CHAPTER VII 



WORK UNDER GLASS 



In those very vivid and true representations of the 

 Bayeux Tapestry, to which Mr. Hilaire Belloc has 

 recently written notes, we find, much the same 

 colouring as in many a real present-day winter 

 scene. The colours used in this ancient needle- 

 work are quite as impressive as the actual design. 

 They consist chiefly of a clear pale blue, mauve 

 with a touch of blue in it, golden green and rosy 

 mauve ; but all these shades are so skilfully inter- 

 spersed over the whole, so evenly balanced that 

 they form absolutely restful pictures. Attention 

 is thus guided away from the drawing, which, owing 

 to a lack of knowledge in perspective, is in places 

 somewhat quaint and childishly incorrect, and our 

 admiration remains centred round the artistic 

 delicacy of colouring. Very little written in- 

 formation accompanies the pictures, and only by 

 looking for a bright emerald-green figure, which 

 usually denotes an important actor in the story, 

 or by a few Latin words can we glean any exact 

 information as to the meaning of the scenes. It is 

 in the wide border which surrounds the tapestry 

 that there is indication of the time of year when the 

 chief events took place, for these are shown in a 



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