House and Garden 
TAPESTRY FROM THE FAMOUS SERIES, THE LADY AND THE UNICORN 
The first important tapestry executed at Merton 
Abbey was the Goose Girl, a panel designed by 
Walter Crane. At the Arts and Crafts Exhibition of 
1888 were shown two verdure tapestries the Wood¬ 
pecker and the Forest, the foliage and flowers by 
Morris and Dearie, the fox and lion by Philip Webb. 
Important tapestries, the figures of which were 
designed by Burne-Jones, the decoration by Morris 
or Dearie, are: The Star of Bethlehem in Exeter 
College Chapel; the Seasons, and the Angeli Lau- 
dantes, in the Victoria and Albert Museum. 
These resemble the ancient arras in texture, 
having from ten to sixteen warps to the inch, while the 
modern Gobelin tapestries have from twenty-two to 
twenty-five, and Beauvais and Aubusson furniture 
coverings sometimes as high as thirty. 
A famous English tapestry atelier in the seven¬ 
teenth century was that established at Mortlake by 
James I. in 1619. The royal decree giving Sir 
Frances Crane the exclusive right for twenty- 
one years to make tapestries in England was based 
principally on the agreement that Henry IV. of 
France had made a few years before with De Comans 
and De la Planche. An 
ancient manuscript copy 
of the original decree is 
still in existence. 
Through the efforts of 
the King some fifty tap¬ 
estry weavers were pro¬ 
cured from the Neth¬ 
erlands, and tapestries 
were commissioned by 
the King, the Prince of 
Wales (Charles I.), the 
Duke of Buckingham 
and the great nobles. 
About 1623 the services of 
the painter Francis Cleyn 
were secured for one 
hundred pounds a year. 
He was connected with 
the atelier until his death 
in 1658 and his signature 
is found woven into some 
of the tapestries. Impor¬ 
tant tapestries woven at 
Mortlake are: the History 
of Vulcan and Venus, the 
Twelve Months, the Four 
Seasons, the History of 
Hero and Feander, Diana 
and Callisto, the Horses, 
the Story of Achilles by 
Rubens, the Acts of the 
Apostles by Rafael with 
borders by Van Dyke, the 
Story of St. Paul. The 
original cartoons of the Apostles painted by Rafael 
for Pope Feo X. were used at Mortlake, having been 
acquired for the purpose by Charles I. at the sugges¬ 
tion of Rubens. Seven of the ten cartoons are now 
on exhibition in the Victoria and Albert Museum at 
South Kensington. Many of the Mortlake tapestries 
are now in the French garde meuble, having been sold 
off by the Commonwealth, 1649-53, with the rest of 
Charles I’s magnificent collection. 
The inventory of these royal tapestries is reprinted 
by Mr. Thomson from the Plarleian manuscript in 
the British Museum. Among interesting items are: 
Five pieces of Arrass hangings of King David, con¬ 
taining in all 331 elles and one-half, at £ three per ellne 
Flemish; nine pieces of Arrass of Vulcan and Venus, 
in all containing 435 elles at £ three per elle; nine 
pieces of St. Paule, 613 at £ five; ten pieces of Julius 
Caesar, 717 elles at £ seven per elle; five pieces of 
Flower Deluces being Arrass of Hampton Court, 
containing in all no ells and one-half; one little piece 
with Grapes; one piece of Jacob; one old piece. 
The Mortlake industry never flourished again and 
in 1703 the property was converted to other uses. 
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