§55 XIX. SARACENIC DESIGNS. 155 



the Moorish territories), show that it is to the earlier Saracenic 

 what the rich fretwork of the Tudor is to our Early English 

 style. The Arab, however, did not undergo the same great 

 change, either in form or colour, as our own ; and in both of 

 these elements the Alhambra designs are admirable.* Ex- 

 amples of this may be cited in PI. xlii., figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, 

 which are beautiful both in colour and design. In fig. 6, the 

 pattern is also excellent, though the colour is disagreeable from 

 the superabundance of a dull chocolate-colour, f It is a very 

 common design in wood-work at Cairo. In PI. xliii. the pat- 

 tern of fig. 9, is admirable ; but here the quantity of green 

 disturbs the balance of the other colours, which too, being 

 only green, light blue, orange, dark blue, and drab-white (or 

 stone), are deficient in harmony, which requires other colours 

 to complete it. The effect of the tivo tones of blue is very 

 agreeable (see pp. 97, 99, 110). In fig. 11, there is the same 

 objection to the colour, though the design is pleasing ; and fig. 

 6 is discordant in colour, being dark and light blue, green, 

 orange, plum, and stone-colour, though with a good pattern. 



The Persian designs are not so happy in colour as might be 

 expected from the carpets ; though these are also changing. 

 In PI. xliv., fig. 15 is elegant, and a good example of a 

 design in which blue is the dominant hue; and in fig. 19 

 the colours are harmonious on the rich red ground; but 

 there are few in this or the next plate which are not defi- 

 cient in colour and form. In PL xlvi. figs. 7, 16, 19, 23, 

 24, 25, the colours are most harmonious. In PI. xlvii. 

 the general tone of the patterns is too green ; and the 

 same remarks apply to them as to those mentioned in 

 pp. 155, 156. In PI. xlviii. the design in the upper figure, 



* Those who wish for fuller illustrations of Alhambra taste will of course 

 consult Mr. Owen Jones's well-known work on that building. 



t This is an instance of the bad effect produced by a tertiary or a secondary 

 colour outbalanced by the primaries. {See p. 94.) 



