§55 IV. COLOUR BY DAY AND NIGHT. 97 



that the same colours existed " on the monuments of Athens 

 as those he had discovered in the Sicilian temples." 



IV. Colours by light of candles, or a lamp, and in the 

 day, appear verjr different; and it is therefore necessary in 

 ornamenting an interior to provide for this change. The 

 reds, by borrowing some of the yellow light, approach nearer 

 to scarlet, crimson looking brighter than in the day; dark 

 blues, by absorbing so much light, appear almost black ; and 

 there is often a difficulty in distinguishing between light 

 blues and green. The same carpet, therefore, which looks 

 well by daylight may lose much of its effect at night ; while 

 another, which has not so good an effect by day, may even 

 appear more brilliant by candlelight. This will depend on 

 the tone and assortment of the colours ; and it is always a 

 matter for consideration whether an interior is required to 

 have its best effect by day or night. The fact is, of course, 

 well known to ladies in the choice of their evening dresses ; 

 but it must also be attended to in furniture and wall deco- 

 rations. Blues to look well by candlelight should be of a 

 bright tone ; and if a dark blue must be used it should have 

 another of a lighter tone in its immediate vicinity, or be in- 

 terspersed with white. (See Sects. VI. and XI.) A bright green 

 in conjunction with blue will also aid in lighting up the 

 pattern, and green is therefore useful for increasing the effect 

 of a carpet or other coloured work by candlelight, by pre- 

 venting the blues giving it too dark an appearance. Green 

 may even be employed for subduing the effect of red ; and a 

 carpet may have more green, when the furniture of a room 

 is light coloured. Certain hues of green may also be allowed 

 to cover the walls of a whole room (especially when pictures 

 are to be placed on the walls, for which a plain tea-green is 

 well adapted ; as is a red with a slight tinge of crimson) ; but 

 then a number of other colours should not be introduced in 

 the curtains, carpets, and other accessories. Green accords 



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