110 ON COLOUR. Past I. 



as it is in colour. On this principle, great effect is sometimes 

 given to a coloured pattern by having a portion of the com- 

 position, on the wall of a building, without any colour at all ; 

 and, for the same reason, an expanse of wall in a room often 

 looks well when painted with a single uniform ground sur- 

 rounded by a rich pattern (see Part II. § 56). And I here agree 

 with the remark of Hogarth, that " when the eye is glutted 

 with a succession of variety, it finds relief in a certain degree 

 of sameness; and even plain space becomes agreeable, and, 

 properly introduced and contrasted with variety, adds to it 

 more variety.* 



XI. Again, certain colours are better suited for some places 

 than for others, and the brighter and more transparent for 

 higher positions , and if the hangings of a room are scarlet, 

 crimson with gold has a richer and better effect for the chairs 

 than scarlet and gold. A carpet may be darker than the 

 general tone of the draperies, and some of its colours may be 

 carried up by the walls, or the curtains; but if the carpet 

 is dark, the furniture shows better by being of a lighter hue. 

 Eed, or a light colour, is better than blue for table covers ; 

 and though green is not to be recommended for daylight, it 

 lights up well at night, which blue does not ; and this then 

 often appears black, or when of a light tone is scarcely to 

 be distinguished from green. Much, however, may be done 

 to give blue its proper effect, even by candlelight, either by 

 placing a light tone of blue close to the darker one, or by 

 interspersing it with white, which will often lead the eye to 

 see the darker blue, and prevent its appearing black, as 

 already shown in pp. 97, 101. This may be seen in some 

 Persian carpets, where two blues are used. And if some of 

 these have too much green for daylight, they have a good 

 effect at night, except when in excess. Dark green, like dark 



* "Analysis of Beauty," p. 16. 



