Page:The museum, (Jackson, Marget Talbot, 1917).djvu/98

76 In regard to the first requisite, one must choose a material which will have, something of the character of the period to which the objects belong. In this country, with our admiration for oriental things, Japanese grass-cloth has been considered a suitable wall covering for use anywhere, but as a background for Italian pictures of the fifteenth or sixteenth century it is inappropriate. Yet there is something to be said in its favor. There is a richness of tone in the grass-cloth which harmonizes well with the gold frames and rich colors of the Italian paintings, but if we are to see these paintings in anything like their original surroundings we must see them with a background either of some rich wood-work or a silk brocade.

Probably burlap has been more used than any other material in our galleries, partly because of its loose texture and partly because of its cheapness. The experiment of painting the walls under the burlap has been tried in different places. This gives a varied effect that makes the material much more attractive, and burlap should never be used unless some such expedient is resorted to, as the dead tone of the natural color is monotonous. The green burlap so often used fades atrociously, as many museums know to their sorrow. This fabric, like all coarse materials of this character,