Искусства и ремесла Средневековья

Tapestry

157

Ьier which is borne on the shouldeгs of men nearly as tall as the tower ! The na1ve tгeatment of details is delicious. Harold, ,vhen about to embai·k, steps 1N ith bare legs into the tide: tl1e wate1· is laid опt in the foгm of а hill of waves, in шder to iпdicate that it gets deeper later on. It шight se1·ve as an illustration of the Red Sea humping up for the benefit of the Isгaelites! The curious little stпnted figшe with а bald head, in tl1e group of the conference of messengers, ,vould appear to Ье an abortive atteшpt to portray а person at some distance - l1e is dгawn much smalleг than tl1e otl1ers to suggest tl1at Ье is quite онt of hea1·ing! This seems to have been tlie only attempt at rendering the sense of perspective. Then сошеs а mysteгious little lady in а kind of shriпe, to wlюш а cle1·k is making curious advances; to the casual observer it would appear that the geпtleman is pattiпg l1ег on the cheek, Ьut ,ve are informed Ьу Thierry that this represents an eшbroideress, and tЬat tl1e cle1·k is in the act of ordering the Bayeux Tapestry itself! Conjectшe is s,vamped coпcerning the real in­ tentioп of this group, and no certain diagnosis lias еvег been p1·onounced! The Countess of vVilton sees in tms group " а female in а s01·t of porch, witl1 а clergyшaн iп the act of pronoнncing а benediction ·upon her! " Еvш·у one to his taste. А little faгther on therc is another unexplained figure: that of а man with his feet crossed, s,vinging joyously on а горе f1·om the top of а tower.