§55 IX. OP GROUNDS. MOSAICS. 



107 



and of the effect of colours, from a small specimen, as they 

 look very different in that and in the piece. 



Black, purple-puce, chocolate-brown of a purple hue, grey, 

 buff, and others, answer as a ground ; though, if half the same 

 quantity were introduced into a pattern, they would be insuf- 

 ferable, heavy, and gloomy, independent of their offending 

 against the due proportion of quantity. The same may be 

 said of gold, which has a beautiful effect as a ground ; but 

 which, if used in half the same quantity in combination with 

 other colours, would be gaudy and meretricious. Many 

 instances of this might be cited ; but it will be sufficient to 

 notice the beautiful ceiling of the sacristy of St. Mark's, at 

 Venice, which is also remarkable for the admirable harmony 

 of its colours. And here again we perceive how different 

 are the conditions of gold, and still more of a gold ground, 

 from those of yellow, or even of orange : and, though an 

 orange ground is allowable, the same expanse covered by 

 either of these two colours would be disagreeable. Still 

 worse would be the employment of overwhelming masses of 

 yellow, or of orange, interwoven with other colours, in a 

 design. Nor could white, which, though cold, is tolerable as 

 a ground, be intermixed in large proportions with other 

 colours without injuring their effect. Gold is one of the best 

 of grounds ; but it is better as a mosaic, or slightly figured, 

 than as a plain gilt surface. For coloured mosaics its effect 

 is admirable ; but a profusion of gilding in a building, or on 

 furniture, is heavy and tawdry, and is one of the faults of 

 French decoration. Amongst the best for grounds in draperies 

 are greys, stone-colour, buff, drab, chocolate, and other light 

 browns, black, white, and purple, which accord well with 

 other colours. On the other hand, when greys, light greens, 

 pink, and some others, are used singly to cover large spaces 

 (as for wall papers), patterns of that same colour of a darker 

 tone may be introduced with good effect. 



A cream colour is almost always a more agreeable ground 



