WEAVING INDUSTRY IN FLANDERS

correspond with the decorative details of Percier and Fontaine,showing a preference for diagonal lines, with circular medallions andlozenge-shaped panels; the palm and olive are used as sprays orfestoons, together with vases, the Greek honeysuckle, and theacanthus, symmetrically arranged.

On plate 71 are representative examples from the MobilierNational of fabrics that passed direct from the looms of Lyonsinto the national store.

No. 1, a hanging of green velvet, was woven by Messrs.Bissardon, Bony et Cie, in the years 1811—12, for the “ Cabinet derepos” of the Empress Marie-Louise in the Palace of Versailles;No. 2, a brocade hanging, woven by Messrs. S^guin et Cie, betweenthe years 1811 — 13, for the Palace of Versailles, and subsequentlyused in the “ Salon des Fleurs ” in the Palace of Fontainebleau.

The two brocaded borders on the same plate are also typicalexamples of the classical tendency of the Empire style in the use ofthe acanthus as the motive of patterning.

Plate 72 also gives two characteristic textiles of the Directoireand Consulate periods respectively.

The Empire style outlasted the downfall of Napoleon, and,indeed, became exaggerated. It was succeeded, under LouisPhilippe (1830—48), by the Romanticist style. Later, Japan, Persia,and other countries have supplied fresh motives to the Lyoneseweavers.

Plates 73 and 74 are portions of a large and splendid silk quiltof Spanish origin, and show that late 18th-century design hadmuch in common in several countries.

Throughout the 18th century Spain produced a large numberof silk damasks and brocades in the French style, which are oftenconfused by connoisseurs with the products of the Lyonese looms.The colour contrasts of the Spanish stuffs are generally cruder thanthose of their French prototypes, and the silk is shaggier and has adimmer lustre.

Flemish

The weaving industry of Flanders is inseparably associated withthe history, wealth, and commercial activity of many cities andcommunities, such as Bruges, Ghent, Tournay, Louvain, Courtrai,Oudenarde, and Brussels. At Arras and Brussels were producedthose magnificent tapestries for the Court of Burgundy, and forPope Leo X.

Bruges was famous for its silks and velvets, which in design,materials, and technical qualities of weaving were unsurpassed even

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