THE Romantic Movement in Europe during the later eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries was a cult that idealized the remote. Its architecture was expressed in Greek and Gothic) Italian and Oriental forms. Although by no means the most popular) Oriental form was peculiarly fitted to the current tendency to identify beauty with the exotic. In reality, the Oriental phase encompassed as many or more styles than those forming the balance of the Movement. The inspiration from Asia and Africa drew upon some of the world's oldest and most highly developed cultures. However, the various styles of Oriental art in Europe were interpreted freely and combined indiscriminatively. A few notable exceptions show the attempt (however unsuccessful!) to reproduce consistent Oriental buildings) but usually a faint Eastern flavor on an otherwise European building was enough to satisfy the tastes of the romantics. The purposes of Orientalized buildings as such were: (1) for giving architectural interest to the natural garden — influenced by the Chinese — and, (2) for housing all sorts of colorful importations from the East) such as porcelains and other ceramics, silks and various fabrics, and carved and painted things too numerous to mention.