the 
 contrary. The cartoons for the borders were not 
 loaned by one artist to another, but were usually 
 the property of the chefs d^atelier who interpreted 
 them into warp and woof. Consequently the char- 
 acter and composition of the borders often clearly 
 designate both the date and place of origin of a 
 tapestry, and either confirm or contradict the written 
 evidence, as the case may be. 
 
 I am thoroughly convinced, after carefully weigh- 
 ing all the pros and cons by the light of my 
 experience, that tapestries numbered 9 and 10 are 
 part of a series Artemesia now in the Garde-Meuble 
 at Paris, and that they were woven at the Gobelins 
 by command of Marie de Medicis. 
 
 42 
 
I am also thoroughly convinced, and in the same 
 manner, that tapestries numbered i to 8, both in- 
 clusive, in this paper, are part or all of a special 
 series Artemesia likewise woven at Gobelins by her 
 orders. They bear to be sure the cipher of her son, 
 but as they either chronicle episodes in which she 
 appears personally in the principal part, or manifests 
 her supervision through others, and as dissensions 
 sprang up between them almost as soon as he 
 assumed the reins of power, which ended in her exile 
 from court, it is only reasonable to conclude that they 
 were woven while she was in the plentitude of her 
 power. 
 
 In further support of this conclusion, all the 
 standard works on tapestries unite in the declaration 
 that all the series Artemesia were woven by the 
 commands of queens of France in the royal ateliers 
 of the kingdom. 
 
 Darcel, Curator of the Cluny Museum and formerly 
 Director General of the Gobelins, doubts that the 
 series Artemesia woven at the Trinity by Dubourg 
 for Catherine de Medicis survived the vandalism of 
 the Reign of Terror. 
 
 43 
 
The borders on the series ordered by Marie de 
 Medicis are totally unlike those on the designs in the 
 Cabinet of Engravings. Among other variations the 
 emblems representing the widowhood of Catherine 
 are supplanted by the monogram of Marie, as is 
 shown in the borders of tapestries numbered 9 and 
 10 of my Artemesia series. 
 
 Guiflfrey, in his Histoire Generale de la Tapisserie 
 en Finance, devotes many pages to the Artemesia 
 tapestries and declares them, as does Castel in Les 
 Tapisseries^ among the most interesting, precious 
 and important that the world has ever produced. 
 Guififrey, in his less extended books, writes of 
 them at less length naturally, but with equal 
 enthusiasm. Inasmuch as they have filled for 
 centuries a grand artistic and historic role in the 
 tapestry world, every prominent work on French 
 tapestry extols their merits, reproduces examples 
 of them, and records their origin, history and pro- 
 longed popularity. 
 
 In a late letter received from Guiffrey, he states 
 among other valuable and interesting matter regard- 
 ing them, that: 
 
 44 
 
' * The series Artemesia is one of the most beautiful and one 
 of the most celebrated that were created in the Parisian ateliers 
 during the first half of the seventeenth century, and the pro- 
 ducts of these ateliers, of which I have written a concise history 
 in my works, are comparable for the perfection of their execu- 
 tion with the most faultless and most vaunted of the time of Le 
 Brun and Colbert." 
 
 I have not quoted GuifFrey as fully as I would if 
 lie had not already published extended and highly 
 eulogistic opinions of them in his work heretofore 
 mentioned and in his history of the ateliers of de 
 Comans and de la Planche. 
 
 I have also lately received the following letter 
 
 from Gerspach, the previous Director General of the 
 
 Gobelins, concerning them, which I quote in full 
 
 because, unlike Guiffrey, he has not heretofore had 
 
 any occasion to publish more than a brief opinion of 
 
 them: 
 
 ' * In which of the ateliers of Paris your series Artemesia was 
 woven, it is difi&cult to determine, but the question is of very 
 little importance since it is incontestable that all issued from 
 the royal manufactories which preceded the reorganization of 
 the Gobelins in 1662. Of the eighty-four pieces which con- 
 stituted the total of all the several series Artemesia included in 
 the inventory of I,ouis XIV, the French government now 
 possesses only twenty-eight, and I know of none others in 
 existence excepting the ten heretofore belonging to the 
 Barberini family and now forming part of your collection. 
 
 45 
 
"I consider the series Artemesia superior in artistic im- 
 portance to the best series woven at the Gobelins under lyouis 
 XIV. I am a stubborn adversary of the reproduction of 
 paintings in tapestries, and it follows therefore that I am an 
 unyielding partisan of models painted and composed solely for 
 translation into them. All the materials employed in the art of 
 tapestry weaving possess especial qualities peculiar to them- 
 selves and it is necessary that the artist furnishing the model 
 should understand and appreciate these qualities if he wishes 
 that his design should be well interpreted. Lerambert painted 
 the models for the series Artemesia expressly for interpretation 
 into tapestries while lyC Brun often translated paintings upon 
 the tapestry loom which were not conceived for that purpose. 
 At the same time, in the composition of the subject, I^e Brun 
 was too realistic and scorned, so to speak, conventionalism, 
 while the models of Lerambert, on the contrary, fully recog- 
 nized the tacit understanding which should always exist 
 between artist-painter and artist-weaver, and which is the real 
 essence of textile painting. 
 
 *'The sobriety in the colors of the series Artemesia has, in my 
 . eyes, a primordial quality which gives to the work an aspect of 
 force and sincerity. The weaving, following the traditions of 
 the best epochs, was done with as few colors and as few tones 
 of each color as possible and by means of free colors, that is to 
 say, the weavers did not employ two threads of different colors 
 to produce the effect of a third color, and we must attribute the 
 remarkable preservation of all the colors to this fact. Inasmuch 
 as all the colors employed in tapestry weaving have not the 
 same powers of resistance, it follows that when two threads of 
 different colors are woven in as one, they rarely hold their 
 strength equably, and from this cause results the rupture in 
 their harmony and the crumbling of the tones in general. 
 
 " In conclusion, your series Artemesia constitutes a work of 
 art of the first order. It was commanded by a sovereign of 
 
 46 
 
France; it was woven in a royal atelier according to the 
 methods of the best epochs, and its subjects are particularly- 
 noble and distinguished. I have always regretted that the 
 Gobelins did not persevere in the path which the ancient 
 ateliers of Paris had so nobly marked out for it. On every 
 occasion that was offered, during the time I was Director 
 General of that illustrious establishment, I conducted the 
 artist-painter charged with designing a model and the artist- 
 weaver charged with its interpretation, as well as the journey- 
 man, before a piece of Artemesia exhibited in its museum, and 
 said to them : ' This is, in my judgment, an example of a 
 perfect type of superb and decorative tapestries.' " 
 
 I am naturally mucli gratified with the character 
 of Gerspach's entire letter, but am especially pleased 
 with his closing paragraph, for a Director General of 
 the Gobelins could not possibly pay a higher compli- 
 ment to any tapestries than to exhibit them to his 
 subordinates as his choice of models for their guid- 
 ance in future work. 
 
 I bought all the tapestries composing the series 
 which are the subject of this paper, in the Barberini 
 Palace, directly of the family, without the assistance 
 of any intermediary. They are all virgin specimens 
 of antique textile painting, none have had their 
 colors touched up or renewed in any fashion, 
 and none have been submitted to any alterations 
 
 47 
 
whatever. In consequence they are all, with the 
 exception of some trifling repairs, exactly in 
 their original condition, as delivered from the royal 
 ateliers of Marie de Medicis and Louis XIII. 
 
 It is proper that these unusual and important 
 advantages should be recognized and enlarged upon, 
 because so many of the tapestries offered for sale in 
 Europe have been darned or patched, instead of 
 repaired after the manner in which they were 
 originally woven, or their colors have been renovated 
 by the application of paints, or their original borders 
 have been removed and replaced by modern ones far 
 less ornate in design and far more ordinary in 
 execution. 
 
 The consent of the Italian Government to the 
 exportation of the famous Barberini Collection of 
 tapestries was procured by the powerful friends and 
 connections of the Princesses Barberini, and could 
 not have been obtained by any foreigner. The 
 experts chosen by the Italian Minister of Public 
 Instruction to examine them, classed them all as 
 works of art. In consequence, it was necessary to 
 pay upon every one the tax of twenty per cent 
 
 48 
 
ad valorem levied by the Italian Government on the 
 exportation of all antique works of art from Rome. 
 In evidence of this payment and in attestation of the 
 ofi&cial permission to export them, the aforesaid 
 Minister caused his official seal to be affixed to every 
 one of them. Without these seals they would have 
 been stopped at the frontier by the Custom House 
 authorities, not allowed to leave Italy, and the 
 interested parties would have been subjected to fine 
 and imprisonment. 
 
 All the principal newspapers of the kingdom 
 published an account of their sale. Many bewailed 
 the country's loss in sorrowful and indignant 
 language, and some demanded that the Government 
 should reprimand and dismiss the officials who had 
 permitted their exportation. The excitement caused 
 by these newspaper publications and the speech of 
 Prince Odescalchi, in the Italian Senate, censuring 
 the Minister of Public Instruction, decided me to 
 submit them to a jury of experts of the Royal 
 Galleries of the Uffizi at Florence, who, upon the 
 payment of an additional tax of one per cent ad 
 valorem, affixed to every one the seal of said 
 
 49 
 
galleries, confirming the high artistic value placed 
 upon them by the Vatican experts, and identifying 
 them as having paid the export tax heretofore 
 mentioned. Consequently each tapestry bears two 
 seals. 
 
 50 
 
|)s$mpli0n 0^ i\$ Parbfr$ 
 
 In the center of each top border of eight of these 
 tapestries is a cartouch which encloses the arms of 
 France and Navarre. These arms consist of the 
 lilies of France on a dark bine ground and the 
 crossed chains of Navarre on a rose or red ground, 
 both encircled by the collar of the order of St. 
 Michael, as well as that of the Holy Spirit, with its 
 pendant cross, and both surmounted by the royal 
 crown. 
 
 In the center of each bottom border of the same 
 eight is a cartouch which encloses upon a dark blue 
 ground two crossed batons of sovereignty upon 
 which rests the cipher of Louis XIII encircled by a 
 decorative ribbon. To the right and left of these 
 cartouches are exquisite arabesque designs, orna- 
 mented with birds, mainly of the owl, thrush and 
 finch families. 
 
 51 
 
In the center of each upright border of the same 
 eight is a cartouch which encloses an exquisite 
 cameo head, on a blue ground, supporting a tiny 
 basket of flowers. A dove with outstretched wings 
 is perched on the top of each of these lateral 
 cartouches, and pecks at the fruit, in the bouquet of 
 leaves and fruits, which hangs by ribbons from a 
 spur of the ornament in each top corner. 
 
 In every corner of the same eight is a cartouch 
 which encloses a bouquet of arabesque sprays. A 
 parroquet with outstretched wings is perched on the 
 top of the decoration in each lower corner and pecks 
 at the fruit in the bouquet of flowers and fruits, 
 hanging by ribbons from the cartouch, in the center 
 of each upright border. 
 
 It is interesting to note the charming frequency 
 with which the master-weavers changed the positions 
 of the different birds in several of the borders, and 
 varied the pose of the same bird in its different 
 places. It was a capital idea to attach the cartouches 
 to the frame of the borders and to make the back- 
 ground, upon which all the motives were woven, 
 exceedingly dark, for this treatment throws these 
 
 52 
 
motives out in such bold relief that the bouquets 
 appear as if hanging in space and the arabesques as 
 if independent of the background, with the birds 
 flitting in and out of their graceful tracery. 
 
 Gerspach says of them: "The borders of your 
 Artemesia series are chef d'oeuvres. They are less 
 rich and sumptuous than most of those after Le 
 Brun, so much the better; but they are infinitely 
 more architectonic and more satisfactorily fill the 
 functions of a border, which is to isolate the subject 
 without attracting the attention too strongly." 
 
 The central cartouch in each top border of two of 
 these tapestries encloses an oval space colored in 
 blue and white; and that in each lower border 
 encloses the monogram of Marie de Medicis and four 
 batons of royalty tied together by a ribbon on a dark 
 blue ground. Both cartouches are flanked by ex- 
 quisite heads of children in camaieu. To the right 
 and left of these heads in both the top and bottom 
 borders of the larger tapestry are oval cartouches 
 enclosing miniature trophies and prisoners of war in 
 camaieu upon a gold ground, which in themselves 
 are works of art. In every comer there is a mask 
 
 53 
 
on a green ground, and from all the corners spring 
 two architectural sprays each of which partly en- 
 closes the beautiful miniature head of a young satyr 
 in camaieu on a red ground. In the center of each 
 of the lateral borders is a rectangular cartouch which 
 encloses the monogram of Marie de Medicis inter- 
 laced with the caduceus by a ribbon on a dark blue 
 ground. Above and below are oval cartouches, each 
 of which encloses a diminutive allegorical figure in 
 camaieu on a gold ground. The top and bottom 
 borders of the narrower tapestry are, because of its 
 lesser width, without the cartouches decorated with 
 trophies and prisoners of war. 
 
 These borders rank as masterpieces of textile 
 painting and not only excite the unbounded ad- 
 miration of connoisseurs, but are the envy and 
 despair of modern tapestry weavers. 
 
 54 
 
Ji$mpt}0n nnh Jmmtntd girtli ttf ut\ lHp$$lr^ 
 
 The first tapestry represents the Queen and the 
 Dauphin, with hands clasped as in prayer, kneeling 
 in front of a pagan altar which stands upon the 
 threshold of a temple, and upon which a full-bearded 
 high priest sacrifices a bull. In accordance with the 
 customary rites, he sprinkles the immolated animal, 
 as the flames reduce it to ashes, with a sacrificial 
 meal composed of coarse grains of spelt and salt. 
 Behind him stands a barefooted assistant crowned 
 with laurel and holding an urn. In the rear of the 
 Queen and Dauphin kneel a number of courtiers, 
 and on their left stand a few servitors or spectators. 
 Both the royal personages are crowned. The mother 
 wears an embroidered robe and a long veil, and the 
 son a rich costume befitting his rank. The faces 
 and figures of both, as well as those of the maids 
 of honor immediately behind them, are excellent 
 
 55 
 
examples of textile painting, but the head and bust 
 of the servitor clasping the column are remarkable 
 examples in character, pose, and expression. Six 
 tiny and nude boy choristers, in groups of three 
 each, chant the services from the music books held 
 in their hands. The priest in the right foreground 
 has probably been charged with their musical edu- 
 cation, or at least they have been temporarily placed 
 under his care. In the background a butcher leads 
 a bull to slaughter, as the priests perform over it 
 the usual rites necessary to prepare it for sacrifice. 
 
 The whole composition impressively exhibits the 
 reverent air of the priests in the performance of their 
 duties as well as the fervor with which the wor- 
 shipers follow the services. The actors in the 
 different roles have been skillfully posed and 
 grouped, and all their costumes have been shaded 
 with excellent taste and judgment so that they 
 should not contrast too strongly with the flesh tints 
 of the boy choristers. Nearly all the light falls upon 
 the figures and the landscape, and comparatively 
 little penetrates to the recesses of the portico. In 
 consequence its columns, ceiling and side walls were 
 
 56 
 
woven in sombre colors, so as to throw out in strong 
 relief the carnations and sedately toned draperies in 
 the foreground, thus producing delightfully decora- 
 tive results equally charming to both eye and mind. 
 The second tapestry represents six dignitaries 
 of the court bearing to their homes the gifts the 
 Queen has presented them. Two carry upon a 
 stand, resting upon a stretcher, which is covered by 
 a richly embroidered cloth and supported from their 
 shoulders, a large handsomely decorated vase, 
 flanked by two small ones, all filled with coins. The 
 one who holds aloft a rich vase is a bronzed athlete, 
 whose figure, being in deep shadow, was naturally 
 woven in darker hues than any of the others. The 
 knight who carries with upraised arm a magnificent 
 ewer upon his shoulders is well formed, beautifully 
 posed, walks with strong, springy step, and bears his 
 ' gift with grace and ease. In fact his figure is a 
 work of art in its ideal illustration of rhythmic 
 movement. The dignitary in the rear who holds an 
 amphora, is less gracefully posed than the preceding, 
 and evidently meditates upon some project. The 
 soldier, standing at the side of the last named, has an 
 
 57 
 
animated and interesting face and regards his medi- 
 tative companion with an amused expression. Four 
 of them wear helmets and two are crowned with 
 wreaths of laurel. The background scene is woven 
 in soft and delicate tones. Its principal elements, 
 consisting of an obelisk, a stream, a bridge, and a 
 fortified palace, are bathed in light, which is beauti- 
 fully reflected on the rippling water. The whole 
 tapestry is remarkable for the vigor of its com- 
 position, for the nobility and dignity of its person- 
 ages, for its display of life and movement, for its rich 
 and picturesque costumes, for its decorative and 
 perspective qualities, and for the strength and 
 sobriety of its general tones. 
 
 Thk third tapestry represents a concourse of 
 people assembled in front of a statue of Justice to 
 listen to the reading of a petition by the herald on 
 horseback. Behind him four trumpeters, likewise 
 on horseback, announce the opening of the pro- 
 ceedings by the usual fanfare. The banner on the 
 nearest trumpet bears the cipher of Louis XIII, 
 encircled by laurel branches and surmounted by a 
 crown. Two naked children sit on the steps at the 
 
 58 
 
base of the statue with their arms around each other. 
 Near them stands the Dauphin, crowned with laurel 
 and clinging to his tutor. The edifice in the center 
 of the background is probably intended to represent 
 the tomb of Mausolus. The horses are badly 
 grouped, for they are massed in a manner which 
 brings too many of their legs into line. The nearest 
 one is, excepting its head and neck, rather stiff and 
 wooden. The early Gobelins was infinitely more 
 successful in illustrating human figures than 
 animals, as every one, who has examined many of 
 the important tapestries woven there in the early 
 part of the XVII century, can testify. The head, 
 neck, and shoulders of the leading horse and all of 
 the brown one behind it that is visible, have, how- 
 ever, been reproduced with noticeable fidelity to 
 nature. The multitude of figures clothed in rich 
 and picturesque costumes create a wealth and 
 warmth of color which, with the dark toned architec- 
 ture and the vivid delineation of the story, make this 
 tapestry, notwithstanding the objections mentioned, 
 one of the most effective examples of decorative art 
 in the series. A tapestry can fill its niche in art 
 
 59 
 
with splendor and yet lack the correctness in design 
 required in a painting, because its magnificence 
 depends more upon the harmony and vivacity of its 
 colors than upon the delicacy and accuracy of its 
 drawing. 
 
 Thk fourth tapestry represents the Queen, 
 seated upon a dais, in the open air, distributing 
 presents to some of the officers of her army. She 
 wears the head-piece and body armor of a Minerva, a 
 richly embroidered gown and tunic, and a long 
 picturesquely colored veil attached to her helmet. 
 She is beautifully posed, performs her functions with 
 dignity and grace, and has an interesting, thoughtful 
 and serious face. The kneeling servitor, who holds 
 within easy reach a vessel filled with trinkets and 
 jewelry, from which she makes her selections, 
 watches the scene with unmistakable curiosity and 
 interest. The officer who approaches and receives 
 his gift directly from the hand of his sovereign, is a 
 magnificent specimen of manhood; tall, athletic, and 
 well formed, moving with grace and strength, his 
 calm and finely moulded features betray no trace of 
 excitement, although one can read devotion in his 
 
 60 
 
eyes. He is richly attired as a Roman warrior and 
 carries on his shoulder the standard of the legion 
 under his orders. The right field is filled by two 
 huge palm trees and a splendid group of officers, 
 dressed and armed as Romans, most of whom carry 
 their spears or the standards of their troops. 
 Practically, all are strong featured, determined look- 
 ing, able-bodied chiefs, whom the Queen might well 
 be proud to honor and command. Near them stand 
 a couple of amazons earnestly engaged in con- 
 versation with the soldier behind the huge shield. 
 In the foreground superb vases, ewers and urns, 
 collars of precious stones and princely orders, 
 quivers of arrows, spear-heads, and shields, are 
 mingled in rich profusion. In the rear of the Queen 
 stand a couple of guardsmen and an attendant, who 
 are deeply interested, no doubt to the point of 
 exciting their ambitions, in the grand scene in which 
 they now fill but an humble part. In the far 
 background is a beautiful glimpse of Paris and of 
 one of the bridges across the Seine. In the center 
 plan a herd of deer sport on the grounds near the 
 Queen's palace, upon the steps of which two women 
 
 6i 
 
are standing. The successive points in the per- 
 spective made by the gold and silver vessels in the 
 immediate foreground, by the Queen on her dais, by 
 the Amazons, by the women on the palace steps, by 
 the deer in the park, by the river, and lastly by the 
 towers in the far background, give wonderful depth 
 to the composition. In a tapestry like this where 
 nearly every feature deserves praise, it is almost 
 invidious to discriminate, but the most conspicuous 
 merits are the successful treatment of the lights and 
 shades, the magnificent trophies, the extraordinary 
 perspective, the rich, warm colors of the main scene, 
 the splendid costumes, the gracefully grouped, 
 admirably posed and superbly drawn personages, 
 and the strength and animation of the whole 
 composition. 
 
 The fifth tapestry represents the Queen, 
 standing on the steps of her palace, deeply interested 
 in the riding lessons given the Dauphin. She wears 
 a crown and carries the baton of sovereignty. Her 
 long, picturesquely colored and richly embroidered 
 veil is fastened beneath her crown and trails to the 
 ground behind her. She has a thoughtful, serious, 
 
 62 
 
but haughty face, and evidently realizes that she is 
 the ruling spirit of the occasion. The Dauphin is 
 likewise crowned, wears a superb costume, and rides 
 a royally caparisoned pony, the head of which is 
 decorated with a bouquet of gayly colored feathers. 
 He has a fine figure and makes a beautiful picture 
 as he sits and manages his horse with grace and 
 ease, although listening attentively to the instruc- 
 tions of the grand equerry. The latter wears a 
 helmet adorned with feathers and is mounted on a 
 richly caparisoned steed, with three large blue and 
 red ostrich feathers fastened in its head-gear. He 
 is well formed and athletic, and has a strong, earnest 
 face, and is evidently a master of equitation. It is 
 certain, judging by the actions of both animals, as 
 well as by the size of the plot upon which the riding 
 lessons are given, that they are only intended to 
 teach the Dauphin how to caracole his horse on 
 parade or review, and how to manoeuvre him quickly 
 and adroitly in emergencies or compact spaces such 
 as might arise in the press of battle. In the fore- 
 ground to the right is a colossal statue of Hercules. 
 Further back, on the ground below the esplanade, 
 
 63 
 
stands a troop of cavalry, the body-guard of the 
 Queen and Daupliin. At the feet of the Queen, and 
 likewise on the ground below the esplanade, are two 
 men-at-arms; at her left and behind her are two 
 more, as well as a few courtiers, all of whom have 
 capital heads and well moulded features, particularly 
 the woman nearest the Queen, who is evidently a 
 person of distinction. The man leaning forward 
 against the pedestal of the column clearly shows his 
 absorbed interest in the scene both by pose and 
 expression. The whole center background is filled 
 by a huge amphitheatre drawn to face the palace, 
 thus presenting a three-quarter view of the former 
 structure and exposing a part of its exterior wall. 
 On the seats and on the cornice are a number of 
 spectators who wear delicately toned costumes and 
 watch the knights tilting with lances in the arena. 
 Between the amphitheatre and the scene in the 
 foreground are several groups of interested sight- 
 seers, clothed in soft-hued garments. In the left 
 background a knight on horseback tilts against the 
 standing effigy of another knight, to the great 
 delight of many lookers-on. 
 
 64 
 
This tapestry is a magnificent specimen of decora- 
 tive art, and is remarkable for its bold and diversified 
 composition, imposing architecture, superb statue of 
 Hercules, extraordinary wealth and harmony of 
 color, graceful movements and rich costumes of the 
 principal actors, gay harness of the horses, and the 
 strong interest manifested by the numerous and 
 animated groups in the several scenes. 
 
 The sixth tapestry represents a sham attack 
 on a fort surrounded by water. In the left center 
 plan a boat load of besiegers, with their standard 
 bearers, have advanced to the walls of the fort, and a 
 large troop of infantry, armed with spears and led 
 by an officer carrying the white flag of the Bour- 
 bons, are crossing a bridge with the intention of 
 forcing an entrance at that point. In the foreground 
 three knights on horseback and several on foot 
 engage the besieged who oppose them from a plat- 
 form thrown out from the fort as a means of defence 
 as well as to facilitate sorties. A couple of men-at- 
 arms on each of the opposing sides have descended 
 into the moat and are prepared to fight in the water 
 up to their waists. The soldiers upon the platform 
 
 65 
 
are a gallant body of men not only disposed to resist 
 the attack stubbornly, but to take the offensive if the 
 besiegers are repulsed. Several of the combatants 
 bear their shields upon the right arm and brandish 
 their weapons with the left. The knight upon the 
 platform facing those on horseback, and the nearest 
 one in the right foreground, were without doubt 
 purposely made left-handed. If they held their 
 shields upon their left arms and at the same time 
 faced their foes, these shields would have partly 
 hidden their bodies and materially marred the 
 artistic effect of their full-length figures. It is a 
 sham battle gotten up to give the Dauphin lessons 
 in military tactics, as is clearly proven by the peace- 
 able contest in the right background where some 
 soldiers composedly shoot at mark, and where a lot 
 of spectators, among whom are some women, quietly 
 watch them without a trace of fear or even interest 
 in the main scene. The Dauphin and his governor 
 survey the manoeuvres of the besiegers and besieged 
 , from a position of advantage behind a sort of parapet 
 on the walls near the top of the fort. If judged 
 solely by the vigorous scene in the main plan, it is a 
 
 66 
 
real combat, for the soldiers certainly seem at serious 
 work. There are no laggards, every man is doing 
 his duty, and evidently all are hardened veterans 
 teaching war and not raw recruits learning it. The 
 delicately toned background scene made up of 
 landscape, architecture, and men and women clothed 
 in soft-hued garments, is beautifully divided into 
 two independent illustrations if the troops crossing 
 the bridge are included. The dark foliage on the 
 left and the dexter line of the fort, frame the warlike 
 encounter and its setting as a distinct picture from 
 the peaceful archery contest bounded by the sinister 
 line of the fort and the ruins on the right. The 
 entire composition is remarkably full of spirit, 
 life and action, and its merits grow more pro- 
 nounced and impressive under critical examination, 
 for the artist-weavers have not only illustrated 
 a sham battle with such success that one believes 
 it real, but they have interpreted all the minor 
 features with such rare skill and judgment that 
 each motive, like every diamond in a crown, 
 aids in emphasizing the splendor of the whole 
 piece. 
 
 67 
 
The seventh tapestry represents tlie Dauphin 
 seated at his study table in an apartment of the 
 palace, listening attentively to the explanations 
 made by the tutor standing at his side, as they 
 incline their heads towards each other. The assist- 
 ant, who leans on the corner of the table and who 
 points with a pen at the part in the book from which 
 the lesson is drawn, joins in the explanations. Both 
 teachers have strong and earnest faces but the head 
 of the elder is remarkable for its fine nose, deep-set 
 eyes and noble forehead, and for the grave and 
 thoughtful expression of all its features. The royal 
 youth has a well-formed, well-poised head, clear-cut 
 features, and an interesting, intelligent and amiable 
 face, tinged with a shade of seriousness. The group 
 in the right foreground apparently consists of a 
 professor, who is engaged in reading up some 
 subject, and a couple of valets. A huge dog with 
 fine eyes lies stretched in indolent repose at full 
 length upon the marble floor behind him. The two 
 youths, chosen as companions for the Dauphin, are 
 seated beside his table. The nearest one has bright 
 intelligent features and looks like a capital little 
 
 68 
 
fellow in all respects, but it is evident lie would 
 rather be at play than compelled to keep the 
 Dauphin company. A couple of children sit upon 
 the steps at the base of a column in the left fore- 
 ground, and one of them scribbles in a book which it 
 holds upon its knees. Several persons promenade 
 in the loggia, one of whom is, probably, Marie de 
 Medicis herself. It was a happy inspiration to 
 enrich the delicately toned background with light 
 colored chapels, pyramids, and arched masonry, and 
 to display them through the sombre openings of the 
 palace windows and loggia, for these charming vistas 
 with their independent frames of fluted columns or 
 solid stone not only delight the eye but convince the 
 mind that both the cartoonist and weaver were not 
 only technical but poetical masters of their re- 
 spective arts. All the architecture has been capitally 
 interpreted, particularly the structure over the 
 Dauphin's seat. Its principal ornaments consist of 
 a reclining Circe in an oval cartouch which rests 
 upon bronze female sphinxes, and which is supported 
 by cherubs in camaieu who carry a bronze festoon of 
 fruit and leaves over their shoulders and support the 
 
 69 
 
entablature crowning the structure. The entire 
 composition is strong and masterful; the principal 
 personages have been carefully drawn and beauti- 
 fully grouped; the prevailing tone is serious, which 
 admirably sustains the studious scene in the main 
 plan; the perspective features have been marvel- 
 lously developed; and these merits, joined with the 
 rich, warm coloring, and delicious views, make this 
 tapestry one of the most decorative, interesting and 
 important in the whole collection. 
 
 The eighth tapestry represents three savants 
 conferring upon some subject in front of the 
 entrance to a conventional garden which is flanked 
 on the further side by two chapel-looking buildings. 
 They are crowned with laurel wreaths, wear grace- 
 fully draped togas over long robes corded at the 
 waists, and form an imposing group of noble looking 
 men. Their strong, intelligent faces exhibit such 
 individuality and naturalness that they must have 
 been drawn from life. The heads of all three are 
 admirable, but that of the savant furthest to the 
 left is a chef d'ceuvre, with its beautifully woven 
 beard, dignified expression, and noble, earnest and 
 
 70 
 
intellectual features. It is a vigorous composition, 
 artistically developed and illustrated in rich and 
 warm but sedate colors befitting the dignity of the 
 savants and their exalted and responsible positions 
 in the Queen's household. 
 
 The ninth tapestry represents the Queen re- 
 warding, with presents of gold and silver vessels, the 
 most deserving of the artists who assisted in design- 
 ing and erecting the tomb of Mausolus and who 
 stand in line along a corridor leading to the apart- 
 ment in which the main scene is laid. She wears a 
 crown and costume heavily enriched with gold and 
 admirable imitations of precious stones, and is 
 attended by four maids of honor, one of whom 
 carries the train of her superb and voluminous 
 mantle. Her expression is serious and meditative, 
 and her nose and forehead are decidedly Grecian. 
 She has already rewarded the artist who stands 
 second in line, and has evidently given the first the 
 choice of the piece he holds or the one she extends 
 towards him. Judging, however, by his undecided 
 expression, he cannot make up his mind which 
 to accept. The others await with more or less 
 
 71 
 
impatience, as is apparent by their gestures, the 
 summons to present themselves; but some must be 
 disappointed as there remain but three more gifts to 
 be distributed. All the maids of honor have attrac- 
 tive and interesting faces, particularly the one 
 standing furthest in the rear. It is a noble com- 
 position vigorously developed ; the personages are 
 carefully drawn and skillfully posed, and the sombre 
 hues of the columns and other parts of the architec- 
 ture serve as an admirable foil to their figures and 
 the rich, warm colors of their picturesque costumes. 
 Thk tenth tapestry represents the Colossus 
 formerly at Rhodes and the subjugation of the 
 Rhodians by the Carians under Artemesia. The 
 majestic Colossus, with a huge staff in one hand and 
 a bow in the other, stands in grand relief astride the 
 entrance to the celebrated harbor. His superbly 
 drawn and finely posed figure is made almost life- 
 like by the natural manner in which his feet are 
 firmly planted upon the piers, his body supported by 
 his strong and elastic legs, and his head poised upon 
 his shoulders, as well as by the vitality of his 
 features, and the vigor and virility of his whole 
 
 72 
 
frame from head to heel. The statue is a master- 
 piece of perspective treatment, for the illusion of its 
 position is perfect. It apparently stands out in the 
 open, with the harbor, the several boats, the quay 
 filled with citizens and troops, the buildings of the 
 city, and the distant hills, all behind it as they 
 would actually appear in nature. The perspective 
 effect is heightened by the shape of the harbor, by 
 the intervening spaces between the boats, and by the 
 long stretch of coast line with architectural motives 
 at different points. In the right field is a grand 
 view of the open sea, on which ride two galleys filled 
 with armed men. The white-crested waves boom 
 against the wall of the harbor, and thrash the coast 
 and the outer tower of the breakwater with wonderful 
 naturalness. Three galleys, full of soldiers, have 
 already entered the harbor. The fourth, the stern of 
 which is decorated with the head of a wild boar, 
 gracefully glides between the piers supporting the 
 , Colossus, and carries the heroic Queen herself who, 
 as her looks, pose and gestures indicate, is eager to 
 reach the field of battle, and share in its dangers 
 or crown its triumphs. Her troops are, however, 
 
 73 
 
already masters of the city judging by the attitude 
 of the crowd of citizens and soldiers on the quay 
 behind the obelisk, by the woman kneeling before 
 the mounted knights and probably begging mercy 
 for the Rhodians, and by the tranquil pose of the 
 troop of infantry nearer the spectator, which holds 
 its spears and banners upright as if on parade. 
 
 The energetic figure of the Queen dominates all 
 the others in the boat. She bends forward with eyes 
 intently fixed upon the quay, every movement and 
 feature manifesting her stern resolution to subjugate 
 her revolted subjects. She looks like the goddess of 
 battle, armed with helmet, gorget and dagger, and 
 carrying a shield decorated with the head of Medusa. 
 Almost the only features which portray her earthly 
 origin are the ostrich feathers in her helmet and her 
 picturesque veil with which we have become ac- 
 quainted in the previous tapestries. 
 
 The figure behind her is possibly that of her son, 
 who is evidently ready and anxious to support or 
 defend her as occasion may require. Her red banner 
 flying from the stern of the boat and the ivy 
 branches entwining the mast show that she comes 
 
 74 
 
determined to be victorious and put down the 
 rebellion with a sanguinary band. The shields, 
 with their di£Ferent devices, hanging over the sides 
 of all the boats, are unusually interesting accessories, 
 but the convexity and lustre given the last five near 
 the stern of the boat containing the Queen make 
 them extraordinary examples of textile painting. 
 
 In early Flemish tapestries the highest lights 
 were usually woven in yellow threads, but when 
 richer effects or costlier tapestries were desired, gold 
 threads were substituted. The Flemish weavers, who 
 were brought to France by Henry IV and set to 
 work at the Gobelins, naturally followed the tra- 
 ditions of their own country in their methods of 
 weaving, consequently in this and the preceding 
 tapestry the highest lights were in many parts 
 woven in gold threads, as will be particularly noticed 
 in some of the threads in the figure of the Colossus 
 and in the costumes of Artemesia and her son. 
 These gold threads were rarely pure gold, but were 
 generally of silver threads gilded with gold, or 
 woollen threads eiitwined with gold threads. In 
 many instances the wear and tear of time have worn 
 
 75 
 
off parts of the gold gilding and exposed the silver 
 beneath as on the figure of the Colossus. 
 
 The nobility, richness and strength of the com- 
 position, the elegance of the architecture, the beauty 
 of the harbor, the restlessness of the sea, the 
 grandeur of the Colossus, and the boundlessness of 
 the perspective, have all been developed with phe- 
 nomenal skill. In conclusion, the multiplied actions 
 and ideas which entertain the eye and interest the 
 mind, the variety and harmony of the coloring, the 
 luxuriousness of the accessories, and the sobriety 
 and dignity of the general tone, combine to make 
 this tapestry a superb example of decorative art. 
 
 76 
 
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