Florence

Florence also had its old embroiderers, and in an inventory of the jewels belonging to Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy (1420), there is noticed "une grande chappe de brodeure d'or, de l'ouvraige de Florence, faicte de his-toire." We need not mention VENICE, where Vasari speaks of Nicola, describing him as a rare and unique master of embroidery. The same writer mentions amongst the artists of Verona, Girolamo Cicogna and especially Paolo, whose talent he greatly praises. Antonio Pollaiuolo had composed for him the cartoons of an ornament destined for the Church of St. John at Florence, representing the life of that Saint. Paolo took no less than twenty-six years to execute this work, which, according to Vasari, besides being done in "point serre," had the further advantage of great solidity, so as to appear like a genuine painting done with the brush. At UDINE, in Friuli, a family of painters had acquired such a reputation that its members soon changed their proper name of Nanni for that of Ricamatori (embroiderers).

These works of the needle could scarcely fail to rise to a perfection worthy of the admiration of contemporaries, as soon as the great painters became connected with them by supplying their models. Thus we read that for his sister, an excellent embrcideress, Parri Spinclli had made a series of twenty designs, illustrating the life of San Donato. Perino del Vaga worked in the same way for the high-warp tapestry and the embroiderers, and he composed eight subjects from the history of S. Peter, which were intended to be worked out on a cope destined for Pope Paul III.

Italy, however, was not the only country that became enamoured of the "Art of Pallas," as people would have said some fifty years ago. The French ladies had lost neither their taste nor the delicate fingers of the olden times. In his ode "a la royne de Navarre" Ronsard says, still speaking of Pallas: -

Elle addonoit son courage A faire maint bel ouvrage Dessur la toile, et encor A joindre la soye et l'or. Vous d'un pareil exercice Mariez par artifice Dessur la toile en maint trait L'or et la soye en pourtrait.

With her skill in the art of design, Catherine de Medicis could scarcely fail to contribute to improve this taste in France. Her talent in this respect is thus alluded to by Philibert de l'Orme: "Quand vous-meme prenez la peine de protraire et esquicher les batiments qu'il vous plaist commander estre faicts, sans y omettre les mesures des longueurs et largeurs, avec le departiment des logis qui veritablement ne sont vulgaires et petits, ains fort excellents et plus que admirables." Catherine had taken into her service Frederic Vinciolo, a Venetian especially famous as a designer for embroideries. She had also her regular embroiderers Guillaume Mathon, and Anne Vespier, which did not prevent her from working herself. "Elle passoit son temps les apres-disnees" says Brantome, "a besogner apres ses ouvrages de soye, oil elle estoit tant par-faicte qu'il estoit possible." So her inventory, so rich in costly materials, makes special mention of the red embroideries on white cloth, in silks and gold on canvas, "au gros et au petit point, etc".

As early as 1521 Francis I. wishing to have executed an embroidered apartment for his mother, Louise de Savoy, he intrusted the work to the two famous artists, Cyprian Fulchin, and Etienne Brouard.

An idea may be had of what these apartments were by studying at Cluny the tapestry, the bed furniture and the seats embroidered with the arms and devices of Pierre de Gondy, Cardinal Archbishop of Paris in 1587, brought from his chateau of Villepreux.

But why does the same Museum show us, unaccompanied by the name of any artist, the marvellous specimen embroidered in silk, gold and silver, representing the Worship of the Golden Calf after the designs of Raffaelle? This piece, which we are assured formed part of a set ordered for the service of consecration, could have been produced only by an embroiderer of high repute.

The indifference to the personality of the artist is, however, a general characteristic, which is but more marked in the following centuries. A piece of excellent workmanship was required, the fit person to execute it was sought out, but no thought was given to rewarding his efforts by fame. Hence it is always amongst the anonymous specimens at Cluny that will be found the pictures of the lives of the martyred saints produced by the Florentine school.

In the marvellous pieces belonging to M. Spitzer shown at the Exhibition of Costume, France stood without a rival. One of them represented Henry II. surrounded by his Court assisting at a combat between dogs and a bear, and Diane de Poitiers giving the signal'for the fight to stop. Costumes, portraits, everything in this work shows the hand of a master.

The number of religious ornaments with figured orphrays is considerable, and without alluding to those round the picture just described, we may again refer to the Musee de Cluny with its collection of copes representing the resurrection, saints, apostles, the Virgin in Glory, etc. Here may also be seen a beautiful chasuble ornamented with the Collar of St. Michael, and a velvet cope embroidered in gold with figured orphrays from the old Abbey of Cluny. No less worthy of attention is a green damask chasuble embroidered with various subjects, such as the Baptism, the enthronement of a bishop, the Annunciation and an exorcism; further a velvet dalmatic embroidered with fleurs de lis, also embellished with figured orphreys. Lastly, as studies of special processes, may be noted an altar front of Italian origin embroidered in silk on a white bugle ground "en couchure," and another altar-piece, where, on a gold bugle ground, are worked arabesques in bugles of various colours, the effect being here also obtained by the same process.