ALMUG.—The wood of the Pterocarpus Santalinus, a large tree of the order "Leguminosœ."—The wood is very hard, has a reddish color, and takes a fine polish. It is a native of India and Ceylon, whence it was in Solomon's time conveyed to Ophir, on the east coast of Africa, and from Ophir to Palestine; "and the navy also of Hiram, that brought gold from Ophir, brought in great plenty of almug trees, and the king made of the almug trees pillars for the house of the Lord, and for the king's house, harps also and psalteries for singers." 1 Kings x. 11, 12. Almug is not the same as Algum, which grew on Lebanon with the cedar and fir. 2 Chron. ii. 8.
THYINE WOOD.—The wood of the Thuja Articulata, now named Callitris Quadrivalvis, a tree of the cypress sub-order of coniferæ, from 20 to 30 feet high. It is a native of Algiers and the Atlas range of North Africa. The wood is dark colored, hard, and fragrant, taking a fine polish; it yields an odoriferous resin called Sanderach, which was much used by the Romans for incense in the worship of their gods. Thyine takes its name from "to burn incense." It was much prized by the ancient Greeks and Romans, not only because it was considered sacred but also on account of the beauty of the wood for various ornamental purposes. Pliny speaks of the mania of his countrymen for ornaments made of this wood, and tells us that when Roman ladies were upbraided by their husbands for their extravagance in pearls, they retorted upon them for their excessive fondness for tables made of thyine wood. So great a rage was there for ornamental cabinet work in ancient Rome that Cicero had a table made of it that cost £9,000. Ornaments made of this wood can be seen in the Museum at Kew, presented by the late Jerome Napoleon. The ceiling and floor of the celebrated Mosque of Cordova are of thyine wood, and it is also referred to in the Bible.
TAPESTRY USED FOR FRENCH FURNITURE.
GOBELINS, BEAUVAIS, AND AUBUSSON TAPESTRY.—The famous factory of Gobelins originated in the establishment of some dye works in the Faubourg St. Marcel of Paris, by two brothers, Gilles and Jean Gobelin, who had introduced from Venice the art of dyeing scarlet; they also produced some other excellent colors, and this enterprise—at first considered foolish, and acquiring the name of Folie Gobelin—afterwards became most successful. This was in the reign of François I.; they subsequently added a tapestry factory to their dye works. Either in 1662 or in 1667, as different authorities state, Colbert, who had succeeded Cardinal Mazarin as Chief Adviser and Minister of Louis XIV., purchased the factory from the Gobelin family, and reorganised the establishment as the Royal Upholstery Works, employing the artists Lebrun, Berain, Simon Vouet, and others, to furnish subjects for the cartoons, the former artist being appointed Director of the Works. Since 1697 the manufacture of tapestry only has been carried on, and the product of these celebrated looms has become known as Gobelins tapestry. Previous to this time, however, namely, 1669, Colbert ordered the manufacture at Gobelins of what is termed the "low warp" tapestry suitable for furniture—a branch of manufacture which had been transferred to the State works of Beauvais, where the special mode of making tapestry, suitable for the covering of chairs and sofas, has since been carried on, the looms of Gobelins being more generally employed to produce larger panels for hangings. The fine texture, the brilliant colorings of the famous tapestry, are world famous; and enormous sums are commanded by some of the older panels, the tints of which are softened by age, while the condition remains good. Besides the tapestry for furniture, sometimes made at Gobelins, and more generally at Beauvais, a great deal has been produced by the looms at Aubusson, a factory said to have been originated by the immigration of some Flemish workmen into La March during the fourteenth century. Owing, however, to the difficulty in obtaining good patterns and the quality of wool required, their tapestry did not acquire a very high reputation. Colbert granted these manufactories a Charter in 1669, and also gave them protection against foreign rivals; and the looms of Aubusson became busy and their proprietors prosperous. The productions of Gobelins and Beauvais being monopolised by the Court, the works of Aubusson had to provide for the more general requirements of the people, and, therefore, though good of its kind, and occasionally excellent, this tapestry has never attained the reputation of its more famous contemporaries. To those who would learn more of Tapestry, its history, methods of production, and many instructive details, the little South Kensington handbook, "Tapestry," is highly commended; it was written for the Science and Art Department by M. Alfred de Champeaux, and translated by Mrs. R. F. Sketchley.
THE PROCESSES OF GILDING AND POLISHING.
WOOD GILDING.—The processes of applying gold to wood and to metal are entirely different. In the former the gold, which has been supplied to the gilder in extremely thin layers, generally placed between the leaves of a little paper book to prevent them sticking together, is transferred therefrom to the surface to be gilt, by a dexterous movement of a flat gilder's camel's hair brush, or "tip," as it is termed, the wood having been previously prepared by successive coatings of whitening and thin glue, a thicker body of preparations being required for those parts which are to be burnished. A great deal depends upon the care and time bestowed on the preparation of the work, sometimes as many as ten coatings being given to the wood, and these are successively rubbed down with pumice stone and glass paper, care being taken not to lose the sharpness of carved ornaments. This application of gold leaf is termed mechanical gilding, and is used for gilt furniture, picture frames, or other decorations. Within the last ten years the gold has been applied to the more richly carved furniture in a powder. This preparation of gold is very expensive, costing about £7 the ounce, and is only used for the more costly chairs and couches, etc., generally of old French make, which require re-gilding.
METAL GILDING.—The process of gilding metal which was practised by the mounters of the fine old French furniture described in Chapter VI., consisted in applying to the "ormolu" an amalgam of gold and mercury; the latter was evaporated by heat, and the gold remained firmly adhered to the metal mount, and was afterwards colored as desired, a slightly greenish tinge being effected by such masters as Caffieri, Gouthière, and others. This kind of gilding requires a considerable quantity of the precious metal to be used, and is therefore very costly, but is rich in effect, and, under favourable conditions, permanent. It is, however, very injurious to the workers, on account of the fumes of the mercury poisoning the system; and it has generally been abandoned in favour of the much quicker and far cheaper process of electro-gilding, by which an effect can be produced by an infinitesimal coating of gold. The water gilding process is still used to a moderate extent by the makers of the more expensive reproductions of old furniture in Paris. There is a very cheap and effective process of lacquering which sometimes is termed "gilding," used to give ormolu mounts the color of gold; this is done by applying a solution of shellac and spirits of wine to the metal when heated, and, as with water-gilding, the volatile spirit evaporates and leaves a thin coating of the shellac, which may also be treated so as to have very much the appearance of gold, to the inexperienced eye. It should be mentioned that where mounts are gilt, it is usual to make the material more like the color of gold than ordinary brass would be; this is done by the admixture of a considerable amount of copper, the amalgam being generally termed "or-molu."