nerally set in a frame of oak, leaving five or six
inches (which would otherwise be covered with carving or veneer) for
the embroidery. The mirror itself is comparatively small, being only
a secondary consideration, and often little remains of it for its
original purpose, as the glass is blurred and the silvering gone. Many
of these mirrors have _bevelled_ glass, which, of course, is wrong.

The mirror shown in the illustration is one recently belonging to
Viscountess Wolseley and sold by her, among other Stuart needlework
specimens, at Messrs. Puttick & Simpson's in 1906. This mirror sold for
L100. The figures represent Charles I. and Queen Henrietta Maria, one on
either side of the mirror. The figure at the top of the frame is
difficult to understand; whether she is an angel or a mere Court lady
must be left to conjecture. The rolling clouds and the blazing sun are
above her head, and a peacock, with tail displayed, is on one side and a
happy-looking stag on the other. Two royal residences adorn the topmost
panels on either side, with all their bravery of flying flags and
smoking chimneys, and the lion and the leopard occupy the lower panels.
The latter animal identifies the King and Queen, who might otherwise be
Charles II. and his consort, as after Charles I.'s time the leopard gave
place to the unicorn for some unexplained reason. Other typical little
Stuart animals and birds fill in the extra panels, such as the spotted
dog who chases a little hare who is never caught, and the gaily-coloured
parroquet and kingfisher, which no respectable Stuart picture would be
without. The caterpillar, the ladybird, and the snail are all _en
evidence_; and below is a real pond, covered with talc, and containing
fish and ducks, the banks being made of tiny branching coral beads and
tufted silk and bullion work.

About this time, when Venetian lace came into fashionable use as an
adjunct to the exquisite Stuart dress, tiny coloured beads were imported
from Venice. The embroiderers at once seized upon them as a new and
possibly more lasting means of showing their pretty fancies in design.
Many delightful specimens of these beadwork pictures are preserved, the
colours, of course, being as fresh as yesterday. The ground was always
of white satin, now faded and discoloured with age, and often torn with
the heaviness of the beadwork design. They are scarcely so charming as
the all needlework pictures, but still are delightful and coveta