International studio (81.1925)

mceRtiACioriAL

vied with each other in its development. At the present
time, one of the valuable assets of any country is its capa-
bility to produce woven materials. The first known record
of weaving is from Egypt. In the hypogeum at Beni
Hassan, about three thousand years before iChrist, there
is depicted on the wall a loom for weaving, and two women
are represented at the occupation. Incidentally it is said
they complained of cramped quarters and poor pay, and
struck for higher wages. Perhaps this is where the "woman
movement" began—who can say? It was in the sixteenth
century that the workshops of Flanders eclipsed all com-
petitors in the manufacture of tapestry. The designs of the
greatest artists were entrusted to weavers of the Low
Countries, and Brussels especially was productive. Pope
Leo X selected Peter Van Aelst, a Brussels master weaver,
as being most fit to translate the designs of Raphael for the
set of cartoons entitled "The Acts of the Apostles," which
were made for the Vatican. Van Aelst was tapestry weaver
to Philip the Handsome, and to his son, Charles V of
Spain, who was also Emperor of Austria and ruler of the
Low Countries. The example given here was made for
Charles, and is early sixteenth century, but its origin is
obscure. It was probably made in Spain by Flemish
weavers. It is gold and blue, very beautiful in color and
design, and bears the crest and plumed helmet of Charles,
as well as emblems of Austria and France. It was recently
acquired by the Pomposa Art Trading Company from the

sixteenth century royal tapestry
Courtesy oj the Pomposo Art Trading Co.

Royal Tapestry Fabrica in Madrid, and is now being
exhibited by the Pomposa Company in the Michaelyan
Galleries at Palm Beach. The Royal Tapestry Fabrica,
which for centuries has made all tapestries and carpets
used by the royal families of Spain, is owned by the King,
who is especially interested in introducing Spanish tapestry
to America, and it was directy through his influence that
this old factory has made its first American connection,
with the Pomposa Company.

f Tntil recently the decorative quality of maps was
/ / more appreciated in other ages than in our own. The
Romans sculptured them in marble and used them
as mural embellishments in public places. The medieval
cartographers and illuminators imparted to them a highly
decorative character, and at a later date engravers and

painters fully recognized their interesting possibilities.
Later still the nimble fingers of our grandmothers and
great-grandmothers worked them into samplers and em-
broidered them on satin, to be hung upon the wall and
admired by succeeding generations. In fact, there are
numerous adaptations from the precedents of the past.
One recalls the quaint old maps of cities, with their per-
spective as if viewed from an airship, so the whole topog-
raphy is shown—notable examples of this sort are the

map of van santvoord merle-smith estate
Courtey of Lewis' E. Mucomber

paintings of Venice and other Italian waterfronts done by
Antonio Canaletto in the early eighteenth century. A map
may be so delightfully adjusted to the hobby of its owner—
for instance, the "estate map" has a peculiarly intimate
and personal appeal. The one illustrated here was done by
Lewis E. A'lacomber, and pictures the Van Santvoord
Merle-Smith estate at Oyster Bay. It is drawn in pen and
ink, and rendered in color on a soft yellow ground. Em-
bodying eighteenth-century elements of architecture, it
has the appearance of an engraving by Repton. The top
and bottom panels are adaptations of sporting prints by
Samuel Howitt, with vignettes between, and the vertical
borders are gay with garden flowers. It is three by five
feet and hangs in the library of the Merle-Smith home,
giving a condensed and colorful panoramic history of the
activities and beauties of the farm.

rr^he ancient art of wood carving reached its height of
/ popularity and perfection, in France, during the time
of the three Louis. The illustration given here is in
a group of several very exceptional examples to be seen in
the studio of Adeline de Voo and is one of a pair of sconces
faithfully copied from a Louis XVIth piece, done in gold-
leaf, and has the inimitable lightness and grace that is truly
French.

copy of a louis xvi sconce
Courtesy oj Adelina de Voo

For information about articles mentioned address
Studio Service, 49 West 45th Street, New York

APRIL I925

seventy-Jive