the refinement of
the times.

Louvois' dominance lasted as long as Lebrun, so the genius of the
latter never reasserted itself in the factory. Two methods of supply
for designs came in vogue, and mark the time. One was to turn to the
old masters of Italy's high Renaissance for drawings. This brought a
quantity of drawings of fables and myths into use, so that palace
walls were decorated with Greek gods instead of modern ones. Raphael,
as a master in decoration, was carefully copied, also other men of his
school. The second source of cartoons was chosen by Louvois, who
searched among previous works for the most celebrated tapestries and
had them copied without change.

Thus came the Gobelins to reproduce hangings that had not originated
in their ateliers. All this traces the change that came from the
clipping of Lebrun's wings of genius. Identification marks they are,
when old tapestries come our way.

Pierre Mignard succeeded Lebrun as director of the Gobelins after the
death of the greatest genius of decoration in modern times. Lebrun
had seen such prosperity of tapestry weaving that eight hundred
workers had scarcely been enough to supply the tapestries ordered.
When Mignard came for his five years of direction, things had mightily
changed, and he did nothing to revive or encourage the work. He owed
his appointment entirely to Louvois, whose protege he had long been.
The same year, 1691, saw the death of them both.

Until 1688 the factory was at its best time of productiveness,
reaching the perfection of modern drawing in its cartoons, and, in its
weaving, equalling the manner of Brussels in the early Sixteenth
Century.

From then on began the decline, for the reasons so forcibly written on
pages of history. The French king's ambition to conquer, his
animosity--jealousy, if you will--toward Holland, his unceasing
conflict with England, added to his fierce attacks on religionists,
especially in the Palatinate--all these things required the most
stupendous expenditures. The Mississippi was now discovered, the
English colonists were in conflict with the French, here in America,
and the New World was becoming too desirable a possession for Louis to
be willing to cede his share without a struggle; and thus came the
expense of fighting the English in that far land which was at least
thirty days' sail away.

Perhaps Mignard worked against odds too great for even a strong
director. Such drains on the state treasury a