Hampton Court ... Illustrated with forty-three drawings by Herbert ...

HISTORY OF ABRAHAM 167
Mortlake. In 1625 Charles owed £6000 for three
suits of gold tapestry made for him,1 and the whole
of the arras and tapestry hangings of the royal
palace fetched ,£30,000 when they were bought
for Cromwell.
Of all the tapestry of the sixteenth century that still
remains in England, the " History of Abraham " is
incomparably the most rich and the most beautiful.
Each subject is enclosed in an elaborate border, in
which the ideas of the story are introduced, and set in
a fine canopy and scroll-work.
The first subject represents the departureof Abraham
from his country, the farewells of his servants, while he
kneelsinprayer to God, Who from a cloudbids him go
forth. The second contains the birth and circumcision
of Isaac and the expulsion of Hagar. In the third,
Eliezer is swearing to find a wife for Isaac from his
father's kindred, and costly stuffs are being packed for
him in quaint boxes, while the camels wait without.
In the fourth,2 Sarah is restored by Pharaoh with rich
gifts. The fifth (which, again, is earlier than the
second and third) shows the Three Men promising
Abraham a son. In the sixth Abraham buys the field
ofEphron. In the seventh Lot and Abraham separate,
dividing the land; and in the last Abraham prepares
to sacrifice Isaac.
These magnificent pieces of tapestry are remarkable
alike for the clearness and boldness of the designs, and
1 Cf. Countess of Wilton's " Art ofNeedlework."
2 Surely this shouldbe the second.