418 CARRIAGES. 



ing to the time occupied, the amount of work done, and the elaborateness 

 of the design which has been executed. The scale may, to the unini- 

 tiated, appear to be gifted with a great power of expansibility ; but this 

 quality must reside in every form of art. Heraldic painting demands 

 extreme exactitude ; for no liberty is allowable in this practice. Every- 

 thing is strictly defined. All examples must be rigidly followed. Con- 

 sequently, such a pursuit must be no inconsiderable tax upon the 

 memory, while occasionally it necessitates the most laborious research. 

 Such qualifications, moreover, should be paid for, when exercised merely 

 for the gratification of another. 



To convey a rough idea of the expense of heraldic ornamentation, it 

 may be stated that two simple crests painted on a gig might, probably, 

 be executed for fifteen shillings. Coats of arms — such as were usually 

 seen on the panels of carriages — begin at two guineas ; but the more 

 elaborate embellishments of this description — even should they demand 

 no research and require no particular skill — cannot be executed at a less 

 cost than eight or ten guineas. State vehicles, however, generally abound 

 in fanciful adornments. These have exceeded, for heraldic painting alone, 

 four or sometimes five hundred guineas. Such a sum has been paid for 

 the time, the labor, and the talent bestowed upon a single carriage which, 

 when thus embellished, could be seldom used ! 



The foregoing figures possibly may surprise most readers ; but there 

 are several circumstances to be considered as tending to justify such 

 charges. In the first place, the community of Heraldic Painters are few 

 in number ; and the uninviting character of their studies, with the pro- 

 longed probation to be undergone before the novice is permitted to prac- 

 tice the art, will probably prevent the body from ever becoming a large 

 association. Then, the employment of the proficients is very much regu- 

 lated by fashion, which does not, at present, appear disposed to favor 

 the display of family honors. The pursuit, when regarded by itself, 

 may be liberally recompensed. Yet it is not an every-day necessity ; 

 but, being once finished, the work will probably endure for years, while 

 the vehicles upon which the resources of the art are most expended are 

 not articles of general use. Few heraldic painters, therefore, accumulate 

 fortunes; but the great majority live to repent having adopted that 

 which the reader may have felt inclined to regard as an extravagantly 

 remunerated calling. 



Also, connected with the carriage builder's trade is a still smaller body 

 of industrious and of deserving persons known as Coach Draftsmen. 

 These are the artists who labor upon those neat and picturesque draw- 

 ings which are always submitted for the approval of that gentleman 

 who may order a new vehicle to be built. 



