Journal of the Society of Arts : Volume LI, No. 2623 [‎727v] (12/32)

JOURNAL OL THE SOCIETY OF AR TS. [February 27, 190}.
3 I<5 '
great hugeness,” he goes on “ for I have a
claw of one of their paws which should show
them to be as big as two lyons.” In another
place Leigh refuses to believe something
because “he had not seen the proof thereof.”
It will be well to consider animal pose in
relation to the anatomical possibilities, and
the qualities of dignity, strength, or grace
which are associated with certain charges
should also find due expression.
The schemes of arrangement that suggest
themselves as suitable to decorative purposes,
are very various. Complete series of family
arms and those of alliances, together with the
honours conferred on individuals; arms of
successive owners ; shields marking the visits
of distinguished guests, and so forth.
Unity of plan, such as when the arms are
arranged in relation to some central object
as the altar in a church or the fireplace in a
room, for example, is, of course, desirable.
In the latter case the central position would be
appropriately occupied by the entire armorials.
The employment of Badges in decoration
opens up a large and interesting field of de
sign from their value as decoration in places
where shields of arms are not so suitable.
Though not subject to the same rules as the
regular arms they were still regarded as of
great though secondary importance, and be
came practically hereditary in many cases.
Time, however, will not permit of their
adequate treatment here. A kind of badge,
more ephemeral in character, called an
impress, was a fashion that came to us
from Italy, as many other heraldric
fashions did. They were devised from
mere fancy, and consisted of a device
with an explanatory motto. Henry VIII. and
his knights at the Field of the Cloth of Gold
bore a series of devices, of which they wore
part each day until the whole was complete.
Cosmo de Medici had a tortoise with a sail
attached and the motto “ Festina lente,”
and there were others innumerable. Like
other heraldic matters, they sometimes
led to quarrels. A knight who strutted
up and •down at the court of King
James, had a falcon embroidered on his
sleeve, and the motto, “I bear a raven,
fearless in flight, who checks at him his death
is dight.” Then a Scottish knight saw the
device, and after a while appeared with
another. His was a raven with a piece of
meat, and its motto said, “I bear a raven
picking at a piece, who pecks at him, I’ll peck
at his nese.” The story goes on, that in the
arrangements for the consequent fight, the
Scottish knight, who had but one eye,
demanded that his opponent should lose one
of his, in order to be on an equality.
There will not be time to do more than
briefly allude to colour treatment. It will
suffice to say that it is not at all desirable that
heraldry should scream in mural decoration
however necessary it may have been to
do so in the field. So long as the
tinctures are distinguishable with sufficient
clearness any modification of tint may be
used, and the colour may be broken by
means of diaper or other surface treatment
that may be desirable in order to make the
heraldry take its appointed place. Always
avoiding, however, any interference with
the clear statement of the heraldric facts.
The decoration may be modelled in gesso,
and treated with monochrome, so as to
emphasize the modelling, or in many another
way that practice will suggest.
The revival of the art of enamel also offers a
splendid material for heraldic work. The
series of works in enamel on the monuments,
and above all, the early Stall Plates of the
Knights of the Garter at Windsor, are too well
known to need more than an allusion to the
magnificent field of study they afford ; but it
may perhaps be permitted to hope that the
beautiful art of enamelling which (though its
revival is less than 20 years old) is fully capable
of worthily following its long ago predecessors,
may have, some day, an opportunity of doing
so.
The value of heraldry in domestic decora
tion is also obvious. One can hardly imagine
anything to excel the gemlike effect of armorial
enamels on the dark panels of a library, for
example.
Whatever be the material in which heraldry
finds its means of expression, it is permitted
confidently to hope that the wide and increasing
interest that is being extended to the subject
may result in the production of work that is-
not unworthy to follow the best of its pre
decessors.
DISCUSSION.
Mr. Charles Chadwyck-Healey, K.C., said
that he had listened with great interest to Mr. Eve’s
remarks, and he wished to express his appreciation of
the work that Mr. Eve had been doing for some time
in developing the art of heraldry in this country.
There was very great need for such work, for the
country had been in a lamentable condition in this