Nature and Art, April 1, 1807.] 
FLOEAL DECOEATION OF CHUBCHES. 
119 
FLORAL DECORATION OF CHURCHES. 
By W. & Gr. Audsley, Architects. 
EASTEE. 
H AVING in the December number of Nature 
and Art given general hints in connection 
with the Floral Decoration of Churches, and 
directions with special reference to the Festival of 
Christmas, we have now to say a few words on the 
decorations suitable for the Easter Festival, which 
must be taken as a short appendix to our former 
article. 
All the general hints, or those pointing out the 
methods of arranging and applying Floral enrich- 
ments to buildings of the several styles of church 
architecture which we gave in our Christmas essay, 
hold good with reference to Easter, as do also the 
directions for the construction of the devices and 
general decorations: therefore it is unnecessary 
to reiterate either here. 
Easter occurs too early in the year to enable us 
to use many flowers in the decorations. Therefore 
they have still to partake of the Christmas character 
and be composed, for the most part, of evergreens. 
It is advisable to use holly more sparingly than at 
Christmas, with which season it is so closely as- 
sociated : the other common evergreens, such as 
laurel, box, fir, &c., may be used ad libitum. For 
the smaller and more choice decorations, holly, 
from the beautiful and crisp character of its leaf, 
should still be used ; but the variegated species should 
be preferred, being lighter and more cheerful than 
the sombre green. 
In Easter decoration all the varieties of flowers 
that can be procured may be used ; those which grow 
out of doors or are more plentiful being adopted 
for the general decorations, those from the green- 
house being applied to the enrichment of the 
Sanctuary. 
For the Easter Festival it is not so usual as at 
Christmas time, to carry decoration through all 
portions of the interior of a church : but there is no 
reason why the same amount of enrichment should 
not be provided. "Whatever may be done for the 
body of the church, it is important that, at Easter, 
the chancel should be decorated richly, and with the 
choicest materials. On no account should artificial 
or everlasting flowers be used. Let everything par- 
take of the true character of spring, that season 
which is in itself a type of the Resurrection from 
the Dead. 
In the decoration of the chancel, the greatest care 
should be bestowed upon the reredos and the walls, 
&c., in close proximity to the altar. "Where there 
is a rich reredos permanently fixed, it will only be 
necessary to decorate its architectural features with 
flowers and leaves ; and, if there should be a cross 
in sculpture or inlay in its centre, a circular wreath 
of choice flowers may appropriately be suspended 
by two very fine wires, so as to surround the centre 
of the cross. But, where there is no reredos of any 
importance, a special decoration should be made to 
occupy the space over the altar, and any amount of 
care and attention be given to its construction. 
As white is the Easter colour, the ground of all 
devices should be composed of it. Cold and colours, 
such as red and blue, may be introduced within the 
outlines of the floral designs, for the purpose of 
throwing out the leaf-work and giving solidity to 
the forms ; but the general ground should in all 
cases be white. 
The design in the centre of the accompanying 
plate will supply an idea for a reredos deco- 
ration suitable for the generality of churches. 
The groundwork may be of strong white drawing- 
paper, or cloth stretched on a wooden frame. The 
cross in its centre to be formed of choice green 
and variegated holly-leaves, with large red, and 
small white, camellias. The main lines of the side 
compartments and the border round the whole may 
be of holly or laurel, with the sprigs in the tri- 
angular spaces of fir, as shown, terminating in red 
camellias or roses. 
The walls of the chancel to the height of the top 
of the reredos maybe decorated in several ways and 
in any degree of richness. 
Where the chancel is not large and expense not 
an object, the lower portion of the walls may be 
covered with white hangings suspended from rods 
temporarily fixed up. These hangings may be 
ornamented with coloured devices, such as small 
Greek crosses, sacred monograms, and symbols, 
stencilled (in size or thick varnish colour) at 
intervals all over them, or with a powdering of 
small floral ornaments composed of leaves and 
flowers stitched on. The upper edge of the 
hangings should have a border either of coloured 
stencilled ornament or of appropriate texts in- 
scribed within coloured lines, similar to that on 
the centre compartment of the reredos, Fig. 2. 
Other ornamental or inscribed bands may be 
introduced horizontally at equal distances between 
the top and bottom of the hangings, the powderings 
being placed in the spaces between them. The 
bottom should either finish with a coloured fringe 
or with a broad border of leaves stitched on in 
some simple pattern. It will of course be under- 
stood that, if it is found expedient, these hangings 
may be confined to the east wall of the chancel, 
extending over the spaces on both sides of the altar. 
Instead of the hangings, an arcade of evergreens, 
after one or other of the designs shown on the plate 
(Figs. 5 and 6); may be adopted; or a diaper pattern 
may be used, as taste and circumstances direct. 
Designs for diapers were given in the plates illus- 
trating our Christmas article. 
The upper portions of the chancel walls may be 
decorated by horizontal bands of evergreens, me- 
