[Sidenote:
_Wool and Silk._
H. 4 _ft._ 3 _in._
W. 3 _ft._ 9 _in._
]
ARMORIAL: _On a red ground, two angels support a shield. Border of
scrolls._
This crisp and delicate little armorial is a fine example of the best
quality of work done at Aubusson in the late XVIIIth century. The clear
drawing on the deep-red background makes a vivid piece of decoration.
[Sidenote: Exhibited: _Detroit Museum of Fine Arts_, 1919.]
[Sidenote: Lent by _Dikran K. Kelekian_.]
The rendition of a coat of arms in tapestry is difficult, because the
decorative value of heraldic devices depends almost entirely on the beauty
of the line-drawing, and tapestry, because of the character of the weave
and the surface, is not a good medium for clean lines. In the earlier
periods, therefore, the shield was usually made incidental to a design
better adapted to tapestry (cf. No. 9). It was only well into the XVIIIth
century that the bearings could be woven delicately enough to let them
stand alone.
[Sidenote: 73]