F.

Fabaria, R. Offerings of bean-flour (faba) made by the Romans on the 1st of June to the goddess Carna; from these offerings the calends of June took the name offabariæ.

Fabatarium, R. A large earthenware vessel in which bean-flour (puls fabacia) was served, boiled up with water or broth. It formed a kind ofpolenta.

Fabrica, R. (faber, an artisan). The shop in which an artisan works, chiefly a joiner’s or carpenter’s shop.

Fabrilia, R. A general term, including all the different kinds of tools used by an artisan.

Façade, Arch. Thefaceor front of a building.

Face-guard.On a helmet, a bar or bars of iron protecting the face.

Face-painting, O. E. Portrait painting.

Facets(Fr.facette, a little face). The flat surfaces cut upon precious stones.

Facial Angle.The angle formed by two lines, one horizontal from the nostrils to the ear, the other perpendicular from the nostrils to the forehead.

Fac-simile(from Latinfactum, made, andsimile, like). A perfectly exact copy.

Factorium(sc.vas), R. A vessel containing exactly afactum, or quantity of grapes or olives proper to be placed under the press (torcular) at onefactumor making.

Faculæ, R. Little torches.

Fig. 301. Faenza sweetmeat-dish.

Faenza.A manufacture of pottery considered by some writers to be the most ancient in Italy.Garzoni, writing in 1485, says, “The majolicas of F. are white and polished, and one can no more confound them with those of Treviso, than one would take puff-balls for truffles.”Vincenzo Lazarisays they are distinguished by the softness of the tints, the correctness of the drawing, and the whiteness of the enamel at the back. For a long and interesting account of this most important botega, seeJacquemart,Hist. of the Ceramic Art. The name ofFayenceis derived from Faenza, andnotfrom the little town of Fayence in France. (Fig.301.)

Faience.(SeeFayence.)

Fairy Butter, O. E. (1) A fungous excrescence about the roots of trees, and (2) a species oftremellafound on furze and broom are so called.

Fairy Circles.Circles of coarse green grass common in meadows, and attributed to the dancing of the fairies.

Fairy Dances=Fairy Circles(q.v.).

Fairy Darts.Small flints in the form of arrow-heads, possibly of the stone age.

Fairy Faces.Fossilechinior sea-urchins.

Fairy Groats.A country name for certain old coins. (SeeHarrison’s England, p. 218.)

Fairy Loaves.Fossils found in the chalk, called alsofairy faces.

Fairy Money.Treasure trove was so called.

Fairy Pipes.Small old tobacco-pipes, frequently found in the north of England.

Fairy Rings.(SeeFairy Circles.)

Fairy Sparks.Phosphoric light seen on various substances in the night time. (Halliwell.)

Fairy Stones.(SeeFairy Loaves.)

Faith, in Christian art, is represented by a female figure holding the Eucharistic cup.

Fala, R. A wooden tower used in the siege of a fortified place, but the exact form of which is unknown; it differed from theAcrobaticon.

FalaricaorPhalarica, R. A heavy spear, used by the Saguntines, which was generally discharged from abalista. Its shaft was sometimes enveloped with sulphur and resin, and with tow steeped in oil; and it was launched blazing against wooden towers for the purpose of setting them on fire.

Falbala.(SeeFurbelow.)

Falcastrum, R. (falx, a sickle). An agricultural tool with a curved blade for tearing up weeds.

Falcatus, R. Furnished with scythes (falces). (SeeCurrus.)

Falchion.A broadsword, spelt “fawchon;” 14th century. (SeeFalx.)

Falcicula.Dimin. offalx.

Falcon, in mediæval art, is the attribute of a gentleman, in allusion to the restrictions of the sumptuary laws.

Falcula.Dimin. offalx.

Faldestol, O. E. An elbow-chair of state; modern “fauteuil.” (SeeFaldstool.)

Falding(A.S.feald). A kind of coarse cloth, like frieze.

Faldstool,Faldistory, O. E. A folding-stool, like a modern camp-stool, used in cathedral church services in Saxon times.

FallorFalling-band. A large collar falling on to the shoulders; 16th and 17th centuries. (SeeBands.)

Fallals, O. E. The falling ruffs of a woman’s dress.

False, Her. Said of any charge when its central area is removed; thus an annulet is a “false roundle.”

False Roof, Arch. The space between the ceiling of the garret and the roof.

Falx, R. A scythe, sickle, bill-hook, &c.; any instrument with a curved edge used for cutting grass, wood, or other objects. There were many different kinds, which were called respectivelyarborariaandsylvatica,denticulata,fænariaorveruculata,vinitoria,vineatica, andputatoria. The termfalxwas also applied to a falchion strongly curved at the end.Falx supinawas a dagger with a keen and curved blade;falx muraliswas an instrument employed in warfare, both by sea and land, either to cut the masts and rigging of a vessel, or to sweep the ramparts clear of defenders. [Culteris a knife with one straight edge;falx, one with the edge curved. Hence ourfalchion, &c.]

Familia, Med. Lat. An old term for a set of chessmen. Among the jewels in the wardrobe-book of Edward I. occur “unafamiliade ebore, pro ludendo ad scaccarium,” and “una familia pro scaccario de jaspide et crystallo.”

Fig. 302. Feather Fan—Italian.

Fan, Egyp. With theEgyptians, the fan of ostrich feathers for brushing away flies was looked upon as the insignia of princes and chieftains; theflabellumorumbellum(parasol) was carried by inferior officers. Both kinds of fan are frequently represented on the sacred barges. The use of the fan was first introduced into England in the 16th century; they were first made of feathers with long handles of gold, silver, or ivory of elaborate workmanship, and sometimes inlaid with precious stones. The engraving shows one from a portrait of Queen Elizabeth. TheGreeksandRomanshad fans of various elegant materials, often of peacock’s feathers; sometimes of wings of birds, or of linen stretched on a frame.Italianfans, mediæval, were square flags, as in Fig.303. Folding fans were first introduced in the 17th century. Inventories of churches and monasteries of the 14th century include ecclesiastical fans orflabella. These are still used in the Catholic Church in the East. An illumination at Rouen represents the deacon raising the flabellum, a circular fan with a long handle, over the head of the priest at the altar. In the accounts of the churchwardens of Walberswick, Suffolk, of 1493, is the entry “for a bessume of pekok’s fethers, IVd.” (Figs. 302, 303.)

Fig. 303. Venetian lady, with a square fan of the 16th century.

Fan-crest, Her. An early form of decoration for the knightly helm.

Fandango.A Spanish dance.

Fane.(1) A vane or weathercock; “a fayne of a schipe,” i. e. a vane on the top of a mast. “Of sylver his maste, of golde hisfane.” (2)Anglo-Saxon.A banner. (3) The white flower-de-luce. (Gerard.) (4) Enemies. (Halliwell.) (See alsoFanum.)

Fanfare, Fr. A flourish of trumpets.

FannelorPhannel, O. E. TheFanon(q.v.).

Fanon, Chr. The maniple or napkin worn by the priest at mass. It was originally nothing but a plain strip of linen worn on the left wrist. In later times it was highly decorated, and often made of the richest materials.

Fan-tao, Chinese. A fabulous peach-tree, which blossoms every 3000 years; represented on pottery as an attribute of Cheou-Lao, the god of longevity, who holds in his hand a fruit of it.

Fan-tracery.In Gothic architecture, elaborate carved work spread over an arched surface, like a fan with the handle resting on a corbel or stone bracket below.

Fanum, R. (fari, to speak); Eng.Fane. A term synonymous withTemplum(q.v.), but implying also the idea of a place which had been consecrated by the solemn formula of the augurs. Thefanumthus comprised not only the building itself, the temple, but also all the consecrated ground surrounding it [“locus liberatus et effatus.”]

Farrago, R. (i. e. made offar, spelt). Fodder for horses and cattle, consisting of the green ears of different kinds of grain.

Fig. 304. Farthingale of the time of Elizabeth.

Farthingale(Fr.vertugale) is first spoken of in 1547. It was a sort of cage made of whalebone worn under the petticoat, increasing the size of the hips. In Elizabeth’s reign it reached to a preposterous size, giving the wearer the appearance of “standing in a drum,” according to “Sir Roger de Coverley.” There werewheel-farthingalesandtub-farthingales. Farthingales were worn during the reign of Charles I., but of more moderate dimensions; and in Charles II.’s reign the fashion vanished to reappear in the hoop of the 18th century. The engraving gives an example of a moderate farthingale. (Fig.304.)

Fartura, R. (farcio, to stuff). The act of fattening poultry; and thence applied to a kind of structure, the centre of which was filled with rubble.

Fasces.(SeeFascis.)

Fig. 305. Roman lictor carrying the fasces.

Fascia, R. Any strip of cloth used for a bandage; such as (1) the swathes (Gr.σπάργανον) in which newly-born children were wrapped; (2) a white band, or for women, a purple, worn as a diadem (DIADEMA); (3) (f. pectoralis) a bandage worn by young Roman girls to prevent excessive development of the breast; (4) (f. cruralis) a bandage wound closely round the leg from the ankle to the knee, &c.; these were adopted in Europe in the Middle Ages; (5) (f. pedulis, Gr.ποδεῖον) a sock; (6) seeZona. (7) Inarchitecturethe termfasciaorfaciais applied to three flat parallelbandsof stone, introduced to break the monotony of architraves, more especially of the Ionic, Corinthian, and Composite Orders.

Fasciculus, R. (dimin. offascis). A small bundle, or number of objects tied up into small bundles.

Fascina(fascinum= fascination). Amulets worn to avert the “evil eye.” “Nescio quis teneros oculus mihi fascinat agnos.” (Virgil.)

Fasciola(dimin. offascia). A small bandage. (SeeFascia.)

Fascis, R. A bundle; a small packet; a small faggot of wood, or fascine. In the pluralfascesdenoted the bundle of rods, with an axe in the middle, carried by the lictors before certain of the Roman magistrates. (See Fig.305.)Fasces laureatiwere the fasces crowned with laurel leaves, which were carried before a victorious general;fasces versi, the reversed fasces, which were carried axe downwards, in token of mourning, at funerals. The fasces were carried by the lictors on their shoulders, as shown in Fig.305; and when an inferior magistrate met a superior one, the lictors of the former lowered their fasces to him; hence the expressionsubmittere fasces, to yield or confess inferiority.

Faselus.(SeePhaselus.)

Fasti, R. (fas, divine law). Archives or calendars engraved on stone or marble; they were of two kinds. (1) Thefasti sacriorkalendares, a kind of almanack or calendar, setting out thedies fasti, or lawful days on which certain kinds of business might be transacted without impiety; also the religious festivals, &c. The calendars were entirely in the keeping of the priests. (2) Thefasti annalesorhistorici, which contained the names of the consuls and magistrates, and a short account of the most remarkable events. Some important lists of this kind of the time of Tiberius are preserved in the capitol at Rome, and called the Fasti Capitolini.

Fastigium, R. (fastigo, to raise to a point). The top of a pediment, and thence the entire pediment itself. In a building this term also signifies theridge, or top of a roof whose two sides rise up to a point.

Faun(Lat.Faunus). A woodland god, frequently represented with sharp ears and with the feet of a goat.

Fauteau, Fr. A military engine used in the Middle Ages; it was a kind of battering-ram suspended in a tower. (SeeAries.)

Faux, R. Any narrow passage, lobby, corridor, or entrance to a house, in especial the passage which formed the communication between two blocks of a house. In the plural,fauces, likecarceres, denoted stalls or stables for horses. (SeeCarcer.)

Favissæ, R. Pits or cellars under a temple, in which all the furniture and sacred implements which had become unfit for use were kept.

Favour, O. E. A love-gift; a ribbon or glove, &c., worn on the crest of the favoured knight at a tournament, &c.

Favourite, O. E. A lock of hair: “a sort of modish lock, dangling on the temples.” (Ladies’ Dictionary, 1694.)

Favus, R. A flagstone or tablet of marble cut into a hexagon, like the cell of a honeycomb (favus), whence its name. [Pavements of this pattern were called Sectilia.]

Fax, R. A torch. This consisted either of pieces of wood joined together and steeped in resin, or a metal tube filled with inflammable materials, such as resin, pitch, tallow, tow impregnated with wax, &c. [The early evening was hence calledprima fax, and as marriages were celebrated at that time of day, thetorchwas made an attribute of Hymen, and a symbol of marriage. The torch was also carried at funerals to fire the pile with.]

Fayence.Pottery.

Feather.In Christian art (German) an attribute of St. Barbara; it is generally a peacock’s feather. This refers to an old German version of her legend, which relates that when St. Barbara was scourged by her father, angels changed the rods into feathers.

Featherings, in Architecture, are lacelike ornaments along the edges of arcs in windows, canopies, &c.

Fig. 306. Ostrich feathers. (An escroll for a coronet.)

Feathers, Her. The feathers borne as crests and badges are generally those of the ostrich, sometimes of the swan, the turkey, and a few other birds. Fig.306is a representation of an early plume of ostrich feathers, as they are carved, with an escroll in place of a coronet, in the Abbey Church of St. Albans. From the time of the accession of the House of Stuart to the crown of the United Kingdom, the coroneted plume of three ostrich feathers appears to have been regarded, as it is at this present day, as the special badge of the Princes of Wales.

Februa,Februales, R. A festival in honour of the dead instituted by Numa; it was celebrated every year on the ides of February.

Feet.In Christian art the feet of Our Lord, also of angels and of the Apostles, should always be represented naked, without shoes or sandals. (Fairholt.)

Felt(Fr.feutre). A sort of coarse wool, or wool and hair. Felt hats were first made in England by Spaniards and Dutchmen, in the beginning of the reign of Henry VIII. Felt was also used for the stuffing of garments.

FeminaliaorFemoralia, R. (femur, the thigh). Short breeches or a kind of drawers which reached from the waist to about the knee. [Worn by Augustus Cæsar, who was very susceptible to cold.]

Fendace(armour). The old name for the gorget.

Fenestella, Chr. (lit. a small window). A niche made in the wall of a church, near the altar, and containing the stone basin in which the priest poured away the water in which he had washed the chalice.

Fenestra, Window.Fenestra biforisis aGemel-window, formed by a double bay.Fenestrawas the name given to the hole pierced in the ears to receive the ear-rings, as also to the loop-holes made in the walls of a fortress.

Fenestration, Arch. A term which expresses the disposition and arrangement of all the windows in a house.

Fengite.Transparent alabaster used for glass in windows.

Ferculum, R. (fero, to carry). Contracted form offericulum, a tray, and thence the dishes carried upon a tray; acourseorremove. In a triumphal procession the term was applied to a platform for displaying an enemy’s spoils, a rich booty, images of the gods, &c.; or the ashes of the dead in a funeral.

Fig. 307. Silver Feretory or Reliquary, of good English work, for the most part in repoussé.

Feretory, Chr. (1) A richly ornamented shrine, often of solid gold and set with jewels, in which the relics of saints are carried in Roman Catholic processions. (2) The enclosure or chapel in which the shrine was kept.

FeretrumorPheretrum, Gr, R., and Chr. (Lat.capulus). A bier; sometimes a shrine. The term was used at a period when coffins were uncommon; more properly theFeretory, 1 (q.v.).

Feriæ, R. Days of festival among the Romans; they were classed as follows: (1)Feriæ statæorstativæ, which were held regularly on the days indicated in the calendar; these were theimmovable festivals, such as the Agonalia, Carmentalia, Lupercalia, &c. (2)Feriæ conceptæorconceptivæ, which were held every year, but at uncertain intervals; these were themovable festivals, such as the Latinæ, Sementivæ, Paganalia, and Compitalia. (3) Lastly, there were theferiæ imperativæorofficial festivals, which were held by order of the dictators, consuls, or prætors. Allferiæweredies nefasti, on which lawsuits, political transactions, &c. were impious, and slaves were relieved of their labour. Theferiæ Latinæwere the most important of all Roman festivals.

Fermail, Her. A buckle.

Ferr, Her. A horse-shoe.

Ferrara.A manufactory of majolica in North Italy, described by Jacquemart as “one of the most brilliant in Italy;” established by Alfonso I. with artists imported from Faenza, circa 1495. (Jacquemart.)

Ferrea Solea.A horse-shoe. (SeeSoleaandHipposandalium.)

Ferriterium.A prison for slaves. Synonym ofErgastulum(q.v.).

Ferula, R. The fennel; a plant with which children were beaten for slight faults, and thence a cane or stick with which slaves were chastised.

Fig. 308. Fesse.

Fesse, Her. One of the ordinaries. A broad band of metal or colour crossing the shield horizontally.

Fesse-point, Her. The central point of an escutcheon.

Fesse-wise,In Fesse, Her. Disposed in a horizontal line, side by side, across the centre of a field, and over the fesse-point of a shield.

Fig. 309. Festoon of foliage.

Festoon, Arch. Garland of flowers. (Fig., 309.) (SeeEncarpa.)

Festra, R. An abbreviation anciently employed forFenestra(q.v.).

FestucaorVindicta, R. The rod which the lictor held over the head of a slave during the ceremony ofmanumissio, by which he was given his freedom. (SeeManumissio.)

Fetter-lock, Her. A shackle, padlock; a Yorkshire badge.

Fibrinæ(vestes),Fibrinæ(lanæ). (SeeCastoreæ.)

Fig. 310. Fibula. Gallic.

Fig. 311. Fibula. Gallic.

Fibula, Gen. (figo, to fix). (1) A clasp, buckle, or brooch; any contrivance made of gold, silver, bronze, ivory, &c., used for fastening male or female attire. (2) The buckle of a head-band (tænia,vitta). Figs. 310 and 311 represent buttons and clasps belonging to the Gaulish and Merovingian periods. [The girdles of theFranksandSaxons, found in English tombs, were usually ornamented most profusely. Not only were the buckles (fibulæ) of the richest workmanship, and conspicuous for size and decoration, but they are sometimes supplemented by enchased plates, or plates set with precious stones. (Roach Smith.)] (See Figs.105to113.)

Fictile Ware,Keremania, R. (fingo, to mould). Any object made of terra-cotta or pottery, such as tiles, bricks, vases, &c. (SeePottery.)

Fiddle(A.S.fithele), orViol, is represented in an Anglo-Saxon MS. of the 11th century, of a pear-shape, with four strings. The fiddle-bow probably originated in Hindustan, where theHindusclaim that the ravanastron was invented about 5000 years ago by Ravanon, a king of Ceylon. Almost identical with this is theChinesefiddle calledurheen, which has only two strings, and its body consists of a small block of wood, hollowed out and covered with a snake-skin. A German fiddle of the 9th century, calledlyra, has only one string. In the Nibelungen Lied Volker is described as dexterous in playing the fiddle. Interesting representations of performers on the fiddle are painted on the roof of Peterborough Cathedral. They are attributed to the 12th century.

Fidelia, R. An earthenware vessel or jar used as a receptacle for cement.

FidesorFidis, R. A general term comprising all stringed or gut instruments (fromsphidé, catgut).

Fidicula, R. (dimin. offides). A very fine catgut string, atreble-string. The pluralfidiculædenotes an instrument of torture for slaves, the form of which is unknown.

Field.In Numismatics, the surface of a coin on which objects were engraved; in Heraldry, the entire surface of a shield or banner.

Figure-paintings.Paintings of the human figure.

Fig. 312. Silver Filigree. Reliquary, belonging to Lord Hastings, said to have been dug up in the foundations of St. Paul’s, London.

Filagree,Filigree, orFiligraine(It.filigrana=filumandgranum, or granular network; so called because the Italians, who first introduced this style of work, placed beads upon it. [Ure.]). This work is of gold or silver wire plaited and soldered into delicate arabesques and flower patterns. In the 15th century the Spanish Moors “made admirable chiselled, enamelled, and gilt work, and applied filigree work on the surface, a system kept up at Salamanca and Cordova to the present day.” The Eastern nations have always been famous for filigree work.

File, Her. A label (from the Latinfilum, a narrow ribbon).

Filfot, called also theGammadion. (SeeFylfot.)

Filigree Glass.(SeeGlass.)

Fillet, Her. A diminutive of a chief.

Fillets, Gen. Strips of linen employed for various purposes. The victims which were conducted by priests to sacrifice were adorned with sacred fillets. Among the Egyptians fillets were employed to swathe mummies, the strips being repeatedly wound by the embalmers round the corpse, till it reassumed the appearance it had presented before being dried. (SeeDiadem,Fascia.) In Architecture, a small round or rectangular moulding which separates two others which are larger and more prominent; the fillet also separates the flutings of columns. (SeeTænia.)

Fimbria, R. The border or fringe of a cloth or garment. [These were more common among the Egyptians and Assyrians than the Greeks and Romans, and are mentioned in the Bible.]

Fig. 313. Cross fimbriated.

Fimbriated, Her. Bordered; the border (which is narrow) lying in the same plane with the object bordered. (Fig.313.)

Fig. 314. Finial.

Finial.In Gothic architecture, an ornament of carved work representing foliage, on the apex of a spire or pinnacle. (SeeCrocket.) (Fig.314.)

Fir-coneupon a stem was the form of vases special to the majolica manufactory of Deruba; “a form,” says Jacquemart, “quite special to that manufactory, and directly imitated from the extreme East and from Asia Minor.”

Fire.Flames of fire placed near St. Anthony signify his spiritual aid as patron saint against fire in all shapes, in the next world and in this.Tongues of fireare, of course, depicted on the heads of the Apostles, in representations of the Day of Pentecost.

Fire-dog.(SeeAndiron.)

Fire-lock.The musket fired by flint and steel, invented in France about the year 1630. (SeeMatch-lock.)

Fire-stommer, O. E. A poker.

Fiscus, R. A wicker-work basket used for gardening purposes, especially for gathering in the olive and grape crops. The Romans also made use of this basket for transporting sums of money; hencefiscuscame to mean a moneychest, and was the name given to that part of the revenue which was applied to the civil list of the emperors [opposed toærarium, the property of the senate]; but at last the word was used to signify generally the property of the state.

Fish.In Christian art, the symbol of water and the rite of baptism. (SeeAcrosticandVesica Piscis.)

Fistuca, R. A pavior’s ram or beetle; a wooden bar or pile used to consolidate floorings, masonry, and pavements.

Fistula, R. (1) A water-pipe of lead or earthenware. (2) A writing-pen made of reed, and thence a Pan’s pipe. (3) A rolling-pin for making pastry. (4) A probe. (5) A machine for bruising corn, which was calledfistula farraria.

Fitch.The best of paint-brushes are made of the hair of thefitchor polecat. They are black, elastic, and firm though soft. They are made flat or round, and are used also for varnishing.

Fitchée, Her. Pointed at the base.

Flabelliform, Arch. (flabellum). Fan-shaped. The term is usually applied to an ornament composed of leaves and palms, which is of frequent occurrence on Romano-Byzantine monuments.

Flabellum, Gen. (flo, to blow). A fan. (SeeFan.)

Flagellum, Gen. (flagrum). A whip or scourge made with thongs of leather, especially thongs of the ox’s hide, or twisted or knotted cords, &c., used in antiquity for punishing slaves or culprits. It was a terrible weapon, and the lash was often knotted with bones, or heavy metalhooksto tear the flesh (scorpio). Gladiators used to fight in the arena withflagella.

Flagon. A vessel with a long neck covered at top, and a spout. The flagons of the 15th and 16th centuries are the best in design and ornamentation.

Flail.A weapon like a flail, of wood and iron armed with spikes,temp.Henry VIII.

Flake-white.So called from its form, in commerce, offlakesor scales. As a pigment it possesses great body, and enters largely into numerous compound tints. (Fairholt.) (SeeCarbonate of Lead.)

Flamboyant(style), Mod. The style of French architecture peculiar to the 15th century, so called because the mullions and tracery of the windows in the monuments belonging to that period are curved and twisted like the waving of flames. This style was contemporary with that called “the perpendicular” in England.

Flamen, R. A priest devoted to the service of any one god; e. g.Flamen Martialis, the priest of Mars. Their characteristic dress was theApex, theLæna, and a laurel wreath.

Flaming Heart, in Christian symbolism, expresses fervent piety and love.

Flammeolum(dimin. offlammeum). A term denoting a texture much finer than that of theflammeum.

Flammeum, R. A bridal veil worn by the bride on the day of her marriage; it was of light gauze, and in colour of a vivid and brilliant yellow, like a flame; whence its name. It covered the lady from head to foot, and was removed by the bridegroom on their arrival home after the ceremony.

Flammula, R. A small flame; a small banner borne by light cavalry regiments; it was of a vivid and brilliant yellow colour, like the bridalflammeum; whence its name. (ModernOriflamme, q.v.)

Flanches,Flasques, Her. Subordinaries.

Fig. 315. Flat-heads.

Flat-heads,Projecting-heads, Mod. An ornament peculiar to the Romano-Byzantine period, which decorates archivolts. Fig.315gives an example of flat-heads; Fig.316of projecting-heads.

Fig. 316. Projecting-heads.

Flaying-knife.An attribute of St. Bartholomew, signifying the manner of his martyrdom. In Croyland Abbey it was anciently the custom to present all members of the community with small flaying-knives on St. Bartholomew’s Day (Aug. 24).

Fig. 317. Old Flemish Lace.

Flemish Lace.Flanders and Italy dispute the invention of pillow lace. It is certain, however, that lace of home manufacture was worn in the 15th century in the Low Countries, and from that time to the present lace-making has formed a source of national wealth to Belgium. The engraving shows a fine specimen of old Flemish lace composed of six different designs joined together, commonly known as “Trolle Kant.” A similar lace is made in some of our own counties, and called “Trolly.” (Fig.317.)

Fig. 318. “Cosse de Genest,” showing a Cross fleurettée.

Fleur-de-lis(Fr.), the royal insignia of France, was first adopted by Louis VII. (aboutA. D.1137)semée, or scattered over the field. This shield is blazoned as “France Ancient.” On the occasion of his marriage, in 1234, St. Louis instituted the order of the “Cosse de Genest” (Fig.318), and, as an emblem of his humility, took for his badge the broom-flower with the mottoExaltat humiles. The collar of the order was composed of broom-flowers enamelled, intermixed with fleurs-de-lis. In the reign of Charles VI. four collars of the order of the Cosse de Genest were sent as presents to King Richard II. and his uncles the Dukes of Lancaster, Gloucester, and York. The fleur-de-lis entered the English insignia in 1275 with the marriage of Edmund with Blanche of Artois, and was erased on January 1, 1801.

Fleurettée, Her. Terminating in, or bordered with fleurs-de-lis, like the cross in Fig.318.

Fleuron.A small full-blown rose placed in the centre of the abacus of the capital in certain orders of architecture.

Flexed, Her. Bowed, bent.

Flighted, Her. Feathered, as arrows are.

Flo, O. E. An arrow.

“Robin bent his joly bowe,Therein he set aflo.”(Wright’s Songs and Carols.)

“Robin bent his joly bowe,

Therein he set aflo.”

(Wright’s Songs and Carols.)

Floralia, orFlorales Ludi. A Roman festival in honour of Flora, said to have been institutedB.C.238, to invoke the protection of the goddess upon the spring blossoms.

Florentine Fresco.A peculiar method of fresco-painting, by which the lime is kept moistened during the process.

Florentine Lake.(SeeCarminated Lakes.)

Florentine Mosaic.Inlaid-work in coloured stones, and precious stones combined into beautiful patterns.

Florid(style), Arch. This term, now disused, has been replaced by that ofFlamboyantstyle (q.v.).

Florimontana.A literary society established at Annecy in 1606. They took for their device an orange tree, with the motto, “Flores, fructusque perennes.”

Fluor-sparorDerbyshire-spar. A mineral rock very common in Derbyshire, where it is made into ornaments, &c., with the lathe.

Flute, Gen. Said to have been invented by Apollo or Mercury. The simplest form of flute was made with an oat-stalk (avena) or a hollow reed (calamus); in the course of time it was made of ivory, bone, or the shin-bones of animals; whence its Latin name ofTibia(q.v.). The Greek flute (aulos) was held like a flageolet, and a vibrating reed was inserted into the mouthpiece. The single flute was calledmonaulos; the double onediaulos. A specimen of the last in the British Museum was found in a tomb at Athens. It is made of cedar, and the tubes, which are fifteen inches in length, have each a separate mouthpiece and six finger-holes, five of which are at the upper side, and one underneath. The flutes of theEtruscanswere often of ivory; those used in religious ceremonies were of box-wood, ass’s bone, bronze, and silver. ThePersianflute called “nay,” and the “surnay” a kind of oboe, are still popular in the East. InMexico, the young man sacrificed to the god was taught to play the flute, and as he went to his death he broke a flute on each of the steps of the temple. The practice of making flutes of the bones of their enemies was common with many Indian tribes in America.

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