We will explain: it has been seen that, in the fifteenth century, the tapestry weavers placed the colours in juxtaposition, in whole tints solely united by means of hatchings, and thus obtained powerful decorative effects.

In the following century, the drawing was doubtless more finished, the workmanship more delicate, and the modelling more careful; but the system had remained the same, and the most convincing proof of this is the use of gold thread to heighten the vestments and the accessories. Under Louis XIV., tapestry persisted in the same path; the painters it is true had replaced the slightly coloured old cartoons, by real pictures; but the executants had retained the liberty of interpretation; for the blending of the colours they substituted broad masses of light and shade, making use of hatching to pass from one to the other of the juxtaposed shades, thus leaving to them their full vigour, and at the same time maintaining themselves a scale of free and solid colours.

Oudry, director of the manufacture at Beauvais, and at the same time, inspector of the Gobelins (1737), asserted, on his part, that it was necessary to put aside the pretended manufacturing reasons, and shake off the tyranny of workmen, by subjecting them to the application of the true rules of art, so as to give their works all the spirit and intelligence of pictures, in which alone lies the secret of making tapestries of the greatest beauty. He pointed out as an example, the tapestry of Esther, from de Troy, which he had caused to be executed in this manner, and which had been fully successful.

The direction resisted with all its might, and replied: "They worked at Beauvais, and executed tapestries there under the superintendence of the sieur Oudry; what are they now ? What an appearance of old age do they not have at the end of six years?" The struggle continued therefore, with various alternations, until 1755, period of the death of Oudry; his successor in the inspectorship, Francois Boucher, was received with joy by the contractors. But facts had progressed; society had entered into that period of weakness which was to lead to its destruction; Boucher, with his effeminate and conventional painting, had discovered the false and charming art peculiarly adapted to this period. The old palette had to be abandoned, to seek in dyes those pearly shades, and delicate grey tints, which constitute all the grace of the master; Neilson pere, aided by the chemist Quemiset, obtained a register containing specimens and the processes of more than a thousand shades, each composed of twelve colours graduated from the lightest shade to brown, in the most methodical order imaginable.

At this time, it will be understood, the ideas of J.-B. Oudry carried the day; special cartoons were no longer made; the first picture that came to hand was taken, no longer exacting an interpretation, but a faithful copy on the part of the weaver. Thence issued that marvellous fabrication, which in our own days has attained its supreme degree of perfection, and which we admire while reproaching it with missing its aim; it is painting in wool and silk, and not tapestry.

Tapestries, whatever may be said of them, should be ornamental, and they can never rival painting; in the delicate shades which it was necessary to create, many arc fugitive, and many a tapestry in Boucher's style, which was perfect at the time of its creation, exhibits at the present day mere faded surfaces, amongst which, certain parts retain their primitive colours; it has lost the harmony which lent it all its charm.

While hoping that our national establishment may return some day to the rational track pointed out by the artists of the Renaissance, wc are glad to do justice to the talented men who, since the eighteenth century, have devoted themselves to give the high-warp and low-warp work an unrivalled perfection, by striving against the difficulties inherent .to this very perfection, and it gives us pleasure to recall the names which deserve to escape oblivion. Louis Ovis de la Tour, Beagle, eighteenth century; Desmures, Michel, Claude pere, Pinard, Laforest pere, Pilon pere, period of the first Empire, Pilon tils, Pierre Moloisel, Martin, Louis Limosin, styled Laforest, Claude, "chef d'atelier," Folliau, Charles Duruy, "chef d'atelier," Laurent Desroy (low-warp), Restoration; Fleury, Guillaume Julien, Alexandre Duruy, Rene-Marie-Aimable Flament, Paul Delahaye, Harland, Thiers, period of Louis-Philippe; Louis Rancon, Pierre Munier, Hupe, Manigant, Buffet, "chef d'atelier," Alexandre Greliche, Collin, Margarita, Besson pere, Maloisel, Charles Sollier, Louis Prud'homme, Tourny, Maloisel fils, Hippolyte Lucas, Julien, Hemery, Etienne Marie, second Republican period; Gilbert, "chef d'atelier," Munier pere, Bloquere, Emile Flament, Prevotet, Gilbert Marie, period of the second Empire; Collin, "sous-chef d'atelier," Francois Greliche, Francois Munier, Lavaux, Ernest Flament, Emile Munier, Emile Flament, Edouard Flament, "sous-chef d'atelier," Paupert, Gustave Desroy, Marie, de Brancas, Cochery, Camille Duruy, Alfred Duruy, Vernet, Ernest Hupe, Schaible, Florimond Munier, for the present period.