Искусства и ремесла Средневековья

Embroideries

203

English embroideгy fell off gгcatly in excellence during thc \Vaгs of thr- Rn<;Jes. In the lateг somewhat degeneгate гaised eшbroideгy, it ,Yas custoшary to represent tlie hair of angels Ьу little tufted cшls of auburn silk ! Many of the шost iшportant examples of aпcient ecclesiastical embгoidery аге in South Kensington Инsеuш. А раiг of oгphreys of the fifteentl1 centшy, of German ,vшk (рrоЬаЫу madc at Cologne), slю,vs а little сlюiг of aпgels playing on musical instшments. These figurcs ai·e cut онt and applied on crimson silk, in wlшt \vas called "cut work." This differcd eнtirely from wl1at modeш eшbгoiderers mean Ьу cut work, as has been explained. The Dalшatic of Charlemagne is given Ьу Louis Farcy to the twelfth centшy. Не calls it the Dalmatic of Leo III. But Lady Alford claims for this 1vvork а g1·eater antiquity. Certaiпly, as onc studies its details, one is convinced that it is not quite а Gothic ,vork, nш yet is it Byzantine; fOl' the figures havc all the grace of Gгeek work p1·io1· to the age of Byzantine stiffncss. It is embroidercd cliiefly in gold, on а dclicate Ыuish satin gгound, and has not been transferred, although it has been carefully restoгed. The central ornament on the fгопt is а circular composition, and the aгrangement of the figures both here and on tl1e back suggests that Sir Edward Burne Jones must have made а study of tЬis magnificent dalmatic, fгom which it would seem that much of his inspiration might have been drawn. The composition is singularly rcstful and rhythmical.