The Art of Needle-work, from the Earliest Ages Part 23

In another volume we have--

"Corona delle n.o.bili et virtuose Donne, nel quale si dimostra in varij Dissegni tutte le sorti di Mostre di punti tagliati, punti in Aria, punti Fiamenghi, punti a Reticelle, e d'ogni altre sorte, cosi per Freggi, per Merli, e Rosette, che con l'Aco si usano hoggid per tutta l'Europa.

"E molte delle quali Mostre possono servire ancora per opere a Mazzette.

"Con le dichiarationi a le Mostre a Lavori fatti da Lugretia Romana.

"In Venetia appresso Alessandro di Vecchi, 1620."

The plates here are very similar to those in the above-mentioned works. Some are accompanied by short explanations, saying where they are most used and to whom they are best suited, as--

"Hopera Bellissima, che per il piu le Signore d.u.c.h.ese, et altre Signore si servono per li suoi lavori."

"Queste bellissime Rosette usano anco le gentildonne Venetiane da far traverse."

But certainly the best work of the kind is, "The Needle's Excellency,"

referred to in Mr. Douce's list. It contains a variety of plates, of which the patterns are all, or nearly all, arabesque. They are beautifully executed, many of them being very similar to, and equally fine with, the German patterns before the colouring is put on, which, though it guides the eye, defaces the work. These are seldom seen uncoloured, the Germans having a jealousy of sending them; but we have seen, through the polite attention of Mr. Wilks, of Regent Street, one or two in this state, and we could not but admire the extreme delicacy and beauty of the work. Some few of the patterns in the book we are now referring to are so extremely similar, that we doubt not the modern artists have borrowed the _idea_ of their beautifully traced patterns from this or some similar work; thereby adding one more proof of the truth of the oft quoted proverb, "There is nothing new under the sun."

As a fitting close to this chapter, we give the Needle's praises in full, as sung by the water poet, John Taylor, and prefixed to the last-mentioned work.

THE PRAISE OF THE NEEDLE.

"To all dispersed sorts of arts and trades, I write the needles prayse (that never fades) So long as children shall be got or borne, So long as garments shall be made or worne, So long as hemp or flax, or sheep shall bear Their linnen wollen fleeces yeare by yeare: So long as silkwormes, with exhausted spoile, Of their own entrailes for man's gaine shall toyle: Yea till the world be quite dissolv'd and past, So long at least, the needles use shall last: And though from earth his being did begin, Yet through the fire he did his honour win: And unto those that doe his service lacke, He's true as steele and mettle to the backe He hath indeed, I see, small single sight, Yet like a pigmy, _Polipheme_ in fight: As a stout captaine, bravely he leades on, (Not fearing colours) till the worke be done, Through thicke and thinne he is most sharpely set, With speed through st.i.tch, he will the conquest get.

And as a souldier (Frenchefyde with heat) Maim'd from the warres is forc'd to make retreat; So when a needles point is broke, and gone, _No point Mounsieur_, he's maim'd, his worke is done, And more the needles honour to advance, It is a tailor's javelin, or his lance; And for my countries quiet, I should like, That women kinde should use no other pike.

It will increase their peace, enlarge their store, To use their tongues lesse, and their needles more.

The needles sharpnesse, profit yields, and pleasure, But sharpnesse of the tongue, bites out of measure.

A needle (though it be but small and slender) Yet it is both a maker and a mender: A grave Reformer of old rents decay'd, Stops holes and seames and desperate cuts display'd, And thus without the needle we may see We should without our bibs and biggins bee; No s.h.i.+rts or smockes, our nakednesse to hide, No garments gay, to make us magnifide: No shadowes, shapparoones, caules, bands, ruffs, kuffs, No kerchiefes, quoyfes, chinclouts, or marry-m.u.f.fes, No croscloaths, ap.r.o.ns, handkerchiefes, or falls, No table-cloathes, for parlours or for halls, No sheetes, no towels, napkins, pillow beares, Nor any garment man or woman weares.

Thus is a needle prov'd an instrument Of profit, pleasure, and of ornament.

Which mighty queenes have grac'd in hand to take, And high borne ladies such esteeme did make, That as their daughters daughters up did grow, The needles art, they to the children show.

And as 'twas then an exercise of praise, So what deserves more honour in these dayes, Than this? which daily doth itselfe expresse A mortall enemy to idlenesse.

The use of sewing is exceeding old, As in the sacred text it is enrold: Our parents first in Paradise began, Who hath descended since from man to man: The mothers taught their daughters, sires their sons Thus in a line successively it runs For generall profit, and for recreation, From generation unto generation.

With work like cherubims embroidered rare, The covers of the tabernacle were.

And by the Almighti's great command, we see, That Aaron's garments broidered worke should be; And further, G.o.d did bid his vestments should Be made most gay, and glorious to behold.

Thus plainly and most truly is declar'd The needles worke hath still bin in regard, For it doth art, so like to nature frame, As if it were her sister, or the same.

Flowers, plants and fishes, beasts, birds, flyes, and bees, Hills, dales, plaines, pastures, skies, seas, rivers, trees; There's nothing neere at hand, or farthest sought, But with the needle may be shap'd and wrought.

In clothes of arras I have often seene, Men's figur'd counterfeits so like have beene, That if the parties selfe had been in place, Yet art would vie with nature for the grace; Moreover, posies rare, and anagrams, Signifique searching sentences from names, True history, or various pleasant fiction, In sundry colours mixt, with arts commixion, All in dimension, ovals, squares, and rounds, Arts life included within natures bounds: So that art seemeth merely naturall, In forming shapes so geometricall; And though our country everywhere is fild With ladies, and with gentlewomen, skild In this rare art, yet here they may discerne Some things to teach them if they list to learne.

And as this booke some cunning workes doth teach, (Too hard for meane capacities to reach) So for weake learners, other workes here be, As plaine and easie as are A B C.

Thus skilful, or unskilful, each may take This booke, and of it each good use may make, All sortes of workes, almost that can be nam'd, Here are directions how they may be fram'd: And for this kingdomes good are hither come, From the remotest parts of Christendome, Collected with much paines and industrie, From scorching _Spaine_ and freezing _Muscovie_, From fertill _France_, and pleasant _Italy_, From _Poland_, _Sweden_, _Denmark_, _Germany_, And some of these rare patternes have beene fet Beyond the bounds of faithlesse _Mahomet_: From s.p.a.cious _China_, and those kingdomes East, And from great _Mexico_, the Indies West.

Thus are these workes, _farrefetcht_ and _dearely bought_, And consequently _good for ladies thought_.

Nor doe I derogate (in any case) Or doe esteeme of other teachings base, For _tent worke_, _rais'd worke_, _laid worke_, _frost works_, _net worke_, Most curious _purles_, or rare _Italian cut worke_, Fine, _ferne st.i.tch_, _finny st.i.tch_, _new st.i.tch_, and _chain st.i.tch_, Brave _bred st.i.tch_, _Fisher st.i.tch_, _Irish st.i.tch_, and _Queen st.i.tch_, The _Spanish st.i.tch_, _Rosemary st.i.tch_, and _Mowse st.i.tch_ The smarting _whip st.i.tch_, _back st.i.tch_, and the _crosse st.i.tch_ All these are good, and these we must allow, And these are everywhere in practise now: And in this booke there are of these some store, With many others, never seene before.

Here practise and invention may be free.

And as a squirrel skips from tree to tree, So maids may (from their mistresse or their mother) Learne to leave one worke, and to learne another, For here they may make choice of which is which, And skip from worke to worke, from st.i.tch to st.i.tch, Until, in time, delightful practise shall (With profit) make them perfect in them all.

Thus hoping that these workes may have this guide, To serve for ornament, and not for pride: To cherish vertue, banish idlenesse, For these ends, may this booke have good successe."

FOOTNOTES:

[115] It is worth while to remark the circ.u.mstance, that by a machine of the simplest construction, being nothing in fact but a tray, 20,000 needles thrown promiscuously together, mixed and entangled in every way, are laid parallel, heads to heads, and points to points, in the course of three or four minutes.

[116] Ill.u.s.trations, vol. ii. p. 92.

[117] This seems to be a somewhat earlier edition of the second book in Mr. Douce's list.

CHAPTER XVII.

TAPESTRY FROM THE CARTOONS.

"For, round about, the walls yclothed were With goodly Arras of great majesty, Woven with gold and silk so close and nere, That the rich metal lurked privily, As faining to be hidd from envious eye; Yet here, and there, and every where unwares It shew'd itselfe and shone unwillingly; Like to a discolour'd Snake, whose hidden snares Through the greene gras his long bright burnisht back declares."

Faerie Queene.

Raphael, whose name is familiar to all "as a household word," seems to have been equally celebrated for a handsome person, an engaging address, an amiable disposition, and high talents. Language exhausts itself in his eulogy.[118] But the extravagant encomiums of Lanzi and others must be taken in a very modified sense, ere we arrive at the rigid truth. The tone of morals in Italy "did not correspond with evangelical purity;" and Raphael's follies were not merely permitted, but encouraged and fostered by those who sought eagerly for the creations of his pencil. His thousand engaging qualities were disfigured by a licentiousness which probably shortened his career, for he died at the early age of thirty-seven.

Great and sincere was the grief expressed at Rome for his untimely death, and no testimony of sorrow could be more affecting, more simple, or more highly honourable to its object than the placing his picture of the Transfiguration over his mortal remains in the chamber wherein he died.

It was probably within two years of the close of his short life when he was engaged by Pope Leo the Tenth to paint those cartoons which have more than all his works immortalised his name, and which render the brief hints we have given respecting him peculiarly appropriate to this work.

The cartoons were designs, from Scripture chiefly, from which were to be woven hangings to ornament the apartments of the Vatican; and their dimensions being of course proportioned to the s.p.a.ces they were designed to fill, the tapestries, though equal in height, differed extremely in breadth.

The designs were,

1. The Nativity.

2. The Adoration of the Magi.

3. } } 4. } The Slaughter of the Innocents.

} 5. }

6. The Presentation in the Temple.

7. The Miraculous Draught of Fishes.

8. St. Peter receiving the Keys.

9. The Descent of Christ into Limbus.

10. The Resurrection.

11. Noli me tangere.

12. Christ at Emmaus.

13. The Ascension.

14. The Descent of the Holy Ghost.