94 ON COLOUR. Paet I. 



to the primaries in position and effect. A preponderating 

 quantity of the secondaries, or tertiaries, is far from agree- 

 able, whether it be in drapery, wall-patterns, glass windows, 

 or any other ornamental work (except in the grounds) ; and 

 the painted glass windows by Cornelius, in the Cologne 

 Cathedral, are a notable instance of the too injudicious 

 employment of many secondary colours. The same may be 

 said of the windows in the Church of St. Grudule at Brussels, 

 which by some unaccountable misappreciation of colour have 

 been held up to admiration. There are, however, certain 

 combinations in which it is not necessary that the three 

 primaries should be present, as where blue and orange are 

 combined with black and white, or some other colours ; and 

 in grounds secondary or other hues may, of course, pre- 

 dominate over the primaries. 



II. When a secondary, or a tertiary, colour is used, a com- 

 bination of at least two others with it has a better effect, 

 than when one alone is in juxtaposition with it. 



III. The presence of yellow in the vicinity of red and 

 blue, or a small fillet, or other small quantity, of that colour 

 interposed between them has the good result of preventing 

 their borrowing from each other and appearing purple {see 

 above, pp. 9, 61). A white fillet has a similar effect — but it is 

 colder than yellow ; and red, blue, and white, do not form the 

 same harmonious combination as red, blue, and yellow ; again, 

 it is preferable that yellow should predominate in a compo- 

 sition than white, though yellow should always be in less 

 quantity than blue and red ; and gold, when it can be intro- 

 duced, has a far better and richer appearance than yellow. 

 But in ceilings, notwithstanding its coldness, white, or rather 

 cream-white, as a ground for many colours, has been some- 

 times employed with success ; and it is preferable to a large 

 expanse of yellow, though not to gold. 



