DERBYSHIRE TAPESTRY. 



99 



by 8 feet 2 inches, brought 160 guineas, whilst some of the pieces 

 exhibited at the South Kensington Museum have cost as much as 

 ;i^i,2oo and more. 



lbart)vpicft Iball. 



Derbyshire is singularly rich in tapestry, some of which, as at 

 Haddon and Hardwick, still hangs on the walls it covered in the 

 sixteenth century. Some has recently been sold and lost to the 

 county, as at Osmaston-by-Derby ; some irretrievably lost, and 

 probably destroyed, as that once at Barlboro', and in the Old Hall 

 at Bretby (mentioned by Glover, II., 158) ; and some has recently 

 been imported into the county of late years, as at Burton Closes, 

 Bakewell. 



Tlie collection at Hardwick far surpasses all others in the 

 county, if not in the United Kingdom. In richness, in variety, 

 and in its representative character it is a marvellous museum of 

 the tapiser's craft, and reflects the highest credit on the cultured 

 taste and the art-loving genius of that most noble and patriotic 

 family to whom this princely mansion belongs. May the house of 

 Cavendish long inherit these magnificent heirlooms, and may that 

 generous spirit which so willingly allows the public to visit and 

 admire these treasures be more and more appreciated by all who 

 enjoy the privilege so freely aflforJed them. 



DESCRIPTIVE LIST. 

 Entrance Hall. 

 Above the lofiy wainscot are eight magnificent hangings of 

 excellent design, workmai.ship, and colour, from cartoons by 

 Rubens, and probably Le Brun, his rival and successor. They 

 are apparently of the same dimensions, and each is surrounded 

 by an architectural border. A female figure, seated behind a 

 balustrade, over which a gorgeous carpet, intensely realistic and 

 attractive, is carelessly thrown, at once arrests the attention of the 

 visitor. It may be considered perhaps the finest in the suite. 

 Unfortunately, no factory marks are visible on any of the series. 



