erer in
silk is superlatively rich.

[Sidenote: GOLD.]

The purest gold is generally made on a foundation of _red_ silk.
Japanese gold does not tarnish so readily as "passing," which is in some
respects superior to it. For stitching through, there is a finer thread,
called "tambour." Flat gold wire is known by the name of "plate," and
various twisted threads by the name of "purl."

[Sidenote: CHENILLE.]

A not very promising substance to embroider with is chenille. It came
into use in the latter half of the 17th century, and was still in
fashion in the time of Marie Antoinette. The use of it is shown in
Illustration 75, where the darker touches of the roses are worked in it.
Chenille seems to have been used instead of smooth silk, much as in
certain old-fashioned water-colour paintings gum was used with the
paint, or over it, to deepen the shadows. The material is used again in
the wreath on Illustration 76. It is worked there in chain-stitch with
the tambour needle: it may also be worked in satin-stitch; but the more
obvious way of using it is to couch it, cord by cord, with fine silk
thread. There is this against chenille, that its texture is not
sympathetic to the touch, and that there is a stuffy look about it
always. Nor does it seem ever quite to belong to the smooth satin ground
on which it is worked.

[Sidenote: RIBBON.]

[Sidenote: SHADED SILK.]

There is less objection to embroidery in ribbon, which also had its day
in the 18th century. It was very much the fashion for court dresses
under Louis Seize--"_Broderie de faveur_," as it was called, whence our
"lady's favour"--_faveur_ being a narrow ribbon. Some beautiful work of
its kind was done in ribbon, sometimes _shaded_. Shaded silk, by the
way, may be used to artistic purpose. There is, for example, in the
treasury of Seville Cathedral a piece of work on velvet, 13th century,
it is said, rather Persian in character, in which the forms of certain
nondescript animals are at first sight puzzlingly prismatic in colour.
They turn out to be roughly worked in short stitches of parti-coloured
silk thread. The result is not altogether beautiful, but it is extremely
suggestive.

[Sidenote: RIBBON.]

The effect of ribbon work is happiest when it is not sewn through the
stuff after the manner of satin stitch, but lies on the surface of the
satin ground, and is only just caught down at the ends of the loops
which go to make leaves and petals. The twist of th