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 To \ odr Royal Highness, who has over been foremost in fostering and 
 promoting the advance of all Art in the United Kingdom, and to whose 
 constant interest and enlightened patronage the Art Treasures Exhibition of 
 1857 stood so much indebted, this Work, which has for its object to per- 
 petuate and extend the advantages derived from that Exhibition, is most 
 respectfully dedicated 
 
 By your Royal Highness’s 
 
 Most obliged and Humble Servant, 
 
 J. B. WARING. 
 
 London, Jum 25, 1858. 
 
list of |]lati'S anb Ploobcuts. 
 
 SCULPT URE. 
 
 PLATE. 
 
 SUBJECT. 
 
 OWNER. 
 
 DIMENSIONS. 
 
 I. 
 
 Half of a Roman votive diptych. Subject, 
 
 Hygieia and Cupid. Second or third century. 
 Half of the diptych of the consul Flavius de- 
 menti nus. Sixth century. 
 
 Imperial diptych (Roman) of the Emperor 
 Philip the Arab. Third century. 
 
 Joseph Mayer, Esq., 
 Liverpool. 
 
 12£ inches by 5f inches. 
 
 15£ inches by 5 inches. 
 
 11^ inches by 4f inches. 
 
 IT. 
 
 Lid and side of an ivory casket. Ascribed by 
 the late Sir Samuel Meyrick to the seventh 
 
 century. 
 
 Col. Meyrick, Goodrich Court. 
 Herefordshire. 
 
 Length, 18 in. ; breadth, 8 in. ; 
 height, 5\ in. 
 
 hi. 
 
 An ivory tenure horn, richly carved with foliage, 
 inclosing animals, ornamental bands, «fec. 
 
 An ivory tenure horn, elaborately carved with 
 animals, snakes, &c., mounted with steel 
 bands and bird’s-leg stand. 
 
 The Royal Society of Scottish 
 Antiquaries. 
 
 H. Blackburn, Esq., Eaton 
 Place, London. 
 
 Length, 2 feet 4 inches. 
 
 Length, 2 feet 3 inches. 
 
 1Y. 
 
 Lid and side of an ivory casket. Fourteenth 
 century. Subjects, a Joust, and the Lay 
 of Aristotle. 
 
 C. Warde, Esq., Westerham, 
 Kent. 
 
 Length, 9 in. ; breadth, 5^ in. 
 depth, 3f in. 
 
 V. 
 
 A carved ivory plaque. Early fifteenth cen- 
 tury. Subject, the History of Christ. 
 
 G. Field, Esq., Ashurst Park, 
 Kent. 
 
 inches by inches. 
 
 VI. 
 
 Casket, in ivory and wood marquetrie. Pro- 
 bably Venetian, of the fourteenth century. 
 Subject, the Story of Susanna. 
 
 Col. Meyrick, Goodrich Court. 
 
 Length, 1 foot 8 inches ; 
 height, 12^ inches ; 
 breadth, 13 inches. 
 
 VII. 
 
 A statue, in wood, of a female. Fifteenth cen- 
 tury. 
 
 Rev. G. W. Brackenridge, 
 Bromwell House, Brislington. 
 
 About 2 feet high. 
 
 I VIII. 
 
 Luca della Robbia ware. Subject, Madonna 
 
 and Child. 
 
 Soulages collection. 
 
 Diameter of circle, 1 ft. 9 in. 
 
 IX. 
 
 The Flagellation, in bronze. Three separate 
 
 figures on wooden stand. Sixteenth cen- 
 
 tury, Italian. 
 
 The Earl of Cadogan. 
 
 Height, 9 inches. 
 
 X. 
 
 An ivory tankard, with original silver parcel 
 gilt mount, by Bernard Strauss. South Ger- 
 man, seventeenth century. Subject, Tempe- 
 rance and Drunkenness ; cover, Hercules and 
 a Centaur. 
 
 Belonged to 
 
 P. H. Howard, Esq., of Corby. 
 Now at the 
 
 South Kensington Museum. 
 
 Height, 18j inches ; 
 diameter, inches. 
 
 XI. 
 
 1 
 
 Two ivory hanaps : one carved with a triumph 
 of marine deities, the other with boys repre- 
 senting a bacchanalian subject. Seventeenth 
 centu ry. 
 
 An ivory vase, in silver gilt mount. Subject, 
 Dance of wood-nymphs. Seventeenth cen- 
 tury. 
 
 A powder-horn, ivory, and silver-gilt mount, 
 carved in low relief on a pounced ground. 
 Subject, Hercules and the Centaurs. Six- 
 teenth century. 
 
 R. Goff, Esq., ftyile-Paik 
 Terrace, London. 
 
 •T. Lumsden, Esq., Glasgow. 
 
 The Duke of Buccleuch. 
 
 Height, 11^ inches ; 
 breadth, 1 foot 7f inches. 
 
 Height, 10 inches. 
 
 Length, 7 inches. 
 
 B 
 
J’ist of Jjlatrs anb OOloobcuts. 
 
 SCULP T IT R E. 
 
 PLATE. 
 
 SUBJECT. 
 
 OWNER. 
 
 DIMENSIONS. 
 
 I. 
 
 Half of a Roman votive diptych. Subject, 
 
 Hygieia and Cupid. Second or third century. 
 Half of the diptych of the consul Flavius Cle- 
 mentinus. Sixth century. 
 
 Imperial diptych (Roman) of the Emperor 
 Philip the Arab. Third century. 
 
 Joseph Mayer, Esq., 
 Liverpool. 
 
 12^ inches by 5f inches. 
 
 15£ inches by 5 inches. 
 
 11^ inches by 4f inches. 
 
 II. 
 
 Lid and side of an ivory casket. Ascribed by 
 the late Sir Samuel Meyrick to the seventh 
 century. 
 
 Col. Meyrick, Goodrich Court. 
 Herefordshire. 
 
 Length, 18 in. ; breadth, 8 in. ; 
 height, 5 \ in. 
 
 III. 
 
 An ivory tenure horn, richly carved with foliage, 
 inclosing animals, ornamental bands, etc. 
 
 An ivory tenure horn, elaborately carved with 
 animals, snakes, &c., mounted with steel 
 bands and bird’s-leg stand. 
 
 The Royal Society of Scottish 
 Antiquaries. 
 
 H. Blackburn, Esq., Eaton 
 Place, London. 
 
 Length, 2 feet 4 inches. 
 
 Length, 2 feet 3 inches. 
 
 IY. 
 
 Lid and side of an ivory casket. Fourteenth 
 century. Subjects, a Joust, and the Lay 
 of Aristotle. 
 
 C. Warde, Esq., Westerham, 
 Kent. 
 
 Length, 9 in. ; breadth, 5i in. ; 
 depth, 3| in. 
 
 Y. 
 
 A carved ivory plaque. Early fifteenth cen- 
 tury, Subject, the History of Christ. 
 
 G. Field, Esq., Ashurst Park, 
 Kent. 
 
 7f inches by 5^ inches. 
 
 VI. 
 
 Casket, in ivory and wood marquetrie. Pro- 
 bably Venetian, of the fourteenth century. 
 Subject, the Story of Susanna. 
 
 Col. Meyrick, Goodrich Court. 
 
 Length, 1 foot 8 inches ; 
 height, 12£ inches ; 
 breadth, 13 inches. 
 
 VII. 
 
 A statue, in wood, of a female. Fifteenth cen- 
 tury. 
 
 Rev. G. \V. Brackenridge, 
 Bromwell House, Brislington. 
 
 About 2 feet high. 
 
 VIII. 
 
 Luca della Robbia ware. Subject, Madonna 
 
 and Child. 
 
 Soulages collection. 
 
 Diameter of circle, 1 ft. 9 in. 
 
 IX. 
 
 The Flagellation, in bronze. Three separate 
 
 figures on wooden stand. Sixteenth cen- 
 
 tury, Italian. 
 
 The Earl of Cadogan. 
 
 Height, 9 inches. 
 
 X. 
 
 An ivory tankard, with original silver parcel 
 gilt mount, by Bernard Strauss. South Ger- 
 man, seventeenth century. Subject, Tempe- 
 rance and Drunkenness ; cover, Hercules and 
 a Centaur. 
 
 Belonged to 
 
 r. IT. Howard, Esq., of Corby. 
 Now at the 
 
 South Kensington Museum. 
 
 Height, 18} inches ; 
 diameter, 6^ inches. 
 
 XI. 
 
 Two ivory hauaps : one carved with a triumph 
 of marine deities, the other with boys repre- 
 senting a bacchanalian subject. Seventeenth 
 century. 
 
 An ivory vase, in silver gilt mount. Subject, 
 Dance of wood-nymphs. Seventeenth cen- 
 tury. 
 
 A powder-horn, ivory, and silver-gilt mount, 
 carved in low relief on a pounced ground. 
 Subject, Hercules and the Centaurs. Six- 
 teenth century. 
 
 R. Goff, Esq., Hyde-Park 
 Terrace, London. 
 
 J. Lumsden, Esq., Glasgow. 
 
 The Duke of Buccleuch. 
 
 Height, 11^ inches ; 
 breadth, 1 foot 7f inches. 
 
 Height, 10 inches. 
 
 Length, 7 inches. 
 
 B 
 
PLATE. 
 
 XII. 
 
 XIII. 
 
 XIY. 
 
 XV'. 
 
 XYI. 
 
 XVII. 
 
 XVIII. 
 
 LIST OF PLAT E S 
 
 AND WOODCUTS. 
 
 SUBJECT. 
 
 OWNER. 
 
 DIMENSIONS. 
 
 Two salts, in ivory, supported by allegorical 
 figures of children. Ascribed to Fiammingo. 
 
 George Field, Esq., Asliurst 
 Park, Kent. 
 
 About 8 inches high. 
 
 Seventeenth century. 
 
 
 Ivory bonbonniere, boat-shaped, supported by 
 figures of Venus and Adonis. Seventeenth 
 century. 
 
 A. J. Beresford-Hope, Esq., 
 M.P., Bedgebury Park, Kent 
 
 Height, 12 inches. 
 
 Ivory liana]) and cover, with silver gilt mount. 
 
 Her Majesty the Queen, 
 
 Height, 1 foot 9^ inches; 
 
 Subject of the body, the .Rape ot the Sabines ; 
 
 Windsor Castle. 
 
 diameter, 5 inches. 
 
 stem, the Three Graces, on stand of boys, 
 typical of war ; cover, a Roman general stand- 
 ing above Romulus and Remus, children, and 
 trophies of arms. Seventeenth century. 
 
 
 An ivory liana]) and cover, elaborately carved ; 
 
 R. Goff, Esq. 
 
 Height, 1 foot 7^ inches. 
 
 stem of vine-leaves and grapes ; body, a bac- 
 chanalian subject ; cover, amorini with a 
 wreath, surmounted by an infant Bacchus. 
 Seveuteenth century. From the Bernal col- 
 lection. 
 
 
 Adam and Eve, by Schuler 
 
 J. Tennant, Esq. 
 
 Life size. 
 
 Venus, by Laurence Macdonald 
 
 The Hon A. D. Willoughby, 
 Caen House, Twickenham. 
 
 Life size. 
 
 Ophelia, by W. Calder Marshall, R.A. ... 
 
 W. Calder Marshall, R.A., 
 Ebury Street, Pimlico. 
 
 Life size. 
 
 Ino and Bacchus, by B. J. Wyatt 
 
 The Marquis of Abercorn, 
 Chesterfield House, London. 
 
 Life size. 
 
 Woodcuts. 
 
 
 
 Ivory plaque, open-work ground in chequers. 
 
 J. Mayer, Esq., Liverpool. 
 
 3f inches by 24 inches. 
 
 Merovingian. Subject, the Tribute-money. 
 
 Leaf of a diptych, in ivory — the Crucifixion and 
 
 
 6 T g- inches by 4£ inches. 
 
 Resurrection. 
 
 
 An ivory Romanesque triptych— the Crucifixion. 
 
 
 About 5 inches high. 
 
 Ivory plaque, figure of a saint holding a scroll. 
 Byzantine. 
 
 
 9^ inches by 4 inches. 
 
 Ivory situla, with inscription in honour of the 
 Emperor Otho the Great. Tenth century. 
 
 Mr. Attenborough, Strand. 
 
 Height, 7 in. ; diam. in. 
 
 Subject, the Life of Christ. 
 
 
 
 An ivory situla. Subject, Christ and Apostles 
 
 Rev. W. Sneyd. 
 
 
 before the Sepulchre. 
 
 
 Six Apostles, in ivory, beneath an arcade, pro- 
 bably portion of a coffer. 
 
 Lord Hastings, Melton 
 Constable, Norfolk. 
 
 inches by 3 inches. 
 
 The Clan Clephane tenure horn 
 
 The Marquis of Northampton' 
 
 Length, 2 feet. 
 
 Pastoral staff-head, in ivory. Fourteenth cen- 
 tury. 
 
 P. H. Howard, Esq., 
 Corby Castle. 
 
 Height, about 7^ inches. 
 
 Pastoral staff-head, in ivory. Thirteenth century. 
 
 Ashmolean Museum. Oxford. 
 
 Diameter, 5^ inches. 
 
 Three Apostles, in ivory. Italian (?). Four- 
 
 Rohde Hawkins, Esq., 
 
 Height, 5^ in. by 2^ in. 
 
 teenth century. 
 
 Stanhope Street, Hyde Park. 
 
 The Judgment of Paris, ivory. Thirteenth or 
 fourteenth century. 
 
 Ditto. 
 
 Height, 6 in. ; width, in 
 
 An ivory triptych — Death of the Virgin. Four- 
 teenth century. 
 
 H. Bowdon, Esq., 
 Chesterfield. 
 
 9^ inches by 4£ inches. 
 
 Oriental ivory powder-horn, carved with ani- 
 
 Lord Hastings. 
 
 Length, 11 inches. 
 
 mals, &c. 
 
 Back of a mirror- case, in ivory. Fourteenth 
 century. 
 
 J. Mayer, Esq. 
 
 Diameter, 5 inches. 
 
 Ivory spoon, with allegorical figure of January 
 
 | G. Field, Esq. | 
 
 Length, about 4 inches. 
 
 An ivory cane-head. Eighteenth century ... j 
 
 Length, 6 inches. 
 
 An ivory carved sword-hilt — Perseus and Andro- J 
 meda. 
 
 Her Majesty the Queen. 
 
 7$ inches by 5f- inches. 
 
LIST OP PLATES AND WOODCUTS. 
 
 PLATE. 
 
 SUBJECT. 
 
 OWNER. 
 
 DIMENSIONS. 
 
 
 Folding spoon, carved in box-wood. Early 
 seventeenth century. 
 
 Rev. S. Titlow, 
 Norwich. 
 
 Length, about 4£ inches. 
 
 
 Carved ivory comb. Seventeenth century 
 
 W. Tite, Esq., M.P„ 
 
 Length, about 8f inches, 
 
 
 A head of Christ and caput mortuum, ivory. 
 Seventeenth century. 
 
 Lowndes Square. 
 
 by 3 inches. 
 
 
 C. Bradbury, Esq., 
 Salford, Manchester. 
 
 Length, 1^ inch. 
 
 CERAMIC ART. 
 
 T. 
 
 Vase, Hispano-Moresco lustred ware, manufac- 
 tured in Spain or the island of Majoi-ca. Fif- 
 teenth century. 
 
 Soulages collection. 
 
 Height, 20| inches. 
 
 U. 
 
 Vase, ewer, and cruche or water-pot. Red-glazed 
 earthenware of the south of France, — Faience 
 d’ Avignon ; supposed to have been manufac- 
 tured in the Comtat Venaissin. Seventeenth 
 century. 
 
 Soulages collection. 
 
 W. Stirling, Esq., of Keir, 
 M.P. 
 
 Height of vase, 15£ inches ; 
 of ewer, about 14 inches. 
 
 III. 
 
 Majolica lustred-ware plate. A gift- piece (Majo- 
 lica Amatoria). Manufacture of Gubbio (1). 
 Circa 1530. 
 
 S. Addington, Esq., 
 
 St. Martin’s Lane, London. 
 
 Diameter, 9£ inches. 
 
 
 Majolica-ware vas e,/ubr!que of Urbino or C'astel- 
 Duraute. Circa 1540-50. Supposed to be 
 the work of Orazio Fontana. 
 
 Mark riiillips, Esq., Snitter- 
 field, Stratford-on-Avon. 
 
 Height, 8f in. : diam. 4£ in. i 
 
 IV. 
 
 Ewer in Persian enamelled faience. Sixteenth 
 centuxy. 
 
 Flask, or pilgrim’s bottle ; faience of Nevers. 
 Seventeenth century. 
 
 Messrs. Minton, 
 Stoke-u pon-Tren t. 
 
 R. Napier, Esq., 
 
 West Shandon, N.B. 
 
 Height, 10^ inches. 
 
 Height, 11| inches. 
 
 V. 
 
 Majolica-ware salver ; manufacture of Faenza or 
 Oastel-Durante, bearing the arms and devices 
 ot the Dukes of Urbino of the Della Rovere 
 dynasty. Circa 1500. 
 
 Soulages collection. 
 
 Diameter, 17 inches. 
 
 VI. 
 
 Majolica-ware plates : — 
 
 
 
 
 1. Faenza- ware plate, painted sopra azzurro. 
 In centre, a shield of arms, with border 
 of arabesque ornament in grisaille. 
 Faenza ware. Circa 1525. 
 
 Lord Hastings, 
 
 Melton Constable, Norfolk. 
 
 Diameter, 93 inches. 
 
 
 2. Plate, with interlaced ornamentation on a 
 black ground. Gubbio or Castel-Durante 
 ware. Circa 1520. 
 
 
 Diameter, 9^ inches. 
 
 
 3. Plate, with a stag painted in the centre. 
 Early Faenza ware. Circa 1490. 
 
 
 Diameter, 13 inches. 
 
 TIT. 
 
 Majolica ware ; manufacture of Urbino or Castel- 
 Durante : — 
 
 
 
 
 Large plateau, painted with a chariot-race, 
 with border of grotesque ornamentation, 
 painted sopra bianco. Circa 1550. 
 
 D. Davidson, Esq., James St.. 
 Buckingham Gate, London. 
 
 Diameter, 18 inches. 
 
 1 
 
 
 Flask, or pilgrim’s bottle, decorated with gro- 
 tesques sopra bianco. Circa 1540-50. 
 
 Soulages collection. 
 
 Height, 14 inches. 
 
 VIII. 
 
 Early Majolica wares : — 
 
 
 
 
 1. Faenza-ware vase; a gift-cup. Circa 1480. 
 
 2. Vase ; early Faenza ware. Circa 1490. 
 
 3. Drug-pot ; Faenza or Deruta ware. Circa 
 
 1500-10. 
 
 Soulages collection. 
 
 Lord Hastings. 
 
 Height, 24 inches. 
 
 Height, 91 inches. 
 
 Height, 9£ inches. 
 

 LIST OF PLATES AND WOODCUT 
 
 PLATE. 
 
 SUBJECT. 
 
 OWNEU. 
 
 IX. 
 
 1. A candlestick, Henri Deux ware. Sixteenth 
 century. 
 
 3. An ewer, with satyr handle ... 
 
 2. A salt-cellar ... 
 
 Sir A. Rothschild, Grosvenor- 
 placc Houses, London. 
 
 G. Field, Esq. 
 
 X. 
 
 A vase in Urbino ware, snake handles, painted 
 with allegorical figures and equestrian portraits 
 of the Emperor Leopold, &c. Dated 1G87. 
 
 Messrs. Hewett, Fenchurch 
 Street. 
 
 XI. 
 
 Talissy ware : — 
 
 1. An oval dish. Sixteenth century 
 
 Soulages collection. 
 
 xri. 
 
 3. An ewer ... 
 
 2. A plate, with open-worked border 
 
 1. A gr&s de Flandres jug, with pewter lid 
 
 O. Coope, Esq., Rochetts, 
 near Brentwood. 
 
 The Hon. A. Willoughby, 
 Caen House, Twickenham. 
 
 
 3. A grfes de Flandres burette, with pewter lid 
 
 2 & 4. Flemish stoneware canettes. Sacred sub- 
 jects from the Old Testament, inclosed in 
 grotesque foliage. 
 
 (Sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.) 
 
 The Earl of Cadogan. 
 
 XIII. 
 
 A Vienna porcelain plate. Circa 1/90 
 
 11. G. Bohn, Esq., York Street, 
 London. 
 
 ! xiv. 
 
 Old Sevres porcelain, pate tendre. Circa 1 / GO : 
 
 1. A centre vase, bleu de Hoi ; raised medal- 
 
 lions round body, finely painted. 
 
 2. A vase, with raised spiral flutings, with 
 
 flowers between on white field. 
 
 3. A Rose du Barry cup and cover. Subject, 
 
 sea-nymph on dolphin. 
 
 4. A plateau. Central subject, a gleaner ... 
 
 Her Majesty the Queen. 
 
 The Duke of Portland. 
 
 XV. 
 
 English porcelain — Chelsea china. Eighteenth 
 century : — 
 
 1. Vase, richly painted on gold ground ... 
 
 2. Ditto ditto ... 
 
 3. A Derbyshire porcelain tripod, surmounted 
 
 with cupids fighting ; cover pierced as a 
 pastille-burner. 
 
 Her Majesty the Queen. 
 The Earl of Cadogan. 
 
 The Rev. E. Trollope, 
 
 1 Leasingham, Sleaford. 
 
 XVI. 
 
 A Vienna porcelain plate. Central subject, the 
 Dauaides. Circa 1790-1800. 
 
 S. Addington, Esq. 
 
 XV IT. 
 
 A Capo di Monte porcelain allegorical group. 
 Second half of the eighteenth century. 
 
 Gen. the ITon. E. P. Lygon, 
 Spring Hill, Worcestershire. 
 
 
 Woodcuts. 
 
 
 
 A gres de Flandres jug, grey spiral diamond pat- 
 tern, with coloured rosettes, &c. 
 
 A Franconian apostle mug, enamelled in colours 
 
 A German enamelled earthenware vase, with 
 coloured figures of woodmen in an open recess, 
 &c. 
 
 A Majolica cistern or bowl — Urbino ware ; finely 
 painted figures and landscape. 
 
 An ewer, in form of a dolphin. Mottled Italian 
 earthenware. 
 
 A blue-and-white Delft pagoda-sliaped bulb- 
 stand. Time of William III. 
 
 A Biittcher ware cafetier 
 
 A Dresden porcelain compotier of grotesque 
 imitation Chinese design, delicately coloured. 
 
 P. H. Howard, Esq., 
 i Corby Castle, Cumberland. 
 C. Bradbury, Esq., Manchestei 
 D. M. Davidson, Esq. 
 
 Lord Hastings. 
 
 S. Addington, Esq. 
 
 Hampton Court. 
 
 South Kensington Museum 
 The lion. Ashley Ponsonby 
 
 DIMENSIONS. 
 
 Height, 12 inches. 
 
 Height, G inches. 
 
 Height, 5 inches. 
 
 Height, 29 inches. 
 
 Length, 20 in. ; width, 15 in. 
 Height, 11 inches. 
 Diameter 7 £ inches. 
 
 Height, 12 inches. 
 
 Height, 8 inches. 
 
 Height, 14 in. and 9£ in. 
 
 Diameter, 9^ inches. 
 
 Height, 18 in. ; diam. 7 in. 
 Height, 15 in. ; diam. 7^ in. 
 Height, 5 inches. 
 Length, about 12 inches. 
 
 Height, 11 inches. 
 Height, 1G^ in.; diam. 7 in. 
 Height, 8 in. ; breadth, 5 r ) in. 
 
 Diameter, about 9^ inches. 
 
 Height, 21 in. ; length, 21 in. ; 
 width, 17 inches. 
 
 Height, 8f inches. 
 
 . Height, G| in. ; diam. 5 in. 
 Height, 13 inches. 
 
 Height, 8 in. ; diam. 18 in. 
 Height, 7^ in.; length, 9 in. 
 Height, about 5 feet. 
 
 Height, 12 in. ; length, 15 in. 
 
LIST OF PLATES AND WOODCUTS. 
 
 PLATE. 
 
 SUBJECT. 
 
 OWNER. 
 
 DIMENSIONS. 
 
 
 A blue-and-white Wedgwood vase 
 
 A group of Chinese porcelain, consisting of — 
 
 J. Mayer, Esq., Liverpool. 
 
 Height, about 14 inches. 
 
 
 A white enamelled compotier, with open- 
 worked cover. 
 
 Her Majesty the Queen. 
 
 Height, about 8 inches. 
 
 
 A vase of hexagonal form, finely-coloured 
 landscapes, dec., on diaper ground. 
 
 J. P. Fischer, Esq., 
 Pebblecombe, Reigate. 
 
 Height, 14 inches. 
 
 
 A plate, painted with figures, &c. ... 
 
 The Rev. S. Titlow, Norwich. 
 
 Diameter, 12 inches. 
 
 
 Coloured teapot, double kylin handle and 
 gilt cover. 
 
 The Earl of Cadogan. 
 
 
 VITREOUS ART. 
 
 I. 
 
 An enamelled Arabic glass lamp. Fourteenth 
 century. 
 
 J. W. Wild, Esq., Upper 
 
 M on tague-stree t. 
 
 Height, 10i in 
 
 ; breadth, 6^ in 
 
 
 An early Venetian enamelled glass tazza 
 
 The late G. Nicholson, Esq. 
 
 Height, Gi in. 
 
 breadth, 10 in 
 
 
 Another, with nude female figure in the centre 
 
 Soulages collection. 
 
 Diameter, about 9 inches. 
 
 11 . 
 
 A blue glass plate, enamelled with white ara- 
 besques. 
 
 R. Napier, Esq., West Shandon 
 
 Diameter, about 8 inches. 
 
 
 An old Venetian (?) glass vase, enamelled with 
 foliage, birds, sun, «fec. in colour. 
 
 Ditto. 
 
 Height, 12 in 
 
 ; breadth, 5 in. 
 
 
 A blue glass tumbler, enamelled with peacock - 
 feather pattern, &c. in colour. 
 
 Felix Slade, Esq., Doctors’ 
 Commons. 
 
 Height, 4y inches. 
 
 
 A blue Venetian glass tazza, enamelled with 
 harpies, amorini, &c. in colour. Sixteenth 
 century. 
 
 G. Field, Esq., Ashurst Park, 
 Kent. 
 
 Height, G,j in. ; breadth, 8 in. 
 
 III. 
 
 An opal Venetian glass, with convoluted open- 
 worked stem. 
 
 The Earl of Cadogan. 
 
 Height, 11^ inches. 
 
 
 A Venetian bottle, with coloured latticinio-work 
 
 0. Coope, Esq., Rochetts. 
 
 Height, 7^ inches. 
 
 
 A Venetian goblet and cover, puffed outline, and 
 fine latticinio ornament. 
 
 The Duke of Buccleuch. 
 
 Height, 15 inches. 
 
 
 A Venetian opal glass burette, touched with 
 colour, and bosses gilt. 
 
 The Earl of Cadogan. 
 
 Height, 4 inches. 
 
 
 A Venetian wineglass, on open convoluted stem 
 
 The late G. Nicholson, Esq. 
 
 Height, 10^ inches. 
 
 IY. 
 
 A group of V enetian glasses, of various patterns 
 
 Soulages collection. 
 
 Average height, 8 inches. 
 
 V. 
 
 A blue glass mug, enamelled with white and 
 yellow patterns, medallions, «kc. 
 
 The Earl of Cadogan. 
 
 Height, about 6 inches. 
 
 
 A blue glass bottle, enamelled in colour, with 
 saints and foliage in vertical compartments. 
 
 Felix Slade, Esq. 
 
 Height, 5 inches. 
 
 
 A German wiederkom, enamelled with a coat of 
 arms in colour. 1685. 
 
 R. Napier, Esq. 
 
 Height, 12£ inches. 
 
 
 A German wiederkom, enamelled with the arms 
 of the Holy Roman empire, <ic. in colour. 
 
 Felix Slade, Esq. 
 
 Height, 
 
 8ij inches. 
 
 VI. 
 
 A Byzantine enamel pectoral cross 
 
 Centi’e of a book-cover — German enamel 
 
 German enamel plaque. Figure of a saint 
 
 Portion of antique champleve enamel ... 
 
 A.B.Beresford-Hope,Esq.,M.P. 
 Felix Slade, Esq. 
 
 Lord Hastings. 
 
 St. Columba’s College. 
 
 Full size. 
 
 
 Two German enamel plaques. Subjects, Alex- 
 ander and Samson. 
 
 J. E. W. Rolls, Esq., 
 the Hendrie, Monmouth. 
 
 Diameter, 10 inches. 
 
 VII. 
 
 An offertory plate, and end of a chasse. Early 
 Limoges enamel. 
 
 Lord Hastings. 
 
 9 inches by 7 inches. 
 
 C 
 
MS T 
 
 PLATES 
 
 AND WOODCUTS. 
 
 OF 
 
 PLATE. 
 
 SUBJECT. 
 
 OWNEE. 
 
 DIMENSIONS. 
 
 VIII. 
 
 An early Limoges enamelled chasse 
 
 H. Magniac, Esq., 
 Colworth House, Bedfordshire 
 
 Length, 14 in. ; height, 134 j n . 
 
 
 A burette. Early Limoges enamel 
 
 The Marquis of Breadalbane. 
 
 Height, inches. 
 
 
 A pricket candlestick. Early Limoges enamel 
 
 Col. Meyrick. 
 
 Height, about 14 inches. 
 
 IX. 
 
 A Limoges enamel plaque a paillettes — the An- 
 
 C. S. Bale, Esq., Cambridge 
 
 9£ inches by S inches. 
 
 
 nunciation. Early Renaissance. 
 
 Terrace, London. 
 
 X. 
 
 A Limoges enamel plate — circular — the Fall of 
 Manna ; en grisaille. Sixteenth century. 
 
 The Earl of Warwick. 
 
 Diameter, 1G£ inches. 
 
 
 Limoges enamel tazza, en grisaille 
 
 The Marquis of Breadalbane. 
 
 Height, 9 inches. 
 
 
 A Limoges enamel salt. Early Renaissance 
 
 Lord Hastings. 
 
 Height, 2^ inches. 
 
 XI. 
 
 An oval plaque — La Grammatique — Limoges 
 enamel. By Jean Courteys. Sixteenth cen- 
 tury. 
 
 Sir A. Rothschild, Bart. 
 
 Length, 22^ in.; breadth, 16 in. 1 
 
 XII. 
 
 A Limoges enamel plaque, in its original frame 
 
 Danby Seymour, Esq., M.P. 
 
 17f- inches by 12f inches. 
 
 
 — portrait of the consort of Philip IT. of Spain, 
 by L. Limousin. 
 
 XIII. 
 
 The inside and outside of a Limoges enamel tazza. 
 Sixteenth century. 
 
 J. Mayer, Esq., Liverpool. 
 
 Diameter, about 6 inches. 
 
 XIV. 
 
 A Limoges enamel ewer. Subject, an equestrian 
 combat, by Jean G’ourteys. 
 
 S. Addington, Esq., 
 
 St. Martin’s Lane, London. 
 
 Height, 10 inches. 
 
 
 Another. Subject, the Passage of the Red Sea. 
 Iu colour, with gilt arabesque ornament. 
 Sixteenth century. 
 
 The Earl of Warwick. 
 
 Height, 12^ inches. 
 
 XV. 
 
 A Limoges enamel dish ; oval. Subject, the 
 Judgment of Paris, bv Pierre Raymond. 
 1550. 
 
 S. Addington, Esq. 
 
 20 inches by 15 inches. 
 
 XVI. 
 
 A Limoges enamel plaque — Virgin and Child. 
 Sixteenth century. 
 
 The Earl of Warwick. 
 
 54 inches by 3^ inches. 
 
 
 A Limoges enamel plaque, in colour. Subject, 
 Apollo and Daphne. Seventeenth century. 
 
 Lord Hastings. 
 
 5 inches by 4 inches. 
 
 
 An oval Limoges enamel plaque. Subject, Peace 
 and Abundance ; in colour. Seventeenth 
 century. 
 
 The Marquis of Bath. 
 
 8 inches by 7 inches. 
 
 XVII. 
 
 1. A Venetian enamel plate 
 
 Rohde Hawkins, Esq. 
 
 Diameter, 10^ inches. 
 
 
 2. A Venetian tazza. Both sixteenth century 
 
 Woodcuts. 
 
 The ring of Ahlstan, gold and enamel 
 
 Lord De Tabley. 
 
 H. Wheble, Esq. 
 
 Height, 8 inches. 
 
 
 A champlevc enamel bowl. Early Limoges 
 
 Detail of base of an early Limoges enamelled 
 candlestick, 7 inches high without pricket. 
 Tln-ce illustrations of the Ragenfroi crosier-head. 
 Early Limoges enamel. 
 
 The Earl of Warwick. 
 
 Hie Rev. G. W. Brackenridge. 
 
 Col. Meyrick. 
 
 Diam. 7^ in.; height, 4^ in. 
 
 
 An enamelled circular fibula 
 
 Lord Hastings. 
 
 Diameter, 2 inches. 
 
 
 Two pieces of detail from the tenure horn and 
 baldric of Savernake Forest. Thirteenth cen- 
 tury. 
 
 The Marquis of Aylesbury. 
 
 Length, 25 inches. 
 
 
 Venetian glass goblet and cover ; spiral flutes 
 and enamel. 
 
 Felix Slade, Esq. 
 
 Height, 16£ inches. 
 
 
 An early French glass, enamelled with figures 
 and mottoes. 
 
 Felix Slade, Esq. 
 
 Height, 6 inches. 
 
1 J E EFACE. 
 
 In submitting this work to the Public, it is sincerely hoped that it may be 
 found worthy of occupying no unimportant place in the category of those beautiful 
 and valuable books on similar subjects which have appeared throughout Europe 
 during this century ; that it may not only please and stimulate the taste of those 
 who take an interest in the Ornamental Arts, but be of practical benefit to 
 artists and artificers, and assist in realizing that which is now so universally and 
 so emphatically demanded, — that objects destined for use shall also be agreeable to 
 the eye, and in meeting which the Industrial Arts of the United Kingdom in 
 almost every department now vie with those of other nations who have had the 
 advantage of precedence, as regards education in the principles and practice of 
 Art. Englishmen are not of those who regard with indifference or question the 
 results of the efforts made by Government, by cities, and by individuals, to 
 develop and spread amongst their nation a love for the arts, and a high capacity 
 for applying them. They are descendants of the same people who have left as 
 monuments of their artistic power those illuminated manuscripts, and other works 
 of ornamental art, of the Celtic and Anglo-Saxon schools, which to this day are 
 admired and treasured throughout Europe, — whose embroidered works are equally 
 prized ; — who have left behind them a land thickly studded with cathedrals, 
 churches, castles, and mansions, the grandeur and picturesqueness of which impress 
 the soul to this very day, and will have a never-ceasing influence ; and, even 
 from a time when men’s minds were fully occupied in the higher and more 
 important questions of religious and political life, have transmitted to their 
 posterity the names of Inigo Jones, Wren, and Gibbons. 
 
 It is true that, so far as the Arts are concerned, the greater part of the 
 eighteenth century is almost a blank ; but since the commencement of the present 
 century such progress has been made, men of such high ability can be shown, and 
 appear so resolved to follow up the course thus happily begun, that we have no 
 right to look despairingly on our future, and should rather rely with a reasonable 
 faith on its fertility. The Great Exhibition of 1851 did much, and the decennial 
 Exhibitions which are now promised cannot fail to produce a beneficial effect; but 
 none can be expected to have so close, immediate, and powerful a bearing on art 
 as the Exhibition of 1857, in spite of the ineligibility of the locality where it was 
 held, and the sorry advantages — we might say the absolute impediments thrown 
 in the way — of those who wished to make it an opportunity for study. It is 
 
PE Li FA<! K. 
 
 tnic, however, that there were great difficulties connected with the subject : and 
 considering the enormous value of the works intrusted into the hands of the 
 Committee, in addition to the fact of its being the first exhibition of its kind, 
 they can scarcely be blamed for. the anxiety they evinced that no possible 
 injury should happen to the objects committed to their care. 
 
 For the selection of the objects represented, and for the Essay upon 
 Decorative Art, the Editor is personally responsible; and in acknowledging with 
 sincere thanks the energy and ability displayed by all connected with the prepa- 
 ration of the work, he has particularly to express his obligations to the following 
 gentlemen for the very valuable disquisitions on the departments of Art to which 
 their names are attached : — 
 
 To G - Schaef, Jun . Esq. : ,T. C. Robinson, Esq. ; A. W. Franks, Esq. ; 
 M. Digby A yatt, Esq., and Owen Jones, Esq., for their respective Essays on 
 Sculpture, and the Ceramic, Vitreous, Metallic, and Textile Arts. To Francis 
 Bedford, Esq., and his assistants for the entire series of Chroino-litliographs 
 and the Photographs from which they were executed; to Robert Dudley, Esq., 
 for the Wood Engravings which illustrate the text ; to Messrs. Cox & Wyman 
 for the care bestowed in the printing of the letter-press ; and to Messrs. 
 Day & Son, Lithographers to the Queen,— the producers as well as Publishers 
 of the work, — for the liberal and admirable manner in which the whole arrange- 
 ment has been carried out ; to these gentlemen, individually and collectively, he 
 returns his most hearty gratitude. Finally, he would tender the same strong 
 appreciation of their kindness to the proprietors of the valuable works of art 
 depicted in this volume, who have so liberally for that purpose intrusted them to 
 his care. 
 
 The cover prepared for the work by Messrs. Leighton & Hodge is almost 
 a fac-simile of a design by Gascon, and is particularly appropriate, as having been 
 one of the objects contributed to the Exhibition. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 From the time when the Neo-Christians in their holy zeal commenced the 
 destruction, as far as practicable, of the monuments of Pagan Art, down to within 
 the last few centuries, the ruin or neglect of works of antiquity has been ever 
 going on. It would be no uninteresting task to trace the various causes which 
 led to the revival of antique Science, Art, and Literature, during the fifteenth and 
 sixteenth centuries in Italy, by means of which a deep appreciation and love for 
 antiquity was spread and nourished in the most powerful states, and amongst the 
 greatest intellects of modern times. In England, however, with which we have 
 especially to deal, it was not till the seventeenth century that this newly planted 
 feeling bore fruit ; even then, the principal collectors — royalty itself, and noblemen 
 — employed people of education to select subjects for their galleries and museums: 
 and the treasures then obtained were valued almost entirely for their excellence 
 as Works of Art with but little feeling, and less knowledge, of their importance as 
 illustrating the life and intellect of past epochs of human existence. 
 
 In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the desire of such knowledge 
 gradually increased, and Archmology began to assume the form and method of a 
 science, which threw its light, dim indeed and yet uncertain, not only on the long- 
 past days of ancient Greece and Rome, but on the yet more remote gloom of 
 Egypt, and the cavernous obscurity of early European life : after a certain period 
 of probation, the contempt with which such studies were regarded by the world 
 generally passed away ; and at the close of the eighteenth century, and still more 
 after the commencement of the nineteenth, the “ Dryasdusts ” became recognized 
 as a body of students whose researches were calculated to be of the highest 
 importance, not to Art only, but for the general advancement and certitude of all 
 historic knowledge. At present, this is peculiarly the case ; for we live at a time 
 when there is an almost universal desire to preserve whatever may tend to elucidate 
 the entire history of the human race. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 That the nations of antiquity themselves were probably little interested in sueli 
 feelings, the very obscurity of our early history tends to prove : certainly it was 
 not during the Mediaeval period that the noble monuments of past ages attracted 
 much attention, or aroused admiration ; the artists of that time were so enrapt 
 with the fashion of their day, that they paid no regard even to the taste of their 
 more immediate predecessors, and whatever additions or restorations were made to 
 existing buildings, were made without respect to the original style, in a manner 
 calculated to shock that fastidious feeling for synchronism now so prevalent with 
 us. This utter disregard of the past was destined to react on Mediroval Art in its 
 turn ; and within a hundred years after the revival of the Antique, scholars and 
 artists dilated in terms of slighting contempt on the barbaric irregularities of the 
 Gothic style. With the artist and educated man of our own day it is far other- 
 wise : he is not the mere child of the hour, ignorant of the past, and careless or 
 distrustful of the future, but, with vastly extended and wide-seeing ken, stands on 
 an eminence from which his gaze stretches back far, far away, to the obscure 
 ranges left behind him, and presses onwards with hopeful heart and longing desire 
 into the limitless boundaries of ages yet to be. He now perceives that ho is an 
 agent in carrying out a grand and wonderful scheme of existence ; and that with 
 all human life — past, present, and to come — he is most intimately bound up ; 
 human himself, no facts relating to humanity are devoid of interest to him, and 
 he is, at will, a dweller in ages long lost in reality, yet to him still replete with 
 life and meaning ; nothing is indifferent to him ; he would preserve religiously 
 the mouldering ruin, the ivied tower, the many-arched temple, would rescue 
 from oblivion the earth-buried relics of the poetic East, and retain or restore all 
 that his fellow-men of every clime and age have produced before his time, as an 
 essential portion of his own heritage as a human being ; he wishes — 
 
 “ All knowledge of the past revived ; the events 
 Of old and wondrous times, 
 
 Which dim tradition interruptedly 
 Teaches the credulous vulgar, were unfolded 
 In just perspective to the view.” 
 
 lo this end it was not enough that the mere political or social history of the 
 past should be known to us, we were anxious to come to a nearer, more personal 
 acquaintance with our ancestors : this was effected by the study of architecture, 
 and we owe a debt of gratitude to the antiquaries of the last and present century 
 who devoted their time to the investigation of the Saxon, Norman, and Pointed 
 styles, by which means we were brought to the threshold of the house. Having 
 once become acquainted with the buildings, costume, and manners of the past, 
 
I N T 11 ODBC T 1 0 N. 
 
 archaeologists proceeded still further, and, at the present day, so close is our 
 acquaintance with all the requisites of daily life of every epoch, that we might 
 completely revive any one, even to its slightest minutiae. 
 
 England has every claim to the honour of having been one of the foremost to 
 reach this point, notwithstanding that the first collection of works of art commenced 
 at a comparatively late period. Henry VIII. and Elizabeth, it is true, received 
 presents enough of valuable and rare works of art to have founded a collection 
 probably, besides possessing the accumulated royal treasures of former reigns ; and 
 on state occasions, there were, no doubt, displays of works of art, especially in 
 the precious metals, so much in fashion amongst magnates from a much earlier 
 period. Thus, when Henry VII. held royal state in the hall of Richmond Palace, 
 there was “ a rich cupboord sett there up in a bay window of ix or x stages or 
 haunces (aunes .?) of hight, furnissed and fulfilled with plate of gold, sylver, and 
 regilte.” 
 
 In the British Museum is still preserved an inventory of the household 
 furniture of Henry VIII. ; and even the modest Erasmus kept a dressoir of pieces 
 of plate given him by the greatest men of the day. 
 
 Henry VIII., as we find by the inventory of his furniture, pictures, &c., at his 
 various palaces (MS., Harleian, No. 1419), amassed a great number of valuable 
 articles for ornament as well as use, an immense quantity of hangings of crimson 
 cloth of gold, of arras, of tapestry (a distinction clearly made throughout the 
 inventory), of leather “ lay’d with golde and silver foyle,” carpets of “ Turkuey,” 
 cloth of gold, of tissue, of velvet worked with ornamental patterns and figure- 
 subjects, amongst which we remark many classical, as Jupiter and Juno, the Labours 
 of Hercules, &c. ; others are, the Seven Deadly Sins, Godfrey Bullen, the Bucherons, 
 the Emperor Constantine, Children, Hawking and Hunting, — indeed a striking variety 
 of subjects, sacred and profane. 
 
 At Greenwich, besides a long enumeration of hangings, curtains, bed-furniture, 
 all ornamental, wo meet in his privy chamber with the picture of the French king 
 and the French queen; with the exception of two glasses painted, there is little in 
 this chamber but what characterized the king’s taste ; such as hawks’ hoods, “ bowes 
 of ewe,” spurs, bone tables for playing, &c. In the lower study, however, a great 
 number of books, and glass basins, ewers, and bowls, painted. 
 
 In the Glasse-house at Westminster, amongst a large quantity of glass “and 
 sundry other things of earthe,” “ a faire glasse, the footc and cover garnished with 
 silver and guilte, upon the toppe of the cover a woman holdinge a ( * * * ) 
 in one honde, and a snake in the other;” “ an ewer, of Jasper colour;” “a 
 great fountayne of glasse;” in all, 142 pieces, most of which arc clearly Venetian. 
 
I N T E ODUC T ION. 
 
 We find also 153 “tables, with pictures upon them;” “a table with the picture 
 of a woman playinge uponn a lute, and an olde manne holdinge a glasse in one 
 hande, and a dcadde mannes headdc in the other hande ; ” these 153 pieces appear 
 all to be embroidery; a great number follow in “ stayn’d clothe,” amongst which 
 “ a stayned clothe with the picture of Charles Emperor.” 
 
 Amongst “ pictures,” we meet with fourteen pieces on earth, which appear to 
 have been in Majolica and Luca della Eobbia ware, or something similar ; e. g., “ a 
 picture of Saincte John’s headde in a dish of earthe;” and “a picture of Moises 
 made of earthe, set in a box.” There arc numerous clocks, of which one “ of 
 copper and guiltc, with a rhyme to the same, gowinge all the dayes in the yere, 
 and the (****) with 3 movinge dialls to the same ; one of them beinge 
 silver, enamild blewo, and the 12 signes guilte, with 3 great counterpoises of 
 copper, and 3 verye small counterpoises of like copper guilte;” also 14 “ lookinge 
 steele glasses.” These are at Westminster, in charge of Sir Anthony Denye. 
 
 In the new library are “ cabonetts of copper and guilte" upon purple velvet, 
 having locks plated and silvered, cabinets of coloured leather, and coffers of 
 mother-of-pearl. In the charge of Phillip Van Wilder, are placed an immense 
 number of musical instruments, organs, virginals, clavicordes, citherns, flutes of 
 ivory tipped with gold, recorders, &c. In the king’s secret study are several 
 interesting works of art, and here certainly arc paintings, such as “ tables of wood 
 painted with Victory and Mars,” St. George, St. Martin, &c. In the secret Jewel- 
 house at St. James’s were exceedingly valuable objects, gold, silver, glass, silver 
 crosses set in mother-of-pearl, paintings, &c. 
 
 The MS., in two thick folio volumes, from which these few extracts are made, 
 is very difficult to decipher, but would well repay whoever had time and patience 
 enough to do so, since it gives a complete account of the contents of all the royal 
 households. 
 
 Thomas Howard, earl of Arundel, appears to have been the first person in 
 England who set systematically to work to form a collection of works of art. This 
 high-minded and accomplished nobleman spent many years abroad, during which 
 time he acquired that taste and love for art which so distinguished him; besides 
 his encouragement of Jones, Vandyke, Hollar, Stone, Le Soeur, and Fanelli, he 
 commissioned Edward Norgate, Windsor herald, to collect pictures, John Evelyn 
 to obtain antique statuary for him at Rome, and sent William Perry to Greece 
 and the Levant for the same purpose. 
 
 An extract from a letter to his duchess, written from Theobalds, about the 
 year 1619, shows how vigilant he was to obtain objects of Art ; — “ I desire you 
 woulde presently by some meanes knowe what Sir Thomas Roe hath brought of 
 
 
I N T RODUCTIO N. 
 
 antiquities : Goddes, vases, inscriptions, medalles, or such like. I think Sir Robert 
 Cotton or Mr. Dikes wore fittc to gettc them. I wish it were done before Friday, 
 for I fearo my Lord Chamberlayne (Pembroke), and nowe I thinke they might 
 easily be had.” He had not only the Earl of Pembroke, however, to fear, but 
 also the celebrated Yilliers, Duke of Buckingham, who sought to rival him as a 
 collector, and besides his gallery of paintings, amongst which were nineteen by 
 Titian, seventeen by Tintoretto, thirteen by Rubens, and thirteen by Veronese, not 
 to enumerate other examples by the greatest masters, commissioned Sir Thomas Roe, 
 Ambassador at the Porto, and Mr. Petty, to collect antiquities for him in Greece, 
 purchased the collection of works of art belonging to Rubens for £10,000, and 
 an important series of medals from Vanderborcht of Brussels. This collection was 
 sold in Holland, and dispersed about the year 1648. 
 
 On the Earl of Arundel’s death, whilst an exile in Italy, his collection was 
 divided between his eldest son and Sir William Howard, the unfortunate Viscount 
 Stafford. The former, through the influence of Selden and Evelyn, presented his 
 antiquities to the University of Oxford : the remainder of the collection, which was 
 still preserved at Arundel House, London, was partially confiscated and sold during 
 the civil wars. In 1678 the house was destroyed, and the statuary finally sold ; the 
 busts being purchased by the Earl of Pembroke, and the remainder by Lord Leinster 
 and Mr. Waller; the cameos and intaglios were kept by a divorced Duchess of 
 Norfolk, who bequeathed them to her second husband Sir John Germaine; through 
 Lady Betty Germaine they passed into the Spencer family, and formed the 
 
 celebrated Marlborough collection, which has been so well drawn by Cipriani, and 
 engraved by Bartolozzi. 
 
 Another portion of the original Arundel Collection, preserved at Tarthall 
 
 House, near Buckingham Gate, was sold in 1720 in the following lots ; — 
 Pictures, £812. 18s. Prints, £168. 17s. 4d. Drawings, £299. 4s. 7d. Japan, 
 
 £698. 11s. Gilt and other Plate, £462. Is. Crystal Vases, £364. 3s. Agate 
 
 Cups, £163. 16s. Jewels and Curiosities, £2,467. 7s. lOd. Medals, £50. 10s. 6d. 
 Odd lots of Plate, £170. 6s. 7d. Cabinets and China, £1,256. 19s. Household 
 Furniture, £1,199. 3s. Several other Lots, £738. 13s. 2d. : making a total of 
 £8,842. 11s. 
 
 The example thus set by the Earl of Arundel was followed by Prince Henry, 
 the accomplished son of James I., who formed a collection of coins, medals, 
 cameos, and intaglios : of coins he is stated to have had 1,200, of which, after the 
 Restoration, only 400 remained in the possession of his family. In Vandcrdort’s 
 curious inventory of Charles I.’s collection we find, “ Item, a figure emboss’d in 
 colour’d ware so big as y° life, upon a black cbonc lay’d in with silver and gold 
 
INTRODUC T 1 0 N. 
 
 pedistal, was made for y* Emperour Bodulphus, who did write divers times for it to 
 be brought to him. But Prince Henry would upon no terms or conditions let y' 
 same and y' maker thereof go out of England, but promissing he would give so 
 good entertainment as any emperour should : whereupon ho promis’d him that 
 when y* cabbinet room should be done, that he should have y e keeping of all his 
 medalls, and 5 * * a year for service done and to bo done, which, as yet, by 
 
 reason of his unseasonable death was never performed.” A marginal note informs 
 us, that “ y' maker thereof ” was Abraham Yandoort himself. 
 
 Charles I. commenced forming a collection of Works of Art immediately on 
 his accession to the throne, and purchased the galley of Vincenzio Gonzaga, 
 Duke of Milan, for the sum of £20,000: this collection was then considered one 
 of the best in Europe. The celebrated Raffaelle cartoons were purchased by the 
 advice of Rubens for the Mortlake tapestry manufactory, established by Sir Francis 
 Crane, about the year 1625. 
 
 Sir Kenelm Digby, Knight, “that noble and absolutely complete gentleman,” 
 was commissioned by the King to bring antique statuary from the Levant, but 
 his most active agents were Sir James Palmer, Sir Ilenry Wootton, and Mr. 
 Endymion Porter. By these means, by his own purchases, and numerous presents 
 from monarchs, noblemen, and gentlemen, who knew the King’s love of Art, a 
 large and important collection was formed, which, unfortunately, in spite of the 
 strenuous efforts of Cromwell, Ludlow, and Colonel Hutchinson to prevent it, was 
 confiscated, sold, and dispersed by the Parliament, between 1648 and 1653. The 
 principal purchasers were Cardinal Mazarin, Don Alonzo de Cardenas, the Spanish 
 Ambassador, Queen Christina, the Archduke Leopold, Governor of Flanders, 
 Cromwell himself, and Colonel Hutchinson. Some of the prices at which the 
 sculpture was sold are annexed, and may serve to give an idea of its value. 
 In the Gallery at Somerset House, 120 pieces sold for £2,327 ; the copy of 
 the Borghese Gladiator, by Bernini, £300 ; the King’s Bust, by Bernini, £800 ; 
 one of the Muses, £200. The total proceeds of the sale amounted to £118,080. 
 10s. 2d., and the total appraisement of the gold and silver plate, rarities of Art, &e., 
 in the several royal dwellings, was £14,221. 15s. 4d. 
 
 Two documents of great interest are preserved, which afford us a very 
 complete idea of the nature of the King’s collection. One is, “ An inventory of 
 the pictures, medals, agats, and other rarities of K. Charles I., in the Privy 
 Gallery at Whitehall, in the King’s new created cabinett room, by Abraham 
 Yanderdort the keeper” (MSS. Harleian, now in the British Museum). Of the 
 Paintings and Statues we shall say nothing, but that they were of the most 
 valuable description, and were obtained from numerous sources besides the Mantua 
 
 e 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Collection : we will rather make extracts of some of those subjects more immediately 
 bearing on the Arts illustrated in the present work. 
 
 Amongst such we find : “ Imprimis, in a green figur’d velvet case, a Neptune 
 with two sea-horses curiously carv’d in white ivory on a black pcdistall, which came 
 out of y‘ Empcrour Rodolph’s cabbinet, and was given to y‘ King by y" Earl of 
 Dorset. 
 
 “ Item, in one colour of ware imboss’d for a pattern upon copper, y e pattern 
 for a scabbard of King Henry the 8 ll “ dagger [Holbein’s?], many little figures, 
 whereof some broken, bought for y' King by y” King’s Surveyour, Mr. Inigo Jones. 
 
 “ Item, carv’d in wood, a little farmer’s house, where is a little dog barking 
 at a country fellow passing by, which was brought from Venice by Sir Henry 
 Wootton, and given to y' King whilst he was Prince. 3 pieces done in white 
 ivory, carv’d, bought by Mr. Surveyour for y" King. A silver piece in casted work, 
 by Paul Van Vianen, who was y° Emperour Rodolph’s man. Silver driven plates 
 (repousse), by ‘ Rogers.’ Ivories given to the King by Mr. Endymion Porter. 
 A Copy of Titian’s Lucretia [now at Hampton Court], carved in box by Petitot (the 
 miniature-painter). An arm of plaster, moulded by Henwinckle, upon y° very life 
 of y" now King of Denmark’s arm. An annunciacion angel 200' 1 years old, where 
 y 2 seveial arms be y French and English. A Limosna [Limoges] enammelling 
 work, bought by Mr. Endymion Porter’s means when his Maj ty bought y” great 
 flower-pot, done by y" Italian Genovese woman at Paris.” This we find by another 
 entry was a vase, with flowers painted on board. There was also a fine collection 
 of medals ; amongst which were thirty-two “ pictures ” of King James, in wax, gold, 
 and silver ; some given by my Lord Chamberlayne (Pembroke), consisting of portraits 
 of the most remarkable characters in history, as well as ancient coins: amongst 
 them were Charles, Duke of Burgundy, “ y* favourite in France, Cardinal Richlieu,” 
 Erasmus, several Popes, Henry VII., and Queen Mary. 
 
 Numerous “christalls” are also mentioned, and sculpture of the daj", brazen 
 and marble statues; amongst which, a great horse, done by Cavallcro John de 
 Bolonia, a statue by “Francisco, y e one ey’d Italian” (Fanelli), Florentine bronzes, 
 and a large collection of cameos and intaglios, all placed under the head of 
 “ agats.” 
 
 This MS. is exceedingly interesting and very complete; it describes all the 
 paintings in the various rooms, with notes from whence they came, and is 
 interspersed with characteristic remarks by the writer. 
 
 The other document is printed in the fifteenth volume of the “ Arohasologia,” 
 being “A true inventory and appraisment of all the plate, &c., in the custodie of 
 Mr. Carew Mildmay, made and taken the 13th August, 1649,” and includes the 
 
INTRODUCTIO N. 
 
 regalia,. The following extracts are useful, as affording some idea of the nature 
 and value of the most remarkable pieces : — ■ 
 
 “ Two christall crewitts, garnished with gold, set with rubies and two 
 torquoysses, £3 per oz., valued at 174£. 
 
 “ 10 gold flagons, with chaines, at 5s. p. oz., 205£. 
 
 “ 2 great silver basons, with some stones sot in colletts of gold, 5s. 4d. p. 
 oz., 144£. 10s. 8d. 
 
 “ A cheyne large pott, with an eagle beake and serpent handle, with a cover 
 richly garnisht, 50£. 
 
 “ A pidgeon of aggatt, garnished with gold and stones, at 2£ per oz., 54£. 
 
 “ An aggatt cupp, garnished with gold and stones, supported by 3 lions, at 3£ 
 p. oz., 36£. 15s. 
 
 “ A christall cup, with coronett cover garnished with gold, saphire, and pearle, 
 at 2£. 10s. p. oz., 81£. 5s. 
 
 “ A broad christall bowle and cover, garnished with gold, and pearle and 
 other stones, 5 mottoes enammclled on the cover and 2 about the foot, 120£. 
 
 “ An old woman of gold enammclled, with a salt upon her head, 80£. A 
 golden nunne, ennamelled, with a ragged staffe in her hand, 2£. 10s. p. oz., 35£. 
 
 “ A cupp of unicornes home, richly garnisht with gold, valued at 10£. An 
 unicorne home beaker, garnisht with gold, 45£. The unicornes home, weighing 
 40 lb. 8 oz., valued at G00£. [This unicorn’s horn, to which occult virtue was 
 ascribed, is that of the narwahl, spiral and tapering to a point ; it was much 
 valued during the Middle Ages, and often occurs, spoken of as an object of 
 great value, in the inventories of the French kings and noblemen. It was not 
 usually carved, but, from the beauty of its material, was set and garnished as 
 described above.] 
 
 “ A rhinoceros cupp, graven with figures, with a golden foot, valued at 10£. 
 
 “ Queen Edith’s crownc, silver gilt, 16£. King Alfred’s crownc of gould wyer 
 worke, set with slight stones and 2 little bells, 3£. p. oz., 24S£. 10s. 
 
 “ 2 voyding knives [to clear crumbs from the table] with christall handles, 
 garnished with gold, 6£. One voyding knife, a carving knife, an ordinary knife 
 and fork, with gold handles, enamelled, 30£.” 
 
 Of glass there does not appear to have been much* christall being the material 
 most in vogue : we find only a few examples, such as “ A long-footed grecne glasse 
 case cuppe, standing on a flower de luce, with a cover garnished with gold, 3 great 
 pearlos of the topp of the cover, 20£. 
 
 * In this inventory we miss the glass, majolica, &c., mentioned in that of Henry VIII. It has been 
 suggested that Philip of Spain, aware of their value, took them to Spain with him after Mary s death in 1558. 
 
 8 
 
I N T R ODUCTIO N. 
 
 “ A great glasse cupp and cover, garnisht with gold enamelled green on the 
 topp, 22£. A blew glasse bottle, garnished with silver, 15s.” 
 
 Amongst other objects are mentioned dishes of mother-of-pearl, garnished 
 about with silver gilt, crystal cups, candlesticks, and watches, agate cups and 
 bottles, jasper tunns, and vessels in serpentine, heliotrope, shepherdstone, lapis 
 lazuli, and marble. 
 
 The above extracts afford some idea as to what a complete and varied col- 
 lection Charles had amassed. The taste for such works, however, declined during 
 and after the Revolution. Charles II. made no efforts to recover what had been lost, 
 or to form a fresh collection. Janies II. was equally insensible to their value; and it 
 is not until the present day that Royalty has turned its attention towards these minor 
 branches of Art. The great collectors of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries 
 sought for antique Sculpture and Paintings, almost to the exclusion of the other 
 Arts ; and whilst Sir Robert Walpole was employing Sir Andrew Fountaine to 
 form his celebrated gallery at Houghton, he appears to have been regardless of 
 the many and beautiful works in earthenware, ivory, enamel, &c., which the 
 accomplished knight got together at his own residence. 
 
 This collection, which is still in a great measure intact, and is the oldest as 
 well as the most valuable perhaps in the country, was formed by Sir Andrew 
 Fountaine, who received his knighthood when vice-chamberlain to Queen Caroline, 
 wife of George II.: in 1726 he signalized himself by his classic attainments and 
 taste at Oxford, published in 1704 a work on the Anglo-Saxon and Anglo- 
 Danish coins, and was the friend of the most celebrated literati of his day : he 
 visited Italy twice, once in 1692, and again in 1715; during these visits ho made 
 the acquaintance of Cosmo de’ Medici III., with whom he lived on terms of close 
 friendship, and through his assistance obtained many of the beautiful works of Art 
 collected by him at his country seat, Narford Hall, in Norfolk ; consisting of enamels, 
 majolica, Palissy ware, ivories, bronzes, statuary, coins, medals, gems, Oriental 
 china, MSS., books, and pictures. Of this large and valuable collection the 
 Palissy ware, majolica, and enamels, are unrivalled probably in this country; the 
 Italian majolica is represented by so great a number of fine examples, as to form 
 111 ltself almost a complete history of the potter’s art in Italy from the sixteenth 
 to the eighteenth century ; the Palissy ware is not to be matched for the size and 
 perfect state of its specimens; the Mediaeval and other ivory carvings are most 
 valuable and interesting ; and the collection of Limoges enamel-work of the 
 Renaissance period contains upwards of thirty fine pieces by the famous artist Jean 
 Penicaud. 
 
 So little, however, did the example thus set induce others to follow in the same 
 
1 X T It 0 1) U C 'I' ION. 
 
 course, that it was not until of late years the collection was at all appreciated. 
 Dallaway, writing in 1800, merely remarks in a note, that “at Narford is a very 
 curious cabinet of earthenware, finished with arabesques, &c., after designs of Raffaelle 
 or Giovanni da Udine:” and a writer in the year 1810 (“Beauties of England and 
 Wales,” by Britton and Brayley) says: — “Here is a large collection of old china, 
 several pieces of which were painted by ltaffaelle ; among this are two very large 
 cisterns, of fine form and execution, measuring three feet by eighteen inches each.” 
 
 The taste for such subjects, however, received undoubtedly a great impulse 
 from the example of the witty and aristocratic Horace Walpole, who in 1747 
 commenced his toy feudal mansion at Strawberry Hill, which was finally crammed 
 full of works and curiosities of Art ; apparently not devoid of interest to the 
 public, as we read in a notice printed at his own press, that strangers may be 
 admitted to see his Museum by card ; but if more than four come together, the 
 housekeeper has positive orders not to let them in : the hours are from one to 
 three, between the months of May and October, and no children are to be admitted. 
 The greater part of his collection was formed from the spoils of the most celebrated 
 virtuosi of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries — Dr. Mead, Lady Betty 
 Germaine, Lord Oxford, the Duchess of Portland, the Earl of Peterborough, 
 Thoresby, and numerous others in England, besides choice works from many 
 collections abroad. 
 
 “ Mixed with these genuine productions of talent,” writes Mr. Brewer, in 1816, 
 “ are many playthings of antiquarianism, and a countless variety of articles in French 
 porcelain, and that of Saxony and other countries, which some may deem quite as 
 well suited to a dairy as a cabinet, together with a stupendous assemblage of 
 nondescript trifles, which a rich man may place anywhere, but which a truly 
 judicious admirer of the arts would find a difficulty in appropriating to a spot on 
 which they might be seen with advantage to the credit of his own judgment.” 
 
 This celebrated collection came into the possession of the Waldegrave family, 
 and was sold by auction in 1842 ; the sale extended from April 25th to May 
 21st, and realized, including books, furniture, pictures, &c., £33,450. The following 
 prices will serve to give some idea of the value then set upon objects of vertu : 
 A small ebony trunk for perfumes (from the Grand Duke of Tuscany’s wardrobe), 
 ascribed to Cellini, £36. 10s. A rare piece of Faenza earthenware, £16. 15s. 
 Raffaelle ware, “ Feast of the Gods,” after Giulio Romano, £6. Two grand 
 Faenza cisterns (now in the possession of Miss Burdett Coutts), £84 each. A 
 saltcellar in Palissy ware, £5. 5s. A curious piece of Oriental china, turquoise- 
 blue, £10. Two blue-and-white Delft bottles, £2. 10s. Two fine Limoges 
 enamel plaques, by Laudin, £6. 10s. Twelve engraved silver dessert-plates, by 
 
 10 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Simon van dor Pass, £116. 11s. Anne Boleyn’s clock, £110. 5s. Wolsey’s 
 cardinal’s hat, 21 guineas. Two splendid ebony chairs, £54. 12s. A very largo 
 and curious altar candlestick, of Moorish work, inlaid with silver, £17. 17s. A 
 nautilus-shell, richly mounted in silver gilt, £37. 16s. A fine gold medal of the 
 Emperor Maximilian, £9. 9s. The Cellini bell, bought in by the Earl of Waldegrave, 
 at £252. Rosewood and ivory inlay cabinet, £126. The armour of Francis I., 
 ascribed to Cellini, £320. 5s. Six extremely rare and curious old Venetian glass 
 dessert-plates, with views of Venice on them, £3. 10s. ; two of these afterwards 
 fetched at the Bernal sale, £12. A dark blue and gold Sevres plateau, beautifully 
 painted with wreaths of flowers, 10 guineas. 
 
 The celebrated collection at Stowe, principally got together by the last Duke 
 of Buckingham, was sold in 1848 ; but there does not appear even then to have 
 been a much greater advance of prices : thus — An amber crucifix sold for £2. 9s. 
 A pair of very fine Chelsea vases, £23. 10s. A fine majolica plate, £2. 18s. A 
 curious early piece of majolica, subject “ The Incredulity of St. Thomas,” 10 
 guineas. A majolica plate, subject an “ An Artist painting the Majolica Ware,” 
 £4; this plate was afterwards sold at the Bernal sale for £142. The average of 
 the majolica plates at this sale was between £3 and £4 each. Two beautiful 
 Chantilly cups, £2. 12s. A. fine Limoges tazza, £31. 10s. An ivory figure 
 of Time, 12 guineas. The Fonthill cabinet, inlaid with lapis lazuli, See., garnished 
 with or-moulu, £89. 5s. A fine ivory tankard, German, subject “The flight into 
 Egypt,” £66. A shell-formed vase of rock crystal, engraved, £25. An Italian 
 bronze figure about two feet high, £10. 15s. An engraved glass, with ciphers 
 and arabesques, £3. A fine ebony cabinet, with tortoise-shell and boule panels, 
 &c., £210. 
 
 At the sale of the Bernal collection in 1855, there is to be remarked an 
 extraordinary advance in prices, thus, e. g . — A bronze cinque-cento tripod sold at 
 £31. 10s. An ancient reliquaire, £66. King Lotliaire’s crystal, originally bought 
 tor £10, sold at £267. A German glass enamelled viderkom, £25. A blue 
 Venetian tazza, £17. An ivory cup and cover, £200. A Raflaelle ware dish, 
 £53. 11s. A plaque of Limoges enamel, by Leonard Limousin, £56. 10s. Another 
 by the same artist, £61. 19s. A brass dish, with medallions of the German 
 emperors, £47. 5s. Two fine Sevres vases and covers, £320. 5s. A Capo di 
 Monte cup and saucer, £32. 11s. The sale occupied thirty-two days, and brought, 
 exclusive of books, furniture, and prints, about £62,690. 
 
 This extraordinary advance in the value of such objects arose consequently 
 on the increasing appreciation of them as Works of Art ; the fashion now so 
 prevalent of collecting them, and the wealth of competitors, all seeking to obtain 
 
 li 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 the best examples ; so general is now the taste for Old Works of Ornamental 
 Art, that the writer, in his late tour through the country, found there was hardly 
 a small town or village but had its local Bernal ; whilst so numerous and 
 celebrated are the collections of this nature now in the United Kingdom, that an 
 interesting and instructive volume might be written on any one of them. A great 
 number are represented at Manchester, but we miss the names of the Dukes of 
 Hamilton and Devonshire, Andrew Fountaine, Esq., Joseph Marryat, Esq., the lion. 
 R. Curzon, Jun., Octavius Morgan, Esq., W. Maskell, Esq., and A. Barker, Esq. We 
 are however not without hopes that at some future period, under more propitious 
 circumstances, the public may obtain the benefit of viewing the most remarkable 
 Treasures of Art which they have in their possession. 
 
 The earliest public Museum of this nature was founded by Elias Ashmole, at 
 Oxford. Ashmole was born at Lichfield, in 1617, and. whilst yet young practised 
 as an attorney at London, under the protection of Paget, one of the Barons of the 
 Exchequer. During the Rebellion, he retired into Cheshire ; he afterwards entered 
 at Brazenoso College, Oxford, then served in the Royal Army, and again retired, 
 this time, into Berkshire, where ho married Lady Mainwaring : at the Restoration 
 ho was made IV indsor Herald, and in 1677 proposed to give his own collection, 
 combined with what he bought from the Tradescants,* to the University, if they 
 w’ould erect a building expressly for it. They did so, and the Ashmolean Museum 
 v r as completed in 1682. Besides the Tradescant Museum, he added coins, medals, 
 MSS., &c., got together by himself, and after his death bequeathed his library to 
 it, subsequently enriched with the MSS. of Aubrey, Sir William Dugdale, and 
 Anthony Wood. 
 
 Ashmole was a member of the Society of Antiquaries, originally founded 
 during the reign of Elizabeth, in 1572, at which time they petitioned the Queen 
 for a charter of incorporation and for some public building to assemble in; their 
 object, however, was frustrated by the death of the Queen. Amongst those who 
 subsequently were in the habit of meeting at Sir William Dethicke’s, Garter 
 King at Arms, we remark the names of William Camden, Sir Robert Cotton, Sir 
 Henry Spelman, and John Stowe: this society was dissolved, for some unexplained 
 reasons, by James. It is interesting also to know that Sir Philip Sidney, Sir 
 Walter Raleigh, the Earl of Pembroke, Coke, and Selden, were amongst the 
 first members. In 1717 the society was reconstituted, Peter Lc Neve (Norroy) being 
 President, and William Stukeley, Secretary ; it was finally incorporated by royal 
 charter in 1751. This society, like that of the “ Academic des Inscriptions et 
 
 * The Tradescants emigrated from Holland to London, in the reign of James I. ; the family subsequently 
 became not only great collectors of rarities of Art, but were celebrated as horticulturists. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Belles-lettres,” established in Paris about the year 1650, occupied itself more with 
 History than Art : thus, in the preface to the first published volume of its 
 Transactions, in 1770, the writer dilates on this point particularly, justly observing, 
 that “ the arrangement and proper use of facts is History ; not a mere narrative 
 taken up at random and embellished with poetic diction, but a regular and 
 elaborate inquiry into every ancient record and proof that can elucidate or 
 establish them.” 
 
 The history of Art found, however, few students in the earlier years of the 
 Society, the first paper being “on the Antiquity and Use of Beacons;” others are 
 on “ Old Roman Roads,” “ whether Wine was produced from Grapes in England,” 
 “ 011 the First Peopling of the Island,” and “ on the Antiquity of Horse-shoes.” 
 Other papers on early English Antiquities in the first volume, especially a letter 
 on an Anglo-Saxon Jewel, by Pegge, and another on the Horn of Ulphus at York, 
 by Gale, are well-written and interesting exceptions. It was soon felt that the 
 study of Art, per se, was calculated also to throw a most important light on past 
 history, and from henceforward papers on ancient Architecture, Costume, Works 
 of Art, &c., increased, and many valuable materials were obtained towards their 
 elucidation, until in the year 1845 the Archeological Institute of Great Britain 
 
 and Ireland was established expressly “ to examine, preserve, and illustrate all 
 
 ancient monuments of the history, manners, customs, and arts of our forefathers.” 
 It would be unnecessary to enter further into the after-proceedings of the Institute, 
 which reckoned amongst its members the foremost names in Church and State, in 
 Science, Literature, and Art, nor to trace its influence in giving rise to local 
 societies of a similar nature throughout the country. Suffice it, that by this time 
 the great interest and value attached to the study of Ancient Art was recognized 
 throughout Europe, and that, besides those who desired the complete restoration of 
 old styles, and their reproduction for practical use, arose another and, wo believe, 
 more sensible body of men, who, with every appreciation of the past, studied it 
 mainly for the purpose of infusing some of its elements into future efforts. “ Into 
 that old past,” said an eloquent prolate, on the occasion of the first meeting of the 
 Institute, “ we love to look, because in it was life ; into it we dare to look, because 
 that life is now in us, and that same gift we do believe we may pass to those 
 beyond us. Wo, too, may and shall be ancients, and matter for history. Let us 
 yield ourselves with what freedom we may to the working of the power within us, 
 and our deeds will harmonize with those wrought by the same power through the 
 noble spirits who have boon before us. Let us only use them as examples and 
 
 incentives, and not feebly and blindly copy them as models. Let us visit the 
 
 scenes of their departed greatness, not to array ourselves idly in their worn-out 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 customs, but that, having ears to gather up the whispers of their oracular advices, 
 we may, by our own skill in Art, by boldness in execution, fashion for ourselves 
 the outward circumstances we need.” 
 
 This we conceive to be the right spirit in which to regard the admirable 
 reliques of former styles of Art; there is nothing so essential to the artist as the 
 exercise ot his two most characteristic powers, Imagination and Invention. What- 
 ever does not call these qualities into activity is poor dull work, that will never 
 affect the mind of his fellow-man, arouse enthusiasm, or excite admiration. That 
 man fits himself best for the exercise of such powers, who most extends his 
 artistic knowledge, and has clearly impressed upon his mind the nature of all past 
 Art : such a one may go forward with just confidence boldly on his way ; 
 
 his resources are endless ; he perceives how one Art aids all and each ; he 
 
 sees distinctly their dependence on each other for vitality and for effect ; lie is 
 master ol whatever has been laboriously studied, or worked out on the bright 
 inspiration of the moment, by kindred spirits before his time ; their knowledge is 
 
 now his clear gain ; he looks on Nature, the great school of all Art, with a 
 
 quickened soul, a thoughtful mind, an appreciating gaze ; lessons are learnt from 
 all around, and things animate and inanimate may become to him the source of 
 fresh wisdom and novel power. Inexhaustible Nature, a store-house of unknown 
 treasures, is to be opened by one only key, and that is study ; the means for 
 which wo trust will be furnished to sonic extent in the contents of the present 
 volume. 
 
 It will not be uninteresting perhaps to notice briefly the history of the 
 Exhibition at Manchester. The merit of the first idea belongs to Mr. J. C. Deane, 
 who put into form the original sketch of the entire collection : ho then conferred 
 with Mr. T. Fairbairn and Mr. T. Ashton, well-known names in London and Man- 
 chester ; which resulted in a meeting of gentlemen at the Town-hall, Manchester, on 
 the 2Gth March, 185G. The subject was then duly gone into, and the idea accepted 
 as practicable ; a guarantee-fund was opened, and in a few days the signatures 
 were obtained of thirty-two gentlemen for £1,000 each, and of sixty for £500 each, 
 m all £62,000; and before the 10th of May the royal approbation and patronage 
 was obtained in furtherance of the proposed Exhibition. At a subsequent meeting, 
 the subscribers to the guarantee-fund were declared members of the General 
 Council, the late Earl of Ellesmere being President, and the Mayor of Manchester 
 Chairman. An Executive Committee was also appointed, consisting of Sir James 
 Watts, Mayor (ex officio), Thomas Fairbairn, Esq., Chairman, Thomas Ashton, Esq., 
 William Entwistle, Esq., Sigismund J. Stem, Esq., Edmund Potter, Esq., and 
 Joseph Heron, Esq. (Town-clerk), who most ably and zealously performed the 
 
 14 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 duties which devolved on them. On the 23rd of June, the guarantee-fund reached 
 the sum of £70,000, and the site and plan of the building were determined on, 
 the contractors being Messrs. Young and Co.; Mr. William Dredge, acting- 
 engineer ; Mr. Salomons being appointed by the Committee to design a facade, 
 &c. On the 13th of August, the first base for one of the iron columns was 
 laid, and the work went rapidly forward. 
 
 The external dimensions of the building are 704 feet in length, by 200 feet 
 in width ; the following are some of the main dimensions internally : — the Great 
 Hall, length 632 feet ; width of the central aisle, 56 feet ; width of each side aisle, 
 24 feet; total width of hall, 104 feet; height of centre, 56 feet 6 inches; height 
 of side aisles, 31 feet 6 inches. Picture-galleries, entire length each side of the 
 Gieat Hall, 432 feet; width throughout, 48 feet; height in centre, 50 feet 6 inches. 
 Transept, entire length, 200 feet; width, 104 feet; height at centre, 56 feet 
 6 inches. The Oriental Court, 72 feet by 48 feet. Hertford Room, 72 feet by 
 48 feet. Principal Water-colour Gallery, 200 feet by 24 feet. Small Gallery and 
 luinei Court, each 52 feet by 24 feet. Upper West Gallery, aggregate lineal 
 length, 648 feet by 24 feet. East Gallery (over entrance), aggregate lineal length, 
 152 feet by 24 feet. 
 
 In September, Mr. G. Scharf, Jun., was appointed Art Secretary, with especial 
 charge of the Gallery of Ancient Masters and Antique Sculpture. In October, 
 the writer, then in London, received a communication from the Chairman of the 
 Committee, stating that a special Superintendent for the Museum of Ornamental 
 Art was required, and that the Committee, having heard him recommended from 
 several quarters, would be glad to speak with him on the subject at Manchester. 
 On the 1st of November, at which time nothing had been done towards forming 
 the Museum, with the exception of the promise of the Meyrick Collection, the 
 writer entered on his duties, which consisted in tracing out the general plan of the 
 Museum in the Central Hall, the dimensions of which arc given above, finding out 
 the several objects required, and applying for contributions. Late in December, it 
 was necessary to obtain the services of an assistant, when Mr. G. Kcdford was 
 engaged to remain at Manchester, whilst Mr. Waring visited the several con- 
 tributors, making selections of works required. The immense number of subjects 
 needed, and the impossibility of visiting all contributors in the short time at 
 command, that is before the month of April, led to the engagement of Mr. 
 Robert Dudley in February, and shortly afterwards of Mr. Chaffers. The 
 energy and intelligence of all these gentlemen were of essential service in securino- 
 the completion of the Museum within the time originally announced, 7. e . the 5th 
 of May. About the middle of March, the writer went to Manchester, and did not 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 again leave his task until the day of the opening, within which period the whole 
 system of packing and forwarding the contributions (including sculpture) was 
 organized, and the entire mass was unpacked and placed in the cases. One great 
 drawback, however, to the completeness of the Museum arose from an arrangement 
 made in March, by which the walls of the Great Hall, which the writer had 
 been directed to cover, were given to Mr. Cunningham, for the formation of 
 his very interesting Portrait-gallery: thus not only was the decorative furniture, 
 which was to have been chronologically arranged, dispersed necessarily throughout 
 the building, but a most valuable and interesting series of works in tapestry and 
 embroidery, from the fifteenth to the close of the eighteenth century, many 
 remarkable early pieces of which had been obtained out of the storerooms at 
 Ivnowle, by the kind permission of the late Earl Amherst, were either not for- 
 warded, or were placed wherever space could be found for them in the building. 
 
 From this cause the chronological arrangement, so earnestly recommended by 
 Ilia Royal Highness the Prince Consort, has been but partially carried out in the 
 Museum : that deficiency, however, will bo greatly remedied by the present volume, 
 in which the examples given in Lithography and Wood Engraving, together with the 
 valuable essays appended to them, will, wo firmly trust, not only serve to interest 
 and instruct those by whose encouragement the Arts alone can hope to prosper, 
 but bo of practical service to the professed artist, and assist him in that onward 
 course which shall lead our country, at no very distant period, to rival, in the 
 excellence of its productions, the good taste and artistic skill of the greatest 
 nations of the Past. 
 
 J. B. WAKING. 
 
 July 13 th, 1857. 
 
 16 
 
SCULPTURE, 
 
 IN MARBLE, TERRACOTTA, BRONZE, IVORY, AND WOOD. 
 
 Bv GEORGE SCHARF, Jm, F.S.A., F.R.S.L. 
 
 It would not be consistent with the limits assigned to our observations on the Sculpture 
 in the Manchester Exhibition of 1857, to introduce more than a cursory glance at those 
 specimens which belong to the earliest periods of art, or even at the more refined 
 productions of the classic ages. The greater part of the monuments belonging to Egypt 
 and Assyria are ponderous, and almost incapable of removal; consequently few could have 
 been expected in the Art Treasures collection.* 
 
 Some very rude, and possibly very early efforts in sculpture, found in Cyprus, a locality 
 which unites the art of the East with that of Western Greece, deserve note, as by them 
 we may see the forms in which all the earliest and unguided efforts developed themselves ; such 
 as on the earliest tombs of Attica and Thessaly, and upon several coins of Northern Greece, 
 especially those of Thrace and Macedon.f 
 
 Among the valuable specimens contributed by Mr. Mayer, of Liverpool, we recognize several 
 bronzes of great importance, some of which belong to an early period of art, especially the 
 standing Minerva or Athene, a figure treated quite in the architectural severity of style which 
 characterizes the pediment sculptures of iEgina; it is No. 2 of Mr. Mayer’s own catalogue of 
 Bronzes. 
 
 Another figure also of Hercules, from the same collection, displays an early Etruscan cha- 
 racter of workmanship, and exhibits silver letters expressing the word AIOS let into the left 
 
 * Of Egyptian art no example was to be seen in Manchester which could in any way represent its monumental 
 grandeur, although the numerous antiquities contributed by Mr. Mayer afforded excellent specimens of their refinements 
 on a small scale, especially in engraved gems and minute working of the precious metals. Assyrian and Persepolitan 
 art also was unfortunately unrepresented, notwithstanding the generous readiness with which Lady Charlotte Schreiber, 
 Mr. Layard, Sir Henry Rawlinson, Sir William Ousely, and Mr. Stirling, complied with the applications from the 
 Committee, and had actually sent contributions. They were found, on arrival, to require more space than remained at 
 disposal in the building, and it is to be regretted that the public of the North lost the opportunity of seeing so 
 important a series. 
 
 t Their complete preservation is not to be regarded as inconsistent with remote antiquity, or the fact of their 
 having survived many other works of a later and more perfect style, since they must have been, from the first, protected 
 by the sanctity of the tomb or locality in which they were deposited ; and this would continue until the place itself 
 was hidden by accumulated vegetation, and forgotten, until finally revealed in our own time by accidental circum- 
 stances or antiquarian explorations. To these combinations we are also indebted for the preservation of the little 
 bronze and silver figures which were deposited with the dead as offerings, and idols or protecting deities. Such 
 statuettes are numerous ; but those of a superior execution have been always highly prized, and handed down through 
 various collections with especial care. Not only do these bronzes afford us copies, on a reduced scale of some of 
 the most renowned statues and sculptures of antiquity, but they are not unfrequently the sole existing transcripts 
 of some formerly celebrated works known to us now only through the pages of Pliny, or Lucian and Philostratus. 
 
 a 
 
SCULPTURE, IN VARIOUS MATERIALS. 
 
 thigh. Such inlays of metal one upon the other are not rare; and the fine specimen of a large 
 bronze figure in the collection of the Louvre will occur to many who have made subjects of this 
 
 nature their especial study. In the Louvre bronze the inscription ^FKATAN * s 011 ^ ie ^ ns ^ e P 
 
 of the left foot. A remarkable bronze statuette of Vulcan, clothed in the exomis, and wearing 
 the pileus on his head, may be classed as one of the finest examples at Manchester of the 
 best Greek period ; nor should we omit especial notice of a superb bronze statue of Venus, found 
 in Caria, at Moolah, not very far from the site of the ancient city of Halicarnassus. This 
 may be regarded as one of the finest examples extant of the rich and developed forms of 
 Asiatic art, which delighted especially in a luxuriant display of feminine beauty in maturity.* 
 
 Of the time of Pericles, unfortunately, no adequate examples were to be seen at Man- 
 chester. Bronzes, indeed, of that period are scarcely ever to be met with. Even the famous 
 groups in the British Museum, known as “ the bronzes of Siris,” although displaying 
 extreme refinements of form and composition, are attributable to a later period. Many 
 antiquaries assign them at once to the time of the famous Sicilian expedition of Pyrrhus. The 
 proportions are elongated, and so far confirm that opinion. 
 
 An interesting bronze, belonging to M. P. Pulzsky, of very refined workmanship, is 
 considered by him as a Doryphorus, and a small copy of the famous work of Polycletus, men- 
 tioned under that name by Pliny. Numerous other statues of divinities, heroes, and potentates, 
 on this minute scale, principally belonging to Mr. Mayer, must be passed over, all of which 
 belong to the refined period of Greek art. The only indications we can offer of the principles 
 of architecture influencing sculpture, are to be met with on some of the ancient painted vases 
 found at Corinth, Nola, Agrigentum, and Athens, contributed also to the Exhibition by 
 Mr. Mayer and Mr. Addington. 
 
 Two really fine examples of the Grecian chisel were to be seen against piers in the 
 Gallery of Ancient Masters. One was a refined head of a female belonging to the best 
 period of art, placed at the N.W. angle of the Saloon C; and the other a head possibly 
 intended to represent Omphale, as the character of a head-covering which lay upon the cheeks 
 resembled the appearance of a lion’s skin. If not actually meant for the Lydian queen, it 
 might be a noble youth in the character of Hercules, as seen on the Macedonian coins, or even 
 Theseus, who was often represented under the form of his friend. Some fine marble feet of 
 statues, once belonging to Rogers the poet, and now Mr. Angerstein’s, show clearly the great 
 care that the ancients bestowed upon the extremities of their statues. 
 
 A large head of the Rhodian Apollo, from the Cheney collection, placed in front of the 
 orchestra, betrayed rather the influence of art that had long passed away, than afforded an 
 actual specimen of the period of Lysippus or Chares of Lindus. The hair rises from the fore- 
 head in accordance with classic personifications of Helios, the eyeballs merely indicated by 
 incised outline. It is of Greek marble, and was formerly in the Moscardi Museum at Verona. 
 
 A very important toreutic monument, of an early period of the Roman empire, might be 
 seen in the so-called “ sword of Tiberius,” discovered in a railway excavation at Mayence.f 
 Most probably it was only an honorary weapon, or, as we should term it, a sword of parade, 
 belonging to some insignia. Still the groups upon it in actual relief indicate careful work- 
 manship, and afford some curious parallels with the designs on imperial coins and Asiatic 
 medallions of that epoch, especially coins of Smyrna. The surface was covered with silver 
 and gilding. 
 
 The rapid decline of Grecian art may be conspicuously seen in a very curious bronze 
 
 This statue is No. 19, page 130, of Mr. Mayer’s catalogue, and may be assigned to the age of Praxiteles, 
 whose flowing and graceful style succeeded that of Phidias, wherein severity of character and pureness of form especially 
 predominated. 
 
 f Belonging to Mr. H. Fairer, of Bond Street. 
 
ANCIENT ART AMONG EARLIEST CHRISTIANS. 
 
 portrait bust of the physician Modius, contributed from the library of Christ Church, Oxford, 
 inscribed with Greek characters of a rather late period. Although in bronze, the workmanship 
 has many characteristics of manipulation peculiar to terracotta, especially in the locks of hair 
 on the forehead. The hairs of the eyebrows and beard under the chin are expressed by lines 
 actually incised into the surface of the skin ; the eyeballs are not indicated, as may frequently be 
 seen in busts of the decadence period of Greek and Roman art. The bust was presented to 
 Christ Church, Oxford, by the Hon. Frederick Campbell in 1809. So far as sculpture on a 
 large scale of the purely Grecian school is concerned, we have no more to enumerate. 
 
 A very prominent and graceful ornament occupied a central position in the Gallery of 
 Ancient Masters, Saloon B. The general appearance of this monument was that of an elegant 
 marble vase, but the centre alone was really antique. It had originally served as the mouth 
 of a well. The design of the figures round the sides is evidently Greek, 'but executed either for 
 some wealthy Roman, or appropriated by the Romans at the time of their mastery over the 
 Grecian states. The clumsy Roman letters of the dedication interfere sadly with the grace 
 and refinement of the figures. They are, however, assignable to a subsequent use it was 
 made to serve; namely, to mark some place of burial. Dallaway thus reads the somewhat 
 enigmatical initials “ Locum hunc sepultura propriis sumptibus Gracia posteris fecit. Rufa 
 Pomponia Dianaj.” * The sculpture presents the graceful figure of Paris, clothed in the 
 chlamys, Phrygian cap, and hunting-boots, being led by Cupid, a small youth with very large 
 wings, towards Helen, who is seated by the side of Venus clothed in the matronly style, with 
 a veil on her head. Helen appears very shy, and Venus points in a decided manner to Paris 
 with one hand, embracing her with the other. Three Muses complete the composition. 
 Mnemosyne or Polymnia, wrapped in a veil, and leaning on a pedestal, stands to the left of 
 the bride. Terpsichore and Euterpe advance, sounding the lyre and double flute, so often 
 played on hymeneal occasions.! 
 
 Hitherto we have only been devoting attention to Pagan art and Pagan themes; it is 
 lion requisite for us to observe the influence which Christianity exercised upon the sister arts 
 of Painting and Sculpture. These Christianity readily, and at an early period, had recourse 
 to. Architecture, be it observed, was the last of the fine arts which she moulded to herself, 
 since the general form of already existing buildings was tolerably convenient for performance 
 of her rites, and for the various ordinances she had established. 
 
 During the age of Constantine, both Christian and Pagan themes appear to have been 
 pretty equally pursued; and even in subsequent times, the taste of the literati— whom the 
 Church in those days so completely monopolized — inclined very frequently to subjects described 
 in the pages of ancient authors. In the fourteenth century, beginning even with Dante, so 
 great a taste was created for the good old days (as they called them) of their forefathers by 
 successive discoveries of antiquities, vestiges of household life, statues, books, &c., belonging 
 to foimer periods, that even priests were known to propose as subjects for painters in their 
 own dwellings, direct representations of heathen deities in positions of such importance and 
 honour as to show that they were totally unmindful of the prior claims which the tenets of 
 their Church would impose upon very different personages. 
 
 So extravagant did this predilection for heathendom become, that we find in the Vatican, 
 m the Hall of Constantine, figures of Pagan divinities on pedestals flanking the seated pontiffs ; 
 and in one instance— that of Damasus I. {—the Pope folds his hands in prayer, and looks up 
 towards a statue of Diana, pointed to by an angel. M. Rio has well shown the tendencies of 
 
 * Dallaway ’s Anecdotes, &c. p. 356. 
 
 t Engraved in the Specimens of the Dilettanti Society, vol. ii. pi. IG. The composition of these alto-relievo figures 
 is very similar to several other known examples of this subject; one especially, a bas-relief, with the names inscribed 
 over the figures in Greek characters, in the Museo Borbonico at Naples— Mils. Bor. vol. iii. tav. xl. 
 
 X Pistol esi, vol. vii. pi. GO. 
 
 3 
 
SCULPTURE, IN VARIOUS MATERIALS. 
 
 the Medici family to prefer the representation of Pagan to Christian themes, even in the most 
 solemn places ; and Mr. Ruskin also depicts in the most forcible colours the inconsistency of 
 Julius II. and Leo X., in selecting heathen divinities to preside over scholastic subjects, whilst 
 decorating the Camera della Segnatura in the V atican by the hand of Raphael. 
 
 During the age of Constantine it was natural that many private families should in their 
 own penetralia retain the form and imagery of the Pagan religion, although that of the state 
 had, upon the conversion of the emperor, become Christian. And here, for a moment, perhaps 
 it will be best to remark upon a few of the most leading differences between Pagan and 
 Christian art when at their respective zeniths. 
 
 Among the Greeks under Pericles, and among the Romans under Nero and Trajan, we 
 find the most perfect mastery on the part of the artist in expressing his conception. A 
 corresponding facility may be found in Christian times during the last quarter of the fifteenth 
 century and the first quarter of the sixteenth. In classic art the spectator looks in vain for 
 any indication of internal sold, or the better feelings into which the spirit of Christianity resolves 
 itself. Every face during the best period of Greek art is expressionless. However perfect the 
 execution and refinement of their figures may have been, they had no soul. At the time of 
 Pericles all indications of pain were avoided ; and this system accords thoroughly with the dislike 
 of the Greeks to mention subjects of a painful or unlucky tendency. This led to a series of 
 euphemisms, which seem almost absurd at the present day, but which were then systematically 
 understood in daily intercourse. With the exception of some representations of the Furies and 
 Gorgons, no indications of passion or revenge were allowed in art to ruffle the features. Even 
 the gigantic head of Medusa, in the gallery at Munich, and the beautiful gem at Florence, in 
 which she is represented dying, afford strong examples of the avoidance above noted. The 
 frieze of Greeks and Persians fighting, probably at Marathon, now in the British Museum, and 
 the groups of combatants among the sculptures from Xantlius in Lycia, display the same entire 
 absence of expression in the faces. No instance of this hardly can be more powerful than the 
 little figures on the frieze of the choragic monument of Lysicrates, at Athens, where the unfor- 
 tunate pirates are being tormented by serpents twining round them, and ministers of vengeance 
 apply the flames of torches to their limbs without producing any perceptible distortion. At a 
 subsequent period, among the Greeks, expression— that of violent pain and passion, at least— 
 became an essential element in works of art. The chief leaders in the new style, Aristides the 
 painter and Silanion the sculptor, delighted in subjects which involved a display of passion and 
 bodily suffering. Mental agony and disdain were also attempted ; but the most elaborate instance 
 known among the records of antiquity of minute traits of disposition seems to be in Silanion’s 
 portrait of Apollodorus the sculptor. An expression of pride and contempt was also traceable, 
 judging from the coins, in the fine head of Juno, belonging to the ivory and gold statue by 
 Polycletus ; so, likewise, in the magnificent head of the Sun, still preserved on the ancient coins 
 of Rhodes ; the same expression may be seen to perfection in the head of the Apollo Belvedere 
 in the Vatican ; but not, however, in the casts taken from it, as they want the translucency ol 
 the marble, which gives so much character to certain parts of the face, and adds strength to the 
 deeper-cut surfaces round the features. In the statues of Niobe’s family we see both bodily pain 
 and actual terror strongly depicted: the play upon the features of the countenance both of mother 
 and daughter is refined and powerful. They were known to have afforded Guido a model for his 
 pictures at a subsequent period, and may perhaps be cited as the nearest approach to the expres- 
 sions met with in Christian paintings. The upturned and inquiring gaze is one that rarely occurs 
 among works of this class in antiquity. Strong bodily suffering, however, is seen in the face of 
 the Centaurs in the Louvre and Capitol ; and the same bodily anguish, with even still gi eater 
 intensity, is familiar to us all in the head of the Laocoon, found in the Palace of Titus at Rome. 
 
 Sec Ruskin’s Lectures 
 
 Architecture and Paiuting (Lond. 1854), p. 213. 
 
 4 
 
INNOVATIONS CAUSED IN AST BY CHRISTIANITY. 
 
 Here, indeed, the influence of the school of Aristides may still he recognized; it extends also 
 to a beautiful gem of a head of Medusa in full view, preserved at Naples, and pervades most of 
 the paintings found at Pompeii, which belong to the imperial times of Rome, and are executed in 
 a very coarse manner. To what pitch the agonized treatment attained among Greeks of the 
 later times, is still to be seen in the colossal head at Florence, called the Dying Alexander. 
 
 To turn to art subservient to Christianity, it displayed at the outset the srnne passionless 
 treatment and absence of expression in the countenances as under the Pagan. This blank, 
 however, as long as the figure remained a mere idol or object of general attention, had 
 its advantages. In colossal figures, it may even have been desirable ; for, the highly-wrought 
 imagination of the enwrapt votaries may have invested the countenance with mi expression 
 which, although in fact the result of their own temperament, could not have taken place if 
 the supposed deity looking down upon them had worn either a perpetually beneficent smile 
 or stern and sullen aspect. This effect is peculiarly striking among some of the colossal 
 mosaic figures of the Saviour in the apsidal recesses of the old churches in Rome, Monreale, 
 and even at Pisa, where Cimabue designed a colossal enthroned Christ, still existing in the 
 head of the Tribune, and which seems with its fixed look to penetrate every part of the 
 church. A very similar effect also is produced in the colossal statues of Egypt, especially 
 those which are so well preserved at the entrance to the caves of Ipsamboul, whence 
 the two gigantic figures have been reproduced in the Crystal Palace at Sydenham, 
 although not without some modifications of proportion and colour. When the Christians 
 employed artists to depict incidents in the life of a saint, representing the various trials 
 and punishments inflicted on them, the fortitude and meekness of the sufferer became a point 
 of especial consideration. The passiveness of the victim was augmented by the greater 
 violence and brutality of the tormentors. Contrasts of this nature were frequently resorted 
 to. But a better spirit subsequently — the indication of an internal power, ready in a 
 
 p-eat cause to maintain resistance, and evidently capable of increase, in proportion to the 
 intensity of the trials to be undergone — obtained the ascendancy. So important and suc- 
 cessful did this manifestation become among the old Italian painters towards the close of the 
 fourteenth century, that single figures were alone sufficient to command interest, and all 
 the insignia to denote the person represented were not only subdued, but even withheld from 
 notice as much as possible. Raphael’s exquisite half-length figure of St. Catherine, in our 
 National Gallery, affords a good example, and several of the same nature by Perugino are 
 preserved in the Picture Gallery of the Vatican. At a later period, after the Carracci, 
 torture and writhing agony seem to have been selected as the special objects for repre- 
 sentation ; and those who have visited the church of San Stefano Rotondo at Rome, will 
 have a powerful notion of the repulsive manner in which such themes were exhibited. 
 
 Early Christian art is unfortunately not to be met with on a large scale in England. It 
 was confined at first to the recesses of the Catacombs at Rome and Naples. With the 
 exception of a few sarcophagi recently transferred to the Museums of Paris and Berlin, scarcely 
 any Christian examples in stone-work of the first four or five centuries are to be met with 
 out of Rome itself. Every relic found in the labyrinths beneath the City of the Seven Hills 
 is invested with a peculiar sanctity, and treasured carefully in the Museo Cristiano, or other 
 galleries of the Vatican. Statues of any size are extremely rare. The most interesting one 
 that has been discovered is the seated figure of St. Hippolytus,* now treasured in the library 
 of the Vatican. An important portrait statue, t and of well-ascertained date, is the bronze 
 colossus of Theodosius the Great, a.d. 379, erected in the market-place at Barletta. 
 
 * Engraved in Anastasias “ de Vitis Romanonim Pontificum D'Agincourt, Sculpture, pi. 3, fig. 1 • and in Bunsen's 
 ppolytus and his Age, vol. i. ° 
 
 t Museo Borbonico, vol. xiv. tav. 25. D’Agincourt, Sculpture, pi. 3, fig. 5. 
 
 b 
 
SCULPTURE, 
 
 IN 
 
 VARIOUS MATERIALS. 
 
 It is, however, necessary for us to limit ourselves to the history of art displayed in 
 the sculpture exhibited at Manchester. We there look in vain for statues, on even a moderate 
 scale, to illustrate the late Roman period; but, fortunately, the progress of art is amply 
 illustrated in miniature by a series of carved ivories, genuine works of the period, and as 
 faithful representations of larger sculptures in marble as medals and intagli are of bas-reliefs 
 and bronze works of considerable magnitude. Ivory has proved a material of especial service 
 to artists. Its exquisite fineness enabled them to produce elaborate works with wonderful 
 minuteness, although in itself a material of no great value, when compared with gold and 
 silver or precious stones. In works, therefore, of this material the artist might well be proud, 
 since his own skill exclusively bestowed the value on them. Very frequently the rarity or diffi- 
 culty of managing a material constitutes the leading point of admiration ; in many cases the 
 nature of the material has ultimately destroyed the art. The comparative inapplicability of ivory 
 to useful purposes has tended very materially to preserve its elaborations unimpaired to our 
 days; although frequently, where the hand of art was not recognized upon it or duly vene- 
 rated, it is quite possible that many fine productions were thrown aside as utterly worthless, 
 and by those means completely destroyed. That ivory was much employed for minute works 
 of art in former times by Egyptians and Assyrians, and even applied to statues on a large 
 scale by Greeks and Romans, both for the sake of its delicacy of colour and beautiful surface, 
 we know from the best possible testimony. The wonderful ivories recently discovered by 
 Mr. Layard at Nineveh, and the accounts given by Pausanias of the chryselephantine (or ivory 
 and o-old) figure, erected by Phidias in the Parthenon, and the colossal statue of Jupiter 
 
 in the Olympimn at Athens, afford sufficient indication of the extent to which this friendly 
 
 material was capable of being adapted. 
 
 The earliest ivories exhibited at Manchester belong to the third century, — the very period, 
 in fact, at which all other materials, whether stone, wood, or bronze, fail us. The first of 
 
 these monuments is a pair of tablets sculptured with the figures of xEsculapius and Hygieia 
 
 (Plate I.), each attended by a smaller figure, and surrounded by elaborately-wrought accessories. 
 The workmanship of these bas-reliefs is very artificial; both conception, proportions, and 
 modelling betray a late period in Roman art. These ivories, — assigned by some living judges 
 to a much earlier period, and suspected by Italian antiquaries to be quattro-cento imitations, 
 
 may most probably be attributed to the age of Constantine.* The style of ornament on 
 
 the architectural border which surrounds them confirms this opinion. There is a queenly cha- 
 racter about the principal figure which indicates a Roman empress rather than the true Grecian 
 divinity. The figure of jEsculapius, on the companion tablet, is far more deficient and incor- 
 rect, especially in the treatment of the arm and nude portions of the body. 
 
 We now have to pass to another class of ivories of the same nature, which have 
 especial value for the antiquary, inasmuch as they are historical, having been designed to 
 commemorate an historical event, and were very frequently inscribed with names and such 
 particulars as served to record the precise year. 
 
 The consuls, upon accession to office and upon other occasions, were in the habit, we are 
 told, of making presents to their friends, and probably to favoured officials also, of note-books 
 or ivory tablets, called diptycha, which folded one leaf against the other, as in our modern book- 
 
 * Of their genuine antiquity I felt much doubt, and suspected them to be the work of Florentine artists of the 
 fifteenth century ; hut Mr. Oldfield, with whom I spoke upon the matter, suggested a very good and clear test ; namely, to 
 see whether the surface of the ivory had been generally sunk at the back, so as to leave a narrow border or raised frame 
 all round. The object of this in antiquity would have been to receive the coating of wax when memoranda were to be 
 inscribed with the stylus; but in later imitations, at a time especially when paper supplied the place of wax as writing 
 material, these arrangements would certainly have been neglected, and the decoration of the front surface alone attended to. 
 If a direct forgery had been designed, a better period of art would probably have been adopted. On looking to the back of 
 the AUsculapius and Hygieia ivories, the sunk surface clearly appears, and I have no hesitation in accepting them as genuine 
 works of antique times, whilst Paganism yet lingered. 
 
 0 
 
IVORY CARVINGS AND CONSULAR DIPTYCHS. 
 
 covers, tlie outsides being richly carved. The internal surfaces were coated with thin layers of 
 wax, capable of receiving indentations from a pointed instrument called stylus, whenever memo- 
 randa in writing were to be made.* The earliest example we can refer to is one leaf of an 
 historical diptych, contributed by Mr. Mayer, and assignable to the period of Philip the Arab, 
 when Emperor of Rome, a.d. 248. It represents the Emperor seated between two dignitaries, 
 presiding at the secular games. The arena below is filled with stags attacked by men, three 
 of whom are seen issuing from doors at the sides of the circus. (Plate L, fig. 3.) The work- 
 manship of this solitary tablet is far superior in freedom and artistic merit to that of any of the 
 others : it partakes more fully of the good classic style of Roman art under Trajan ; but for 
 composition will be found to resemble the reliefs on the base of the Theodosian Column at Con- 
 stantinople, A.D. 395. The next pair of leaves (Plate I., figs. 1 and 2) are far coarser and ruder in 
 point of design. They are known as the diptych of Clementinus, Consul of the East, a.d. 513. 
 
 It would exceed our limits to enter into a detailed description of these important ivories, 
 and it is rendered still less requisite by the complete and faithful manner in which both 
 details and general appearance are conveyed in the illustration on Plate I. With regard to 
 Art, it will suffice to notice the strongly-developed tendency to ornamentation when compared 
 with the previously mentioned tablet of Philip. A multitude of minute articles to express pro- 
 fusion, each laden with almost obtrusive ornament, are the substitutes for the typical treatment 
 of the more refined periods. Elaborate and cumbrous dresses and embroideries betoken the 
 degenerate age, although pomp and ornament seem always to have engaged a large share of the 
 attention of an ancient Roman. The toga picta, or embroidered vestment of the consul, may 
 be seen on early gold coins of the Empire, and it continued in use through a long succession 
 of pontiffs, far beyond the time even when a second throne had been established. 
 
 The design on both the leaves of this diptych is so very similar, that one general 
 description will suffice for both. At the top is a cross between two medallions, which contain 
 full-faced portraits of the emperor and empress ; beneath this is spread a broad tablet, inscribed, 
 in Roman letters, with the name and titles of the consul. Appended to this, in the centre, is 
 a circular seal, bearing the name Clementinus in Greek characters, so as to form a peculiar 
 device, most probably a fac-simile of his signet. The chief part of the tablet is occupied by a 
 representation of the consul, seated on a throne with footstool of two steps, holding a sceptre 
 in one hand and, apparently, a folded napkin in the other ; Rome and Constantinople, per- 
 sonified as females with classic helmets, one holding a ball and the other a banner, stand behind 
 his seat. The two boys in the lowest plane betoken the nature of the largess conferred by the 
 supreme officer ; they are represented emptying bags— resembling wine-skins in shape— of coin, 
 palm-branches, cakes or disks, and books, the latter undoubtedly representing the diptychs, 
 or ivory book-covers, of the nature of the carving itself, and which we know, by various pas- 
 sages in ancient authors, were distributed to friends on great occasions. Each part of the compo- 
 sition springs with equal abruptness from the flat background, so that at a momentary glance 
 the spectator is impressed with a sense of monotony and mechanical style of execution. 
 
 And here, whilst speaking of relief, it may be best to note the close connection that is 
 observable between all these ivories or low-relief sculptures, as designs for panels of church 
 doors or book-covers, and pictures of the period, such as the coloured historical compositions 
 to be found in manuscript volumes. Whether one influenced the other, or merely possessed the 
 same qualities in common as emanating from the same designer, merits the consideration of 
 those well versed in art ; it may suffice here to mention, that many vestiges of early sculpture 
 have been successfully elucidated by reference to existing pictures of the same subject ; and 
 we find, especially in the Byzantine or Eastern empire style of work, a very uniform mode 
 of representation. Mr. Digby Wyatt has pointed out, in his excellent lecture on “ Sculpture 
 
 * The exact appearance of the ordinary tablets and various writing materials is well seen in some of the paintings 
 found on the walls of Pompeii, A.D. 79.— Pitture Brcolaue, vol. il page 55. Museo Borbonico, vol. i. tav. 12. 
 
SCULPTURE, IN VARIOUS MATERIALS. 
 
 in Ivory,” before the Arundel Society, one remarkable difference between the representations 
 of the consuls on the Eastern and Western diptychs ; namely, the consul of the East is 
 represented seated, his colleague of the West is usually seen standing, holding both the mappa, 
 or napkin of the circus, and a sceptre. 
 
 Various fragments of this early period show the different styles of subject as well as 
 workmanship, but we shall now have to turn our attention from pagan and historical themes 
 for awhile, and examine subjects pertaining exclusively and directly to the Christian religion. 
 Its sculptures and pictorial decorations have been already alluded to. Many of the sarco- 
 phagi of those who died early in the faith display sculptures of a very superior kind, and 
 we are almost warranted in believing that the tone of mind and social habits of the Christians 
 tended to preserve the art they employed from the same rapid degradation which may be 
 observed in its changes in the hands of those who persisted in the old idolatrous course. 
 
 The famous sarcophagus of Junius Bassus, preserved in the crypt of St. Peter’s at Rome,* 
 is one of the most imposing instances of a series of historic sculptures with one general 
 object, and their treatment is not less remarkable, as employing all the accepted forms and 
 language of art which were then so universally intelligible. At Paris is a large sarcophagus, 
 with statues of the Saviour and twelve Apostles in niches on its sides;! and the same arrange- 
 ment may be seen in 
 two pieces of fine ivory 
 carving exhibited at 
 Manchester, belonging 
 to Lord Hastings. The 
 accompanying engrav- 
 ing shows six figures 
 of the series. They are 
 in alto-relief upon a flat 
 ground. Festoons of 
 drapery are suspended 
 behind the shoulders of 
 
 the figures, in anticipation of the old diaper hangings of the medieval church-paintings, and 
 the shell-like fluting in the heads of the niches alternately radiate from and towards the 
 
 figures. The style and proportions of the figures, 
 combined with the architectural arrangement in the 
 niches, seem to indicate the Romanesque period as the 
 best to which they may be assigned. 
 
 A cylindrical Pyx, also in ivory, belonging to the 
 Rev. Walter Sneyd, merits particular attention. It 
 resembles in form the mouth of a well, and displays 
 seven figures in full relief. The defective proportions of 
 the figures, their bold action, and the classic arrange- 
 ment of the draperies, evince an acquaintance at least 
 with the best models; but some little formality in the 
 zigzag edge of the drapery shows a mannerism allied to 
 the artificial style called Etruscan, rather than to the stiffness and curled folds of the Byzantines. 
 In Norman sculpture this zigzag reappears ; we find it conspicuously introduced on the genuine 
 old sculptures of the west porch of Rochester Cathedral, as well as upon some extraordinary 
 subjects in alto-relievo at present located in the south ambulatory of Chichester Cathedral. 
 They formerly belonged to the original church at Selsey. In these illustrations just named, 
 
 * Pistolesi, II Vaticano, vol. ii. tav. 19. + Formerly in the Borghese collection ; engraved in Bouillon, vol. iii. Bas-reliefs, pi. .32. 
 
 S 
 
 Small Ivory Pyx, belonging lo the Rev. TV. Sneyd. 
 
EARLY CHRISTIAN IVORIES. 
 
 there are many points of conventionality not traceable in the small ivory now under consideration. 
 The hair of the figures is not studiously converted into straight lines or a mass of dots as we see 
 among the devices adopted by the earliest workers of Greek and Asiatic coins.* * * § The execution 
 of the nude portions on the ivory pyx is very free and soft, but the display of anatomical 
 knowledge connected with these parts is singularly vague. This relief, justified perhaps 
 by the architectural form of the monument introduced, is assigned to the ninth century. If 
 really so, it is by far the most artistically free and classic production I am acquainted with of 
 that age. The lower portions of the figures are remarkably short, in proportion to the upper. 
 
 The identity of composition observable both in the paintings and bas-relief sculptures of 
 these ages, seems to require but little comment; both being conceived on the same principle, 
 and being subject in no small degree to the same laws, may derive, where the remains of one 
 branch are deficient, considerable illustration from the other. This fact becomes abundantly 
 evident when investigating the numerous designs contained in early Greek and Byzantine 
 volumes. Those who remember the historical scenes in the panels of the old bronze doors of 
 San Paolo fuori le Mura, and the corresponding mural paintings both in Sicily and at St. Mark’s 
 at Venice, together with the illuminations in numerous Byzantine volumes, will perceive at once 
 the provision that was made for all workmen by the Church, by the establishment as it were of 
 an architypal form for every occasion.! Deep as were the effects of this system upon the 
 Byzantine and many of the Western artists, it was not to be expected that the influence would 
 cease as soon as the cause had subsided ; so that in the northern and English performances 
 of a later time we trace the existence of many conventional types, even long after a new mode 
 of workmanship had been introduced. In the earlier times — say the fourth century, — art still 
 
 continued so rich and noble (when required at the best 
 hands), so flowing, correct, and easy in composition and 
 drawing, that it appears wonderful how, in a compara- 
 tively few years, it could have fallen to the pitch of 
 degradation which we know but too well it did actually 
 attain. A fine sculptured ivory of an angel, now in the 
 British Museum, shows art in its best phase : the figure 
 holds a long sceptre in one hand, and a ball and cross in 
 the other. The long full robe gives great effect of dignity, 
 and he stands on the summit of a flight of steps, as at a 
 portal, decorated with architectural ornaments that might be 
 pronounced inferior in design and execution to the rest. J 
 
 A square representation of the Crucifixion, § belonging 
 to Mr. Mayer, displays many excellences in art, combined 
 with a close adherence to the Greek traditionary forms. 
 Christ on the cross is clothed in drapery extending from 
 the hips to below the knees. The sun and moon appear 
 in the upper angles as Sol and Luna — bust-personifications 
 of the heathen period. The Virgin Mary and St. John 
 
 Ivory Carviny, represenliny the Crucifixion and the 
 Maries at the Sepulchre, helonyiny to Mr. Mayer. 
 
 * Those, for instance, of Gela and Syracuse. 
 
 t This is, in fact, the result of a very curious collection of types or set forms established by the Greek Church 
 for the guidance of its orthodox painters. The volume is still in use wherever the religion prevails, and has been 
 translated by M. Didron under the title “ Manuel d’lconographie Clu'etienne,” <fcc. 
 
 t It is No. 1 of Class III. in Mr. Oldfield’s Catalogue of the Ivory Carvings published by the Arundel Society, 1856. 
 
 § A remarkable series of ivory carvings representing the Crucifixion combined with the Maries at the Sepulchre, 
 the Resurrection, and seated figures of Terra and Oceanus, will be found engraved in the “ Melanges d’Archeologie,” 
 4to. Paris, 1847-49. In the “Ivoire de Bamberg,” preserved at Munich (vol. ii. pi. 4, p. 76) will be found a very 
 elaborate treatment of these subjects, with large circles at upper angles containing Sol and Luna, as complete figures, 
 in chariots drawn by horses and oxen respectively. 
 
 C 
 
SCULP T U R E. 
 
 IN VARIOUS MATERIALS. 
 
 stand on a distinct eminence on each side, and St. Longinus, tlie centurion, with, a spear, 
 and the man fastening the sponge of vinegar to a reed, according to the testimony of 
 St. Matthew (xxvii. 48), stand immediately next to the cross. 
 
 On the lowest part of the composition we find a truly Greek subject, divested, however, 
 of its usual characteristics both of composition and attitude. The three women ( myrrhoplioroi ) 
 advance to the sepulchre before which the angel is seated, who addresses them. The pose 
 of the two sleeping guards, especially of the one leaning on the base of the sepulchre, merits 
 particular attention. The open hands of the Virgin, and the gesture of instruction observable 
 in the right hand of the angel, are innovations in the treatment of this subject. 
 
 The relief adopted in the execution of this little ivory is quite marvellous. The effect, 
 however, of projection is principally attained by undercutting, especially towards the centre. 
 The bucket at the foot of the cross, and the legs of the adjacent figures, are completely 
 isolated from the main body of the ivory. The space below between the figures of Mary 
 and the Angel is quite a smooth and plain surface. The flat ornamental border is also deserving 
 of attention; the foliage is rich, but has a faded, drooping character. No figure has the 
 nimbus. The inscription on the cross is in Latin, upon a tablet of the antique classic form, 
 with wedges at the ends, after the usual funereal fashion. St. John holds a square book 
 in his left hand, and wears the classic pallium usually given him by the Greeks. 
 
 The action of the Virgin Mary partakes of the classic, but with a right hand of enormous pro- 
 portion stretched out in a manner only to be seen in Anglo-Saxon illuminations. The Oriental and 
 mosque-like character of the sepulchre, with its dome roof contrasting with the conical roof of the 
 
 West, bespeaks again a decidedly Byzan- 
 tine affinity. There is also no skull at the 
 foot of the cross, which we so often find 
 studiously introduced at this period. 
 
 A small and complete triptych, also 
 belonging to Mr. Mayer, contains, in 
 the centre compartment, the Crucifixion 
 under a shallow domed roof, supported 
 by round spirally-fluted columns. The 
 head of the Saviour does not droop as in 
 the foregoing example. The sun and moon 
 here are reduced to small planets. The 
 Madonna and St. John standing on each 
 side, have all the mannerism and ugli- 
 ness of the Byzantine school, combined 
 with a vivacity of action somewhat Frankish. The countenances are uniformly morose and 
 repugnant. On each of the side-wings are three half-length figures. They are separated from 
 one another by horizontal bands of what is technically known among architects as the 
 head-ancl-reel ornament. The uppermost half-figures are winged angels arrayed in the toga, but 
 without a nimbus : all the rest have the circular nimbus. Two bearded apostles occupy the 
 central compartments ; the one to the left, holding a square book, St. Paul ; the right-hand 
 one with a cross on a staff, most probably St. Peter. The lowest bearded half-figure is 
 the Emperor, clothed in the Dalmatic mantle. His son Caisar, beardless, is placed opposite. 
 Both hold small crosses in their right hands. Remains of colour are traceable on this sculp- 
 ture ; the eyes of the Saviour clear blue ; the nimbus gold. The cross, also gilded, is in 
 very low relief; the supped itancmn, or foot-board, slants very much forward towards the 
 lower part. The wedges, so often seen at the root of the cross, are here converted into a 
 fan-like ornament. The figures are in alto-relievo ; the right arm and hand of the Virgin, and 
 the right arm of St. John, are quite detached from the ground. I cannot assign a very early 
 
 10 
 
EARLY CHRISTIAN IVORIES. 
 
 period to this sculpture, but it is abundantly characteristic of all the peculiarities of the 
 richest period of Byzantine art. The outside, when closed, displays on each door a plain 
 flat cross raised on steps. 
 
 An interesting carved panel, also contributed by Mr. Mayer 
 represents St. John the Baptist as a tall old man in long robe, fringed 
 mantle, with sandals upon feet. In his left hand he holds a scroll with 
 Greek characters, beginning, “ Behold the Lamb of God,”&c. (John, i. 29.) 
 The same hand formerly held also a staff, of which only a fragment now 
 remains. The right hand has the fingers arranged for benediction, after 
 the Greek fashion. The head is in full relief. The eyeballs are marked 
 and pierced, a peculiarity not uncommon in this style of art.* The 
 great tallness of proportion, as well as the execution, seems to indicate 
 a somewhat late period in Byzantine art for this figure. 
 
 A very remarkable sculpture, attributed to Merovingian art, has next 
 claim upon our attention. It represents the finding of the tribute-money. 
 St. Peter on his knees opens the mouth of the fish, holding a long 
 fishing-rod at the same time : the Saviour and disciples stand on the 
 left as spectators. The Saviour has a large round nimbus. The hair 
 of all these figures is singularly formal. The background is divided into 
 small chequers or squares, like a chessboard, each alternate one beino- 
 Plated. The whole is inclosed in a very broad, flat, square frame, 
 like the wooden frame of a schoolboy’s slate, only broader in proportion. 
 The figures do not project beyond the level of the frame. The eyes are round and perforated, 
 as in the instances above mentioned. The figures are heavy and formal, but the well-massed 
 
 draj: )eries have a certain air of grandeur about them. 
 As Merovingian, this carving corresponds very fairly 
 with our Saxon and Early Norman sculptures already 
 cited. The companion piece, “ The Woman taken in 
 Adultery,” is perhaps still more peculiar, and the per- 
 forated background is composed of a somewhat more 
 elaborate but rectangular pattern, very like that seen 
 upon the well-known tomb of Midas, sculptured upon 
 the rocks of Asia Minor in the valley of Doganlii.f 
 The crowning subject, however, of the Roman- 
 esque style of art is the great ivory casket covered 
 with sculptures, belonging to Colonel Meyrick. It is 
 composed of many square pieces of ivory, fitted to- 
 gether on every side so as to form panels, ranged 
 within an extremely beautiful course of ornament, 
 resembling that which is peculiar to the best Norman 
 
 Ivory Carving, representing the finding of the Tribute-money, architecture. The clearness with which all this 
 
 the property of Mr. Mayer, union of leaf, tendril, and a peculiar combination of 
 
 stems forming hearts and lyres has been executed, 
 is very unusual. Some of the clustered leaves in the horizontal bands are inconsistently 
 formal when compared with the rest ; and, although there is no reason to doubt that the whole 
 casket is now in its original form, the strange joining of the vertical with the horizontal bands 
 produces an effect of opposing lines which no modern workmen would think of tolerating. 
 
 * See also the statues of Chichester and Rochester cathedrals already referred to. 
 t See Leake’s “Asia Minor,” page 22 ; Steuart’s “Ancient Monuments of Lydia and Phrygia,” plate 11. 
 
 11 
 
ARRANGEMENT OF SCULPTURES ON THE IVORY CASKET IN THE MEYRICK COLLECTION. (See Plate II.) 
 
 
 S ACH 
 
 C IL 
 
 S LE 
 
 V 
 
 S 
 
 St. Achilleus, one hand holding a 
 wreath, the other open. 
 
 SIDE. 
 
 <ig 
 
 >03 '-hFh 
 
 St. Gregory, Patriarch, holding a 
 book. 
 
 >ce 
 
 
 
 St. Nereus, left hand holding a wreath, 
 and the right held up in Roman 
 attitude of benediction, with the back 
 
 
 <£ 
 
 turned to spectator. 
 
 St. Luke, Evangelist. A beard- 
 less figure, holding a square 
 book in his left hand ; the 
 right raised, with fingers 
 disposed in Greek mode for 
 benediction. The letters of 
 his name are red. 
 
 
 iit. Matthias. A bearded 
 figure, with right hand 
 raised and open ; the left 
 grasps a roll. The letters 
 care green. 
 
 (jOtOHgol? 
 
 St. Simon, holding a small cross 
 in right hand and a roll in 
 left. The letters of his name 
 are also green. 
 
 Ph CO 
 
 St. James, holding a roll. The 
 letters of his name are in 
 red. 
 
 SCS APL 
 
 M S 
 
 A 
 
 T 
 
 HE 
 
 YS 
 
 St. Mattheus, Apostle (1), hold- 
 ing a book, and the right 
 hand fingers in attitude of 
 Greek benediction. The let' 
 ters of his name in green. 
 
 Ph 
 
 St.Tliaddeus, Apostle, bearded, 
 
 < 
 
 holding a roll horizontally 
 with both hands. The let- 
 
 
 ters of his name red. 
 
 
 St. Mark, Evangelist. A beard- 
 
 1 w 
 
 less figure, holding a hook. 
 The letters of his name are 
 
 1 CO ^ 
 
 also red. 
 
 O^Ah 
 
 EgB 
 
 St. Stephen, Protomartyr, 
 
 beardless but with tonBure, 
 holding a book. The letters 
 
 
 of his name are green. 
 
 
 SCS CRISAN 
 
 TVS 
 
 St. Chrysanthus. A beardless 
 Greek saint, clothed also in 
 the Greek garment, and 
 holding a crown. 
 
 
 SCS 
 
 ALLE 
 
 XN 
 
 DE 
 
 St. Alexander, with his name 
 strangely spelt, in a Greek 
 paludamentum, or mantle, 
 holding a crown. 
 
 R 
 
 
 < 
 
 < 5l 
 
 St. John the Baptist, turned 
 towards the Saviour, with a 
 
 
 
 crown in left hand, wearing 
 
 
 
 a hairy mantle, and right 
 hand extended. His name 
 in Roman letters, IONS for 
 
 
 ’ cc ’ PS 
 
 Baptista. 
 
 Ph' 
 
 , o 
 
 TheSaviour, bearded, viewed in 
 
 * y 
 
 full face, with long hair ; right 
 
 o 
 
 hand held up in Roman form 
 
 EH 
 
 , g 
 
 of benediction, in left hand 
 a square book. His name 
 is written in the usual Greek 
 
 
 
 abbreviations, red letters. 
 
 
 
 The Virgin Mary, in close 
 hood and mantle covering 
 her neck ; a straight fringe 
 passes across from shoulder 
 to shoulder. Both hands 
 raised, the palm of one only 
 shown to the spectator. The 
 
 
 
 letters of her name red. 
 
 
 
 St. Daria, a hooded female 
 
 
 <• 
 
 saint, with right hand raised, 
 and left one holding a short 
 cross. Letters of her name 
 
 
 i ° 
 
 ’ CC 
 
 red. 
 
 
 
 St. Julia, also a hooded female 
 
 
 
 saint, with cross. 
 
 
 % 
 
 
 ^ St. James, Apostle, with short 
 
 Ah co heard, very long features, 
 
 •< and formally-indicated hair, 
 
 enveloped in a toga, from 
 which the fingers of the right 
 hand peep out, as in the well- 
 known statue of Aristides. 
 He holdsa roll in his mantle, 
 M wears short beard, aud stares 
 
 <J ^ o O ffl r* cc full at the spectator. The 
 letters of his name are green. 
 
 SCS APL 
 
 BA S 
 
 R 
 
 T 
 
 H 
 
 0 
 
 St. Bartholomew, Apostle, 
 holding a roll with both 
 hands. Name written in red. 
 OH. 
 
 SCS APLS 
 
 AN 
 
 D 
 
 R 
 
 E 
 
 AS 
 
 St. Andrew, Apostle, holding 
 a cross and closed hook. 
 Name written in green. 
 
 
 St. Paul, ApoRtle, in Roman 
 
 
 tunic, girded. Left band 
 
 
 holding book open, the 
 
 
 right hand raised and open. 
 No sword. Eyes staring, 
 
 , CC r* . 
 
 and hair arranged with pe- 
 
 culiar lock upon forehead. 
 
 
 Name written in red. 
 
 St. Peter, bearded, with ton- 
 sure. In Roman dress. Left 
 hand raised, and with fingers 
 slightly bent, leaving fore- 
 finger pointing upwards. 
 The right hand holds two 
 keys, the wards of which 
 form the name PETRVS. 
 Name filled in with green. 
 
 St. John, the Apostle, 
 
 <l2w» 
 
 CO 
 
 t-J 
 
 Ph 
 
 < 
 
 St. Thomas, Apostle, holding 
 roll. Name in green. 
 
 
 St. Philip, Apostle, with book. 
 Name written in red. 
 
 St. Pancras, left hand holding a wreath, 
 and the other raised. The letters 
 
 1 CO ” ri 
 
 Keyhole. 
 
 St. Justus, Martyr, left hand holding 
 a wreath, other hand raised ; the 
 fingers open, showing palm. The 
 letters of his name are also red. 
 
IVORY CARVINGS ON THE MEYRICK ROMANESQUE CASKET. 
 
 The disposition of Christ’s fingers for the act of benediction, and the toga form of some 
 of the draperies, indicate a decidedly Roman origin. On looking to the Italian mosaics of the 
 fourth and fifth centuries, we find many striking parallels ; nor shall we turn without profit 
 to contemporary manuscripts. The compressed crowns of martyrdom held in many of the 
 hands, together with an almost indiscriminate display of either a rolled volume or square 
 book, are points which cannot fail to attract the notice of those who have devoted attention 
 to artistic productions of this nature. As the arrangement of the figures and names of saints 
 on this coffer are so peculiar, I append a diagram form of the position they occupy (see pre- 
 ceding page), and the attributes connected with them. 
 
 The name of the Saviour, it will be perceived, is the only one written in Greek 
 characters : these are strictly in accordance with the traditionary forms of Byzantine art. 
 Two of the Evangelists have the fingers bent according to the Greek mode for benediction. 
 Peculiarly Greek saints appear on the cover of the casket ; and yet a Roman Patriarch is 
 introduced as a substitute for the Greek: St. Gregory Nazianzen would have been arrayed in 
 a more directly Byzantine fashion. Notwithstanding the classic association of the names, the 
 Saints Nereus and Achilleus are peculiarly Roman. These, at the right-hand end of the 
 casket, flank St. Gregory. St. Alexander, a northern Italian saint, appears in a place of 
 honour, next to the Baptist. St. Daria and St. Chrysanthus* are not very generally known, 
 but they are represented in the early mosaics at Ravenna. Of St. Pancras, Mrs. Jameson 
 remembered no effigy. It is remarkable that all these later-named saints are represented in 
 the old churches dedicated to them at Rome, buildings especially celebrated for their mosaics. 
 Every nimbus is plain and circular : that alone of the Saviour excepted, which contains indi- 
 cations of the limbs of the cross. The hair, generally speaking, is parted in the middle. The 
 
 eyes are all staring and round; the centre of the 
 eyeballs drilled, as in the early Norman sculptures 
 of England. This monument, so unique, whether 
 for completeness or extent of dimensions, has never 
 before been engraved ; and notwithstanding the ad- 
 mirable fac-simile given in Plate II., nothing short 
 of the actual material, the delicate but compact 
 ivory, can convey a notion of the reality. 
 
 Another work of ivory also, but of far less 
 refined execution, although far superior in design, 
 claims especial notice at this juncture. It may be 
 regarded as the type of Western art in opposition 
 to that of the East, which has pervaded most of 
 the examples we have recently been considering. 
 The Teutons long had a class of art of their own ; 
 the demand both for objects of luxury and for the 
 observance of the Church ritual maintained a steady 
 exercise of artistic talent. North of the Alps ( tra- 
 montane ) ) there seems to have always been a kind of 
 high road running east and west, in which direction 
 
 Ivory Silvia, with various Scenes from the New Testament, . , n • i , . 
 
 bdonyiny to Mr. g. Atienborouyh. a taste {or r,ch ornament and ecclesiastical para- 
 
 phernalia was early established, as far as we can 
 trace it, in some of the Rhenish provinces. The primitive art of Cologne appears to support 
 these views ; all vestiges, however, belonging to this locality are now confined to pictures, 
 and belong to a far later period than the one at present alluded to ; nevertheless, what 
 
 Mi's. Jameson, “Sacred and Legendary Art,” p. 380, 2nd edit. 
 
 d 
 
docs exist may be regarded as the modified reflection of what was previously in vogue when 
 in a more exuberant and unqualified condition. Another school of art also maintained at this 
 time a kind of independence in the Gallic provinces, under the rule of the descendants of 
 Charles le Chauve. It is, however, among manuscript illuminations that we shall find the 
 most satisfactory evidence upon the arts of this period. There, in connection with waiting, 
 we ascertain where portraiture was intended, and learn the circumstances under which particular 
 works were executed. Even where names and dates are wanting, there is something in the 
 fashion of the writing itself which reveals almost infallibly to the practised student of such 
 subjects its date within fewer years even than the quarter of a century. Strange as it may 
 appear, handwriting undergoes its periodical changes ; and, excepting in studied cases, such as 
 forgery or professed copying, no style of writing ever occurs again with precisely the same 
 characters. Even if it did, there are still various other sources from which inferences might be 
 drawn ; such as the nature of the materials then in use, the kind of pen, the parchment, the 
 ink, the brush, the paper, the watermark, the seal, &c. In painted windows of early times 
 also, pictorial subjects are not unfrequently connected with historic inscriptions ; and some of 
 the most ancient known in this material are of the Lombardic characters, a combination, in 
 fact, of the Latin and Gothic letters, which, at a later time, prevailed exclusively. These 
 Lombardic characters are very dissimilar from the pure Latin or pure Gothic, and have 
 nothing whatever in them of the features peculiar to Byzantine writing. The inscriptions 
 on the monument now to be described are all in Lombardic characters, inclosed within 
 horizontal bands, to which the actual letters are more or less attached. 
 
 This interesting ivory carving, formed in one piece from the elephant’s tusk, is a church 
 bucket, or Situla, used to contain holy water, of very primitive form, with two handles carved 
 into masks, projecting at diametric points above the upper rim.* The inside is quite plain, but 
 the exterior is richly decorated with two bands of historical compositions, divided into square 
 compartments of unequal length. The accompanying woodcut will give an excellent notion of 
 its general appearance : but it is to be lamented that this curious example of the art of 
 the Middle Ages was not reproduced in a more precise manner, and on a more extended scale. 
 The design of the subjects is very puzzling. There is a remarkable attention in these 
 compositions to the proprieties of antique Homan costume, nothing, in fact, that can be 
 traced to indicate a Byzantine origin. Were it not for certain features observable in the 
 portions of architecture which are incidentally introduced, and the form of the letters between 
 the bands, this ivory might have been assigned to a much earlier or far later period. The 
 central lower subject represents the “Deliverance from Hades;” where the Saviour, having 
 burst the Gates of Hell, is seen entering with a staff-cross over his shoulder, and rescuing the 
 Patriarchs, in accordance with the old tradition. The head of the Saviour is beardless; he 
 treads upon a fallen leaf of the gate, whilst an angel is seen holding the rest back with his 
 hands. The best and most spirited part of this composition consists of a group of a finely-turned 
 figure of an angel holding down a hideous demon by his arms. The upraised hands of the fiend 
 struggling with impotent rage to free himself, and contrasting with the sense of calm power vested 
 in his adversary, betoken both conception and execution belonging to a far more perfect age of 
 art. Many points of grouping and attitudes in these compartments really merit the appellation 
 Flaxman-like. The compartment Ho. 2, representing the “Betrayal of the Saviour,” might 
 
 * It came from Aix-la-Chapelle, ancl passed through the hands of Mr. Chaffers, a dealer in antiquities, to its 
 present owner. A very learned and valuable account of this vessel, by Mr. Westwood, was published in the Literary 
 Gazette of February 14th, in which the writer expressed his belief in the date then assigned to it, namely, the close 
 of the tenth century ; and that the inscription on it refers to Otho III., 987 — 1002. A dissertation upon this situla 
 was written by J. Kantzeler, one of the canons of the cathedral of Aix-la-Chapelle, but it does not afford any information 
 respecting the history of the monument he describes, nor does it even once refer to another ivory bucket, which is still 
 preserved in the cathedral, where M. Kantzeler holds a stall. 
 
IVORY CARVINGS ON A SITULA FROM AIX-LA-CHAPELLE. 
 
 almost be taken for a group from tlie Vatican sarcophagus of Junius Bassus, already quoted 
 as of a truly early period. The forms on this carving are very round, and generally coarse; 
 the heads especially are large in proportion. As the subjects chosen, and the manner in which 
 they are disposed, have considerable interest, a diagram form is here appended, as the best 
 mode of rendering their arrangement intelligible. 
 
 Arrangement op Subjects on tiie Situla. 
 
 1 . 
 
 2. 
 
 3. 
 
 4. 
 
 5. 
 
 6. 
 
 Christ washing 
 the Disciples’ 
 feet in a laver. 
 
 The Betrayal. 
 
 Judas receiving 
 the thirty 
 pieces of silver. 
 
 The 
 
 Crucifixion. 
 
 Judas returning 
 the money, and 
 hanging himself. 
 
 Four soldiers 
 seated 
 
 round sepulchre. 
 
 r. 
 
 8. 
 
 9. 
 
 10. 
 
 11. 
 
 Deliverance 
 from Hades. 
 
 Christ at Bethany, 
 with 
 
 Martha and Mary. 
 
 Christ in the midst 
 of the 
 
 Eleven Apostles. 
 
 Incredulity 
 
 of 
 
 St. Thomas. 
 
 Winged Angels at 
 the tomb, the 
 Maries approaching. 
 
 This ivory situla is 6J inches in height, 4f in diameter, and of a very deep-brown soapy 
 material. In the Resurrection subject (No. 11), one of the angels plants his foot on the back 
 of one of the crouching guards. In No. 6 the sepulchre is made like the round churches 
 of Cambridge and Northampton, and seen also on one of the ivories engraved by D’ Agin court. 
 The “Crucifixion” (No. 4) includes the two thieves on crosses. The figures of Sol and Luna, 
 with torches, are whole-length figures, most strangely crouched in their respective discs ; 
 the two mourning angels, it is curious to observe, are merely bust figures. 
 
 Horns and the walrus tusk, as less precious materials than ivory, were frequently employed 
 by the occupants of our country in early times, materials that at once indicate the readiness 
 with which man, in a primitive state, avails himself of forms and material as lie finds 
 them, whilst he intuitively desires to make them his own by adding to the surface a certain 
 amount of ornamentation. In drinking- shells of savages, in nuts or gourds, and even on the 
 rudest clay vessels of the most ignorant people, some attempt at embellishment may be traced ; 
 it is therefore no wonder that when the horns of animals, especially oxen, are converted into 
 drinking-cups, we find in so firm and close a texture as the bone itself an extremely minute and 
 elaborate degree of ornament attempted upon them. The fineness of the material has, after 
 all, much to do with the extent and delicacy of human workmanship. The Chinese and the 
 Indians have especially shown their power in works of this nature ; nor were the northern 
 nations, such as the Scandinavians, far behind them. 
 
 Two very remarkable horns (Plate III.), whether for blowing or drinking from, have been 
 contributed to the Art Treasures Exhibition ; one a Scandinavian horn, the property of H. Black- 
 burn, Esq., and the other a Tenure horn, of the twelfth century, from the Society of Scottish 
 Antiquaries of Edinburgh (fig. 1). The Scandinavian horn (fig. 2) is an excellent example of 
 the style of ornament which prevailed among northern nations from very remote times, and 
 descended to the south of Europe, during the inroads of the Northmen, when they, profiting 
 by the conflicts which distracted the eastern and western occupants of middle Europe, 
 established a Norman principality. These new elements mingling with what was prominent 
 in the Byzantine character, and influenced especially by Saracenic and Indian tastes, then 
 advancing with the progress of the Mahometans along the shores of the Mediterranean, 
 produced a totally new character in architecture, and resulted in one of the most striking 
 
S C U L P T l T R E, IN Y A R I 0 IT S M A T E R f A L S. 
 
 changes and powerful contrasts anywhere traceable in the history of that science. Northern 
 art, as we see it in the Scandinavian horn, had a natural tendency to imitate both the 
 vegetable and animal forms so familiar to a people addicted to the chase and devoted to 
 rustic occupations : geometric forms hold a subordinate position, and are sparingly introduced. 
 Like the early attempts traceable on the Etruscan, Phoenician, Corinthian, and Attic vases in 
 the British Museum, contests between animals and man, where the latter proves himself 
 superior to them, afford the general theme. The Northern nations, however, introduced 
 another animal — the serpent — rarely seen in Grecian art, and, when introduced by them, was 
 mainly as a symbol of beneficence, whilst here it appears as a universal enemy pursuing 
 animals, and the object of active resistance and hard warfare on the part of man. It is 
 amusing in one of the long compartments of this Scandinavian horn (fig. 2, Plate III.) to 
 see a long snake pursuing a row of quadrupeds, some of which, by their movements, indicate 
 the very extremity of terror. On the broad frieze at the top of the horn, and at right angles 
 with the portions last alluded to, we also find the very rude representation of a quadruped 
 involved in the folds of a large serpent. Each creature apparently annihilating the other. 
 A barbarously-formed man, the upper part of his head hidden, with a broad-bladed sword and 
 full-girt tunic and leggings, composed of ring armour, such as is still worn by the Sikhs, 
 advances to the left. He wears a great moustache and a long beard, and in his left hand 
 carries a round shield, so domical that the hand is lost in it, and it might at first sight be 
 taken for an unduly large classical cap of the shape called pilous. The bands of ornament 
 round the narrower ends of the horn are more definite and refined ; but it is to the 
 other example (fig. 1, Plate III.), contributed from the Royal Scottish Society of Antiquaries, 
 Edinburgh, that we must turn for a more mature and developed specimen of the forms that 
 these people delighted in. Wild animals are still the chief theme, but not combined in crowds 
 or savage contests. They are separated by rude but graceful tendrils and leaves of common 
 weeds, forming circular frames to each animal, and the smaller spaces between them enriched 
 by tender shoots of leaves and fruit resembling the blackberry, destitute of thorns. The 
 attitude of each animal is full of life. Some hav6 young beside them, others have birds 
 perched near them. The horns of the stag are very cleverly made to accord in curve with 
 the lines of the frame of its compartment. One animal, with head turned and scratching 
 the nose with the hind foot, has all the freedom of, if not superior to, a similar subject 
 on the old Greek coins of Gortyna, in Crete. The design also of the ornament on the 
 three upper horizontal bands displays much taste, simplicity, and refinement; but the row of 
 animals in the broader frieze is crowded and mannered, partaking rather more of the older 
 barbaHc style. We, however, find nothing of that elaborate interlacing which is so peculiar 
 also to Northern art, and which, although barbaric, displays such beautiful workmanship, 
 invention, and ingenuity, that even the most refined and cultivated eye must dwell upon it 
 with pleasure.* 
 
 Horns used for drinking (called Rhyton by the Greeks) may be seen represented by 
 the Greeks, the Romans (see Vatican Virgil), and Anglo-Saxons (see MS. Prudentins in the. 
 
 * In Celtic manuscripts, and especially ancient Irish metal-work, these peculiarities are best seen. Northern nations 
 of this class, in addition to the prominence given to the serpent as an enemy, delight in the endless variety afforded 
 by the curves of the lizard’s tail. Many of their richest ornaments are composed of these animals intertwined ; and 
 from this circumstance has arisen the recognized term, Lacertine ornament. The principle became at last somewhat 
 extended, and after innumerable turns and complications, over a comparatively large surface, these convolutions were 
 made to terminate in the head and fore limbs of a monster, rather than a lizard ; heads also of animals without 
 mouths, like those of the feline tribe, when viewed in front, were introduced in abundance. Our Norman doors of the 
 earlier period afford numerous examples, and very striking specimens may be seen in the Shobden Church doors, copied 
 in the Crystal Palace at Sydenham, and many of the primitive Irish crosses in the north transept of the same building. 
 (See Wyatt and Waring’s Handbooks to the Byzantine Court, pages 66 and 161.) 
 
 10 
 
CARVINGS IN HORN AND WALRUS TUSKS. 
 
 British Museum).* Horns given also for tenure were numerous in ancient times. Many have 
 been engraved ; but the most celebrated instance of this nature is the so-called horn of TJlplius, 
 contributed to the Art Treasures Exhibition by the Dean and 
 Chapter of York. Another tenure horn, belonging to the 
 Marquis of Northampton, displays more elaborate figure-work, 
 and has therefore been selected here for the subject of a woodcut. 
 The upper bands of frieze contain excellent ornaments, and a 
 running scroll pattern, remarkable alike for precision of design 
 and simplicity. The sphinxes, griffin, and large budding plants 
 in the broadest division, have an essentially Oriental character, 
 and strongly resemble some of the devices upon the ancient 
 bowls and the borders of garments of officials among the lately- 
 discovered sculptures of Nineveh. Some of the above-named 
 scroll ornaments may be compared with those already noticed 
 upon the Romanesque casket belonging to Colonel Meyrick 
 (Plate II.). In the tenure horn before us, the disposition of 
 the figures merits some observation. They are all separate, 
 and dispersed over an equal plane, one above the other, as we 
 see on the sculptures of the great Pylon of Edfou, in Egypt, 
 and on some of the largest painted Greek vases found in Apulia 
 and Basilicata. In point of relief, action, and -workmanship, 
 they very closely resemble the figure-subjects upon the ancient 
 Roman pottery, so abundantly found in some parts of England, 
 and known as Samian ware. The general appearance of the horn 
 itself, which is of a very dark dull brown wood-like appearance, 
 much ribbed and cracked, is very well conveyed in the accom- 
 panying woodcut. Two metallic bands encircle the horn and 
 border the field adorned with figures ; the upper part of the 
 sculptures is occupied with liorse-racing, where the charioteers 
 appear mounted in the quadriga , holding whips, having the 
 reins carried round behind the body, as seen in the more 
 purely classic representations : the next row displays a wolf- 
 and-hare hunt : the third, men wrestling and boxing, like the 
 ancient athletes; and lowest of' all, the smallest circle of figures 
 m , contains men with rings, and one figure having caught a stag 
 
 Tenure horn, belonging to the Marquis of ,, . & ° do o 
 
 Northampton. Wlth the laSSO.f 
 
 Among the last to be noticed as belonging to the bone and 
 ivory carvings of these barbarous times, are some very curious chessmen, which exhibit a great 
 
 Die drinking-horn is said, in Shaw's “Dresses and Decorations” (quoting Sir Frederick Madden), to have been 
 a peculiar attribute of the queen among the Northmen, for it was her office to serve the ale to the warriors of her 
 husbands court. When drilled at the extremity, and mounted with metal, these horns became known in the Middle 
 Ages as ob/ants, or warders’ horns, under which former name several are to be found in the old inventories j and 
 indeed we see on the pages of antiquity many representations both of horns and shells being used for emission 
 or sound ; in late classic art also we find them employed as torches. 
 
 + 111 mentioning tl,e Clan Oephane tenure horn, probably of the eleventh century, and one from the Society of Scottish 
 ytnjuar.es, at Edinburgh, probably of the twelfth, it may not be inapt to refer to a valuable paper read by Cosmo Innes, 
 »q., . . upon * Some Curiosities of old Scotch Tenures and Investments.” After noticing the necessity which must 
 have always wasted of giving symbolic possession in the transfer of objects-land, for instance-wliich remained immovable, 
 . limes alluded to the early legend ot the possession of Iona having been completed by the interment of Oran, 
 one of St. Columbus disciples; and to the grant of land by Hungus, king of the Piets, to St. Andrew's, in 820, 
 where the king offered up a turf of the ceded territory upon the altar. In the painting by Raphael, in the Vatican, 
 
MATERIALS. 
 
 variety of patterns and ingenious devices in certain panels on their pedestals and chairs associated 
 with some of the rudest and most peculiarly original attempts to portray the human form and 
 character that can be conceived. The grace and imagination of the ornaments far exceed the 
 execution of the rest. About the year 1831 (see Archceologia, vol. xxiv. pages 212 and 290) a 
 collection of sixty-seven chessmen, one portion of them having been stained a deep red, was found 
 in a sandbank in the parish of Uig, Isle of Lewis. They were carved out of the tusks of the 
 walrus, and seem to have been the property of some Icelandic merchant, swept ashore after 
 shipwreck. Sir Frederick Madden (page 291) expresses his conviction that they were executed 
 
 in Iceland, about the middle of the twelfth century. 
 One specimen belonging to a similar series, now in 
 the Museum of the Louvre, has been engraved by 
 H. Shaw, on his illustrations to plate 9 of the 
 “ Dresses and Decorations.” 
 
 A valuable ecclesiastic ornament in a similar 
 material, if not actually ivory, is to be seen in 
 the head of a pastoral staff belonging to the 
 Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. It is composed of a 
 simple volute curve, terminating in a serpent’s head, 
 with widely-distended jaws, gaping at a small crucifix, 
 rising from the back of a quadruped, whether stag, 
 unicorn, or lamb. The metallic portions are evi- 
 dently additions of a subsequent time. 
 
 Another elaborately-carved head of a pastoral 
 staff’, belonging to Mr. H. Farrer, contains within 
 the curve a bas-relief seated figure of St. Peter, 
 holding the keys and book. Its style of workman- 
 ship partakes of Saxon formality, but the ornamental portions are much freer and of a more 
 flowing character than the rest. The central portion of this pastoral staff bears a consi- 
 derable resemblance to the sculpture over the Prior’s entrance at Ely Cathedral, the date of 
 which is presumed to be about 1180, under Bishop Ridal; at all events, the second half of 
 the twelfth century may be assigned to it. 
 
 Mere ornamental work in productions of this class often takes a very high position, whilst 
 the human figure remains so utterly deficient in artistic execution. 
 
 Statuary-work of the twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth centuries, could hardly have been 
 looked for in the Manchester Exhibition ; indeed, all striking monuments of the first of these 
 periods signally fail us. Of the Byzantine style of art but little remains for observation ; since, 
 in later times, the art was confined to flat painting, and statua/ry was strictly forbidden. Still, as 
 we have before mentioned, there existed so intimate a connection between painting and sculpture 
 on the intermediate ground of basso-rilievo, that many panels for gates and altar-fronts seem 
 to have been wrought in the Eastern cities for the service of churches in the West. Not 
 only were the bronze gates of the great Roman Basilica of San Paolo fuori le Mura executed 
 in Constantinople, in 1070, but from the same source came the celebrated Pala d’ Oro of 
 St. Mark’s at Venice : the bronzes of the monastery of Monte Cassino, the Duomo of Amalfi, 
 a.d. 1000; and of Ravellc, a.d. 1179. In all these instances of bas-relief work, the strict 
 
 ory Head ofaP 
 
 the Ashmolean Museum, 
 
 a.d. 1520, representing Constantine transferring the city of Rome to the Pope, we find the emperor on his knees before 
 Pope Sylvester, holding out to him a little statue of the goddess Rome, where the city is personified in the antique 
 fashion as au armed Amazon, with helmet, spear, and shield. — (Pistolesi, II Vaticano, tom. vii. tav. 57.) A very interesting 
 essay upon “The Horn as a Charter or Instrument of Conveyance,” by Mr. Pegge, will be found in the Archceologia 
 of the Society of Antiquaries, vol. iii., 1786. The Pusey Horn is likewise there figured. The Horn of Ulplius, at 
 York, is described in the first volume of the Archceologia, page 168. 
 
 18 
 
CARVINGS IN HORN AND WALRUS TUSKS. 
 
 Byzantine pictorial type prevails. At Venice, and especially on the entrance of the collegiate 
 church of Cividale (a small town north of the head of the Gulf of Venice, a few miles to 
 the east of Udine), may be seen statues in full relief, executed with the minutest attention 
 to the Byzantine costume and accessories. 
 
 The monastery of Cividale was founded about the year 750 ; and the four statues of 
 female saints — Anastasia, Agapa, Zionia, and Irene — are fairly modelled, and correspond to 
 the minutest degree with the figures of princesses and noble female saints upon the mosaic 
 paintings of Rome and Ravenna. They realize, in fact, the pictorial traditions then prevalent 
 in Constantinople itself, and were possibly executed by Greek artists who had settled in the 
 Venetian dominions, where they were no longer subject to the limitations imposed by the 
 Eastern Church. 
 
 Of the ages of Charlemagne, and of our Alfred the Great, we can refer to no statues. 
 Whatever may have once existed, everything has now been destroyed. Monumental effigies 
 were not then in vogue ; and architectural decoration did not include figure, but consisted of 
 simple ornamentation. The Norman period also (the eleventh century) afforded no examples 
 in the Manchester Exhibition. The statues in the west portal of Rochester Cathedral have 
 already been mentioned, as striking examples of style, and their parallels may be found in 
 the French statues of Clovis I. and Clotilda, formerly at Corbeil, but now in the Cathedral 
 of St. Denis. Their probable date is 1100.* Some remarkable statues of ecclesiastics at the 
 Cathedral of Chartres t also deserve record at this period. They are of a very refined 
 character ; and, judging by representations, display much more executive skill than the 
 figures we have previously dilated upon. 
 
 Sculptured monumental portraiture appears to great advantage in the series of effigies 
 of our early Plantagenet kings, which originally existed in the abbey of Fontevraud, in 
 Normandy. They are carved in a soft material, and are full of individual character ; the 
 draperies are arranged with a remarkable simplicity and dignity. Accurate transcripts from 
 them, with restoration, may be seen in the Medieval Court of the Crystal Palace at 
 Sydenham. J 
 
 The effigy of King John, a.d. 1216, the earliest monumental figure we have of our 
 kings in England, is far inferior in workmanship to the sculptures we have just referred to. 
 This monument of King John, at Worcester, is carved out of granite ; the hard substance 
 of which may afford some reason for the comparative roughness of execution. The vigorous 
 works produced in France and Germany during the first half of the thirteenth century, 
 have been eclipsed by the noontide splendour of the sculptors in Italy during the same 
 epoch. The family of the Pisani rose, headed by Nicolo Pisano, who worked first at Pisa, 
 and were engaged to decorate the tomb of St. Domenic, in the church dedicated to him 
 at Bologna. These sculptures were completed in 1267 : the decorations of Wells Cathedral 
 were terminated a.d. 1242. The three great names of the Pisani family of sculptors were 
 Nicolo, Giovanni, and Andrea ; but as their school had no illustration in the old Trafford 
 
 Exhibition, we are not under the necessity of entering into a minute account of their 
 
 works, or particularizing them, beyond a general allusion to their names. 
 
 During this period, figure- sculpture maintained a very high position in various parts of 
 
 England. The rich sculpturesque decorations of the west front of Wells Cathedral show very 
 thoroughly the importance which statues themselves had attained. They seem hardly restricted 
 within the recesses of the niches, and attract the eye before any of the architectural boundary- 
 forms; although, at the same time, the attitudes of the figures themselves are not at 
 
 * See Shaw’s “ Dresses aiul Decorations,” plates 8 and 9. 
 
 + Shaw, “Dresses and Decorations,” plate 12. 
 
 + They have been admirably figured in Stothard’s “Monumental Effigies,” plates 2 et seq. 
 
 19 
 
SCULPTURE, IN VARIOUS MATERIALS. 
 
 variance with the general character of the building around them. Many beautiful little statues, 
 in ivory, exist of this period, which would afford a fair indication of style; but, unfortunately, 
 Manchester was not able to obtain any. In all figures of this period, the drapery is 
 
 arranged in very simple and almost in symmetrical folds. The garments do not depart 
 
 entirely from the ideal style of the earlier periods, they seem to maintain a richness and 
 
 variety by the disposition of the folds alone, and to be free from any influence whatever 
 
 of contemporary fashions. Even the most dignified and patriarchal figures are not encumbered 
 with heavy masses of drapery. 
 
 Giotto, great both in sculpture and painting, gave many designs for figures and relievos 
 which were executed by Andrea Pisano. The statues which he designed for the Campanile 
 at Florence, during the commencement of the fourteenth century, display a rich and varied 
 power of invention, together with a perfect knowledge of the principles of sculpture. The 
 same happy readiness of moulding thoughts and rendering expression by form, was inherited 
 by Andrea Orcagna, also a painter as well as sculptor; and his talents were especially 
 manifest in the figures of the Twelve Apostles, which he executed for the tabernacle of Or 
 San Michele at Florence.* These figures, each bearing a scroll with a portion of the Apostles’ 
 Creed on it, are remarkable for simplicity and dignity, without betraying the least tinge of 
 the conventional form of garment, which soon afterwards began to obtrude itself through 
 fashion in all the plastic and pictorial works from this period. 
 
 These sculptures originated as a grateful memorial in Florence for delivery from 
 the great plague, which had ravaged the city in 1348. The same event which called 
 forth the noble works of Orcagna gave rise also to the well-known tales in Boccaccio’s 
 JDecamerone. 
 
 Hie last work of the Pisani family, by Nino, son of the Andrea already mentioned, 
 belongs to the year 1370. It is a half-figure of the Virgin holding the Child, and may be 
 seen over the door of the chapel of La Spina at Pisa.f 
 
 The memorable date 1290 should not pass without some particular allusion to the 
 state of the art of sculpture in our own country at that period. Upon the death of Eleanor, 
 the beloved wife of Edward I., a certain Master William Torell was immediately employed to 
 execute a bronze statue of the queen for Westminster Abbey. The order for payment still 
 exists, and is dated 1291 4 The death of this princess exercised almost as great an influence 
 on the arts in England as that of St. Domenic, a.d. 1221, had produced in Italy. The 
 many crosses erected by King Edward to mark the resting-places of his wife’s body involved 
 sculpturesque decorations, and many of these statues of Queen Eleanor were remarkable for their 
 extreme beauty and refinement. Michel de Canterbury, the architect of St. Stephen’s Chapel, 
 and Richard Crundale had the execution of the greater part of these crosses intrusted to them, 
 more particularly those of Cliepe and Charing. The fine monument of William de Valence 
 was also produced at this time. In Italy at this period Giovanni Pisano had just commenced 
 the sculptures for the Duomo of Orvieto. The Duomo of Florence was on the verge of 
 appearing by the hands of Arnolfo da Lapo ; Giotto was invited to Rome by Pope Boniface VIII., 
 and Marco Polo had just returned to Venice; Dante and St. Thomas Aquinas were exciting 
 the world by their eloquence ; Roger Bacon had just breathed his last, and Tauler, the great 
 German Dominican, at the same time came into the world. The occupants of the distant 
 region of Scotland were just then busied in their thoughts of William Wallace, wdiose history, 
 although unconnected with art, affords some indication of the state of civilization in those 
 days. Germany at this period does not seem to have held a very conspicuous position for 
 
 * The series has recently been admirably engraved by the Cavaliere G. P. Lasinio. 
 
 + See Wyatt and Waring’s “Description of the Italian Mediaeval Court at the Crystal Palace,” page 112. 
 % See Arclueologia, vol. xxix. page 1S9. 
 
 20 
 
PAGAN SUBJECTS ADOPTED BY ARTISTS OF THE FOURTEENTH CENTURY. 
 
 excellence in art. The curious equestrian statue at Strasburg, of Rudolf of Hapsburg, a.d. 1291, 
 speaks little for the attainments of the sculptor at that day. 
 
 The connection between pictorial and sculpturesque designs may be traced even in Italian 
 and English art of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. It is strikingly illustrated 
 by the parallels observable between the historical sculptures in the chapter-house of Salisbury 
 Cathedral and the illustrations of the MS. in the British Museum known as Queen Mary’s 
 Psalter.* 
 
 Ivory was still much employed for portable sculptures, especially to form caskets and 
 mirror-cases for ladies. Of these, numerous specimens still exist, belonging however, for the 
 most part, to the latter end of the fourteenth century ; the subjects on them having often a 
 reference to Pagan rather than Christian mythology. 
 
 The story of Pyramus and Thisbe is by no 
 means rare as a love theme upon ivory caskets of 
 this period : we find it on an hexagonal coffer No. 304 
 of the Soulages catalogue. The “Judgment of Paris,” 
 also, a relief in ivory, contributed by Mr. M. Rohde 
 Hawkins, is one of this class, and is a very remark- 
 able work of the fourteenth century. The figures are 
 in alto-relief, carved in three vertical pieces of bone 
 set under a projecting shallow-arched framework or 
 canopy. The three goddesses stand in the centre, 
 perfectly naked, without insignia or distinctions of 
 any kind. Paris reclines on a rock to the left, in 
 an energetic attitude expressive of astonishment. The 
 background is composed of strangely-formed rocks 
 and trees of a thoroughly conventional shape, closely 
 resembling the mushroom, with very deep perforations 
 among the stems. The right-hand figure, that of 
 Mercury, is very remarkable. The messenger god 
 usually completes the composition of this subject; but 
 in the present instance it is hardly possible to recognize him, so extraordinary are both 
 his garb and personal appearance. He is represented as a bearded old man, wrapped in a large 
 full mantle, evidently copied from the ancient figures of the Indian Bacchus, so often repeated 
 on classic bas-reliefs, and traceable also, as Cicognara has shown, among the sculptures of 
 the Pisani. In addition to the heavy mantle which encumbers the figure, large feather wings 
 spring from his shoulders, and his right hand holds a ball, which, although appropriate for 
 Juno as the emblem of dominion, is a very unusual one to connect with the light and agile 
 divinity. It is most probably, however, intended for the apple, the original cause of 
 contention. 
 
 A marriage casket, from the Meyrick collection (Plate VI.), and considered to be Venetian, is 
 a very complete example of the manner in which many of these smaller carvings were originally 
 applied. There is a peculiar severity of style, and at the same time absence of minute finish, 
 which characterize this remarkable work of art. On the neck, several of the horizontal surfaces 
 are enriched with bands of tarsia or inlaid pieces of wood. The figures are arranged, round 
 
 * See a very iuteresting paper by Mr. Burges, read at the anniversary meeting of the Ecclesiolomcal Society, 
 1S57 ; and Professor Cockerell’s account of the Salisbury Sculptures, in the Appendix, page 99, to his work on the 
 Sculptures of Wells Cathedral. Mr. Burges enumerates many subjects from the heathen mythology which were 
 very popular in the fourteenth century, especially the “ Tale of Troy Town,” and the “ Romance of Alexander.” Even 
 the god of wine was called Saint Bacchus, and he was called the son of La Vigue, and grandson of Noah. 
 
 f 
 
SCULPTURE, IN VARIOUS MATERIALS. 
 
 the sides, with two on each vertical piece of ivory, so as to form a kind of procession. Some 
 of the figures wear the full gowns peculiar to merchants and civilians of established position ; 
 some also have the short mantle or cape, which may be seen in Italian art at the close of 
 the thirteenth century; and some of the lads are dressed in the tight hose, and a kind of 
 jupon visible in the frescoes of the Incoronata Church at Naples, all of which indicate 
 the close of the reign of our own King Edward I. The background of these rows of figures 
 is composed of rocks and trees, rudely carved and perforated, as in the small slab of the 
 “ Judgment of Paris” already commented upon. On the front side of the lid, two naked 
 male figures with wings float in the air, holding a wreath between them ; and on the opposite 
 side two similar figures 
 float among large ser- 
 rated leaves with joined 
 shields in the centre, held 
 by the angels or genii. 
 
 Two groups of male 
 figures, in ivory, belong- 
 ing to Mr. M. Rohde 
 Hawkins, may be cited 
 as good examples of the 
 Italian school at the com- 
 mencement of the four- 
 teenth century. The fea- 
 tures of the bearded males 
 are deep - set, and the 
 locks of hair are sharp- 
 cut. There is also a pe- 
 culiar division of the hair 
 
 A Group of Apostles, carved in ivory, . ... 
 
 belonging to Mr. M. Rolule Hawkins. into three principal masses 
 
 —one over the forehead, 
 and the others from each temple over the ears. 
 
 In the general character we may still trace a simi- 
 larity to the patriarchal figures on the sarcophagus 
 of San Domenico, wrought by Nicolb Pisano. 
 
 The head of a pastoral staff of the fourteenth 
 century, belonging to Mr. Howard, of Corby Castle, 
 deserves comparison with the ones already men- 
 tioned, because objects for the same use best exhibit 
 assimilations or differences of style and period, and 
 peculiarities connected with them are more easily understood. In the subject now before us, 
 there is a great deal of ornamental work and perforation. The centre part is formed of a 
 figure of the Saviour seated as judge, an angel standing on each side; the one to the left 
 holding the cross and three nails, the one to the right the spear and crown of thorns. Their 
 wings have been painted, and gilded borders are still traceable on the drapery. In the curve 
 next to the shaft of the staff are some smaller figures rising from their graves, which com- 
 plete the subject as a representation of the Last Judgment. Above the neck of the shaft, 
 so as to form a capital from which the crook part springs, are six architectural compartments, 
 each containing two apostles. 
 
 Two exqui^e plaques or tablets of ivory, wrought into a framework of niches, canopies, 
 and columns, adorned with figures and ornamentation, inclosing twelve larger compartments 
 of rilievo figures taken from the New Testament, were among the most refined of all the 
 
 X.EmH&.DiI. 
 
 Ivory Head of Pastoral Staff of the fourteenth century, belonging 
 to Mr. Howard, of Corby Castle. 
 
ELABORATE IVORY CARVINGS OF THE FOURTEENTH CENTURY. 
 
 specimens of this period. The panels are placed two and two, in three rows, upon each 
 ■plaque. One leaf alone has been engraved in the present work (Plate V.). They are the 
 property of Mr. George Field, of Asliurst Park. The figures are in alto-rilievo, the nimbi also 
 gilt and perforated. The figures are short in proportion, with very large heads. Many of 
 the old Byzantine traditional forms have been retained. The workmanship is most probably 
 French. This sculpture certainly belongs to a later period than the specimens we have lately 
 held under consideration. The subjects of the compartments are the following, commencing at 
 the left upper compartment, and taking each row at a time : — 
 
 1. The Nativity. 2. Angels appearing to the Shepherds. 
 
 3. Adoration of the Kings. 4. The Presentation ill the Temple. 
 
 "*■ The Entry into Jerusalem. G. Christ Washing the Disciples’ feet. 
 
 The size, architecture, and arrangement of the companion plaque are precisely the same ; the 
 subjects, however, are varied, thus : — 
 
 7. The Agony in the Garden. 8. The Betrayal, 
 
 h. The Scourging. 10. The Crucifixion. 
 
 11. Tile Deposition. 12. The Maries at the Tomb; angels and guards. 
 
 Down the centre division of each door, between the historic scenes, are six apostles holding 
 
 their emblems : they are placed in deeply-recessed niches under canopies. Down the sides 
 
 are winged angels clothed in long robes, playing musical instruments, as seen in the paintings 
 
 of Angelico da Fiesole. There are twelve angels on each door. 
 
 The figures on the ivory plaques are all in liigh-relief, with a deep blue background : the 
 women display decidedly the influence of fashion in their costume: Joseph of Arimathea has 
 
 a peaked cap, but St. John, in the subject of the Crucifixion, is dressed in classic fashion, 
 
 and holds the book in one hand, with the other up to his face; precisely in accordance with 
 the old Byzantine style of attitude and expression. 
 
 A very beautiful ivory carving of the Crucifixion, under a rather sharply-pointed Gothic 
 arch, requires mention as one of the finest productions of its class in existence. It may 
 
 be assigned to the best period of early in the fourteenth century, near upon 1300, and is 
 
 undoubtedly also a French production. The mode of representing the crucified Saviour 
 goes far to determine this : — the body hangs from the cross, — the arms are bent, — the knees 
 are forced out sideways , — one nail transfixes both feet. The drapery of the Saviour reaches 
 to the knees. There is no superscription to the cross, neither is there the siippeditaneum, 
 or rest for the feet, so frequently represented. No skull or wedges appear at the foot of 
 the cross ; but the angel above is remarkably beautiful. One angel (upper part only) in the 
 centre, crowned with a diadem of rays, leans over the cross, holding in his hands the sun 
 and moon, which are represented as disks. In this respect, we are at once reminded of one 
 of the angels holding the sun and moon in the spandrils of the choir of Lincoln Cathedral, so 
 admirably described by Professor Cockerell.* 
 
 Although pagan subjects engaged so large a share of the attention of the artist, allegorical 
 and romantic inventions became remarkably prevalent in the fourteenth century; games, 
 tournaments, and pageantries then formed the principal amusements. Caskets intended as 
 presents to ladies, of a similar nature to the coffret already described (page 21), and mirror- 
 cases, afforded the chief opportunities to the ivory-carver for displaying his skill. One mirror- 
 case, published by the Arundel Society (Class XII. d, p. 16, of Mr. Wyatt’s lecture), exhibits a 
 charming group of a young man and a lady playing at chess in front of a tent; whilst two 
 other persons, holding a falcon and ring, are taking intense interest in the progress of the game. 
 The date assigned to this bas-relief work is the beginning of the fourteenth century. 
 
 Another mirror-cover which was exhibited at Manchester, among the extensive treasures 
 of Mr. Mayer (and No. 48 of M. Pulzky’s catalogue of the Fejervery collection), displays a 
 
 * See Memoirs of the City of Lincoln, communicated to the Archmological Institute at the meeting in 1848, jia^e 230 
 
 23 
 
i/ Mirror-case, in Ike collection of Mr. Mayer. 
 
 SCULPTURE, IN VARIOUS MATERIALS. 
 
 very favourite and pleasing subject, peculiar to this period, known as “ The Siege of the 
 Castle of Love.” 
 
 In the “ Chateau d’ Amour ” before us, and 
 the “ Elopement of Queen Ginevra with Sir 
 Lancelot,” we have a curious display of the 
 costumes and everyday life of the close of the 
 thirteenth century. A party of knights, clad 
 in mail, with hoods and long surcoats, are 
 crossing a bridge upon horseback. In the cen- 
 tre Sir Lancelot stands upon the back of his 
 steed, and receives the lady in his arms from 
 the window of a square tower. Beneath the 
 arch of the bridge is a boat with the escaping 
 party in it. The relief is very moderate, but 
 the execution is very careful, and affords a 
 capital specimen of the taste of the day. Simi- 
 lar carvings on other caskets show various com- 
 bats ; ladies then are the defenders of the 
 castles against the knights, and the missiles 
 that pass between the parties are bouquets of 
 roses. In one of these compositions in the 
 museum at Boulogne, a knight is represented preparing to discharge a basket of flowers from 
 one of the engines of warfare called a balista. 
 
 The South Kensington Museum also possesses a fine mirror-case with statuettes of lions 
 round the edge, and the siege and capture of the Castle of.Love on one side. (Class Nil. c, 
 of the Arundel Society’s casts.) Hawking parties, tournaments, and lovers seated under 
 trees, are subjects too abundantly varied and repeated to be particularized in these pages. 
 One ivory casket, however, published in Carter’s “Specimens of Painting and Sculpture,”* 
 plates 42 and 47, deserves to be particularized. The lid of this casket is divided into four 
 compartments, containing a siege, with knights hurling baskets of flowers, and ladies throwing 
 roses : one knight is discharging roses from his cross-bow : Cupid, winged, on the wall, is the 
 only figure with an arrow in his bow. The centre is occupied with a tournament, and ladies 
 in a balcony; and on one of the ends, the favourite subject the allegory of the unicorn. 
 
 A similar casket was contributed to the Manchester Exhibition by Mr. C. Warde 
 (Plate IV.). On the flat lid is a tournament subject, less elaborate however than on the 
 Douce example previously quoted. The two left compartments of the front seem to belong 
 to the Lay of Alexander and Aristotle ; the right-hand portions relate to Pyranrus and Thisbe, 
 where, Thisbe is concealed in a tree, the lion tears her mantle on the ground: and the rest 
 is occupied with the death of Pyramus at the fountain. 
 
 The last ivory carving we can particularize of the fourteenth century, is the very ex- 
 tensive retable, or triptych, composed of numerous statuettes, arranged in groups, so as to 
 form distinct and well-recognized historical subjects. The deep-set background is flat gold; 
 and the frame consists in the plain projecting sides of the case, with the ends painted with 
 a blue and white border. It was contributed by Mr. David Falcke, of New Bond-street.f 
 The principal central subject is the “Crucifixion,” with the Virgin, St. John, and two other 
 figures as spectators, standing like distinct statues, each on a pedestal. Above this, in the 
 
 * It belonged at that time to Mr. G. Brander, and was afterwards sold to Mr. Douce, December 11 th, 1789, for 
 thirteen* guineas. 
 
 + It has recently passed by public sale into the Mediieval department of the British Museum. 
 
ECCLESIASTICAL SCULPTURE OF THE FOURTEENTH CENTURY. 
 
 apex, is the “Coronation of the Virgin ;’ 5 and below, forming a long composition, the “Death 
 of the Virgin.” On the left-hand wing, in the apex, are the figures of a king, and the com- 
 plete subject of the “Annunciation,” in which both angel and Madonna are represented standing; 
 on the opposite corresponding side, a queen, and the “ Salutation.” The middle subject 
 of the left wing is the “Nativity;” and the corresponding one on the right, “Adoration of the 
 
 Kings.” The lowest division, to the left, is the 
 “Presentation in the Temple;” and opposite to it, 
 on the other side, the “ Flight into Egypt.” The 
 treatment of all these subjects has a striking affinity 
 to that adopted by the Byzantines. The Virgin is 
 almost always crowned ; even the little figure repre- 
 senting her soul in the arms of the Saviour, in 
 central lowest compartment, is not without this 
 distinction. This ivory formerly belonged to Dr. 
 Bohm, director of the Imperial collection of coins and 
 medals at Vienna, who states that the Emperor re- 
 ceived it from the Pope, about the middle of the 
 fourteenth century; and that at the end of the 
 fifteenth, an empress transferred it to a convent of 
 nuns.* 
 
 A very pleasing small ivory carving, seemingly 
 French, was contributed by Mr. Bowdon. The bas- 
 relief of the upper tier, under an apex or gable 
 heading, is the “ Coronation of the Virgin ;” beneath 
 it, the “ Death of the Virgin,” and Christ receiving 
 the soul under the traditional form of representation 
 as a naked infant. 
 
 Before, however, passing away from the four- 
 teenth century, a general revision of the leading 
 characteristics which prevailed may be desirable, 
 and will serve also to afford some keynote to the 
 efforts of the preceding century. At the close of the thirteenth century, Christian 
 sculpture, especially in France, had attained a high and perfectly independent position. M. 
 Magnan, in his essay upon the statue of Queen Nantschilde, draws certain contrasts between 
 the art as it then existed, after having been long fostered in the service of the Church, and 
 that of foregoing times, when Paganism prevailed.! All characteristics of a sensual tendency 
 came at last to be studiously avoided. In classic times, the senses were almost exclusively 
 addressed, and voluptuousness found ample opportunities for gratification in the frequently 
 required sculptures illustrative of the myths relating to Venus, Cupid, and Bacchus. In 
 Christian times the full bosom and gracefully falling shoulders ceded to attributes of a purer 
 tendency ; drapery was more studiously applied to conceal the limbs ; and served, notwithstanding 
 the simplicity and paucity of the folds, to convey an immediate impression of richness and 
 dignity. All the figures of the best class to which the present remarks apply are of a 
 strictly architectural character, and possess an appropriate stability,, being adapted for their 
 proper places, in such attitudes as would best befit the space assigned them, and without for 
 one moment conveying an impression that the surrounding objects necessitated or even 
 suggested the attitudes they had assumed. 
 
 n m . 
 
 Central port inn of Triptych, belonr/ing h 
 
 * See Mr. Digby Wyatt’s mention of this intei'esting work in his Lecture delivered before tlie Arundel Society 
 June, 1855, p. 14. + “Handbook of the Middle Ages;” translated, with notes, 1855. 
 
In all those works, it is observable that the general style of costume, or fashions of 
 the day, had a material influence on the arrangement of draperies ; for, although actual details 
 were carefully avoided, the peculiar mode of head-dress, proportion of mantle, or relative fulness 
 of the robe, might easily be traced. At this period the dress was generally fitted close 
 upon the hips, with full folds in front, sufficiently long to lie on the ground, where they were 
 disposed around the feet in elaborate folds. The bodice of female figures was tight, and 
 during the latter half of the fourteenth century had an especially graceful effect.* 
 
 When portraying the form of a person for monumental purposes, special attention was 
 bestowed on tho perpetuation of the superior (pialities of the deceased, devotional piety and 
 military prowess especially. The insignia of office and other badges were duly observed as 
 far as dress, Ac. would indicate ; and, indeed, distinctions of this kind became the more 
 important, since the inscriptions connected with them were brief; and, beyond tho name 
 and date, all further points of information were left to be narrated by the artist. The 
 brevity and conciseness of these ancient inscriptions contrast strikingly with the pomp and 
 parade of the elaborate compositions so abundant at a later period. In the succeeding 
 age we find that a strict adherence to military costume sadly interfered with the liberty of 
 the artist; for, when plate armour came into fashion, the sculptor had no alternative but to 
 imitate large and blank masses of steel, which were not only devoid of variety and undulations 
 of surface for representation, but involved thereby a constrained position of all the limbs. 
 The tomb of Edward the Black Prince, in Canterbury Cathedral, affords a striking instance 
 of these difficulties. There is every reason to believe that upon such an occasion as the monu- 
 ment of a great and powerful prince, the best sculptor obtainable would be called into requi- 
 sition ; but, notwithstanding such advantages, the Canterbury effigy is strikingly deficient in 
 freedom of gesture and artistic contrasts. 
 
 These observations are by no means to be confined to the monuments of our own country ; 
 the same might likewise be observed in France, although fewer remains of the corresponding 
 period are to be traced there, on account, it may be, of the devastating wars that ravaged the 
 country during the first half of the fifteenth century, and the barbarous destruction that pre- 
 vailed during the Revolution at the close of the eighteenth. In Italy, where numerous 
 monuments exist, the same artistic difficulties are perceptible, and we shall find, at a later 
 period, when the spirit of art became stronger, that the painters and sculptors were obliged 
 to disregard and modify the costumes of their own time, in order to procure a requisite amount 
 of artistic liberty. In monumental sculpture, the necessity for minute imitation upon the 
 armour of the warriors seems to have induced, by way of compensation, a really fanciful 
 elaboration and richness of ornament upon the dresses of the ladies, when seen reposing on the 
 same sepulchral couch with their knights and liege lords. Coronation robes and the pontificals 
 of ecclesiastics were especially rich and elaborately ornamented. This realistic tendency might 
 even be observed upon statues of the Virgin and Child, and also upon seated figures of the 
 Saviour as Judge, where rich robes and jewels elaborately ornamented and set in patterns 
 play the prominent part. The redundancy of ornament, which, in the reign of our Richard II., 
 attained its height, and seems to correspond with richness of decoration observable in the 
 buildings and utensils at the close of Edward III., served to prepare the way for the peculiar 
 features of the fifteenth century, upon which we now purpose to enter. 
 
 The principal causes which produced the great changes in art during the fifteenth century 
 must be sought for in Italy, and more immediately in the cities of Rome and Florence. 
 When the Popes returned from Avignon to Rome, after their long banishment (or captivity it 
 
 * See especially the beautiful little figures representing the various members of Edward III.’s family, in niches 
 on the sarcophagus in Westminster Abbey. The lovely bronze effigy of his first queen, Eleanor, may be cited as 
 one of the purest and most complete examples of the form of art aspired to in those days. 
 
 2G 
 
CHANGES IN ART, ESPECIALLY IN ITALY. 
 
 may almost Lie termed), everything was resorted to that could he devised to impress the world 
 with the antiquity and permanence of Rome itself. Her citizens desired to bridge over the sad 
 lapse of years when their pontiffs had deserted them ; they endeavoured zealously to restore the 
 
 A Powder-horn, conlribidpi by Lord Ilaatiwys. 
 
 old buildings, to disinter even the old Pagan monuments, and to devise a ready use for them 
 as if nothing had ever occurred by way of interruption to their service. A taste for Pa^an 
 sculpture and classic fables consequently became stronger than ever. Many ecclesiastic func- 
 tions which had been instituted either in imitation of, or by adaptation from, those of heathen- 
 dom, and the connection — and consequent antiquity — of the rites, were unhesitatingly recognized 
 and openly avowed. Even the superiors of the Church did not scruple to employ the chisel and 
 palette of their workmen in the illustration and embodiment of profane themes ; and the dis- 
 covery of any antique sculpture or painting was hailed with enthusiasm, in proportion as it 
 realized the former glory of the Roman nation, or threw light upon some favourite passages of 
 the ancient historians restored to their shelves. This spirit first led to the collecting of anti- 
 quities and storing up of national records, whilst to a native of Tuscany is due the merit of 
 founding the unrivalled manuscript library of the Vatican, which even at that period embodied 
 literature in its most universal form, and might be contrasted, in the spirit of its originators, 
 with that by which the Roman collectors had hitherto been actuated. 
 
 The people of Florence, devoted to commerce, had been steadily advancing in wealth 
 and importance; the arts were patronized by her chief merchants, not for mere historic 
 association, but for the benefit and gratification which they so readily afford to those who 
 best cultivate them. They were thus enabled to honour the memory and perpetuate the personal 
 appearance of their most illustrious citizens. Hence portraiture, an important and compara- 
 tively a novel feature in modern Italian art, attained an especial preference among the Floren- 
 tines. The dramatic and thoroughly independent tendency of Giotto’s conceptions illustrates 
 this. Dante, Petrarch, Boccacio, Cimabue, Donati, Brunetto Latini, Bettino di Bardi, Dello, 
 and Michelozzo, were only a few of the distinguished persons depicted by the earlier Tuscan 
 artists. This natural desire to honour great men nurtured the faculty of imitation, attained 
 at last so wonderful an approximation to reality, that this very power took afterwards a 
 somewhat pernicious tendency. Not that accuracy of imitation could in itself be injurious, 
 but danger arose from the painter’s liability to make a successful imitation the sole end and 
 object of his work. Hence, not merely in pictures belonging to the second half of the 
 fifteenth century, and professedly of a strictly religious tendency, might the features of a 
 well-known living person be recognized, but occasionally, the lineaments also of those whose 
 morals were frequently questionable : thus the serious impressiveness of the picture would 
 be impaired, and the work deprived of that devotional character which ought to have 
 pervaded it. By too implicitly copying the realities of everyday life, the very action, or, as 
 the Germans would say, the motives of the picture arc radically disturbed, and simpering 
 Madonnas, angels in extravagant attitudes, and martyrs looking to the spectator, in conscious- 
 ness of his presence, for sympathy, are only one small portion of the mischiefs which may 
 
SCULPTURE, IN VARIOUS MATERIALS. 
 
 be traced from the perverted use — not only in painting, but in sculpture also — of servile 
 imitation. 
 
 To architecture we have little space to devote ; suffice it, therefore, to note that at the 
 beginning of the fifteenth century a very leading change bad taken place. The rich Decorated 
 Gothic of our Western cathedrals had been exchanged for a more formal, although not 
 more severe style. Long and frequently repeated vertical lines predominated, intersected 
 by a few perfectly horizontal ones, as in the transverse mullions of windows and headings over 
 doorways. The change seems attributable to the revival of the study of the ancient classic 
 architecture, where rectangular lines and the semicircular arch form the principal features. In 
 the reigns of Edward III. and Richard II., both in the time of the Late Decorated and 
 the Perpendicular Gothic, some doorways and tombs also were headed with pediments or 
 arches composed of four centres, termed by the French on accolade * The contemporary style 
 in France — and a great contrast indeed to our Perpendicular — was the Flamboyant, in which 
 suppleness of tracery and intricacy of curve, like the flickering of flames, seemed to be the 
 chief objects of the designer. Beautiful panelling in wood-carving began at the same period 
 to be introduced. More extensive and movable furniture also came into demand, and in many 
 apartments the walls, hitherto of stone or rough plaster, covered, during occupation only, with 
 heavy and dust-gathering tapestry, were lined with wooden wainscoting, of very frequently most 
 highly- wrought figures and ornaments in rilievo. 
 
 The Germans, as we have already mentioned, showed an especial predilection for carving- 
 in wood, an art which in the course of the fifteenth century attained an especial degree of 
 perfection. These sculptures were highly enriched, frequently painted in fullest colours and 
 profusely gilded. 
 
 Their altar-pieces were arranged in the form of triptyclis, always so much in vogue in 
 the Greek and Russian church, and for which ivory and sheets of metal were employed ; but 
 among the Germans the centre or main picture was wrought in very high relief, and consisted 
 frequently of numerous figures inclosed in a frame, which, from the depth required by the 
 relievos, had more the appearance of a square box than any other inclosure. The 
 Manchester Exhibition had no examples of German wood-carving of so early a date as the 
 commencement of the fifteenth century ; but Labarte refersf to the wood-carvings of Lucas 
 Moser, executed in 1431, and to a “ Descent from the Cross ” by Schuhlein, at Tiefenbronn, 
 executed in 1468. He mentions carvings at. the high altar of St. James at Rothenburg, 
 executed in 1466. The wings to these altar-pieces were not sculptured, but merely flat 
 paintings, and the contrast between the two modes of expressing form when brought into 
 juxtaposition is by no means so discordant as might have been expected. Altars of a 
 similar nature, but on a very much smaller scale, for domestic purposes ( Hausaltdrchen ), were 
 not unfrequent. J A magnificent specimen of French wood-carving is now to be seen in the 
 South Kensington Museum, exhibiting various scenes of the Passion of Our Lord in the 
 fullest possible relief. 
 
 An exquisite little and very deeply-recessed triptych of two stories, contributed to the 
 Manchester Exhibition by Lord A. Howard, afforded an excellent example of German pecu- 
 liarities. The chief central subject, when open, is the “ Crucifixion,” containing a multitude of 
 very minute figures; the wings flanking it being each divided into two compartments, — the 
 left one the “EcceHomo” and the “Cross-bearing;” on the right the “Deposition” and the 
 “Resurrection.” The central subject of the lower tier is the “Nativity,” or the Adoration of 
 the Shepherds, in front of the manger, which is here represented more like a farm-house ; on 
 the left wing the “Annunciation,” on the right the “Adoration of the Magi.” The base 
 
 * De Caumout Abecedaire, vol. i. ]>. 451. An example of this may be seen on the north side of Westminster Abbey. 
 + Page 20 of English translation. + Labarte, p. 22. 
 
BRUNELLESCHI, GHIBERTI, AND DONATELLO. 
 
 upon which this portable altar rests is supported by the four symbols of the Evangelists. 
 When the doors of the two tiers are closed, the exterior displays carvings in very low relief, 
 divided altogether into four subjects only, — the “ Agony in the Garden,” the “ Betrayal,” the 
 “Family of St. Anne,” and “Joseph and Mary, with the Infant Christ fondling a lamb.” 
 It may be considered, in respect of minuteness and elaboration, almost to rival Albert Diirer’s 
 honestone carving in the British Museum. A very fine specimen of wood-carving of this period 
 was contributed by the Rev. G. R. Brackenbridge, and consists of a statue, carved entirely in 
 wood, of a female in rich German costume, with full drapery, holding a book. The long 
 plaited hair, and pleasing round features, have a decidedly Teutonic character. (Plate VII.) 
 
 Towards the beginning of the fifteenth century some of the greatest Italian artists were 
 born, men who, both as sculptors, and painters, and architects, were destined to exercise 
 some of the most permanent influences on their calling, — Squareione, Paolo Uccello, Alberti, 
 Hubert van Eyck, Masaccio, Pisanello, Castagno, Filippo Lippi. 
 
 In the year 1400 flourished Brunelleschi, Donatello, and Ghiberti : they were acknow- 
 ledged as the greatest sculptors of Italy. Brunelleschi, more generally known afterwards as 
 an architect, was born in the first year of our Richard II., and distinguished himself 
 especially by his wooden crucifix, executed in emulation of his friend Donatello. These two 
 artists undertook a journey together to Rome for the express purpose of studying the remains 
 of ancient architecture in that city ; but at the period we now refer to, none of the celebrated 
 statues had been disinterred.* Architecture could alone be their object, since both painters 
 and sculptors were far more advanced in their native territory. Ghiberti vainly attempted to 
 rival Brunelleschi in his magnificent architectural undertaking, the construction of the cupola of 
 Santa Maria at Florence. His schemes to that effect failed ; but, as a sculptor, Ghiberti held 
 the highest position. He was younger than Brunelleschi but older than Donatello, and had 
 learnt from his stepfather, a goldsmith, the art of working in metals at a very early age. 
 Having acquired algo a facility in fresco-painting, he was a well-qualified competitor for 
 the execution of the bronze gates for the Baptistery at Florence, required by the civic 
 authorities to correspond with those already finished in 1340 by Andrea Pisano. The 
 style of Ghiberti may be defined as essentially pictorial ; he crowded into every compartment 
 a multitude of figures, and frequently contrasted, in the most daring manner possible, every 
 variety of projection, from the most delicate and shallow undulations to the fulness of perfectly 
 isolated statuettes. He portrayed clouds, smoke, flame, and all the minutim of distant 
 landscape by means of very delicate gradations of surface. When copied in pure outline 
 upon paper, his compositions have a more pleasing effect than the originals, because in the 
 bronze itself a boldly projecting front figure is liable to cast a shadow on the comparatively flat 
 background near it, whether it be representing a distant view, or the flat rilievo of a group of 
 figures supposed to be fifty yards distant. The exquisite architectural feeling of Ghiberti is well 
 seen in the framework bounding the sculptures of these Florentine gates. These bronzes gave 
 so much satisfaction that he was commissioned to execute a second pair of gates for the 
 same building. In them he introduced ten compartments with scenes from the Old Testament, 
 which form the series more generally known and more frequently studied than the first pair, 
 where his subjects were limited to the New Testament. Ghiberti also executed a famous bronze 
 bas-relief in the Duomo of Florence, representing St. Zenobius restoring a child to life. The 
 universality of his genius is further shown by the fact of his having designed and painted some 
 of the glass windows in the same Duomo.f Donatello, on the other hand, afforded in his sculp- 
 tures a direct contrast to Ghiberti. He carefully avoided the crowded appearance which his 
 
 * Poggio Bracciolini enumerates tile two Colossi of Monte Cavallo, the recumbent Tiber, the fragment called 
 Marforio, and the bronze statue of Marcus Aurelius, as all the etatues that in his time remained of the thousands which 
 had once decorated the great capital. 
 
 t See Vasari’s Lives (Ghiberti), English translation, vol. i. p. 385 ; last Florentine edition, vol. iii. p. 121. 
 
 ll 
 
SCULPTURE, IN VARIOUS MATERIALS. 
 
 contemporary so generally adopted ; he revelled in subjects of passion and decided expression, 
 and yet bestowed a calm and architectural character upon many of his statues, such as always 
 characterized the works of the Pisani, Orcagna, and the great workmen of the cathedrals of 
 France and England during the thirteenth century. The St. George, executed for Or San 
 Michele, and which Michael Angelo so much admired, shows in the fullest manner the kind 
 of treatment last spoken of. Donatello’s full appreciation of passion and dramatic incident 
 betrayed him sometimes into a kind of Etruscan wildness in his bas-reliefs, such in fact 
 as we see upon many of the urns or sarcophagi from ancient cemeteries. Two very vigorous 
 designs by Donatello are engraved by Ottley, in his “ Italian School of Design,” p. 13. 
 
 The school of this great man was fortunately represented at Manchester by a female 
 head in profile, of exquisite delicacy, very low in relief, contributed by Lord Elcho ; and also 
 by a head of St. John, likewise in basso-rilievo, formerly at Strawberry Hill, and now 
 belonging to Mr. C. Wentworth Dilke.* * * § 
 
 Desiderio da Scttignano, born about 1457, was a pupil of Donatello ; and, having been the 
 instructor of Benedetto da Maiano and Mino da Fiesole, the peculiarities of his style 
 were long maintained. So superior were the works of Desiderio, that many of them have 
 since been attributed to Douatello. Vasari regrets that an untimely death cut off so much 
 excellence and still greater promise.! 
 
 Luca della Robbia (born 1400, died 1481) was a most prolific master, and from the 
 material in which he wrought, namely terra-cotta, admitting of very rapid manipulation, and 
 being universally in demand, his works are everywhere to be seen. He may also be regarded 
 as a 'picturesque sculptor. As might be expected from the contemporary of Masaccio and Lippi, 
 his Madonnas and angels are cast in a very similar and somewhat Germanesque type. His 
 groups of angels singing are especially beautiful, and some also of his Madonnas with the Holy 
 Infant display a very superior refinement. Della Robbia became especially distinguished for the 
 technical discoveries which he made, by means whereof he imparted a peculiar and very 
 desirable property to his works. He found out a certain glaze or white composition, with which 
 to coat his works; but this was, it must be owned, in some degree at the expense of the 
 sharpness and delicacy of the surface. This enamel not only protected his works, but 
 rendered them perfectly durable. Various colours were also incorporated in this coating; 
 but, although acceptable as these colours may have been, from their perfect novelty at the 
 time, such crude effects are not to be tolerated in comparison with the simpler and more 
 delicate white figures on bluish backgrounds to some of his earlier bassi-rilievi. + 
 
 A magnificent specimen of this fabriqtte - — -a circular rilievo of the Virgin and Child — - 
 belonging to the Soulages collection§ (Plate VIII. of this series), is assigned to Andrea, 
 or one of Luca della Robbia’s sons, subsequent to 1500. There is an impressive solemnity 
 pervading every countenance in this group, particularly that of the Madonna, who looks 
 downwards with serious gaze, whilst the child’s eyes are fixed steadfastly upon the spectator. 
 There is also something in the modelling of the round fleshy masses and creases of fat upon 
 the limbs of the child, which betrays a close connection with the style and forms adopted 
 
 * The interest felt in it by Horace Walpole may be understood by the following quotation from one of his letters 
 to Sir Horace Mann (Walpole’s Letters to Sir Horace Mann, vol. ii. p. 230) : — 
 
 “ Arlington Street, Feb. 17, 1773. 
 
 “Mr. Patch brought me last week, with his brother’s engravings, the beautiful St. John of Donatello, and its lovely and 
 graceful pedestal. My dear sir, how I thank you ! and how pleasing is your remembrance of me ! But you must send me no 
 more ; I not only cannot accept more presents from you, but it would be heaping them on my tomb.” 
 
 This bas-relief was placed in the chapel of Strawberry Hill ; Ho. S9 of the sale catalogue in 1842 ; twenty-fourth day. 
 
 + Two very fine drawings by this artist were contributed by Dr. Wellesley, of Oxford, to the collection of original 
 drawings; Nos. 10 and 11 of the Manchester Exhibition Catalogue. 
 
 + See Marryatt’s “Pottery and Porcelain,” 1st ed. 1850, p. 8. 
 
 § No. 437 of Mr. J. C. Bobinson’s Catalogue, 
 
 30 
 
SCULPTURE, IN VARIOUS MATERIALS. 
 
 Andrea Guacialotti’s medallion of Nicholas V., highly interesting as a contemporary portrait, dated 1454. The date 
 on the coin actually indicates that of the decease of the Pontiff ; on the reverse, the Pope appears as a bishop guiding 
 a boat inscribed ECLESIA. 
 
 By Boldh. The Maserano, a comparatively small medallion, with excellent relief : the letters beginning his 
 name are tied in the mediaeval fashion. The figure of Arion on the dolphin, very gracefully 
 composed, and much more free and flowing than on contemporary medals. 
 
 Ditto. A remarkable medallion of himself, crowned with ivy, naked neck and shoulders ; on reverse, two 
 figures seated with a skull; date on exergue, 1458. Soulages, No. 482. 
 
 Unlike the rest, very full and very original, we find Graen’s medallion of Alphonsus Ferdinand, Duke of 
 Calabria. His head is shown nearly in full, with a very peculiar high cap, with stiff feather at the side, and the letters 
 around it are in relief. On the reverse, the duke’s triumphal entry into Naples. Below', on a tablet held by two 
 winged angels, is the inscription 1TALIAQVE REST1TVTA. 1481. ' On the same surface, to the right of the letters, 
 is a chalice, with the sacramental wafer above it. The artist’s name is in the exergue, OPVS AND GPAEN. 
 Ou the medal engraved by Collas, plate 17, fig. 2, the inscription is OPVS ANDRAE • G • PRATENSIS • 1481. 
 
 A small brass medal of Frauciscus Sforza is of a very poor style of art, although perfectly well preserved ; the 
 artist’s name occupies the entire rim of the reverse : 10 • FR • ENZOLAE ■ PARMENSIS • OPVS. 
 
 Goins of Annas Mommoranus, and of Alexander Bassianus and Johan. Cavineus Patavini, in which latter coin the 
 two profiles are placed side by side, both turned to the light, are fair specimens of the influence exercised upon the 
 artists of the period by access to the purer coins of antiquity. 
 
 A good portrait bust of an old man in a cap, turned to the left, occurs on the medallion of Hercules, Duke of 
 Ferrara; on the reverse, four naked Cupids receiving fruit or shields falling from the clouds, inscribed, “ Juppiter ex alto 
 nobis adamanta remisit.” 
 
 A bold medal of the Emperor Frederic, dated mcccclxix., with mounted generals on the top of an arch on the 
 reverse, may be regarded as a good specimen of transalpine art, so near the middle of the fifteenth century. 
 
 The Venetian Zacchus affords a capital medallion of the Doge Gritti, in his eighty-second year, a benevolent- 
 looking old man, the head in profile, to the right ; on the reverse, a perfectly naked female, holding rudder and cornu- 
 copia, probably as Fortune, standing on a pedestal, with a salamander behind it, fills the reverse side. Inscription 
 beneath 10 ■ ZACCIIVS • F. 
 
 A large and very important medallion of Savonarola, who appears cowled, aud gazing earnestly on a crucifix which 
 he holds in his baud ; on the reverse, a view of the city of Florence, with a hand over it holding a dagger, issuing 
 from the clouds. Part of the inscription still legible is GLADIVS DOMINI. The Holy Ghost, in the form of a 
 dove, also appears in the sky. Neither date nor name of the artist appears on either side. 
 
 An equally large medallion, in very low relief, bears the name of an artist, who does not seem to be recognized 
 by Cicognara, Bartolommeo of Florence ; ou the obverse is a turbaued head of the Sultan Mahomet, with the legend 
 MAVMhET ASIE AC TRAPESVNZIS MAGNEQVE CRETE IMPERAT. On the reverse is an elaborate 
 composition of the monarch standing on the front part of a chariot drawn by two fine horses, led by a man bearing a 
 trophy, after the antique fashion. Standing in the chariot, on the lower back part, are three naked female figures, 
 grouped together like the Graces, but tied at the. waist by one thick cord. The names TRAPES V 7 XT V, C RETIE, 
 and ASIE, are inscribed against each. Two nude mule figures are seated in the lower part of the field, holding 
 a trident aud cornucopia ; between them the imperfect inscription, broken in the last line, — 
 
 OPVS 
 bARTOLOI 
 FLORENTIN 
 SC VI CRIS 
 
 Hie medallion of Ezcellinus II I. de Romano seems to have been very fine, but without the reverse with a representation 
 of Padua, and the date 1237, which may be seen in Mazzuchelli and Colla-s, plate 21, fig. 2, part 2. This work of 
 art can only be regarded as commemorative, for the Italians delighted to represent their past heroes, as the Romans of the 
 later empire struck contorniate medals in honour of the most distinguished Greeks and Romans from the earliest times. 
 
 The metal works ot Pollajuolo, although unrepresented in the Manchester Exhibition, require notice here, 
 especially his medallion representing the conspiracy of the Puzzi, which is so well known : Vasari, his biographer, refers to 
 it.* The figures oil the surface of the medal are comparatively small, with a proportionate display of architecture ; thus 
 approaching in style the panels of the second bronze gate by Ghiberti, already spoken of. Pollajuolo was one of those 
 universal artists to whom painting, sculpture, metal work, and engraving were only so many different languages, 
 equally at command for the expression of their thoughts. His engravings at Manchester, and the great picture of 
 St. Sebastian, recently added to our National Gallery, t will serve to evidence both his various abilities and peculiarities 
 of style. As a contemporary of Finiguerra and Botticelli, he was one of the earliest engravers. 
 
 The great Colleoni, inscribed BARTHOL • CAPVT ■ LEONIS • MA ■ C • VESE, a bold head, turned to the left, 
 in civil costume, wearing the berretta or cap, and totally without hair, appears on a medallion, which is spoken of 
 most disparagingly by Cicognara, p. 412. A very quaint device, on the reverse, of a naked man seated on a cuirass, 
 and holding a pulley. The artist’s name is inscribed OPVS-M- The letters are in relief. 
 
 GVIDIZA 
 
 NI. 
 
 ! Vasari, Florentine edition of 1840, vol. v. p. 100. 
 
 I No. 292 of the Catalogui 
 34 
 
] T ALIA N M E D A L L 10 N S 0 V T II E Q U A T T R 0 - C E N T 0 BERIO D. 
 
 Matteo de Pastis, a Veronese colleague of Pisanello, has left comparatively few specimens 
 of his skill ; one, however, dated 1446, deserves notice as belonging to an interesting person, 
 Isotta, the celebrated poetess of Rimini. It is engraved in Collas, plate 7, fig. 2. A portrait 
 of the same person, in colours, by Pietro della Francesca, lias been recently added to the 
 pictures in the National Gallery : No. 585 ot Catalogue. 
 
 Sperandio, a Mantuan, is also worthy of particular mention, as one of the first and most 
 important sculptors in this department of art. His medallions of Count Pepoli of Bologna, Doge 
 Agostino Barbadico, and Duke Frederic of Urbino, display great vigour and variety of character. 
 The reverse of the first-mentioned medallion, representing two figures seated at chess, in very 
 bold relief, and quit© in the Michael Angelo style, with fidl round form, has won Cicognara s 
 special commendation (vol. v. p. 408). It is not a little singular that this fine medallion was 
 unknown to Mazzuchelli, whose collection seems otherwise to have been so complete. 
 
 The Venetian Giovanni Boldu, who signs his medals orvs ioannis boldv pictoris, and 
 though claiming, like Pisanello, recognition as a painter, is now only known by a very few 
 medals. One of them, to Philip Masserano, is dated 1457. It is engraved in Collas, plate 11, 
 fio-. 1. A medallion of himself, dated in the exergue 1458, is signed on the reverse in 
 Greek as well as Latin. The Greek version of his name, Boldu, is somewhat curious ; it 
 is spelt MEH2AATOY. Another to a German musician named Schlifer, “ a second Orpheus,” is 
 dated 1457. Only the second of these was to be seen in the Art Treasures collection, — the 
 medallion of himself, which belongs to the Soulages collection, No. 482 ; but it is much worn. 
 
 We should be far exceeding our limits, were we to devote an equal time and minuteness to every branch of art ; 
 but the medallions of the Quattro and Cinque Cento period being so admirably displayed in the recent Exhibition, 
 and a knowledge of their merits being far less diffused than their historic interest seems to warrant, it has been con- 
 sidered advisable to particularize a few of the best specimens from the contributions of Dr. Wellesley, Stonyhurst College, 
 and the collection formed by M. Soulages, so often referred to. 
 
 Of Pisanello. The Malatesta Novello, already described. 
 
 Ditto. Ludovicus de Gonzaga, a bust to the left ; on reverse, armed knight on horseback. No date. 
 
 Ditto. Franciscus Sforza, a beardless head, wearing the high cap, to the left ; on reverse, a horse’s head, 
 
 sword, and books. No date. 
 
 Ditto. Nicolaus Piciniuus, old head in high cap, to the left ; no inscription in the Manchester specimen. 
 
 Collas gives one, plate 6, fig. 1 ; on reverse, two children suckling a griffin, with PERVSIA 
 inscribed on a collar round its nock. No date. 
 
 Ditto. The Cecilia Gonzaga, already described ; but at Manchester the reverse alone was preserved. 
 
 Ditto. Alplionso, already mentioned. 
 
 Ditto. Pandulfo Malatesta, with the castle of Rimini on the reverse, and date 1446. Soulages, No. 183. 
 
 Ditto. Isotta da Rimini; on the reverse an elephant; date 1446. Soulages, No. 485. 
 
 Among Dr. Wellesley’s collection was a similar medallion, inscribed OPYS MATHEI DE PASTIS, and date 
 
 also 1446. t t 
 
 Pisanello. Filippo Visconti, Duke of Milan ; on reverse, three mounted knights. No date. Soulages, No. 502. 
 
 Ditto. Sigismuud Malatesta; on reverse, a church ; dated 1450. Soulages, No. 560. 
 
 Sperandio. The fine alto-rilievo profile head of Duke Frederic of Urbino, turned to the left ; he wears the cap so 
 often seen upon Cosmo de’ Medici ; on reverse, an armed knight, mounted, advancing to the left. 
 
 Ditto. The medallion of the Doge Agostinus Barbadicus, is a fine example of bold projection and individual 
 character ; the long-bearded face is turned fuller than usual, and he wears the ducal cap ; on the 
 reverse, the Doge kneels, holding the banner before the winged lion of St. Mark, resting his 
 paw upon the open volume. In exergue is inscribed OPVS SPERANDEI. 
 
 Ditto. Count Pepoli, of Bologna, a very peculiar face, with low cap and fur-collared coat, has already been 
 especially mentioned in the text. Cicognara (vol. v. p. 408) unhesitatingly ascribes it to Sperandio. 
 The reverse, with two figures playing at chess, is of the highest class of art. No name or date. 
 This medallion has been contributed by Stonyhurst College. The diameter is 3g inches. 
 
 Ditto. Medallion of Carbone, with a siren on the reverse. Soulages, No. 477. 
 
 The very fine work inscribed CHRISTOPHORVS HIERIMIA is almost unrivalled in point of merit and 
 preservation : it is in very bold relief. The reverse of the sitting monarch being crowned by Mars and Bellona (the 
 latter winged), is composed on the best bas-relief principles. 
 
 Giovanni Francesco Parmense executed a magnificent medallion of Constantius Sforza in his twenty-seventh year, 
 a vigorous head, turned to the left ; on reverse, a view of the citadel of Pesaro, with the artist’s name and date, 1475, below it. 
 
 The name of the same artist is on the reverse of a medallion representing a combat between two knights on foot 
 and one on horseback; it is dated 1468. Soulages, No. 517. 
 
I T ALIA N 
 
 MEDALLIONS 
 
 OF THE 
 
 QUATTRO-GENTO 
 
 PERIOD. 
 
 Matteo de Fastis, a -Veronese colleague of Pisanello, has left comparatively few specimens 
 of his skill; one, however, dated 144G, deserves notice as belonging to an interesting person, 
 Isotta, the celebrated poetess of Rimini. It is engraved in Collas, plate 7, fig. 2. A portrait 
 of the same person, in colours, by Pietro della Francesca, has been recently added to the 
 pictures in the National Gallery : No. 585 of Catalogue. 
 
 Sperandio, a Mantuan, is also worthy of particular mention, as one of the first and most 
 important sculptors in this department of art. His medallions of Count Pepoli of Bologna, Doge 
 Agostino Barbadico, arid Duke Frederic of Urbino, display great vigour and variety of character. 
 The reverse of the first-mentioned medallion, representing two figures seated at chess, in very 
 bold relief, and quite in the Michael Angelo style, with full round form, has won Cicognara’s 
 special commendation (vol. v. p. 408). It is not a little singular that this fine medallion was 
 unknown to Mazzuchelli, whose collection seems otherwise to have been so complete. 
 
 The Venetian Giovanni Boldu, who signs his medals opvs ioannis boldv pictobis, and 
 though claiming, like Pisanello, recognition as a painter, is now only known by a very few 
 medals. One of them, to Philip Masserano, is dated 1457. It is engraved in Collas, plate 11, 
 fig. 1. A medallion of himself, dated in the exergue 1458, is signed on the reverse in 
 Greek as well as Latin. The Greek version of his name, Boldu, is somewhat curious ; it 
 is spelt MIII2AATOY. Another to a German musician named Schlifer, “a second Orpheus,” is 
 dated 1457. Only the second of these was to be seen in the Art Treasures collection, — the 
 medallion of himself, which belongs to the Soulages collection, No. 482 ; but it is much worn. 
 
 We should be far exceeding our limits, were we to devote an equal time and minuteness to every branch of art ; 
 but the medallions of the Quattro and Cinque Cento period being so admirably displayed in the recent Exhibition, 
 and a knowledge of their merits being far less diffused than their historic interest seems to warrant, it has been con- 
 sidered advisable to particularize a few of the best specimens from the contributions of Dr. Wellesley, Stouyhurst College, 
 and the collection formed by M. Soulages, so often referred to. 
 
 Of Pisanello. The Malatesta Novello, already described. 
 
 Ludovicus de Gonzaga, a bust to the left ; on reverse, armed knight on horseback. No date. 
 Franciscus Sforza, a beardless head, wearing the high cap, to the left ; on reverse, a horse’s head, 
 sword, and books. No date. 
 
 Nicolaus Picininus, old head in high cap, to the left ; no inscription in the Manchester specimen. 
 Collas gives one, plate 6, fig. 1 ; on reverse, two children suckling a griffin, with PERVSIA 
 inscribed on a collar round its neck. No date. 
 
 The Cecilia Gonzaga, already described ; but at Manchester the reverse alone was preserved. 
 Alphoriso, already mentioned. 
 
 Pandulfo Malatesta, with the castle of Rimini on the reverse, and date 1446. Soulages, No. 183. 
 Isotta da Rimini; on the reverse an elephant; date 1446. Soulages, No. 485. 
 
 Among Dr. Wellesley’s collection was a similar medallion, inscribed OPVS MATHEI DE PASTIS, and date 
 also 1446. 
 
 Filippo Visconti, Duke of Milan; on reverse, three mounted knights. No date. Soulages, No. 502. 
 Sigismund Malatesta; on reverse, a church; dated 1450. Soulages, No. 560. 
 
 The fine alto-rilievo profile head of Duke Frederic of Urbino, tni'ned to the left ; he wears the cap so 
 often seen upon Cosmo de’ Medici ; on reverse, an armed knight, mounted, advancing to the left. 
 The medallion of the Doge Agostinus Barbadicus, i3 a fine example of bold projection and individual 
 character ; the long-bearded face is turned fuller than usual, and he wears the ducal cap ; on the 
 reverse, the Doge kneels, holding the banner before the winged lion of St. Mark, resting his 
 paw upon the open volume. In exergue is inscribed OPVS SPERANDEI. 
 
 Count Pepoli, of Bologna, a very peculiar face, with low cap and fur-collared coat, has already been 
 especially mentioned in the text. Cicognara (vol. v. p. 408) unhesitatingly ascribes it to Sperandio. 
 The reverse, with two figures playing at chess, is of the highest class of art. No name or date. 
 This medallion has been contributed by Stonyhurst College. The diameter is 3|j inches. 
 
 Medallion of Carbone, with a siren on the reverse. Soulages, No. 477. 
 
 The very fine work inscribed CHRISTOPHORVS HIERIMIA is almost unrivalled in point of merit and 
 preservation : it is in very bold relief. The reverse of the sitting monarch being crowned by Mars and Bellona (the 
 latter winged), is composed on the best bas-relief principles. 
 
 Giovanni Francesco Parmense executed a magnificent medallion of Constantius Sforza in his twenty-seventh year,— 
 a vigorous head, turned to the left ; on reverse, a view of the citadel of Pesaro, with the artist’s name and date, 1475, below it. 
 
 The name of the same artist is on the reverse of a medallion representing a combat between two knights on foot 
 and one on horseback ; it is dated 1468. Soulages, No. 517. 
 
 Ditto. 
 
 Ditto. 
 
 Ditto. 
 
 Ditto. 
 
 Ditto. 
 
 Ditto. 
 
 Ditto. 
 
 Pisanello. 
 
 Ditto. 
 
 Sperandio. 
 
 Ditto. 
 
 Ditto. 
 
 Ditto. 
 
SCULPTURE, 
 
 IN VARIOUS 
 
 MATERIA L S. 
 
 Andrea Guacialotti’s medallion of Nicholas V., highly interesting as a contemporary portrait, dated 1454. The date 
 on the coin actually indicates that of the decease of the Pontiff; on the reverse, the Pope appears as a bishop guiding 
 a boat inscribed ECLESIA. 
 
 By Boldu. The Maserano, a comparatively small medallion, with excellent relief : the letters beginning his 
 name are tied in the mediaeval fashion. The figure of Arion on the dolphin, very gracefully 
 composed, and much more free and flowing than on contemporary medals. 
 
 Ditto. A remarkable medallion of himself, crowned with ivy, naked neck and shoulders ; on reverse, two 
 figures seated with a skull; date on exergue, 1458. Soulages, No. 482. 
 
 Unlike the rest, very full and very original, we find Graen’s medallion of Alphonsus Ferdinand, Duke of 
 Calabria. His head is shown nearly in full, with a very peculiar high cap, with stiff feather at the side, and the letters 
 around it are in relief. On the reverse, the duke’s triumphal entry into Naples. Below, on a tablet held by two 
 winged angels, is the inscription 1TALIAQVE RESTITVTA. 1481. On the same surface, to the right of the letters, 
 is a chalice, with the sacramental wafer above it. The artist’s name is in the exergue, OPYS AND GPAEN. 
 On the medal engraved by Collas, plate 17, fig. 2, the inscription is OPVS ANDRAE • G • PRATENSIS • 1481. 
 
 A small brass medal of Franciscus Sforza is of a very poor style of art, although perfectly well preserved; the 
 artist’s name occupies the entire rim of the reverse : 10 • FR • ENZOLAE • PARMENSIS • OPYS. 
 
 Coins of Annas Mommoranus, and of Alexander Bassianus and Johan. Cavineus Patavini, in which latter coin the 
 two profiles are placed side by side, both turned to the right, are fair specimens of the influence exercised upon the 
 artists of the period by access to the purer coins of antiquity. 
 
 A good portrait bust of an old man in a cap, turned to the left, occurs on the medallion of Hercules, Duke of 
 Ferrara ; on the reverse, four naked Cupids receiving fruit or shields falling from the clouds, inscribed, “ Juppiter ex alto 
 nobis adamanta remisit.” 
 
 A bold medal of the Emperor Frederic, dated mcccclxix., with mounted generals on the top of an arch on the 
 revei’se, may be regarded as a good specimen of transalpine art, so near the middle of the fifteenth ceutury. 
 
 The Venetian Zacchus affords a capital medallion of the Doge Gritti, in his eighty-second year, a benevolent- 
 looking old man, the head in profile, to the right ; on the reverse, a perfectly naked female, holding rudder and cornu- 
 copia, probably as Fortune, standing on a pedestal, with a salamander behind it, fills the reverse side. Inscription 
 beneath 10 • ZACCIIVS • F. 
 
 A large and very important medallion of Savonarola, who appears cowled, and gazing earnestly on a crucifix which 
 he holds in his hand ; on the reverse, a view of the city of Florence, with a hand over it holding a dagger, issuing 
 from the clouds. Part of the inscription still legible is GLADIVS DOMINI. The Holy Ghost, in the form of a 
 dove, also appears in the sky. Neither date nor name of the artist appears on either side. 
 
 An equally large medallion, in very low relief, bears the name of an artist, who does not seem to be recognized 
 by Cicognara, — Bartolommeo of Florence ; on the obverse is a turbaned head of the Sultan Mahomet, with the legend 
 MAVMhET ASIE AC TRAPESYNZIS MAGNEQVE CRETE IMPERAT. On the reverse is an elaborate 
 composition of the monarch standing on the front part of a chariot drawn by two fine horses, led by a man bearing a 
 trophy, after the antique fashion. Standing in the chariot, on the lower back part, are three naked female figures, 
 grouped together like the Graces, but tied at the waist by one thick cord. The names TRAPES VNTV, CRETIE, 
 and ASIE, are inscribed against each. Two nude mule figures are seated in the lower part of the field, holding 
 a trident and cornucopia ; between them the imperfect inscription, broken in the last line, — 
 
 OPVS 
 bARTOLOI 
 FLORENTIN 
 SCVI CRIS 
 
 The medallion of Ezcellinus III. de Romano seems to have been very fine, but without the reverse with a representation 
 of Padua, and the date 1237, which may be seen in Mazzuclielli and Collas, plate 21, fig. 2, part 2. This work of 
 art can only be regarded as commemorative, for the Italians delighted to re)) resent their past heroes, as the Romans of the 
 later empire struck contorniate medals in honour of the most distinguished Greeks and Romans from the earliest times. 
 
 The metal works of Pollajuolo, although unrepresented in the Manchester Exhibition, require notice here, 
 especially his medallion representing the conspiracy of the Pazzi, which is so well known : Vasari, his biographer, refers to 
 it.* The figures on the surface of the medal are comparatively small, with a proportionate display of architecture ; thus 
 approaching in style the panels of the second bronze gate by Ghiberti, already spoken of. Pollajuolo was one of those 
 universal artists to whom painting, sculpture, metal work, and engraving were only so many different languages, 
 equally at command for the expression of their thoughts. His engravings at Manchester, and the great picture of 
 St. Sebastian, recently added to our National Gallery, t will serve to evidence both his various abilities and peculiarities 
 of style. As a contemporary of Finiguerra and Botticelli, he was one of the earliest engravers. 
 
 The great Colleoni, inscribed BARTHOL ■ CAPVT • LEONIS • M A • C • VESE, a bold head, turned to the left, 
 in civil costume, wearing the berretta or cap, and totally without hair, appears on a medallion, which is spoken of 
 most disparagingly by Cicognara, p. 412. A very quaint device, on the reverse, of a naked man seated on a cuirass, 
 and holding a pulley. The artist’s name is inscribed OPVS • M • The letters are in relief. 
 
 GVIDIZA 
 
 NL 
 
 f No. 292 of the Catalogue. 
 
 34 
 
 * Vasari, Florentine edition of 1849, vol. v. p. 100. 
 
ITALIAN SCULPTORS OF THE FIFTEENTH AND SIXTEENTH CENTURIES. 
 
 Leone Leoni, who signed his name in Greek characters, produced the graceful and elaborate medallion of 
 Hippolyta Gonzaga, in which his style closely approaches that of Ghirlandajo. This fine work of art was contributed 
 by Stonyhurst College. The diameter is two inches and three-quarters. 
 
 A medallion of Philip de’ Medici, Archbishop of Pisa, bears on its reverse a very minute and elaborate scene 
 representing the Last Judgment and Resurrection. This also is the property of Stonyhurst College. 
 
 J ulius II., with the date MCCCCCVi., and on the reverse the facade of St. Peter’s, with inscription, TEMPLI PETRI 
 INSTAVRACIO VATICANVS-M. appears in one or two varieties, all of them contributed by Stonyhurst College, 
 and will be regarded with interest, as showing the design for the great Roman temple, as at that time intended. 
 
 Coins of Paul III., but not in the Art Treasures Exhibition, show a remarkable design for the same building, with 
 three spires, which produce a very different effect from that usually contemplated, or the one existing. The tendency to 
 Pagan subjects is curiously exemplified on the reverse of a medallion of Paul III., absent likewise from Manchester, 
 which displays Ganymede withholding the eagle with one hand, and with the other watering some lilies. These 
 flowers were the emblem of the Farnese family, to which Paul III. belonged, and the Greek inscription around the 
 device signifies, “ He waters the gifts of Jupiter.” It is engraved in Cicognara and in Collas, plate 7, fig. 8. 
 
 The following medallions of the sixteenth century, all deserving of notice for their merits and striking 
 characteristics, were displayed at Manchester, and must close this very long note upon a most important branch 
 of art : — 
 
 The great Lorenzo de’ Medici, a small bronze, with “ Ob cives servatos” on reverse, in antique fashion. 
 
 Lorenzo de’ Medici, Duke of Urbino ; Juliano de’ Medici; Panins Jovins, dated 1552, with the Raising of Lazarus 
 on the reverse; Maria of Austria, dated 1575, no reverse. Pomedello was the author of a medallion, No. 495 of 
 the Soulages collection, bearing on the obverse the bust of an unknown lady. Cicognara, and with reason (p. 405, 
 vol. v.), speaks very highly of the executive abilities of this artist. 
 
 Peter the Milanese executed some remarkable medals of King Ren<5, of Anjou, dated mcccclxi. and mcccclxii. 
 They are engraved in Collas, part 2, plate 14, figs. 1 and 3. 
 
 Alessandro Cesari was the author of that medal of Pope Paul III. which Michael Angelo said had attained 
 the highest pinnacle of art. He told Vasari, on looking at it, that the death-hour for art had arrived, for nothing 
 could possibly surpass it. — (Vasari, Florentine edition of 1832, vol. i. p. 679.) Cicognara gives an engraving of 
 it, tavola lxxxv. No. v. Cesari was called Grechetto, because he signed his name in Greek characters, as on the 
 reverse of the medal in question, AAESANAP02 Enoi EL— (Cicognara, vol. v. p. 482.) The use of Greek letters, 
 however, we have seen to be rather prevalent during the latter half of the fifteenth century, and Pisanello, Boldit, 
 and Leone signed their names, bilingual fashion, in Greek as well as Latin. The same Avas the case with the painter 
 Sandro Botticelli, one of whose highly-valued pictures, No. 78 in the Manchester Exhibition, bore his name, 
 AAESANAPOS, in a very long Greek inscription. 
 
 An important medallion of Mahomet, engraved in Collas, plate 19, fig. 3, displays on the reverse three crowns, 
 with the legend GENTILIS • BELEN V S • VENETV • SEQV ES • A VR ATVS COMES QVE PALATINVS FECIT. 
 The three crowns refer to the sovereignties of Constantinople, Trebizond, and Iconium ; the name of the artist, if 
 truly Gentile the paintei*, would afford an illustration of extraordinary interest. Gentile Bellini, as we know, was in 
 Constantinople; and as artists of those times worked readily in all materials, he may have been a medallist also. 
 This medallion is only kuown to us through the work above quoted. There was no specimen at Manchester. It is 
 cited in the life of Bellini in the new edition of Vasari, Florence, vol. v. p. 14, note 2. 
 
 Anclrea Verrocchio, a great name in the arts, and seen only at Manchester as a painter,* 
 is nevertheless too important in the history of sculpture to be passed without a mention. 
 He was born at Florence in 1432, and, according to Baldinucci, a pupil of Donatello. As the 
 master of Da Vinci, Perugino, and Lorenzo di Credi, he directed art through some of its most 
 important channels. The famous equestrian statue of the great general Bartolommeo Colleoni 
 at Venice was his last work: he died at Venice, and was buried at Florence, 1488. He 
 wrought excellent portraits in wax, natural size, which he coloured to the life,— a fashion 
 then much in vogue, — and was very skilful in making plaster casts. 
 
 The elder Lombardo, an excellent Venetian sculptor, betrays an imitation of the Paduan 
 school, between which and the Venetian, from the time that Andrea Mantegna married into 
 the Bellini family, there seems to have subsisted a frequent intercourse. Pietro Lombardo 
 executed a beautiful statue of the Virgin in the church of the Frari at Venice, and fine 
 monuments to the doges Mocinego. His son Antonio commenced the celebrated bronze altar 
 known as the “Madonna della Scarpa,” in the Basilica of St. Mark, about 1505, but it was 
 completed in 1515 by Pietro Lombardo, f An admirable reproduction, both of this altar and of 
 
 * In a circular picture, No. 57 of the Gallery of Ancient Masters, Saloon A. 
 t This fine bronze is engraved in Cicognara, tav. xli. 
 
 35 
 
SOU L P T l T R E, IN YA R IONS 
 
 M A r L’ E R I A L S. 
 
 the great Colleoni statue by Yerrocchio, may be seen in the Crystal Palace, Sydenham.* * * § 
 Italian sculpture attained its highest point in the productions of Michael Angelo Buonarroti, 
 who was born in 1474, and from his infancy displayed an intuitive sense of form combined 
 with significance of action : he delighted, like Donatello, in violence of expression, and sur- 
 passed all his predecessors in the knowledge of the construction, not merely of the human 
 frame, but of all varieties of physical formation. However harsh and broken his works may 
 appear through the medium of copies and engravings, an examination of the originals will show 
 that he never neglected the existence of the soft upper surface of skin and fat which lessens 
 sharpness of outline peculiar to dissection. Some of his female figures have an especial charm 
 of grace and delicacy about them ; his men, however, where Herculean power has to be deli- 
 neated, are masses of strength indeed, not encumbered, like the Farnese Hercules, with 
 unavailable muscle, but in just proportion, and thoroughly adapted for action. Many of his finest 
 fresco figures, designed for the Sistine ceiling, were so thoroughly sculpturesque in character as 
 to have been actually wrought in terra-cotta. This was the case with the noble seated figure 
 of Jeremiah, a worthy companion to the admirable designs in terra-cotta which were exhibited 
 in the Art Treasures Exhibition.! The sculpturesque spirit of Michael Angelo is strikingly 
 evident in a fine painting, now attributed to him, which formed a principal attraction of 
 the first saloon of the Gallery of Ancient Masters, + which, if not actually bv Michael Angelo, is 
 from the school of Andrea Yerrocchio, and serves equally well to illustrate the principle of 
 sculpturesque conception and plastic treatment : in these respects it corresponds with the 
 circular alto-rilievo presented by Sir George Beaumont to the Royal Academy, and the fine 
 circular sketch also in the Uffizij at Florence. § Raphael, the great contemporary of Michael 
 Angelo, although known chiefly as a painter, left a few works by which his powers as a 
 sculptor may be estimated. He designed and superintended the marble statues for the 
 monumental chapel of his patron, the banker Chigi ; the statue of Jonah he is said to have 
 executed with his own hand. An admirable cast from this important work may be seen at 
 Sydenham, where the head will be found totally at variance with the designs of Michael 
 Angelo, or the older artists, representing the prophet ; it is, in fact, a reproduction of the 
 head of Antinous, the favourite of the Emperor Hadrian. 
 
 The “ Boy and the Dolphin,” which formed one of the most conspicuous groups in the 
 Manchester Exhibition, exhibits many very different characteristics from the Chigi statues, 
 and several uncertainties are thereby involved. It is by the kindness of Sir Harvey Bruce 
 that it was exhibited ; having, both in the Exhibitions of Dublin and Paris, created a very 
 considerable sensation. It may almost be said to have been discovered about the year 1840, 
 for the group that Yasari described had for many years been lost sight of. A sudden 
 announcement was made of its existence in Ireland. || 
 
 * An account of these monuments, and the sculptors, will be found in the “ Handbook to the Italian Court,” pp. 33 & 78. 
 
 t The famous statue of the Duke Lorenzo de’ Medici, formerly belonging to Rogers the poet, and now the property 
 of Lady Ruthven, and the grand statue of Moses, originally designed for the monument of Julius II., and a highly-finished 
 terra-cotta contributed by Mr. Gibson Craig, of Edinburgh. 
 
 X No. 107. 
 
 § Casts of both these rilievi may be seen in the Crystal Palace at Sydenham. 
 
 || Raphael is known to have at least interested himself in sculpturing marble, and, very probably, as far as his avoca- 
 tions allowed, may have tried his hand at it. The two statues of Jonah and Elijah, intended for the moimmental chapel 
 of Chigi, as Vasari states in his “Life of Raphael” (Florentine edition, 1855, vol. viii. p. 46), were intrusted by the great 
 painter to Lorenzetto. Castiglione, in a letter to Piperario, three years after Raphael’s death, wrote to inquire whether 
 Giulio Romano still possessed the little boy in marble “by the hand of Raphael,” and to ascertain whether he would part with 
 it. An anonymous writer, published by Comolli, states also that Raphael wrought in smlpture, having executed statues, and 
 he mentious having seen one of a boy in the hands of Giulio Romano. More particulars concerning this work are wanting. 
 Passavant, in his “Life of Raphael” (vol. i. p. 249), seems to be convinced, from the great superiority of the Jonah over the 
 Elijah, that Raphael himself must have executed it. The same opinion is advocated in Bunsen’s “ Beschreibung der Stadt 
 Rome,” vol. iii. part 3, p. 222. The Jonah statue is engraved in Maffei, No. cxlvii. Nothing more is heard of the boy statue 
 
 36 
 
RAPHAEL AS 
 
 A SOU L P T 0 R. 
 
 The late Lord Bristol, Bishop of Derry, conveyed it to Ireland, where it was preserved 
 at Down Hill. A woodcut was given of it in the “Penny Magazine” for July 17, 1841. It now 
 belongs to Sir Hervey Bruce, by whose liberality it was seen at the Manchester Exhibition. 
 There is, however, nothing about the work, either in execution or conception, in common with 
 Lorenzetto.* Neither Vasari, Comolli, nor Castiglione alludes to any dolphin, and the whole 
 subject appears more distinctly referable to the Bernini school, with which, indeed, Cavaceppi 
 seems to have had some previous connection. The very story t which here seems intended 
 to be embodied, is not fully expressed ; Cavaceppi describes the subject as “a dolphin bearing 
 the body of a child back to the shore after having accidentally wounded him whilst sporting 
 at sea.” The whole group is involved, and there seems little capacity of movement in the fish ; 
 nor is there much to indicate the creature’s intention of making its way through the waters. 
 Fleshiness and mastery of execution in the figure of the child are indeed to be admired, but 
 the style of manipulation is very different from what might be expected from a novice at 
 a difficult process, and it far from accords with the system adopted by workers in marble 
 of the sixteenth century. 
 
 The Chigi chapel, as we have seen, was one of the last works the great painter had 
 been conducting before his death, but the marble of the boy, which became the property of 
 Giulio Romano, may have been undertaken a considerable time previously. 
 
 The preference which the German sculptors maintained for wood has already been recog- 
 nized, and also their tendency for the employment of brilliant colours and polished gilding 
 upon that material. 
 
 The small altarpiece of coloured sculpture with 
 painted doors, from St. Mary’s College, Oscott, is a 
 very complete illustration of this, which may be termed 
 the Teutonic taste. The subject of the central part, 
 in a very deep-set frame or box, is the Annunciation, 
 in which the two principal figures are completely mo- 
 delled like statues. The small figure of the Almighty, 
 hovering in clouds, is attached to the back, and in a 
 very modified degree of relief ; the background, or 
 rather inside of the case, is gilt with a diapered pat- 
 tern on it, formed by lines of closely-punctured dots. 
 The outer draperies of the three figures are burnished 
 
 
 gold ; the under garments, of various colours. The 
 further wing of the angel is only painted green upon 
 the gold background ; the other is completely modelled 
 and gilt: there was originally a golden sceptre in his 
 hand. And here it may be well to notice one pecn- 
 
 ls colours. The 
 
 loon, contributed by 
 Field (see p. 40). 
 
 Boxwood Spoon, contributed 
 by the Be v. S. Tit/ me. 
 
 until tlie year 1768, when Cavaceppi, a sculptor and dealer in antique statues, which he himself used to restore, published 
 a series of engravings of autique statues, and among them (tav. 44) the group ol a boy and dolphin, which he unhesitatingly 
 
 ascribed to Raphael and Lorenzetto, and stated then to be iu the possession of De Breteuil, then resident in Rome. A cast 
 
 of it is also iu the Dresden collection, and came, as is there recorded, from the Duke of Parma. — (Passavaut, vol. ii. p. 439.) 
 
 * The incompleteness of the extremities, from which Passavaut deduces arguments, must be greater in the Dresden 
 cast than in the marble at Manchester. 
 
 + Antique sculptures of this subject do exist, but in those cases the child is more encircled by the folds of the dolphin. 
 
 For example, a group, formerly in the Faniese collection, and now at Naples (Museo Borbouico, vol. ii. tav. 9) ; and another, 
 a graceful bronze, which formerly belonged to the late Dr. Emil Braun, of Rome. Pliny, in his Natural History, book ix. 
 chap. 8, mentions several instances of dolphins carrying boys across the water, and names, upon the authority of Hegesidemus, 
 a boy of Jassus, called Hermias, who, whilst thus floating, lost his life in a tempest ; and that the dolphin, for grief, refused 
 
 to return to the water, and died upon the shore. See also similar stories in A ulus Gellius and Theophrastus. 
 
 k 
 
Annunciation ; the kneeling angel invariably wears the cope fastened in front with a large 
 morse or clasp, the exterior of the cope often richly embroidered and with high standing 
 stiff-edged collar. Sometimes the deacon’s tunic may be seen with the ends of the stole 
 appearing beneath ; but in Italian art the angel is always simply clothed, and carefully 
 divested of pontificals or insignia of power. In German art, also, the figure of the Almighty 
 invariably wears a lofty arched crown, with the bands or stole embroidered with gold and 
 crossed upon the breast. The Italians, for the most part, maintained a respectful simplicity. 
 
 On the doors of the altarpiece before us the figures are merely painted on the panel ; 
 inside the leaves, St. Dominic and St. Peter Martyr, appear painted on a gold ground, with 
 
 Iron/ Comb, the property nf Mr. Tile, M.P. 
 
 tracery-worked canopies, modelled and gilt, above them. These headings accord with the 
 widely-expanded and deeply-perforated arch and singing angels which crown the central part. 
 When closed, the leaves display St. Catherine of Alexandria and St. Catherine of Siena painted 
 in plain colours and without gilding. 
 
 A more striking work of art, being on a larger scale, is the great altarpiece contributed 
 by Cardinal Wiseman, with three figures of warrior saints in the centre, and the Magdalen and 
 St. Agnes, in bas-relief, on the wings. 
 
 As a contrast to the violent effects produced by painted sculpture in the hands of the less 
 judicious German artists, we would refer to a very beautiful bust portrait, carved in wood and 
 delicately tinted, belonging to Lord Elcho, and executed most probably in France or England. 
 It dates about the middle of the sixteenth century, and represents a little girl in the full 
 costume of the period, when ladies as well as gentlemen wore little hats of the flat round 
 
 shape : a small close frill surmounts the stiff collar of her black dress ; whilst her light wavy 
 
 yellow hair is gathered behind in a kind of caul, made of black and gold horizontal stripes or 
 
 bands. A gold chain round her neck is neatly painted in gold with the brush, and not 
 
 modelled to accord with the rest. 
 
 A colourless wood-carving, most thoroughly characteristic of the German school, contri- 
 buted by Mr. Philip Howard, merits especial attention : it bears the monogram of Albert 
 
 Durer, and is executed in very bold relief. The subject represented is the Judgment of Paris ; 
 
 the three goddesses are perfectly nude ; Cupid hovers in the air, aiming his shaft at Paris, 
 
 who sits immediately below him on the ground in a very helpless condition, and appears to 
 
 be overcome with sleep. Both he and Mercury, who holds the apple, are in complete armour, 
 most elaborately wrought, a peculiarity of costume in this subject hitherto unknown to me. 
 The cluster of trees forming the background are principally fir. Altogether, the* general 
 effect of this most unclassic treatment is very harmonious, and perfectly consistent. 
 
 As the last wood-carving which our space will allow us to particularize (although consi- 
 derably later in period and different in style) we insert in this place — not unfavourably, as 
 affording contrast a fine carving, in pear-wood, of the Adoration of the Magi. This elaborate 
 specimen of wood-sculpture was contributed by the Bishop of Exeter, and displays most of the 
 costume and treatment characteristic of a late period of Italian art. The Madonna shows much 
 
 38 
 
IVORY CARVINGS OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY. 
 
 assimilation to tlie style of Paul Veronese the infant Saviour stands upon the lap of the 
 Virgin, and lifts up one foot to be kissed by the foremost kneeling king, who appears quite 
 like an old Venetian senator. The Moor-king holds a peculiarly-mounted horn, and wears the 
 Roman classic cuirass ( lorica ), caliga, and paludamentnm. This alto-rilievo has also been 
 coloured, for red is still traceable upon the lips, and blue in the eyeballs. 
 
 I he dawn of the grand period in Italy, to which we must revert, including Torreggiano, 
 Cellini, and Michael Angelo, was well marked in the Manchester Exhibition. A spirited terra- 
 cotta model, the bust of Henry \ II. for the tomb at Westminster, by the first-named artist, 
 belonging to Lord Elcho, and a fine bronze group, small size, representing the Flagellation 
 of the Saviour, contributed by Lord Cadogan, display very powerfully the largeness of style 
 adopted at the beginning of the sixteenth century. (Plate IX.) Technical excellence attained 
 its supremacy under Benvenuto Cellini, who was born a.p. 1500, and the magnificent shield, 
 contributed by Her Majesty the Queen from Windsor Castle, amply demonstrates the observation. 
 It has been so frequently described that mention alone will here be sufficient.* * * § 
 
 A grand marble bust, also, of Cardinal Grimani, by Alessandro Vittoria, still further 
 marks the freedom of art during this century, and is the property of Mr. Edward Cheney, 
 so eminent for his knowledge and interest in Italian art. 
 
 In Germany also the art of metal-working attained great perfection about this time. Reitz 
 of Leipsig wrought medallions and medals in various metals of exquisite beauty. (See his 
 famous medal of the Emperor Charles V., dated 1537, and the large silver medallion bearing 
 a representation of the Holy Trinity, with figures in almost entire relief, which belongs to 
 the rule of Augustus, Elector of Saxony.) f An extraordinary arm-chair, + composed entirely of 
 wrought iron, and presented to the Emperor Rudolf II. by the city of Augsburg, is covered 
 with friezes and statues, the former with minute figures in very high relief. These sculptures 
 represent a variety of scenes from the Roman and more recent histories. The name of the 
 artist and date are inscribed on it, te Thomas Ruker fecit, 1574.” It is now the property 
 of Lord Folkestone, at Longford Castle, near Salisbury, and had been carried off by the 
 Swedes on the conquest of Prague. In the succeeding century a celebrated metal-worker, 
 Leigeber, established himself at Nuremberg, and obtained great distinction in the ornamentation 
 of armour, and sword- handles in particular. 
 
 To ivory again we must recur for the continuance of an historical series of works in 
 sculpture. Towards the close of the sixteenth century redundancy of matter and richness of 
 composition, combined with softness of execution, especially in the figures of women and 
 children, became generally prevalent ; but in the first half of the century ivory was employed 
 with the same artistic views as metal, and the beautiful ivory-handled knife and sheath, said to 
 have belonged to Diane de Poitiers, who died 155G,§ affords one of the most perfect examples 
 of our observation. The relief and finish of the figures formed into groups upon this precious 
 little work of art may fairly be regarded as rivalling the attainments of Cellini. Lord Cadogan 
 is its present owner. The Meyrick collection also includes several fine specimens of ivory and 
 bone carving applied to knife-liandles ( routrau.r de chasse ) and powder-flasks : one of the latter, 
 a powder-horn, belonging to the Duke of Buccleuch, may be seen in Plate II. fig. 3. The 
 figures upon it, in very low relief, represent the contest between the Centaurs and Lapitha?, 
 a favourable example of the powers attained by the sculptors of the sixteenth century in repro- 
 
 * An admirable photograph of it also may be seen in the first plate of the Art Treasures Photographs, recently 
 published by Messrs. Colnagln. 
 
 t The productions of Heinrich Keitz are described by Mr. Franks in the “ Archmological Journal,” No. 31, 
 vol. viii. p. 317. 
 
 X A famous silver chair exists at Barcelona, belonging to the close of the fourteenth century. It is said to have 
 been used by Martin, king of Aragon. Engraved in Shaw’s “ Dresses and Decorations,” vol. i. 
 
 § It is engraved and described in Labarte’s “ Handbook” (Rvo. 185f>), p. 36. 
 
 30 
 
SCULPTURE, IN VARIOUS MATERIALS. 
 
 ducing bas-relief compositions on antique principles. The work exhibits an amount of severity 
 and precision derivable from a contemplation of the ancients, but which took no permanent 
 hold on the artists generally of the Renaissance period. 
 
 An exquisite ivory Italian bonbonniere, attributable to the second half of the sixteenth 
 century, the property of Mr. Beresford-Hope (Plate XII.), is a worthy successor to our notice 
 of the couteau of Diane de Poitiers ; it forms a tazza, upon a tall graceful stem composed of 
 two figures ; the foot and side of tazza are decorated with gracefully-intertwined marine 
 monsters, and the cover is surmounted with a naked female figure encircled by a dolphin. 
 This refined work of art was contributed by Mr. Beresford-Hope.* A graceful spoon or scoop 
 of ivory, with a figure of January surmounting the handle, is of very delicate workmanship. 
 (See the woodcut, p. 37.) 
 
 A fine work also, similar in many points of execution and taste, is the large ivory hanap 
 and cover contributed by Her Majesty the Queen. t There is, however, a characteristic 
 disregard of relation in point of size between the figures which decorate the various parts ; 
 thus, for instance, the graceful females composing the stem are merely one-lialf the size of 
 those seen immediately above on the body of the cup. There is much grace and refinement 
 in the composition, but the figures, nevertheless, betray a Flemish origin. 
 
 A most exquisitely-wrought sword-handle, contributed also by Her Majesty the Queen, 
 
 from Buckingham Palace, represents the story of Perseus, mounted on Pegasus, rescuing 
 
 Andromeda. The long curved monster forms the 
 guard of the sword, whilst the standing figure of 
 Andromeda, combined with Pegasus and his rider, 
 serves as the shaft of the handle. 
 
 mlhnnd/c, the properly of Her Majeuty. 
 
 Irani Handle of a Ca 
 
 " ontrihulrU Ini Mr. <1. Field. 
 
 A singular, but beautifully-wrought ivory figure of a monster, or merman, holding a 
 boar’s head, designed as the head of a cane, was contributed by Mr. George Field : it 
 may be assigned to the commencement of the seventeenth century. 
 
 The first half of the seventeenth century, when Flanders and Italy maintained constant 
 intercourse, displayed all the luxuriancies of technical execution and freedom of invention 
 
 Pinto XII. fig. 1. 
 
 + Plate XIII. Sculpture. 
 
F I, R M T S VI IVORY (' A R V T Mi S. 
 
 without restriction. Algardi, who became one of tlie most admired sculptors in Italy at this 
 epoch, began his career by carving small statues and bas-reliefs in ivory. 
 
 During the first half of the sixteenth century two great masters in painting flourished 
 contemporaneously, and may be regarded as the types of the two opposite styles in art 
 which then distinguished practitioners of the respective countries. Rubens, in Flanders, 
 displayed invariably in his forms an exclusive preference for the fat and round, conveying at 
 the same time all the characteristics of likeness and expression with a force never under 
 other circumstances equalled ; Guido, on the other hand, in Italy, idealized all form, exag- 
 gerated devotional expression, and even in subjects of the utmost vehemence and confusion, 
 he sought to maintain an academic propriety and refinement. The latter painter (the extreme 
 on these points of the Caracci school) materially influenced the conception of many sculptors. 
 Two ivory carvings, dating soon after his time, and representing Lot and his Daughters, and 
 Hagar in the Desert, contributed to Manchester by Mr. Robert Goff, fully illustrate the qualities 
 just alluded to. 
 
 The still stronger and more extended influence of Rubens was to be seen among the 
 ivory cups of the seventeenth century, especially a tall and very rich-looking one formerly in 
 the Bernal collection (No. 1096 of Sale Catalogue), and contributed to Manchester by Mr. Goff. 
 The deeply undercut and crowded clusters of grapes forming the stem, and perforations of 
 many portions of the strange groups upon the cup itself, show more mannerism than freedom 
 of art in its execution.* 
 
 Another work, an ivory tankard, belonging to Mr. Philip Henry Howard, f likewise 
 displays the influence of Rubens, although with far greater refinement. Being upon a simpler 
 cylindrical surface or drum, the artist had better scope for the arrangement of his figures, 
 and was better enabled to express the variety of distances in the background to his groups. 
 The merit of this tankard challenges comparison with the fine specimen of a similar form 
 now in the South Kensington Museum. £ 
 
 The Flemish artists seem at this period to have transferred the use of ivory from church 
 requirements and ornaments to articles of domestic use, such as we have noted among the 
 latest instances — knife-handles, flasks, and goblets. Retables and triptychs upon altars had 
 been superseded by large painted altar-pieces, the influence of which upon sculpture, however 
 removed in point of application, was always perceptible. 
 
 Christopher Harrich, who died in 1630, delighted in bringing before the minds of his 
 patrons the proximity of life and death. On the old Egyptian principle of introducing a 
 skeleton at the moment of revelry, he used to portray on the one side a beautiful head or 
 graceful naked figure, and on the reverse an eyeless skull or hideous skeleton. To this 
 sculptor may be referred the little head of the Saviour and skull behind, contributed by 
 Mr. Bradbury. (See the end of this essay.) 
 
 Fiamingo, whose real name was Francis du Quesnoy, born at Brussels, and died 
 1643, excelled equally as a worker in wax, clay, and ivory. He spent the greater part of 
 his time in Rome, where his works were eagerly sought. His superiority in modelling 
 children is well known. One of the finest specimens of his power to be seen at Manchester 
 was the superb cylindrical goblet of ivory, mounted with gold, contributed by Her Majesty 
 the Queen, from Windsor Castle. The bacchanalian figures upon it, especially the females 
 and children, display the utmost perfection of execution and power of rendering the 
 appearance of a soft fleshy surface. The figures are all in high relief. Nor should the gold 
 mounting be passed over, since the metallic figures, both on the cover and the two handles, 
 evince great originality of spirit and power of modelling. A pretty goblet belonging to 
 
 * See Plate XIV. • + Plate X. Sculpture. 
 
 + Engraved in Messrs. Day’s “ Treasury of Ornamental Art,” and Labarte’s “ Handbook,” plate 3d. 
 
 1 
 
SC r LPT (' R E, 
 
 \ VARIOUS 
 
 M A T E R I A L S. 
 
 Mr. Goff, surmounted by two boys wrestling (Plate XI. fig. 1), may be cited as a graceful 
 example of Fiamingo’s style also two very pretty salt-cellars, supported by boys, display great 
 freedom and refinement; they were contributed by Mr. George Field (Plate XII. figs. 2 and 3). 
 
 Two small statues in ivory, also belonging to Mr. Field, representing Adonis and Ceres, 
 betray a want of repose and a flutter in some parts of the drapery, which indicate too close 
 an affinity to the pictorial. Adonis, very like Antinous in the head and hair, and holding a 
 cord in his right hand, is attended by a dog; Ceres, with classic and Juno-like features, crowned 
 vith corn, and supported by Cupid, also with corn, is more statuesque in point of composition 
 than the pendant. The refinements of Fiamingo’s style, and its tendency, appear in a beautiful 
 little alto-rilievo of angels holding the papal keys, tiara, and crown, or fillet, belonging to 
 Mr. R. Napier. The ivory altogether is about six inches in height. 
 
 An extraordinary Spanish carving, of a very pictorial character, represents the “Immaculate 
 Conception, surrounded by all the emblems or figures bv which she was typified in the 
 Old I estament. The subject was not at all uncommon in ecclesiastic art of the later ao-es, 
 and might be illustrated by a picture very similar in design, hung in the Gallery of the Ancient 
 Masters, No. 893. The ^ irgin is surrounded by matter-of-fact representations of all the 
 symbols under which she has been named. 
 
 I lie last ivory carving to be mentioned, and one of a class perfectly unlike any that has 
 hitherto been brought under notice, is a remarkable chalice or cup, worked in India, evidently 
 under the direction of European settlers. The subjects are manifestly Christian, notwithstanding 
 the preponderance of projecting figures of dogs and serpents. From the knob of the stem 
 of the cup four snakes hang down in the most extraordinary manner, as if dead. The 
 emblem of the cross occurs frequently, and once is seen in the hand of a standing figure. 
 Upon the base, in one of the compartments, may be recognized the subject of “ Daniel in 
 the Lion’s Den.” This interesting chalice was contributed by the Natural History Society of 
 Newcastle-upon-Tyne. It was probably wrought under the influence of the Portuguese early 
 settlers. 
 
 1 he unsatisfactory sculptures of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries need not occupy 
 much of the student’s attention. The bust of Cromwell by Pierce, and the Four Poets by 
 Scheemakers, derive their interest chiefly from lateral associations. Of Rysbracli there was 
 not a single example ; the great school of Bernini also remained without an adequate 
 representative* The connection of sculptors with the useful arts in later times was well 
 marked by some magnificent specimens of Wedgwood ware, modelled and designed by Flaxman.t 
 Two groups in marble by him were contributed by the Royal Academy. Nollekens was repre- 
 sented by the bust of Lawrence Sterne, executed from the terra-cotta taken from life at Rome 
 which first introduced him to fame and fortune ; and Ronbilliac’s talent was seen to the greatest 
 advantage in his bust of Frewer, from Christ College, Oxford. The grand school of Oanova, 
 through the liberality of Lord Ward, was represented by the “ Dying Magdalen ” and the grand 
 statue of Napoleon, belonging to the Duke of Newcastle. A charming group of singing angels. 
 
 It was much to be regretted that, owing to tiie multiplicity of objects to be brought together, fcnd the very 
 limited time for arranging them, a very fine bust of Mr. Baker, by Bernini, was not removed from London, although 
 Lari Do Grey had very generously granted permission for its being exhibited at Manchester. The omission was a sad 
 one ns the bust so well illustrates an anecdote related by Horace Walpole (vol. i. p. 271 of the edition of his “Anecdotes 
 of Painting," edited by Wornum, 1849). The bust was purchased by the Duke of Kent at Sir Peter Lelv’s sale, and is 
 a most striking work of art. 
 
 t Flax man m this Exhibition was by no means fairly represented. The small medallions designed for Wedgwood, 
 ant the small groups of <• Apollo and Marpessa," and the “Pape of Ganymede," do little towards showing his real 
 j ovn ie imt.il e.ectiotype ot the Shield of Achilles afforded a more extended scope of his peculiar eminence in 
 bas-relief compositions of classic subjects. The everywhere-repeated “Mercury and Pandora,” and his “Illustrations of 
 the Lord s Prayer,” together with the two great friezes on the facade of Covent Garden Theatre, are in reality his 
 plastic cne/a-d teuvre. Those who desire to see Flaxman in his fulness and his strength should visit the University College, 
 London, where all his sculptures and models have been collected by his adopted daughter, Miss Denman. 
 
MOD E K N SO U E PT V R E. 
 
 contributed by Mr. F. Edwards, of Bulstrode Park, was tlie only specimen of Tborwaldsen; 
 but a magnificent bead of Wieland, the work of Scliadow, and contributed by Mr. H. Crabb 
 Robinson, displayed tlie real power and the individual rendering of Teutonic art most 
 efficiently. 
 
 A foreign work also, of great expression and excellent adaptation as a subject for sculpture, 
 is Schuler’s group of “Adam and Eve,”* in which Adam’s solicitude for his partner, who has 
 just eaten of the fruit, is admirably conveyed. Female sculptors of the British school were not 
 unrepresented, but to an extent and in point of quality disproportionate to the rank they are 
 entitled to hold. The Hon. Mrs. Darner, Mrs. Thornycroft, and Miss Susan Durant have 
 produced works of recognized excellence. The portrait statues of Mrs. Thornycroft are 
 numerous, and the statues of Prince Alfred and the Princess Alice display much individuality 
 °f character. The imaginative power in Miss Durant’s “Robin Hood” led us to wish to judge 
 further of her executive ability. 
 
 The “Ino and Bacchus, ”f by R. J. Wyatt,— a work of which the English school may well 
 be proud,— was executed originally for Mr. Cornwall Legh, and duplicates, both from Mr. Legh 
 and the Marquis of Abercorn, were to be seen in the same Exhibition. The full beauty and 
 grandeur of the female form are nobly displayed in Mr. Macdonald’s statue of “Venus preparing 
 for the Bath, J contributed by the Hon. A. D. Willoughby. In this figure it is evident 
 that the sculptor has inclined rather to the severe form of the Venus of the Capitol at Rome 
 than to the softness and delicacy of the Medicean goddess in the Tribune at Florence. It is a 
 figure, notwithstanding, that may be fairly regarded as emulating the mechanical skill and 
 refined conception of the ancients. 
 
 V lmt Art may yet achieve is to be seen; much has been done in various ways, — 
 innumerable difficulties surmounted, new views opened, past experience set aside, and darkness 
 occasionally prevailing. In looking back to the bygone ages of Art, whether in painting or 
 sculpture, it seems only wonderful, that, when artists had once attained a correct method 
 both of work and thought, either they or their patrons should ever diverge from it. Change, 
 however, seems inherent in humanity ; and if the perfection of workmanship, that crowns ages 
 of toil and hard striving, must be succeeded by a period of declension and the decay 
 of all the better faculties for a while, it is only in accordance with the laws of the universe, 
 seen in higher subjects than the world of Art which has thus long engaged us. However 
 dark or gloomy the night, there must be a day beyond. 
 
 (t. SCHARF. 
 
 Plato XVI., Sculpt 
 
 t Plate XVIII. 
 
 x Plate XVII. 
 

Trasr.£) 3tpo%viriT'j uog^A^Q g P tprjTe pu’pjDjpeg 
 
PROPERTY 
 
A2T IVORY TT.fTU.RE HORN, BELONGING TO THE ROYAL SCOTTISH SOCIETY OF ANTI QUARIE S . 
 2 AN IVORY HORN, THE PROPERTY OF H. BLACKBURN, ESQ,. 
 
PLATE 4. 
 
 LID AND SIDE OF. AN IVORY GASKET, XIV th CENTURY. 
 
 THE PROPERTY OF O WARDE , ESQ, • 
 

A BONE AND WOOD CASKET OF THE XIV^ CENTURY -VENETIAN . 
 
 SCULPTURE 
 
■H 
 
SCULPTURE 
 
 ieclfbrd, Del ei Lilli. 
 
 Day & Son latlf “to tie Qpe 
 
 VIRGIN AND CHILD, IN LUCA DELLA ROBB IA WARE 
 By Luca Della Robbia . 
 
 S OUTAGES COLLECTION. 
 
BRONZE GROUP OR THE FLA GELLATION, (FLORENTINE XVI T . H CENTURY.) 
 
 IN THE COLLECTION OE THE EARL OT CAD 0 CAR. 
 


SCULPTURE 
 
 plat: 
 
 ■J. B Waring, Direx': 
 
 Day & Son, LitlF^to tha Qoeern. 
 
 AN IVORY TANKARD, 17™ CENTURY. 
 
 THE PROPERTY OF PHLLLIP HEW RY HOWARD, ESQ. 
 

V- ’ ' 
 
1 & 4 IVORY HANAPS THE 
 
 2 A CUP 
 
 3 A POWDER HORN 
 
 J. B. Waring, DirexV Day& San.LiliP to the Queen 
 
 2 3 a 
 
 PROPERTY OF ROBERT GOFF ESQ** 
 
 •• .. J LUMSDEN ESQRK GLASGOW 
 
 •• HIS GRACE THE DUKE OF BUCCLEUCB 
 
 SCULPTURE, . (RENAISSANCE ) 
 
 PLATE 11 
 
 
 
IVORY BOHBONNIER.E. THE PROPERTY OP A. J. BERESEORD HOPE. ESQ 
 
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SCULPTURE 
 
 AN IVORY HANAP AND COVER . 
 
 J H. Lynch, hth l 1 '. Bedford, rhoto. 
 
 cT. B .Waring, Drcex 1 " 
 
>:K-V 
 




 
 


CERAMIC ART. 
 
 By J. C. ROBINSON, F.S.A. 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 The term “ Ceramic Art ” is very appropriate, inasmuch as pottery is undoubtedly that 
 product of industry, which perhaps in a greater degree than any other, lends itself to the 
 alliance of art with merely useful handiwork. The plastic clay even, on the potter’s wheel, 
 under the hands of the simplest mechanic, unconscious of any inspiration of art, expands 
 into varied forms of beauty, as if by some indwelling msthetic force; and this natural 
 tendency of the plastic matter alone, must in all ages have contributed to render pottery 
 a recognized vehicle of design. With these views, therefore, it is now intended to treat the 
 subject entirely from the point of view of art, and especially as the specimens exhibited at 
 Manchester were collected solely for their excellence in that respect. 
 
 It will be impossible within the brief limits of this essay, to attempt a connected 
 history of all the varieties of pottery, now accounted to be within the special province 
 of the connoisseur. The Manchester Exhibition, moreover, although on the whole it con 
 tamed a most remarkable series of ceramic works, was far from being equally rich in each 
 section ; the selection m fact, faithfully enough here, as in other specialties, reflected the 
 prevailing taste of the day : thus the potteries of the Mediaeval or Renaissance periods were 
 t le most striking feature, the taste of connoisseurs having latterly set strongly in that direction 
 Porcelain, generally speaking a development of the last century, an age certainly less favour- 
 a 1 e to art than that to which the fluctuating taste of connoisseurs has now particularly 
 reverted, was, however, from the abundance of the products and the still popular character 
 o the category, scarcely less completely represented ; but the antique section, by which the 
 Greek or so-called Etruscan painted pottery is referred to, was comparatively neo-lected • 
 works m this class, notwithstanding their paramount importance, having now to some extent 
 ceased to attract the collector. 
 
 The object of this essay, and the particular circumstances of the Manchester Exhibition 
 ahke suggest a divismn of the subject of Art Pottery into three main groups ; viz., the Antique’ 
 the Mediaeval or Renaissance, and Modern Pottery, particularly Porcelain. Notwithstanding’ 
 however, the temporary indifference to the noble works of the antique potters which apparently 
 prevails at present, and the fact that the special literature of the category stands in little 
 need of augmentation on this occasion, the immortal art of the ancients is entitled to its full 
 siaie of consideration, as well for its own sake as for its bearing on the other branches of 
 the subject. 
 
 (" 
 
CERAMIC ART. 
 
 ANTIQUE GREEK POTTERY. 
 
 In respect of beauty of form, ancient Greek pottery is unrivalled. Colour there is none ; 
 indeed it never seems to have seriously occurred to the ancients, that pottery could be made 
 a vehicle for colour : the ephemeral polychromatic decoration of some rare types of Greek 
 vases is only worth taking into account as proving the rule. Colour, as applied to pottery, 
 was indeed the invention of that age and country which scarcely yields in pre-eminence in art 
 to Greece itself, — the Italy of the Revival. 
 
 The same exquisite simplicity, and fitness of the art to the material of embodiment, 
 existed here as in every other development of the Antique. It is scarcely too much to 
 say that every Greek vase is perfectly adapted to its use, and that it is as beautiful as that 
 use will allow of. On looking through a collection of these exquisite productions, as we 
 take them up one by one, they excite a loving admiration it is true, but no surprise; their 
 forms are so simply and naturally beautiful, they were evidently produced with so little effort, 
 that they strike one rather as the result of some inevitable instinct than as the deliberate 
 conceptions of the artist. 
 
 The natural tendency of the plastic material of pottery to mould itself into elegant 
 forms on the wheel, was doubtless observed and taken advantage of by the Greek artists ; 
 they appear to have recognized a natural tendency towards certain typical shapes, and these 
 they never very widely departed from : as a case in point, we find no angular or oval flat-sided 
 forms of vases, because such forms could not be produced on the potter’s wheel, which was 
 regarded almost as the only legitimate instrument of production. The delicate sense of 
 fitness and propriety of the Greek artist would have been outraged by such far-fetched 
 novelties. The Greeks then, adhering as they did on principle to the natural suggestion of 
 the material, developed and varied to infinity, but they invented little. In this respect they 
 but followed their usual instinct, shown perhaps most clearly in their architecture, which it 
 is scarcely necessary to say, is, as a system, the most perfect and complete unity the world 
 has seen. Their pottery, then, can in like manner be treated as a compact and definite 
 specialty. 
 
 The history of Greek art pottery is to be gleaned only from the ware itself; the humble 
 potter was so infinitely lower in the scale than the great sculptors and painters, whose 
 immortal productions were nevertheless reflected in his works, that ancient authors have not 
 deigned to concern themselves with his craft, and a few signatures of artists on their wares 
 are all the record we have of the origin of the master-pieces we now admire. The beginnings 
 of the art are lost in the depths of mythic antiquity; the earliest works — the vases often 
 designated Greco-Phoenician, though generally found in Italy, have a decided Asiatic character ; 
 and it is probable that the ancient Greek colonies of Asia were the earliest seats of Ceramic 
 art, properly so termed. The pottery of pure Etruscan origin, on the other hand, though found in 
 the same ancient cemeteries as the Greek painted wares, and mingled with them, has a marked 
 character of aboriginal barbarism. The well-known black pottery of the Etruscan sepulchres, 
 often decorated in relief, whatever be its real date,— doubtless remote, is a development apart. 
 Northern barbaric influences are more apparent than the Hellenic inspiration, which in turn 
 appears, and soon invades and completely permeates all ancient Italian art. After a time, 
 Greece seems to have reigned paramount, — in Greece Proper, at Athens and Corinth; in Italy, 
 at Vulci and Chiusi, in Campania, and the extreme south; in Sicily, Asia, Africa,— even in 
 the far-distant Bosphorus, the war-leaguered Crimea of our own time, the same pottery 
 is ever present: every tomb reveals hydride and amphora storied with Attic myths, the 
 Trojan history, Cadmus, the Seven before Thebes,— the same at Athens as at Ruvo or Bengazi. 
 The China plates of Nankin or Fokien, or, as a more extreme instance still, the willow-pattern 
 
CERAMIC ART. 
 
 plates, or Wedgwood vases of modern Staffordshire, were scarcely more widely spread, nor 
 more invariably like to like than this Greek pottery. The problem to solve then is, whether 
 this pottery was manufactured at one or more common centres of production, and thence 
 exported to all parts of the then civilized world, or whether, wherever Greek civilization 
 penetrated, there arose the same invariable Ceramic products. This problem has given rise 
 to much difference of opinion, and is yet by no means entirely solved. When, five-and-twenty 
 or thirty years ago, the necropolis of Yulci, an obscure city of ancient Etruria, revealed an 
 inestimable treasure of painted vases, the question was naturally asked, Where were these 
 vases fabricated? That they were essentially the work of Greeks, and not of Italians, was 
 evident ; they were identical in every respect with the vases of Athens or Corinth ; the same 
 mythic representations, the same style of art, costume, accessories, down to the minutest 
 details; the same forms of vessels — clay, enamel, glaze — everything seemed to denote a 
 common origin with the pottery of Greece proper. It seemed natural to conclude, that they 
 were imported either from that country or from the Greek colonies of Southern Italy ; on the 
 other hand, the difficulties attending the transmission of these fragile works to inland districts, 
 at a time when Italy was in a semi-barbarous state — every city, almost every village, 
 constantly at war with its neighbour — seemed almost insuperable ; and, accordingly, the adverse 
 theory, that they were manufactured in the localities where they were found, was not without 
 supporters. The truth probably lies midway betwixt these opposing suppositions. That 
 painted vases of the highest beauty, yielding in nothing to those produced in Attica itself, 
 were habitually executed in the wealthy Greek cities of the South of Italy, may be taken for 
 granted; and such vases probably found their way, as objects of commerce, into the remoter 
 and less-civilized regions of Central Italy. Moreover, with the growing demand for these 
 objects of foreign luxury on the part of the Etruscans, what is more likely than that Greek 
 potters should have migrated to the countries where their labours were in request, and that 
 some at least of the painted vases found in the Etruscan cemeteries were produced on the 
 spot by Greek artists? The tradition, indeed, of the potters Eucheir and Eugrammus, who, 
 together with Demaratus of Corinth, are recorded to have fled to Etruria, although perhaps 
 somewhat mythical, is at all events favourable to this opinion. 
 
 To enter at any length into artistic and archaeological descriptions of antique painted 
 pottery would be incompatible with our design, and a few remarks on points not always 
 satisfactorily treated in the numerous works on the subject, is all that can be attempted ; 
 and with them our notice of the antique wares must terminate. First, however, the 
 subject of the approximative dates of production of the famous Greek painted pottery demands 
 a few lines. Here, then, we are absolutely without positive data; most authorities, however, 
 are agreed in referring its first beginning to about a.c. 700, and its final decadence and the 
 discontinuance of the manufacture to the second century before Christ. 
 
 This term of about five hundred years, thus assigned as the duration of the period of 
 production of the painted wares, is probably sufficiently near the truth, and is quite sufficient to 
 account for the extreme perfection to which the pottery had arrived, and would even seem 
 an inordinate time, when the singular uniformity of style displayed from first to last is 
 considered. 
 
 With respect to the technique, or manner of execution of these vases, more can be said. 
 When first painted vases began to attract collectors, an infinity of absurd theories and 
 deductions on this head were set afloat; nothing, however, is simpler or more obvious than 
 the technical formative processes employed : the potters’ tools and appliances are few and 
 simple; they remain now very much what they were. Nineteen out of every twenty Greek 
 vases were simply thrown on the potter’s wheel ; the handles, spouts, &c., generally modelled 
 by hand, and sometimes, though more rarely, pressed or cast in moulds. Other vessels, such 
 as the rhytons, were pressed or moulded, as at present; in short, the only material difference 
 
 3 
 
CERAMIC ART. 
 
 betwixt tlie ancient and modern technical processes is in the infinitely greater skill of the 
 ancient workman : throwing on the wheel, and the subsequent turning of the piece on the 
 lathe, were carried to a pitch of perfection, far beyond even the most laborious and 
 commendable efforts of modern potters. 
 
 The exquisitely smooth and polished surface of the red clay, seen on Greek vases, is 
 often simply due, not to any superadded glaze, but to the fine polish communicated to 
 the surface on the lathe before the piece was fired. The decoration of the ware was 
 executed exclusively by two distinct media, — first, a vitreous enamel, or true glaze ; and 
 secondly, engobes, or variously- tinted clays, applied to the surface in a liquid state. The well- 
 known black enamel is the only pigment of the former kind, which it will be necessary to 
 dwell on here. In a technical point of view, this is the only mystery; here, as in the 
 case of the famous lustre pigments of the Majolica ware, modern technological science 
 is at fault ; we do not know the composition of this beautiful pigment, and consequently it 
 has never been successfully reproduced : counterfeit imitations without number may be seen 
 on all hands, sufficiently like to deceive the inexperienced connoisseur ; but they may all be 
 detected with ease by the simplest tests. The glaze is, in fact, a true vitreous enamel, 
 painted on the surface of the ware in a liquid state like any other pigment, and then 
 vitrified by the heat of the furnace. This glaze is as distinct and notable a characteristic of 
 the antique as the opaque stanniferous enamel is of mediaeval earthenware, or as the trans- 
 parent plumbo-vitreous glaze of modern porcelain ; it is a beautiful pigment, in appearance 
 more like a resinous varnish than a true enamel : and not the least remarkable charac- 
 teristic is its extreme thinness : in this respect it exceeds all other coverings applied to pottery. 
 This quality is, moreover, one of the highest value in an artistic point of view, inasmuch 
 as the delicate contours and mouldings of the pieces are absolutely unchanged by the glaze, 
 which in almost every other pottery alters and vitiates the forms by its thickness. Many 
 attempts have been made to reproduce this glaze, but hitherto entirely without success ; 
 chemical analysis even has been difficult, owing to the almost impossibility of detaching a 
 substance of such extreme tenuity from the surface of the ware, with the clay or body of 
 which it is besides more or less in chemical combination. This glaze is evidently applied to 
 the surface of the piece with a brush, since the marks left by this implement are often 
 unmistakeably visible ; the designs in outline are likewise painted with a fine lining brush with 
 incredible dexterity and precision. 
 
 The second class of pigments, viz. “ engobes,” or, to make use of the term employed 
 by English potters, “slip,” is simply clay mixed with water to the consistence of cream, so 
 as to admit of being applied 'with the brush. These pigments are white from pipe-clay, yellow, 
 red, and pale blue, all colours doubtless produced by mingling different coloured ochres with 
 the white slip : these are applied to the surface of the piece, and fired with it. 
 
 The Greek vases exhibited at Manchester were mainly from the collection of Mr. Mayer, 
 of Liverpool, and were in great part originally collected by Mr. Hertz, a well-known dealer 
 in works of art. There were many of great beauty and rarity, but their simple and unobtrusive 
 aspect caused them to be comparatively but little regarded amidst the mass of glittering 
 objects of a more recent time. 
 
 ANTIQUE ROMAN POTTERY. 
 
 After the famous ware we have just described, many centuries elapsed before any of the 
 Ceramic works were produced of sufficient importance, in point of view of art, to take rank as 
 an established {esthetic category. At a comparatively early period, the Greeks themselves 
 evidently ceased to regard pottery as a legitimate vehicle of art; and the Romans, with then’ 
 magnificent disdain of all ordinary materials, seem to have scarcely ever thought of the 
 
 4 
 
CERAMIC ART. 
 
 Ceramic art, otherwise than as a handmaid to the humblest purposes of life. Painting or 
 flat decoration was altogether abandoned; beauty of form was not esteemed a quality of 
 any moment, and whatever art was still allied with the potter’s craft, displayed itself in 
 works in relief : the only variety of pottery worthy of notice was that usually, but rather 
 absurdly, called “ Samian” ware. This well-known ware, apparently manufactured wherever 
 the Romans acquired dominion, is wonderfully uniform and stable in its characteristics; 
 it was, in fact, a useful manufacture. In technical respects, it differs but little from the 
 
 Greek pottery; but in design and external appearance it is entirely unlike. It is invariably 
 
 composed of a fine-textured clay, redder in the mass than that of the Greek pottery, 
 
 probably from an admixture of ochre, and is covered with a transparent glaze of extreme 
 tenuity, and in other respects great technical perfection. This glaze, which enhances by 
 its lustre the natural colour of the ware to a bright coral-red, probably differs but little 
 in composition from the Greek vitreous enamel, the black colouring matter being alone 
 excluded ; its mode of application is, however, apparently different, and as yet not thoroughly 
 understood. All the pieces discovered were evidently intended for domestic uses, — cups, 
 pateras, jars, flasks or bottles, &c. ; and these are never found in tombs, and consequently 
 are very rarely in a perfect state ; Samian ware, in fact, is found in fragments amongst 
 the soil of ancient Roman cities. The forms, especially the mouldings of the maro-ins and 
 feet of the pieces, are often elegant and well contrasted ; but there is no great variety, and 
 the decoration in relief is produced entirely by mechanical means, i. e., by moulding or 
 stamping. The city of Arezzo acquired in antiquity a certain repute for this variety of 
 
 pottery; and nowhere perhaps are finer specimens discovered than in England, particularly in 
 the soil of ancient London. 
 
 ANTIQUE ENAMELLED WARES. 
 
 Within a very recent period, singularly enough, many antique specimens have come to 
 light, setting at rest the fact so long doubted of the knowledge by the ancients of stanniferous 
 and plumbo-vitreous glazes, analogous to those in use in modern times. The enamelled bricks 
 of Assyria had, it is true, been long known, but it is only within the last few years, by the 
 discovery of so many remarkable specimens of Assyrian origin, and their acquisition by 
 European museums, that chemists and archmologists have been enabled to investigate the 
 true nature of their glazes; whilst simultaneously, vases, lamps, &c., of Roman oririn, 
 covered with vitreous glazes derived from lead, have been discovered- in widely-distant 
 localities. There is now no doubt but that the opaque stanniferous enamel in use in the 
 Middle Ages— the glaze, in fact, of the “ Majolica” and “ Delft” wares— was previously known 
 to the ancient Assyrians ; and the links even by which the use of it was brought down to 
 the great epoch of Ceramic development in Italy can be indicated with great probability.* 
 
 * Analyses, by Dr. Percy, of the opaque white enamel on bricks from Assyria and Babylon have proved beyond 
 doubt that tins enamel is produced by tin.— (See De la Beche and Beeks’ Catalogue of the Pottery and Porcelain of the 
 Museum of Practical Geology, 1855, p. 31.) Nevertheless, as recently as 1841 Brougniart says, 11 Ou cite des briques de 
 Babylone, qn’on appello emaillees. J1 y a en effet des briques et des carreanx qu’on rapporte h cette haute antiquite, et qni sont 
 revetus d’une belle g1a ? ure diversement coloree. J'en al vu des fragments a la Bibliotheqne royale ; mais Cette glagure ne 
 renfermait pas detain ; done ce n’est pas Celle a laquelle on pent donner on laisser le nom d’cmail.” — (Arts Ceramiques, 
 vol. ii. p. 49.) It is clear that Brongniart had not at that time had the opportunity of seeing any specimen of the white 
 enamel, the fragments he refers to being evidently covered with variously-coloured silico-alkaline glazes; the external 
 aspect alone of tile designs executed in the white enamel on these ancient tiles would otherwise have revealed at once 
 to his practised eye, the presence of tin. 
 
 (.’>) 
 
CERAMIC ART. 
 
 MEDIAEVAL STANNIFEROUS ENAMELLED WARES. 
 
 Introduction. 
 
 The stanniferous enamel covering, now in question, is as characteristic of mediaeval 
 earthenware, as the black glaze is of the antique painted pottery, and its exact nature should 
 be thoroughly understood. In the first place, the body of the ware to which it is applied is 
 of the simplest kind, mere common clay or earthenware fired at a low temperature, and of the 
 usual red or brown tints; the enamel glaze forms a thick opaque white covering, with a bril- 
 liant glassy surface, entirely concealing by its opacity the natural tint of the clay. The opacity 
 and whiteness are produced by the oxide of tin, mixed in varying proportions with siliceous 
 and alkaline substances, capable of being fused into a glass by heat, and forming in fact the 
 only covering of pottery to which the term enamel glaze can be properly applied. For obvious 
 reasons, this enamel is never applied to porcelain, and enamel glazed earthenware should not 
 be confounded with it, porcelain being entirely different in its nature. Besides these ancient 
 specimens, however, the researches of Layard and others have brought to light, at considerable 
 depths underground, but overlying the remains of the antique epochs, fragments of enamelled 
 pottery, in every essential respect analogous to that manufactured from an early period by 
 the Moors in Spain ; what more likely then, that either a continuous habit, or the sight of 
 ancient works, may have taught the secret of the enamel glaze to the Arabs of the East, from 
 whom the secret undoubtedly passed to their brethren in Spain ? It is certain, at any rate, that 
 the glaze reappears with them, and was never again lost sight of; and in spite of Luca della 
 Robbia’s supposed discovery of it, in the first half of the fifteenth century, everything tends 
 to prove that this famous vehicle, the first really allowing of the successful decoration of 
 pottery in colours, was handed down in Asia from the days of Nebuchadnezzar even. 
 
 It should be stated, however, that, previous to the recognition of the stanniferous enamel 
 on the ancient Assyrian and Babylonian bricks, writers on the Ceramic art, although without 
 any direct evidence, agreed to refer the origin of this glaze to the Arabs of Bagdad or 
 Mosul, and the period of its discovery was, by common consent, assigned to about the tenth 
 century. No specimens, however, can now be pointed to with certainty as being of an earlier 
 date than the commencement of the fourteenth century ; the tiles of the Alhambra, generally 
 allowed to be of the last-mentioned date, however, exhibit an amount of technical perfection 
 
 never since surpassed, and it is at least clear that they are the recognized products of a 
 
 manufacture which must have taken a long time to arrive at perfection; but, on the whole, 
 
 when the singular vitality or permanence of national customs and technical processes in the 
 
 East is taken into account, it appears more reasonable to infer that the Arabs inhabiting 
 the very country, which was the seat of the great Assyrian and Babylonian dynasties, derived 
 their knowledge of the stanniferous glaze from their ancient predecessors in the land, than 
 that they invented it themselves. 
 
 MEDIAEVAL POTTERY.— HISPANO-MORESCO WARES. 
 
 It was in Spain, the island of Majorca, and perhaps also in Sicily, that the earliest 
 Art Pottery of the Middle Ages of which we have any cognizance was produced by the Moors. 
 The Hispano-Moresco wares, as they are now usually called, have only recently attracted 
 attention, and as yet very little is known about them. It is not a little singular, that the 
 specimens now sought for by collectors are nearly all found in Italy, where they have been 
 
 preserved along with the ancient Majolica wares, with which they were formerly, and may 
 
 even yet, in some cases, be confounded ; whilst, at the same time, apparently few, if any, 
 
 G 
 
CERAMIC A R T. 
 
 specimens are to be met with in the land of their production. The explanation of this 
 seeming anomaly is not difficult. From many indications, it is evident that this pottery was 
 a great staple article of commerce, just as, in our own days, English earthenware has 
 penetrated to every part of the world, superseding, by its greater perfection and cheapness 
 all local wares ; and that it should now be more abundant in other countries than in that of 
 its fabrication, is only what has since notoriously happened with many other varieties of 
 pottery. 
 
 It will now be desirable to dwell briefly on the external characteristics of this interesting 
 ware, of which many specimens contributed from the Soulages collection, the South Kensington 
 Museum, from Lord Hastings and other collectors, were exhibited at Manchester. This 
 pottery, then, is a common stanniferous enamel glazed earthenware, precisely analogous to 
 the Majolica and Delft wares of more recent times. The ornamentation consists of flat 
 surface painting, with but rare attempts at moulding or decoration in relief: there is one 
 decorative characteristic, however, which distinguishes it strongly from all previous Ceramic 
 productions; and this is the constant and abundant use of lustres or metallic iridiscent 
 colours, which there can be no doubt were, like so many other inventions, a discovery of 
 the mediaeval Arabs. We have now, then, before us a pottery entirely different from the 
 productions of Greece and Rome, having, in fact, only one quality in common with them, 
 namely, the coarse natural clay of which the body or substance of the ware is composed. 
 There is only one other kind of pottery which, being of unquestionably prior origin, may have 
 stimulated its production, — namely, Chinese porcelain; and it is not beyond the limits of 
 possibility that although, as we have seen, the white stanniferous glaze was undoubtedly 
 known to the ancient Assyrian predecessors of the Asiatic Arabs, and was most likely tradi- 
 tionally handed down from them, its application to pottery may have been motived by attempts 
 to imitate porcelain imported over-land from China. We have now, in fact, under consideration 
 a variety of pottery which, at least in one prominent respect of external appearance, is very 
 analogous to that most perfect of all Ceramic products — tine porcelain: this characteristic is 
 its lustrous white surface. We have seen in the antique potteries, that, except in very rare 
 instances, the natural red or brownish colour of the clay was always more or less visible; 
 henceforth the colour of the clay is as constantly concealed by an enamel glaze of a totally 
 different tint. Here, then, is a surface naturally suggesting colour as the means of art as applied 
 to pottery, rather than form, as in the antique system. 
 
 The Hispano-Moresco wares are distinguished by a very close adherence to one general 
 type. In Spain, the land of their production, the remains of this ware exist chiefly in 
 the tiles employed for the lining of interior walls of buildings: those of the Alhambra are 
 the most notable now extant; the famous amphora-shaped vase of the Alhambra, called 
 “ La Jarra,” being the only vase or vessel the author is able to specify. This has been so 
 often described as to need no further illustration; it is sufficient to state that, in process 
 and style of decoration, it is in every respect similar to the specimens about to be alluded 
 to. The best-known specimens of Hispano-Moresco pottery are large circular dishes or 
 salvers, generally about eighteen or twenty inches in diameter, sometimes shallow with a 
 raised circular medallion or umbilicus in the centre, and a wide border, sometimes abruptly 
 deep sunk, with a narrow margin. Vases of shapes not easily to be described (see Plate I. 
 from the Soulages collection) also occur, as likewise cylindrical drug-pots, cruets, cups, &c.. ; 
 but are of much rarer occurrence than the salvers. The ground of the ware is Llways 
 the plain white enamel glaze, and the painted decoration is executed in blue, mano-anese 
 brown, and the lustre tints : on the Alhambra tiles, a beautiful light greenish turquoise- 
 blue is found ; this, however, is less frequent on the pottery. The lustre pigments vary from 
 a dull greenish golden tint to a full copper-red, the latter undoubtedly characteristic of the 
 more modern specimens, being probably still known in Spain. As these lustres are 
 
CERAMIC ART. 
 
 substantially the same pigments as the more beautiful ones of the Italian Majolica ware, their 
 nature and composition will be more particularly alluded to hereafter. The salvers are 
 ornamented in a style which there is no mistaking; those of pure Moorish origin frequently 
 have large grotesque figures of animals — lions, antelopes, &c. — surrounded with geometrical 
 and foliated diaper ornaments, in the well-known Arabic taste ; those apparently executed for 
 the Spanish or foreign market are generally enriched in the centre with shields of arms of 
 the Spanish kingdoms and princes, also relieved or detached on a diapered ground ; the borders 
 are sometimes decorated with inscriptions, either real or simulated, in Gothic letters ; such 
 for instance, as “Santa Catalina guarda nos,” on a dish in the British Museum; “In principio 
 erat Verbum,” &c., reiterated on many specimens. The designs are often outlined in blue or 
 manganese-brown, the leaves, armorial bearings, &c., filled in with the lustre tints ; whilst, 
 in other cases, the entire ornamentation is in the lustre tint only. These two styles of 
 decoration are undoubtedly contemporaneous. The latest class of pieces, and which may 
 indeed be considered to be rather of Spanish than Moresco work, is that on which the 
 designs, generally a kind of diapering of rude foliated ornament, with birds, &c., are painted 
 in the red or copper lustre ; it is clear that this variety was largely fabricated as late as the 
 seventeenth century even, for pieces have been observed on which figures in Spanish costume 
 of that period are represented. 
 
 Whilst treating of pottery of Arabic origin, it may be as well to refer to a variety of 
 great rarity, and of which as yet scarcely any note has been taken. Two specimens of the ware 
 in question were, however, contributed to the Manchester Exhibition by E. Falkener, Esq. ; they 
 were oviform jars, of rather inelegant form, covered with a deep blue transparent glaze, and 
 enriched with designs in gold lustre, which being transparent, appear of a dark greenish 
 tint in a direct light, but exhibit, when viewed at the requisite angle, the usual “reflet” or 
 iridiscent tints. The ornaments on the few pieces already observed are of unmistakeable 
 Arabic or Saracenic design, consisting of real or simulated inscriptions in the Arabic character, 
 mingled with flourishes or scroll-work, resembling the ornamentation of the medieval 
 damascened brass wares. Although it has a marked affinity to the Hispano-Arab pottery, 
 already described, this variety is most likely of Asiatic origin, and of an early date, probably 
 of the thirteenth or fourteenth century. 
 
 This ware, the existence of which has been hitherto known to only a few connoisseurs, 
 has an additional interest, inasmuch as it appears to have been closely copied in Italy in the 
 sixteenth century. 
 
 ITALIAN ENAMELLED ART POTTERY.— MAJOLICA WARE. 
 
 Introduction. 
 
 The Majolica ware of Italy is a continuation or rather a further development of the 
 pottery last under consideration. The existence of an active commercial intercourse betwixt 
 Spain and Italy in the Middle Ages is notorious, and the proportion of pieces of Spanish 
 origin still to be found in Italy,— all, be it remembered, believed to be prior in date to the 
 commencement of the sixteenth century, — as compared with that of Majolica of every kind 
 and period, is so great as to alone suffice to prove that there must have been for a long 
 period a universal demand for the Hispano-Moresco wares; it seems indeed almost certain 
 that, during the entire course of the fifteenth century, the last-named wares were in constant 
 competition with the advancing products of national manufacture. 
 
 The derivation of the word Majolica, given on the authority of early Italian philologists, 
 also distinctly points to the foreign origin of the manufacture. By common consent, the term 
 is admitted to be derived from Majorca, a Spanish island in the Mediterranean, which 
 
CERAMIC ART. 
 
 remained till a late period under the domination of the Moors, and was a chief centre of 
 manufacture of the Hispano-Moresco lustred wares for exportation. 
 
 There can be little doubt but that this derivation of the word is correct; analogies in our 
 own language are too pertinent not to be alluded to —the terms “ China” for every variety of 
 porcelain, and “ Delft,” formerly distinctive of enamelled earthenware of any and every origin, 
 are directly to the point. 
 
 Whilst, however, the fact of this long-established importation of Hispano-Moresco earthen- 
 ware into Italy is beyond all doubt, there is perhaps as little actual contemporary record of it 
 as of the commercial distribution of the ancient Greek painted pottery. The story of the Pisan 
 expedition against Nazaredek, the Mahomedadan king of Majorca, in 1113, on which occasion the 
 Crusaders are supposed to have brought back pieces of the pottery of the country as trophies 
 of victory, although it has been repeated by most recent writers, scarcely deserves the credence 
 it has obtained, its bearing on the Ceramic art being probably entirely apocryphal. 
 
 Further researches, and in particular a careful study of the specimens that remain to 
 us, will doubtless, in time, throw more light on the subject of the influence of the Moresco 
 wares on Italian Ceramic products; but whatever may hove been the epoch of the first 
 introduction of Moresco potteiy into Italy, it is clear that long before they had begun to 
 influence Italian Ceramic art, the manufacture of pottery had attained to marked prominence 
 in certain districts of the last-named country. 
 
 To all appearance, however, down to the commencement of the fifteenth century even, 
 Art had little or nothing to do with the potter’s craft. Architecture may indeed have, to 
 a certain extent, impressed the ceramic industry into its service for decorative purposes, 
 but it is most probable that, prior to the period named, no products worthy to be desig- 
 nated Art Pottery, were produced in modern Italy. But with the revival of learning, and 
 the great uprising of arts and sciences, in the fifteenth century, came a new era, and the 
 ceramic vehicle became a peculiar specialty of the artist. It was at this conjuncture that 
 the Hispano-Moresco pottery already distributed over Italy, and the only Art Pottery worthy 
 of the name, began to exercise an immediate influence on the Italian wares. 
 
 With this different status of pottery, moreover, ail entirely different class of productive 
 agencies came into action; pottery once admitted as a recognized object of concern to the 
 virtuoso, immediately took rank as a quasi-liberal art; the humble fiyuli, vasm, borcalari, of 
 the ancient municipal records, were now maestri, occupying a very different position in the 
 social scale. On all hands princes and nobles became the zealous patrons of Ceramic artists, 
 and the founders of manufactories in their several territories; in short, the fashionable mania 
 for the establishment and protection of porcelain manufactories, which prevailed amongst the 
 sovereign princes of Germany in the last century, was pre-enacted and carried out with far 
 grander results three hundred years earlier in Italy, in the case of the Majolica. The patronage 
 of princes gave the most powerful stimulus, by inducing artists of established talent to devote 
 themselves to Ceramic pursuits, whilst the unusual demand for their fine products, which 
 speedily arose, gave a stimulus to industrial enterprise, and soon caused this brilliant 
 industry to become naturalized in all the old-established centres of Ceramic production. 
 
 It is scarcely too much to assert that Majolica was soon manufactured everywhere in 
 Italy; certain districts attained to very special prominence; but generally speaking this 
 eminently national manufacture was carried on alike in Lombardy, the Venetian territory 
 Tuscany, the Roman States, Naples, and Sicily even ; whilst artists of repute, wandered about 
 from one place to another, carrying with them their technical secrets, which they sometimes 
 guarded with a deadly jealousy, and at others freely communicated to their brethren in the 
 various localities of their sojourn. 
 
 There were, then, m the flourishing days of the art, first, the private manufactories (bottrqhe) 
 producing on the usual industrial conditions, and generally aggregated in certain great centres 
 
 « 
 
CERAMIC ART. 
 
 of manufacture ; secondly, the manufactories attached to the courts, castles, or villas ot princes 
 and nobles, producing works of special value for their patrons ; and thirdly, artists unattached, 
 i. e., working on their own account, and frequently changing their places of abode. 
 
 The manufacturers, as a rule, repeated in gross the regular patterns which were their 
 respective copyrights. An infinity of unique designs were executed on all hands by the painters, 
 who worked on their own account or for noble patrons ; so that, in fact, Majolica, not less 
 from the high artistic excellence displayed, than from the fact of this frequent independence 
 of the usual commercial conditions, may be justly regarded as a development of fine art. 
 
 It has been said that the Majolica was fabricated very generally in all parts of the Italian 
 peninsula; nevertheless, the manufacture attained to paramount development in certain cities 
 and districts of Central Italy adjoining to the Adriatic coast. Faenza and its neighbourhood, 
 the country formerly constituting the duchy of Urbino, and farther to the south Perugia and 
 Its territory, were certainly the principal seats of the art. Judging alike from the testimony 
 of writers and from the wares that remain to us, the first rank, both as to priority of origin 
 and importance of products, must be assigned to Faenza ; next in antiquity, if not in celebrity, 
 we may perhaps place Deruta, or Castel di Deruta, a dependency of Perugia; then Pesaro, 
 Gubbio, Castel-Durante, Urbino, Caffaggiolo near Florence, and Venice. 
 
 The technical processes of pottery are foreign to the object of this essay, except when 
 they illustrate the history or archseology of the subject: with this latter view, a brief sketch 
 of the method of fabrication of the Majolica seems necessary. The body of the ware, like all 
 the mediaeval potteries, is a mere common clay or terra-cotta, usually of a brownish or yellowish 
 hue. "When the pieces are finished on the wheel, and have taken their appointed shape, they 
 are first thoroughly dried, and then fired or burnt in the furnace; in this state the ware is 
 technically called biscuit (Uscotto). The glaze is applied generally by immersion, i. e., the 
 substances composing it being reduced to a fine powder, and mixed with water to the consistence 
 of cream, the piece to be covered is dipped into this liquid, contained in a large vessel. The 
 porous nature of the biscuit-ware speedily causes the moisture to be absorbed, and the 
 glazing material then simply adheres to the piece as a soft coating, liable to be removed by 
 the slightest touch : on this surface the painting is executed with the enamel colours, simply 
 ground up or diluted with water. It is here that the wonderful executive facility of the 
 Majolica painters is displayed; as the nature of the ground requires the work to be done at 
 once; the outlines, for instance, must be drawn at a single stroke, and not a touch can be 
 erased. The surface is so absorbent, that if the point of the brush charged with colour be 
 allowed to rest on it for the briefest instant even, an unsightly blot ensues. After the execution 
 of the painting, the piece is fired a second time, being on this occasion inclosed in a case or 
 “sawfar” of terra-cotta, to protect it from the direct action of the flames. In the furnace 
 the crude pulverulent covering fuses into a glossy vitrified enamel, whilst the painting executed 
 on its surface, sinking in and becoming indelibly incorporated with it, assumes at once a 
 degree of power and brilliancy of tint very different to its previous crude raw aspect. 
 
 Much confusion has arisen by writers on Majolica confounding the lustred wares with 
 the ordinary painted specimens : it appears to have been formerly thought that the iridiscent 
 tints were merely owing to the influence of time on the vitreous surface, thereby producing 
 oxidation or minute exfoliation, sufficient to give a pearly, changeable lustre. Nothing, 
 however, is more erroneous than this hypothesis; the lustres, on the contrary, form a 
 distinct and separate class of pigments, applied on the vitrified surface of the finished ware, 
 and often glazed over the previous colours, in a manner analogous to the transparent glazings 
 of an oil-picture, and then necessitating a separate fire : every lustred specimen, in fact, must 
 have passed thrice through the furnace. These pigments are in reality metallic solutions, 
 applied to the piece with a brush, the extreme degree of division of the metallic bases held 
 in solution, and the consequent tenuity of the vehicle, rendering the resultant tints semi- 
 
 10 
 
CERAMIC A R T. 
 
 transparent: the lustres are thus mere films, of entirely inappreciable thickness, lyino- on the 
 surface of the glaze. 
 
 The enamel colours employed in Majolica painting are, some of them, thick and opaque 
 others transparent. Their range is very limited ; the following being the only pigments employed ; 
 wz., blue from smalts or cobalt, brown or dark purple from manganese, yellow and orange 
 from antimony and iron, and green from copper (to these should be added the white enamel 
 colour of more brilliant tint than that of the ground of the pieces, and used for the liio-li 
 lights, called “ Bianchetto,” “Bianco di Faenza,” &c.), and lastly, red; this colour, however, 
 was of extremely rare occurrence, and very uncertain application. 
 
 We have now rapidly sketched out the principal points of the technique, of the stanniferous 
 glazed, or true Majolica; but this enamelled ware was not the only Italian pottery which 
 possessed a white glazed surface susceptible of decoration in colours. From a very early 
 period of the Middle Ages in Italy, and to all appearance in most other countries, ‘the 
 desideratum best attained by the stanniferous enamel had been attained less perfectly by 
 coating the red or brown ware with an engobe, or thin layer of white clay, which when fired, 
 and afterwards covered with transparent plumbo-vitreous glaze, is often hardly to be distinguished 
 from the white enamelled ware, or true Majolica. Passeri attributes, and probably with truth 
 the beginning of this process to at least as far back as the year 1100; and it will not be 
 out of place to state that it has been continued down to our own day even, and that in 
 particular it was in full operation during all the flourishing period of the Majolica manufacture, 
 lending itself to peculiar decorative processes of much interest. Passeri terms this pottery 
 “ Mezzo-Majolica,” or half-Majolica, confuses it singularly with the early lustred Majolica, and 
 seems to intimate that the process was definitively abandoned when the stanniferous enamel 
 glaze was brought to perfection; we have, however, already stated that this was by no means 
 the case. J 
 
 Such are the mam outlines of the technique of Majolica: it is scarcely necessary to say 
 lowever, that whilst the fundamental processes remained everywhere the same, the minor 
 details of manipulation, composition of enamel glaze and colours, methods of firing, &c., were 
 varied to infinity ; every locality, nay, almost every individual maestro, had his own technical 
 secrets ; and the endeavours to perfect this celebrated manufacture, during the space of at least 
 three hundred years, were as constant and unremitting as has since been the ease with 
 modern porcelain or English earthenware. 
 
 The lead-glazed engobe pottery, last described, ought, however, to be distinguished from 
 the stanniferous enamel glazed wares, which are alone in reality true Majolica. It has been 
 assumed from the first, that the secret of the stanniferous enamel in use from a remote period 
 with the Moors of Spam, was communicated by them to the Italian potters some time during 
 the early part of the fifteenth century. The last-named period has been assigned, not from any 
 direct recorded evidence, but from the fact that no Italian stanniferous glazed Majolica has 
 as yet been observed which can be referred to an earlier date: moreover, it has always 
 been a traditional opinion in Italy, that the origin of Majolica, if not its first manufacture in 
 that country, was due to Moresco artisans, and it is assumed, and probably with truth, that 
 the persecutions of the Moors by the kings of Leon and Seville caused the migration to' Italy 
 ot Moorish potters, who settled in the States of the Church, and there carried on their 
 manufacture. Vestiges of some such exercise of the art by Moresco workmen in Italy are 
 indeed apparently traceable, and will be referred to again. 
 
 But the invention of the white stanniferous enamel, or rather its re-discovery in Italy is 
 on the other hand, claimed, on specific evidence, for the city of Florence, in the first half of’ the 
 teenth century. Vasari attributes its invention to the celebrated sculptor Luca della Robbia 
 who, there is abundant evidence to show, knew and employed it in his terra-cotta sculptures 
 in relief. Della Robbia was born in 1400; and if we allow him to have arrived at a mature 
 
 11 
 
CERAMIC ART. 
 
 age at the period of his supposed discovery, we might suppose it to have taken place about 
 1430. There are, it is true, no pieces of Italian stanniferous glazed Majolica extant which 
 can be with certainty referred to an earlier date than this, though there are many which, in 
 all probability, go quite as far back, and which, moreover, show no traces of being the earliest 
 necessarily imperfect essays in a new process. The question then arises, Did Luca della 
 Robbia really invent this celebrated vehicle, or did he acquire the secret directly or indirectly 
 from Moorish potters settled in Italy? The entire tenor of Vasari’s account goes to prove 
 the former hypothesis; but in a case of this nature the evidence of the garrulous but 
 inexact author of the Lives should not be allowed to have much weight ; inconsistencies in his 
 account itself are almost fatal to the story. According to Vasari, the secret remained confined 
 to the Della Robbia family alone till a late period in the sixteenth century even. Now the 
 fact of there being myriads of pieces of Majolica produced all over Italy during the 
 lifetime of Luca himself, which is an incontestable fact, renders the account entirely untenable ; 
 indeed, its assertion by Vasari, who lived in the midst of the Majolica fabrication, seems 
 inexplicable. The truth probably is, that Luca was the first to apply the enamel glaze to 
 large works in relief, and that he merely availed himself in his works in sculpture of a 
 vehicle which he found in full use by the potters of his day. Luca, moreover, must have seen 
 the Moresco wares, which were doubtless well known in Italy before his time ; in short, 
 the balance of probability is in favour of the belief we have all along contended for, that, by 
 some means or other — most probably by direct communication with Moorish potters established 
 in the country, the knowledge of the stanniferous enamel was communicated to the Italians, 
 causing them in great measure to abandon the ancient system of engobe or clay-coated pottery, 
 and to embark in a new direction, in which they never ceased to labour until they had brought 
 their products to a degree of technical perfection far excelling that of the Moresco prototype, 
 and equally beyond the highest efforts of the potters of the present day. 
 
 It was frequently the habit of Majolica painters to affix marks or monograms, sometimes 
 of individuals, sometimes of manufactories; whilst in some instances family badges, or trade- 
 marks, so employed, seem to have been transmitted from father to son for generations. No 
 kind of rule, however, seems to have been followed in respect to these signatures; often 
 the signature of the maestro will be found on his commonest productions, whilst, by some 
 unaccountable caprice, his chefs-d’oeuvre are left without any mark, and are recognizable only 
 by the impress of the peculiar talent revealed in unmistakeablo peculiarities of style. In the 
 case of extensive services, consisting of many pieces, moreover, it seems to have been the 
 habit of the manufacturer to place his signature only on the chief, or perhaps some few of 
 the principal pieces of the service, the rest being left blank : these signed specimens have, in 
 most instances, perished. 
 
 But some artists, on the other hand, seem to have consistently marked all, or at least 
 the great majority of their wares ; for instance, it is as rare to find any unsigned works of the 
 well-known artist Francesco Xanto, as it is, on the other hand, to meet with any signed 
 specimen of the far greater Orazio Fontana. This habit of signing the wares, although it has 
 riven to a few artists a prestige which their relative talents do not warrant, has, nevertheless, 
 been of the greatest use to the modern connoisseur ; and without it the history of the Majolica 
 would have been considerably more meagre than it is. The signed specimens, however, 
 after all, constitute only a very small per-centage of those now extant. 
 
 The oldest date which has yet been noticed by the author on any piece of Majolica is the year 
 1475, and the first date on any lustred specimen 1501. The Italian lustred wares appear to have 
 come into vogue late in the second half of the fifteenth century, and to have been discontinued— 
 probably from public taste having set exclusively in the direction of the subject-painted 
 wares (the Majoliche istoriate ) — somewhere about 1540-50 ; thus the lustred wares distinctly 
 belong to the earlier epochs of the art. Generally speaking, the Majolica may be said to 
 
 12 
 
CERAMIC ART. 
 
 have first attained prominence, as an artistic manufacture, during the fifteenth century; it 
 would perhaps be right to assume that its great extension was during the second half of 
 that century ; its period of perfection may be said to extend from the beginning to the middle 
 of the sixteenth century ; after which time, though down to the last, many admirable examples 
 were exceptionally produced, the art rapidly declined, gradually lost its artistic character, 
 and fell to its lowest point with the decadence of art in general, at the end of the 
 seventeenth century. 
 
 Majolica of Faenza. 
 
 Faenza, it has been already stated, is believed to have been the earliest, and, perhaps, 
 on the whole, the most important centre of the Majolica manufacture in Italy ; and yet we have 
 but little information either as to its products, or the artists who flourished there. In the 
 first place, the Faentine maestri seem to have scarcely ever signed their wares other than 
 with monograms or trade-marks, the real signification of which is now rarely to be discovered ; 
 and secondly, the local records of this city have not yet been investigated with a view to 
 their bearing on the Majolica manufacture. Faenza, in short, has as yet found no Passeri 
 or Raffaelle to chronicle its ancient Ceramic triumphs. The highest point of development 
 of the art in Faenza seems to have been attained during the first five-and-twenty years of 
 the sixteenth century, after which time the products of that fabrique are comparatively rare ; it 
 is probable, indeed, that Urbino and Castel-Durante, under the powerful impulsion of the 
 Della Rovere princes, eventually so far surpassed Faenza as to have succeeded in beating 
 out of the field its less novel products. 
 
 The Faenza wares are distinguished, in the first place, for a tendency to pure ornament, 
 especially in borders, &c., designed and executed with admirable spirit and dexterity (see 
 the splendid salver from the Soulages collection, Plate V., the grisaille bordered plate, 
 Plate VI., and the three vases, Plate VIII.) ; for the peculiar softness and brilliancy of the 
 glaze ; and lastly, for the beauty of the enamel pigments, especially for a fine rich transparent 
 orange-colour and a brilliant dark blue. The reverses of the plates and other pieces are 
 frequently also decorated in an elaborate manner. 
 
 The Majolica art has produced nothing more truly beautiful than the small early gift-pieces 
 of this fabrique. Betwixt the years 1510-20 several Faentine maestri seem to have devoted 
 their talents to the decoration of small scudelle or deep plates, generally about eight inches 
 in diameter ; the medallion centres of these pieces are usually painted with amorini, or emblems 
 encircled with strings of pearls and bands of sopra-bianco work, whilst the wide borders 
 are decorated with the most exquisite arabesques, generally on a ground of brilliant orange- 
 colour, interspersed with circular medallions, containing also minute emblematical devices, 
 with their appropriate mottoes. The glaze of these pieces, in lustre and richness, will scarcely 
 lose even by comparison with that of the finest old Sevres porcelain, whilst the execution of 
 the paintings rivals that of the book-illuminations of the period : these charming pieces are, 
 in fact, the ne plus ultra of Majolica. One of the painters has left some slight record 
 of himself in the signature I. P., which, however, is all we know of him; on other 
 specimens, a well-known mark, consisting of a large circle barred or quartered with two 
 straight intersecting lines, with a small pellet or circle inserted in one of the quarters, is seen 
 for the first time. This device, which, at a somewhat later period, becomes one of the commonest 
 and best-known signatures, was evidently the mark of a fabrique or bottega , which, judging 
 from the abundance of its products still extant, must have been of great importance. The 
 majority of the pieces so signed are of a characteristic pattern, painted on a ground of 
 blue enamel, called “ sopra-azzurro,” or “ sopra-smaltino,” with amorini, busts of saints, 
 or portraits, in the centres, and wide borders of arabesque ornaments, in which cornucopias, 
 masks, palmette ornaments, &c., painted in white enamel or grisaille are conspicuous. (See 
 Plate VI. ; Plate with shield of arms in centre and grisaille border.) 
 
 
(-BEAM I C ART. 
 
 
 Another manufactory is that of the house or family of Pirote or Pirota, “ ca” or “ casa” 
 Pirota;* a splendid signed plate of this manufactory, the subject representing the finding 
 of the cup in Benjamin’s sack, is now in the collection of the Baron Alphonse de Rothschild, 
 in Paris ; it is dated 1525 ; and an equally important specimen representing the coronation 
 of Charles V. at Bologna, is in the collection of the university of that city. 
 
 Btiidesara Manara is perhaps the only one of the Faentine artists who appears to have 
 habitually signed and dated his wares : his style is distinguished by a certain mechanical 
 neatness of execution, with little real talent. The reverses of his pieces are nearly always 
 grounded with a transparent yellow tint, on which is laboriously painted a minute scale- 
 work pattern in orange, with his signature generally conspicuously written in blue in the 
 centre : he flourished about 1530. 
 
 Two other names of Faentine artists may be quoted, although their works have not 
 as yet been identified ; these are Vergiliotto da Faenza, alluded to by Piccol-Passo as possessing 
 the secret of a peculiar enamel red, which appears to have been in use during a limited 
 period exclusively at Faenza and Caffaggiolo ; and Nicolo da Fano, of whom still less is known. 
 It seems almost certain that the lustre pigments were never in use at Faenza. The manufacture 
 of Majolica has probably never altogether ceased in that city, and in the early part of the 
 present century even, wares of a certain ornamental character were still fabricated there. 
 
 Majolica of Caffaggiolo. 
 
 A manufactory occupying a high rank for the excellence, no less than the abundance of 
 its products, and which there seems reason to believe was in some sort an offshoot of Faenza, 
 was that of Caffaggiolo. It has been conjectured that this may have been a private manufactory, 
 upheld by the Medici family, inasmuch as Caffaggiolo is a castle or villa of the Medici family 
 at the foot of the Apennines, betwixt Florence and Bologna, still standing, and which, as 
 the scene of a tragical event of historic fame, is pointed out to all travellers along the road 
 betwixt those places. The most flourishing period of this fabrique, like that of Faenza, seems 
 to have been during the first five-and-twenty years of the sixteenth century ; but pieces have 
 been observed ranging as late as about 1550-60; the finest specimens, equal perhaps to the 
 most exquisite productions of Faenza, and having an intimate resemblance to them both in 
 style and technique, appear either to have been the work of one individual artist, or of a 
 family of painters, all of whom used the same monogram. Several admirable specimens of 
 this artist or family are preserved in the South Kensington Museum, notably the celebrated 
 plate purchased from the Bernal collection, and which represents a Majolica painter in his 
 studio, painting the border of a plate in the presence of a lady and a gentleman. No clue 
 to the real signature concealed under this monogram has as yet been obtained. The golden 
 lustre pigment seems to have been in use here; several small plates, vases, &c., of par- 
 ticularly elegant design, having been observed, on which the monogram already alluded to, 
 and which is a compound of the letters S. P. C., is also found. 
 
 Majolica of Deruta. 
 
 The manufactory of Deruta was evidently one of the most important in respect 
 of extent of production ; in this respect it is probably as renowned as Urbino itself. This 
 also is an ancient fabrique , /'. e., the majority of the wares, on which many different hands 
 Avere clearly employed, belong to the earliest years of the sixteenth century ; it is probable, 
 nevertheless, that the locality kept its ground as a seat of manufacture down to the end of 
 the seventeenth century even. 
 
 should bo noticed here, that the pieces marked with the barred circle previously referred to have also been 
 to be products of the Pirota fabrique. 
 
 14 
 
 
CERAMIC ART. 
 
 The peculiarities of the Majolica of this fabrique are very marked, and in general easily 
 recognizable : the ware, technically speaking, is, on the whole, inferior to that of most other 
 manufactories ; the enamel glaze has often a certain thinness and poverty, and want of lustre, 
 very different to that found on the wares of the two localities previously described. The 
 style of painting, which seems from first to last to have been adhered to with singular 
 tenacity, is distinguished by a certain dryness and crudity of colour peculiar to Deruta; 
 the paintings are generally executed with a hard, precise outline, which gives a prevalent 
 look of antiquity to all its productions. The colouring is distinguished by a great predominance 
 of blue, the outlines and shading being nearly all in that tint; bright copper-green is the 
 next in quantity, and finally, a brilliant but cold and opaque yellow completes the system, 
 the resultant effect of which is a coldness and monotony, which is impressed on nearly 
 every piece. In spite of these drawbacks, however, this manufactory produced an infinity of 
 wares, of an admirable style of design, many of which are characterized by special excellences, 
 fully counterbalancing the defects alluded to. The lustre tints were extensively employed 
 here, more especially the golden or yellow lustre, which, however, is inferior in brilliancy to 
 that in use at Gubbio, having a peculiar greenish or brassy hue. The celebrated ruby lustre, 
 though apparently known to at least some of the Deruta artists, seems to have been very 
 sparingly employed. 
 
 Certain large circular salvers ( bat Hi ), which from their abundance have long been familiar 
 to all collectors of Majolica, are now by common consent attributed to this fabrique, and are 
 probably the work of one industrious master alone. These pieces are not easily to be 
 described; they are, however, generally about eighteen inches in diameter, date from about 
 1500 to 1510, and the principal subjects are half-length bust portraits of ladies in fanciful 
 costumes, holding scrolls or banderolles, on which are inscribed love mottoes and other sentences, 
 within borders of scroll foliage, rayed compartments filled in with scale-work, &c. The details 
 are outlined and shaded in dark blue, the ornaments, draperies, &c., copiously grounded or 
 filled in with gold lustre; and the reverse of these pieces is nearly always covered with a 
 coarse yellow enamel. No signatures have ever been observed on this last class of wares. 
 
 Passeri describes this variety with unmistakeable accuracy, and attributes them to his 
 native city of Pesaro; and until lately they were very generally assigned to that city, or with 
 as little reason to Gubbio. It is now, however, admitted that the resemblance in style and 
 technique with many undoubted pieces of the Deruta manufactory is conclusive as to their 
 being of the latter origin. 
 
 T he only artist of talent, whose name is known in connection with Deruta, was apparently a 
 priest, signing himself “ II Frate.’ A splendid specimen of his work is now extant in the collection 
 of Alexander Barker, Esq. ; the subject copied from an engraving by Marc Antonio, after 
 Rafifaelle, represents the nuptials of Alexander and Roxana : it is executed in the ancient 
 manner in blue only, heightened with gold lustre. The subjects of this artist’s paintings are 
 nearly always copied from contemporary engravings. II Frate flourished circa 1540. Many 
 unknown monograms of this fabrique have been observed, evidently ranging in point of date 
 over the entire sixteenth century; and lastly, the Kensington collection contains a rudely- 
 painted piece, signed by a certain “Jo. Silvestro d’ Angelo Trinei da Deruta,” and dated 1691. 
 Even in this the characteristic peculiarities of glaze and colour before alluded to are most 
 distinctly visible, affording a singular instance of the extreme vitality of local styles and 
 practices in art. 
 
 Majolica of Gubbio. 
 
 The history of the Gubbio fabrique is in reality little else than that of one individual 
 artist — the celebrated maestro Giorgio. This city was chiefly distinguished for its lustred 
 wares, which were here unquestionably carried to perfection by the artist just alluded to. 
 The earliest lustred pieces of Italian origin now extant date apparently not earlier than 
 
 15 
 
CERAMIC ART. 
 
 the last quarter of the fifteenth century, and from various indications, which need not be 
 dwelt upon, these specimens may, with great probability, be referred to the Gubbio fabrique. 
 The celebrated ruby or crimson lustre, which has been generally supposed to have been the 
 invention of Maestro Giorgio, certainly appears prior to his time on some of these early wares. 
 As far as present observations warrant an opinion, it seems likely, indeed, that Maestro 
 Giorgio learnt the secret of this beautiful pigment from an earlier master, whose technique 
 and style of art he seems even, in the early part of his career, to have imitated. Further 
 researches will, however, doubtless throw more light on the early chapter of the history 
 of the art in Gubbio : with respect to Giorgio, our information is unusually extensive, although 
 by no means without uncertainty and apparently inexplicable contradictions. Passeri, writing 
 in the year 1756, was probably the first to notice this celebrated Ceramic artist ; and to Passeri 
 and to another Italian writer of about the same period* we owe all that is still known of 
 him, other than the incidental illustration to be gleaned from his works themselves. 
 
 Passeri’ s account is briefly as follows : “ The founder of that fabrique (Gubbio) was a 
 noble gentleman of Pavia, named Giorgio Andreoli, who, together with Salimbene and 
 Giovanni, his brothers, established themselves in Gubbio ; and as he (Giorgio) had obtained 
 in Pavia the highest honours, so also he obtained at Gubbio, in 1498, the right of noble 
 citizenship, acccording to the register (‘ Libro delle Riformanze’) of that time, page 22. 
 He was a sculptor and Majolica painter by profession, and for that reason he was well 
 received by the Feltrian princes of that epoch, and his sons were both endowed with the 
 highest offices which the Duke of Urbino and other Italian princes had at their disposal. 
 This Giorgio, in 1511, executed two very fine altar-pieces in Majolica, in relief; one of the 
 Madonna del Rosario at San Domenico, the other in the private chapel of the Bentivoglio 
 family, in whose archives the original receipt for the payment of the same is still preserved. 
 His ordinary occupation was to paint plates, and Jie had magnificent colours, all of the 
 nature of gold (or gilding). * * * * He had the habit of writing behind his plates with 
 
 the golden colour, but very badly, the year in which he executed the work, also his country, 
 with his mark, which was M° G°.” 
 
 Further on Passeri states that there is documentary evidence of his having been still 
 living in 1552 : unfortunately, however, it is very difficult to reconcile several points in this 
 account with the testimony of the works themselves ; and it is by no means certain that the 
 Giorgio Andreoli of the municipal records of Gubbio, and who appears to have been the 
 founder of the noble family of Andreoli, was one and the same person with the well-known 
 Ceramic artist whose wares we possess ; indeed, this evidently seems to have been assumed 
 upon somewhat slender grounds. The earliest signed and dated piece of the master hitherto 
 noted, is a beautiful plate in the South Kensington collection, dated 1518, and inscribed— 
 
 Maestro Giorgio, 
 
 Da Ugubio, 
 
 and the latest authenticated work is of the year 1537. A great number of pieces are still 
 extant, ranging betwixt these two dates, those executed in the year 1526 being the most 
 abundant. Many pieces, however, have been observed, which are undoubtedly by Giorgio, 
 and apparently of an earlier period than the first-mentioned date ; indeed, it may be assumed 
 that his works extend as far back as 1510, if not earlier. The early wares of Giorgio are 
 in every respect the most excellent : in his later time he evidently became a mere manufacturer, 
 producing on a large scale, and little solicitous as to the artistic merit of his works; to the 
 last, however, the magnificent colours and striking effect of his wares are worthy of great 
 admiration. 
 
 * Oarli, Ah. Gian. Girolamo, “ Lettcra sopra Giorgio Andreoli da Gubbio,” &c. etc. 
 Library of Sienna, of which a transcript is in the author’s possession. 
 
 unpublished MS. in the Public 
 16 
 
CERAMIC ART. 
 
 As an artist, Giorgio is by no means equal to many of his contemporaries in other districts ; 
 the greater part of his compositions are partial copies or 'pasticci from engravings, generally 
 accompanied with beautiful arabesque ornaments, probably of his own invention; lie was, 
 indeed, essentially an industrial or decorative artist; his works are so various, that it would 
 be difficult to convey any adequate idea of them without numerous illustrations : they are, 
 however, so well known, that it is scarcely necessary to dwell upon them in detail. The 
 Manchester Exhibition contained many specimens from various collections; notably, several 
 matchless examples in the Soulages collection. Giorgio’s wares are easily to be distinguished 
 by their marked individuality of style : the great majority of these pieces are, moreover, 
 signed; and even when the signature is wanting, a peculiar pattern, which he nearly always 
 employed to decorate the backs of his pieces, will generally serve to identify them : this is a 
 peculiar isolated "sprig,” or branch of scroll foliage, rudely repeated at intervals round the 
 piece. The lustre pigments he employed are of two varieties; first, the ruby, which is of a 
 magnificent full crimson tint, with a brilliant metallic "reflet” or iridiscence; the other an 
 iridiscent golden tint, changing colour with every varying angle at which the light strikes 
 it. Nothing can exceed the brilliancy of these lustres when they have perfectly succeeded in 
 the fire ; they are far more beautiful than those of any other artist ; but there are scarcely 
 any two specimens in which the lustres are of precisely the same tint, the process, especially 
 in the firing, having evidently been one of great delicacy and uncertainty. In some specimens 
 (often the most elaborately painted and costly) the lustre tints are pale and weak, doubtless 
 from the partial evaporation of the matter in the enamel kiln. 
 
 Giorgio is said to have had a son named Maestro Cencio, who carried on his father’s 
 fabrique ; it appears certain that the technical secrets of the maestro were inherited by some 
 one, who continued the same class of products, but with less success, for some years after the 
 date of the last signed specimens of the maestro himself. A great number of pieces, generally 
 plates, are extant, signed on the reverse with a large N in lustre, and in every other respect 
 scarcely to be distinguished from the less valuable products of Giorgio himself. These have 
 been supposed to have been the work of Cencio : it is clear, at all events, however, that the 
 secret of the lustre pigments was most carefully guarded by its possessors at Gubbio, 
 and that these colours were, in fact, an important local specialty, inasmuch as we find 
 wares painted by artists known to be resident in other districts, and indeed signed with their 
 monograms, on which Giorgio’s lustres have been superadded ; and these specimens have 
 sometimes Giorgio’s signature, or the monogram N, in lustre tints, added at this process : the 
 portrait plate (see Plate III.) in the possession of S. Addington, Esq., may be adduced as of 
 this class. It is indeed probable that Giorgio and his successor were in the regular habit 
 of enriching the ordinary painted wares of other masters with the lustre colours ; it is certain 
 that this was the case with the products of the celebrated Urbinese artist, Francesco Xanto, 
 the highly-esteemed lustred specimens of this master having been certainly so enriched in 
 the Gubbio fabrique, and probably on Xanto’s account. Fabulous sums are now paid by 
 amateurs for fine specimens of Maestro Giorgio’s Majolica. Perhaps the highest price ever 
 paid for a single plate was given in 1856 at the sale of the collection of M. Roussel, in Paris, 
 for a superb plate of Giorgio, representing the three Graces, from Marc Antonio’s print after 
 Ratfiaelle : this piece realized £450 at public sale, and is now in the celebrated collection of 
 Andrew Fountaine, Esq. 
 
 The only other name connected with the Gubbio fabrique. is that of a Maestro Prestino , 
 whose signature has been noticed on a few rare specimens of lustred ware, ranging as recently 
 as 1550. Prestino’s lustre tints are, however, much inferior to those in use by Giorgio. 
 Betwixt 1540 and 1552, the fashion seems to have changed, and the lustred Majolica was 
 evidently beaten out of the field by the magnificent painted wares of . Urbino and Castel- 
 Durante, where the lustre colours never were in use, and it is probable that a revulsion in 
 
 « 
 
CERAMIC ART. 
 
 public taste alone caused the disuse of these celebrated pigments ; the secret of the ruby lustre, 
 however, most likely died out with the family of Giorgio; the golden tint, on the contrary, was 
 known, though only very rarely employed, as late as the seventeenth century. There is no 
 evidence' of the Gubbio ftihrii/nr having produced any works of note after about 1550. 
 
 Majolica of (Iastet, -Durante and Urbino. 
 
 Cittern ; Majolica ware, fabrique of Urbino, circa 1540 ,• in the possession oj Lord Hastings. 
 
 The manufactories of Castel-Durante and Urbino, from their contiguity and the similarity 
 of their productions, may almost be considered as one; the former, however, was apparently 
 the earliest established; its situation on the banks of the river Metaurus, celebrated for the 
 excellent clay extracted from its bed, having long ‘before the commencement of the decorative 
 Majolica manufacture rendered it an active seat of Ceramic industry. Urbino, on the other 
 hand, there is every reason to believe, was not famed for its Majolica until the earlier years 
 of the sixteenth century, when the patronage of the Duke of Urbino, Guido-Bald© II., who 
 took the art under his especial protection, soon gave it an unprecedented stimulus. 
 
 No products of either of these localities can now be recognized of an earlier date than 
 the commencement of the sixteenth century, and they may both be particularly considered 
 as the chief centres of the fully-developed or later Majolica wares. 
 
 More, however, is known of the history of the art in these localities than in any other. 
 The number of artists whose practice it was to occasionally sign their works, is here somewhat 
 considerable ; and in the case of Castel-Durante, an interesting monograph by a native of the 
 town has been published, disclosing a long list of names of maestri and proprietors of 
 manufactories, who, from first to last, exercised their art in that city.* 
 
 The Majolica of Castel-Durante. and Urbino is that to which the term Raffaelle ware, 
 now almost disused, can with great propriety be applied, inasmuch as the works of the great 
 Urbinese and those of his scholars have furnished a notable proportion, if not indeed the 
 greater part, of the compositions painted on the wares. The belief which formerly obtained, 
 that Raffaelle himself was in the habit of painting Majolica plates, is now entirely exploded ; 
 but the Ceramic artists of his native city were so deeply imbued with his genius, that they 
 must be classed amongst his most faithful if not servile followers. A distinct style of art, as 
 applied to Majolica, therefore, sprang up in Castel-Durante and Urbino; historical compositions, 
 in fact pictures, now almost invariably covered the entire surface of the pieces, whilst purely 
 ornamental decoration was a very secondary feature, being almost exclusively confined, when 
 it does occur, to an imitation of the classical system of grotesque ornamentation, previously 
 revived by Giovanni da Udine and Giulio Romano. (See specimens represented in Plate Y1T. 
 for characteristic examples of the Urbino grotesque style of ornamentation.) The Majolica 
 painters now, in fact, almost entirely relied on the innumerable engravings of Marc Antonio 
 and his school for the motives of their compositions, combining or transposing, in a great 
 
 * Raffaelle, Memoiie istoi-iclic rtelle Maioiiclie lavorate in Castel-Durante, Ac. : F< 
 
 1840 . 
 
 18 
 
CERA M 1 0 A R, T. 
 
 variety of ingenious ways, figures or entire groups from various compositions, so as to compose 
 pasticci, or fresh subjects, without any labour other than that of selection. 
 
 Guido-Baldo II., an enlightened prince, moreover, greatly aided the extension of this 
 beautiful art in his dominions, by engaging artists of established fame to make special designs 
 for Majolica, and by collecting together prints, drawings, pictures, &c., which were calculated to 
 he of use to Ceramic artists. The technical resources of the art progressed with the development 
 of artistic excellence; pieces were manufactured of a size and richness of ornamentation never 
 before attempted, and the enamel colours, glaze, &c., attained to the highest perfection. 
 
 Two important specimens of the earlier Castel-Durante wares may be seen in a fine 
 drug-vase in the British Museum, and its companion piece at South Kensington ; the former 
 piece is inscribed, “In botega di Sebastiano di Marforio, in Castel-Durante, 1519.” They are 
 both admirably painted with grotesque monsters, scroll foliage, &e., in grisaille, on a brilliant 
 orange ground, and the glaze and impasto are almost equal to those of the finest Faenza 
 wares of the same period. Raffaelle has found mention of Marforio as early as 1507, and 
 
 lie appears to have died about 1543. It would be useless to enumerate the long list of maestri 
 
 given by Raffaelle, since it is only in a very few instances that their works can be identified : 
 the following artists, however, partly from their real superiority, and partly from the habit 
 of affixing their signatures to their works, have become celebrated amongst amateurs at the 
 present day. 
 
 The first place must be assigned to the Fontana family, one of whom, Orazio, has from 
 
 his own day even always been in repute as a great industrial artist. Nicola da Urbino, 
 
 1' rancesco Xanto of Rovigo, Guido Durantino, Francesco Silvano, Maestro Gironimo of 
 Ui bino, Alfonzo, Francesco, and Vincenzio Patanazzi, are all known from signed specimens. 
 
 The first of the Fontana family appears to have been Nicola, who was alive in the year 
 1 540 ; this Nicola had a son Guido, who in turn was the father of Orazio, Camillo, and another 
 Nicola. The father survived Orazio, and probably also Nicola, living at least after 1571, in which 
 year Orazio, the most celebrated of the family, died. Camillo, the second son, very likely lived 
 much longer, and we have mention even of his son Guido, who died in 1605. The Fontana were 
 undoubtedly manufacturers as well as artists ; i. e., they were the proprietors of “ vaserie.” 
 An inscription on the reverse of a fine plateau in the Fountaine collection informs us that it 
 was “fatto in Urbino in botega di M° Guido Fontana, Vasaro and a very similar inscription 
 on the pedestal of a vase, in the collection of Alexander Barker, Esq., records that it was 
 made in the workshop of Orazio. 
 
 It appears from a notarial document quoted by Raffaelle, that Orazio worked in connection 
 with Ins father up to the year 1565, at which date he separated himself from the latter, and 
 set up a lottega on his own account, near to his father’s establishment. There is no doubt 
 but that a considerable proportion of the products of these manufactories is still extant, and 
 a certain style, peculiar to the Fontana family in general, often enables the practised amateur 
 to identify their wares. Orazio used several monograms at different periods of his career, 
 fac-similes of which arc engraved in the Appendix to the Catalogue of the Soul ages collection 
 by the author of this essay. 
 
 Specimens so marked were doubtless generally executed by his own hand; he was, 
 however, in the habit of allowing his name to be placed on pieces of inferior merit, painted 
 by his workmen. Orazio’s genuine works are distinguished by correct drawing, and a fine 
 style of execution, his vigorous outline rivalling that of the most masterly draftsmen of his 
 day. I he colour and enamel glaze of his pieces are superb ; his scheme of colouring is 
 characterized by a predominance of deep-toned harmonious secondary tints, his prevalent greys, 
 rich olives, and blues, forming a striking contrast to the crude, hot colouring of the ordinary 
 Urbinese artists. It is evident that Orazio must have been regarded, by his contemporaries 
 even, as an artist of remarkable power. The writer is inclined to ascribe the authorship of 
 
 
 
 
CERAMIC ART. 
 
 the exquisite little vase in the collection of Mark Philips, Esq., represented in Plate III., to 
 this artist. 
 
 After the Gubbian artist Maestro Giorgio, the most familiar to us of all the Majolica 
 painters is, perhaps, Francesco Xanto. The works of this artist are, in the first place, very- 
 numerous; and the practice which, like Giorgio, lie adopted, of signing and dating nearly all his 
 works — apparently indeed every separate piece of a service — has given him a posthumous 
 celebrity which their absolute merit does not perhaps entirely justify. In spite of these 
 
 numerous signatures, writers on Majolica had until lately promulgated the most strangely 
 
 confused accounts of Xanto : this, however, need not have been the case, as a great number 
 of his pieces reveal both his name, place of birth, and abode, substantially as follows : 
 “Francesco Xanto Avello, of Rovigo,” working at Urbino. The earliest date as yet 
 observed on any of his works is 1531 ; but there are many pieces extant, undoubtedly 
 
 by his hand, neither signed nor dated, which are obviously of a somewhat earlier period. 
 
 The latest year, on the other hand, ’is 1542 ; but as he appears towards the end of 
 his career to have abandoned the practice of signing, it is probable that some of his 
 undated pieces may have been executed after 1542. Xanto very rarely, if ever, styled himself 
 maestro, nor does he in any case make mention of his bottega, or manufactory, whilst 
 there is no evidence of his having worked in the studio of any other person ; on the other 
 hand, however, he expressly styles himself pittore, or painter; thus evidently regarding his 
 occupation as a liberal art. It is obvious, nevertheless, from the number and the nature of 
 the pieces extant, that he must have manufactured in gross, and to a greater extent even than 
 most of his contemporaries ; by far the greater number of his works consisting of service 
 pieces, plates, dishes, tazze, &c. ; merely ornamental or “ fancy” pieces from his hand being, 
 on the contrary, very rare. 
 
 One of the most interesting peculiarities of his works, and which has tended- more, 
 perhaps, than anything else to place him on the same level with Maestro Giorgio in the 
 estimation of connoisseurs, is the fact that many of his pieces are profusely enriched with 
 metallic lustre colours, including the celebrated ruby tint; the specimens so enriched, however, 
 form but a small per-centage of the entire number of his works extant. This class of pieces 
 is, moreover, especially interesting, because it appears certain that the iridiscent colours were 
 not of Xante’s own production, but that, on the contrary, they were applied to his wares by 
 Giorgio, and the supposed continuers of his establishment in Gubbio. Pieces are extant which, 
 in addition to Xanto’s own signature, nearly always written in dark blue or olive tint, are 
 likewise signed with the monogram N of the Giorgio school, in the lustre tint; and also one 
 specimen at least, unquestionably the work of Xanto, though -without his signature, has been 
 observed, which has been initialled by Maestro Giorgio himself. Giorgio and his successors, 
 in fact, seem to have habitually applied their beautiful iridiscent pigments to the works of 
 other artists, either on the account of their producers, or to have purchased themselves the 
 finished wares of their contemporaries, which, after increasing their beauty and value by their 
 own particular process, they sold at an advanced price. The former supposition is most 
 probably the true one. Orazio Fontana, and other artists of the Urbino school, appear also to 
 have had recourse to Giorgio’s specialty. 
 
 Xanto’s works may be considered to represent perfectly the “ Majoliche istoriate,” and 
 he certainly had a talent for the arrangement of his materials in composition, nearly all 
 his subjects being pasticci, the various figures or groups introduced being the invention of 
 other artists, copied with adroit variations over and over again, and made to do duty in the 
 most widely different characters. As an original artist, if, indeed, he can be at all so considered, 
 he is completely identified with the more mannered of the scholars of Raffaelle ; in his earlier 
 pieces there are sometimes reminiscences of the formally-balanced architectonic arrangements 
 of the previous age, the principal figures being kept in the wide border of the plate, whilst 
 
 20 
 
CERAMIC ART. 
 
 the sunk centre contains the more detailed parts of the landscape, and sometimes a shield 
 of arms ; ordinarily, however, his compositions are distributed picturesquely over the surface 
 of the pieces, quite irrespective of the sloped or sunk portions, which are not allowed to 
 offer any obstacle to the continuity of the subject. 
 
 His designs are generally from classical or mythological sources ; Ovid, Virgil, and Trogus 
 Pompeius having for several successive years almost exclusively furnished him with subjects. 
 Ariosto was likewise a favourite author; and it is curious enough, that Xanto has put on 
 record his own claims as a poet in a more enduring shape than the original work itself. In 
 the British Museum is an extremely interesting plate, painted with a subject from a poem 
 composed by himself in honour of Duke Francesco Maria, of Urbino ; the inscription on the 
 reverse being as follows : — 
 
 1532 . 
 
 Marte tornate I ciel, 
 
 Vener contempla 
 Nel xxv canto del Rovere 
 Vittorios**, di F. X. A. R. pittor. 
 
 Fra.: Xanto A. da Rovigo 
 i Urbino pi. 
 
 and the subject, which, without the inscription, might just as well have been taken for an 
 illustration to Ovid, strongly demonstrates the mania of classicality so characteristic of the 
 epoch and the man. Xanto’ s poem, unlike Giovanni Sanzio’s similar eulogy of Duke Federigo, 
 has doubtless long since perished, its only record being apparently this one frail potsherd. 
 
 Xante’s execution, although dexterous, is somewhat monotonous and mechanical. His 
 scale of colouring is crude and positive, full of violent oppositions ; the only merit — if merit 
 
 it be — is that of a certain force and brightness of 
 aspect ; in every other respect his colouring is com- 
 monplace, not to say disagreeable even : blue, crude 
 opaque yellow and orange tints, and bright verdigris- 
 green, are the three dominant hues, and are scattered 
 over the pieces in full unbroken masses, the yellow 
 especially meeting the eye at the first glance. 
 
 On the whole, Xanto’ s wares are inferior in all 
 technical respects of colour, glaze, &c., to the fine 
 Castel-Durante pieces of the same period. In the 
 unsigned pieces, before 1531, the glaze is better and 
 more transparent, the execution more delicate, and the 
 outline less hard and black than in the later speci- 
 mens. The colours appear to have gradually deteriorated in his latter time, especially the 
 blue, which becomes fainter and heavier in tint. The non-lustred pieces are generally entirely 
 unornamented on the reverse, and at best have but one or two yellow marginal lines. 
 
 The later Majolica of the Urbino school is characteristically represented in the works of 
 the Patanazzi family, towards the end of the sixteenth century, the gradual decadence of the 
 art becoming more and more marked in each successive year. The art, however, probably 
 received its death-blow in Urbino, by the final extinction of the family of its great protectors, 
 the Della Rovere, in 1631. 
 
 Majolica of Pesaeo. 
 
 Of the development of this art in Pesaro, in spite of the speculations and assertions of 
 Passeri, we know but little; one very notable Ceramic artist, however, undoubtedly flourished 
 in that city: this was Girolamo Lanfranco, who appears to have especially manufactured large 
 vases, and other important ornamental pieces ; a beautiful plate, signed by this master, is in the 
 collection of T. C. D. Fortnum, Esq., and many magnificent cisterns, salvers, &c., are extant 
 
 (./•) 
 
 £ 14 . 
 
 Grotesque Ewer, Majolica leave, second half of the 1 6th 
 century. I n the collection of .S'. A ddiugton, Esq. 
 
iii various collections, which may, with great probability, be referred to him. Lanfranco 
 flourished about the middle of the sixteenth century. 
 
 Majolica of Venice. 
 
 Venice, though not especially noted for the Ceramic manufacture, produced, nevertheless, 
 many exquisite works. About 1540-50 a variety of Majolica, of splendid design and most 
 masterly execution, prevailed in this celebrated metropolis of the decorative arts : the pieces 
 are generally large salvers, painted in grisaille , with admirable arabesques, or compositions of 
 grotesque ornamentation. The South Kensington Museum is particularly rich in this inter- 
 esting variety; one specimen revealing the name of the artist, “Maestro Ludovico.” 
 
 Later Majolica Wares. 
 
 The Majolica wares of the seventeenth century, as a rule, are scarcely worth notice; 
 art had but little part in them. (See vase dated 1687, Plate X.) Towards the beginning 
 of the eighteenth century, however, a partial revival took place, and one talented artist, 
 Ferdinando Maria Campana, working at Sienna, produced an abundance of pieces, painted 
 in a firm and masterly manner, generally after engravings or drawings of great masters. 
 The colours employed by this artist are, however, of the commonest and least attractive 
 kind ; and his works, though often possessing great merit, are very little esteemed. 
 
 The eighteenth century Majolica wares produced in the kingdom of Naples, at Savona, 
 and at Venice, are of little real interest; they are scarcely better in point of art than the 
 contemporary fair lira of Delft, Germany, or France. 
 
 Attempts to revive the manufacture of Majolica have latterly been made with success, 
 both in Italy and England ; the fac-similes or imitations of Freppa, of Florence, are now 
 well known to connoisseurs, and more recently still the celebrated firm of Minton & Co., in 
 this country, has entered on this branch of Ceramic art with an interest and ability which 
 have already resulted in the production of many very remarkable works. 
 
 PERSIAN ENAMELLED WARE. 
 
 It will be convenient to take next into account a species of ware which, although of 
 Oriental origin, was manufactured contemporaneously with the Majolica, and indeed exercised 
 some influence on it. This is the so-called Persian ware, “ Faience de Perse,” or Persian 
 porcelain. The specimens of this beautiful pottery, which, during the last few years, have 
 especially attracted the attention of collectors, and in consequence rapidly risen in pecuniary 
 value, are all apparently found in Italy mingled with the Majolica wares. They appear to 
 have been imported in the same manner as the Hispano-Moresco wares, doubtless principally 
 by way of Venice; and the date of their production, from many indications, may be ascribed 
 mainly to the second half of thp sixteenth century. (See ewer in the possession of Messrs. 
 Minton, represented in Plate VI.) This ware is totally distinct in its nature from the 
 Majolica, being nearly allied to porcelain, and may be very aptly characterized as an inter- 
 mediate link betwixt the Italian painted earthenware and the porcelain of China; indeed, its 
 nature and appearance, as well as the geographical locality , of its production — midway betwixt 
 these widely-separated countries — render this qualification singularly just. The ware itself, 
 although often described as earthenware or faience, is in reality a species of imperfect porcelain ; 
 the pate, or body, is of a highly siliceous nature, being, in fact, little better than sand bound 
 together by a siliceous flux or frit, which, in the furnace, induces a commencement of fusion 
 of the mass, and consequent consolidation. The colour of the body being of itself white, of 
 course the stanniferous enamel covering was not required, and it is never found on this ware: 
 the glaze, ' which is of extreme brilliancy, is analogous to that of porcelain, and is fusible at 
 
CERAMIC ART. 
 
 a low temperature. The enamel colours are of a peculiar kind, exquisitely beautiful in tint, 
 two colours at least being quite peculiar to this ware: these are an exquisite transparent 
 orange-red and a fine turquoise-blue. The painted designs are of characteristic Oriental 
 types, principally floral and geometrical patterns, with occasionally rude conventionalized 
 representations of animals : the Persian tulip, and a variety of pink or carnation, with lono' 
 serrated leaves, are of constant occurrence, and are often arranged ornamentally with great 
 taste. On some very rare specimens a deep cupreous crimson iridiscent lustre-colour has 
 been remarked : a small bottle or ewer in the collection of John Henderson, Esq., may be 
 specified as a beautiful example. Many imitations of these Persian wares were made in Italy 
 in Majolica; one of these, alluded to by M. Delange in the Appendix to his translation of 
 Passeri, bears the date 1 (>2(>. 
 
 ENAMELLED EARTHENWARES OR FAIENCES OF NEVERS, DELFT, 
 
 AND ROUEN. 
 
 The technical processes 
 countries by Italian artists ; 
 
 Pagoda for Bulbs or Flowers ; old Delft ware. 
 From Hampton Court Palace. Circa 1G90. 
 
 of the Majolica were, at an early period, carried to other 
 and it seems certain that the fabrication of pottery with the 
 stanniferous glaze was known and carried on, in almost every 
 country in Europe, sooner or later during the sixteenth century. 
 The most important development of it, in an artistic point of 
 view, however, probably arose at Nevers, in France, where the 
 art seems to have been introduced under the auspices of an 
 Italian prince of the Gonzaga family, who married the heiress of 
 the dukedom of Nevers in 1565. The manufactory was probably 
 also specially encouraged by Catherine de’ Medici. The rare 
 productions of Nevers of the sixteenth and early part of the 
 seventeenth century are close, and of course somewhat feeble, 
 imitations of the later Italian wares. In the seventeenth and 
 eighteenth centuries, however, the imitation of Oriental porcelain, 
 and also original local characteristics, began to prevail. (The 
 pilgrim’s bottle, belonging to R. Napier, Esq., represented in 
 Plate IV., is a good example of the characteristic Nevers style.) 
 
 The well-known stanniferous glazed earthenware of Delft 
 probably owes its origin directly to Italy; it is certain, at least, 
 that during the earliest years of the sixteenth century the 
 Majolica art was practised at Antwerp by an artist of the Castel- 
 Durante falrique, Guido di Savino, who, with his two sons, set- 
 tled there. It. is fair, then, to presume that the Dutch potters 
 derived their knowledge of the glaze and processes of painting 
 from this source. The products of this famous Dutch pottery 
 were mainly industrial; art had at the best very little share 
 in it. Some of the finest specimens the fnhrup te ever produced 
 may now be seen at Hampton Court in the large blue-and-white 
 vases manufactured for King William III. 
 
 In the latter part of the reign of Louis XIV., Rouen, in 
 France, became noted as a manufactory of faience. Its produc- 
 tions have great resemblance to those of Delft; and although 
 pieces of considerable importance as respects size arc not unfre- 
 quently met with, their merit, in point of view of art, is not such 
 as to require any particular notice. 
 
 23 
 
CERAMIC ART. 
 
 GERMAN AND FLEMISH STONEWARES, SIXTEENTH AND SEVENTEENTH 
 
 CENTURIES. 
 
 We have hitherto been occupied mainly with pottery, the artistic enrichment of which 
 has been produced by painting or surface-decoration : we have now briefly to consider a few 
 varieties in which relief ornament is a very constant characteristic : 
 the enamelled earthenware or stoneware of Germany, the Flemish 
 or Dutch stoneware (“ gres de Flandre”), the famous “ faience de 
 Henri Deux,” and the no less interesting pottery of Bernard Palis sy, 
 all demand some brief notice at our hands. These wares, generally 
 speaking, may be said to differ from the Majolica and the antique 
 pottery in one especial fact of greater hardness and compactness of 
 substance, and come under the general category of gres or stone- 
 ware ; they are, however, composed of simple plastic clays ; this 
 quality of hardness resulting partly from the much greater heat 
 employed in the firing of the wares. 
 
 The most characteristic variety of the German enamelled pot- 
 tery is that known as Nuremberg or Franconian ware. The most 
 important specimens of this ware are to be found in the great 
 stoves formerly in use throughout Germany : a brilliant plumbo- 
 siliceous green glaze is a very conspicuous feature of this pottery. 
 The service pieces, which are by no means uncommon, are, how- 
 ever, frequently decorated with enamels of varied colours, applied 
 to the relief ornamentation ; painting, properly so called, being very 
 seldom seen. The majority of the specimens belong to the later 
 years of the sixteenth century; pieces, however, have been found which evidently carry the 
 fabrication of this pottery as far back as the second half of the fifteenth century, and the 
 green glazed ware is probably older still. 
 
 i Win mi enamelled stoneware Crurhe; 
 date first, half of the 16 th century. 
 In the collection of D. Davidson, Esq. 
 
 The Flemish stoneware is so well known as to need 
 but little description; in Plate XII., moreover, several 
 characteristic types are represented with admirable fidelity 
 and effect. The pieces now extant are chiefly large jugs 
 or " cruches,” “canettes” or cylindrical tankards, &c. : 
 
 Flemish stoneware C ruche ; 1 7th century. In the possession 
 of P. II. Howard, Esq. 
 
 " Apostles" Mwj or C ruche. Franconian enamelled stoneware; 
 17th century. In the possession of C. Bradbimj, Fsq. 
 
 24 
 
CERAMIC ART. 
 
 they are nearly always decorated in relief, by means of stamps or moulds applied to the surface 
 of the pieces, and many of them are glazed in a manner which offers particular advantages as 
 regards ornament in relief, inasmuch as the vitreous coating is so inappreciably thin, as in 
 no way to interfere with the sharpness of the work. This covering, technically called by 
 English potters a “smear,” is produced as follows: — At a certain period of the firing of 
 the ware, substances, generally common salt and minium or red lead, are thrown into the 
 furnace, and being immediately volatilized, the fumes attach themselves to the surface of the 
 pieces, and produce chemical combination with the silica of the body of the ware ; the result 
 being a slight superficial vitrification of the entire surface of the pieces. The greatest activity 
 of production of the Flemish pottery was towards the end of the sixteenth century. 
 
 FRENCH SIXTEENTH CENTURY WARES. 
 
 Faiences op “ Henri Deux” and op Bernard Palissy. 
 
 The two varieties now remaining — the faiences of Henri Deux and of Bernard Palissy — 
 are of especial interest, from the fact of their being both the inventions of individual 
 
 Ceramic artists. With respect to the first of these varieties, however, we are as yet entirely 
 in the dark, not only as to the producer, but also as to the locality of its production : it lias 
 been presumed that it may have been manufactured somewhere in Touraine, the special 
 country of the able artists issuing from the school of Fontainebleau. The ware itself, in 
 short, affords the only evidence we possess respecting its origin : from the occurrence of the 
 salamander, the badge or cognizance of Francis I., it is clear that the earlier pieces 
 
 now extant were fabricated during his reign : the more frequent introduction, however, of 
 the devices of Henry II., especially of the crescent adopted in honour of his mistress, Diane 
 de Poitiers, would seem to indicate that its principal development took place during the 
 latter reign ; we may, therefore, probably fix the date of this variety of ware as betwixt about 
 1530 and 1560. The style of ornament displayed is, moreover, entirely in keeping with these 
 dates ; it is the pure and characteristic French Renaissance, and there is every probability that 
 the producer was a native French artist, and not an Italian, as has been sometimes supposed : 
 the number of pieces known to be now extant is extremely limited, perhaps in all not more 
 than forty or fifty specimens. The plate No. IX. in this work will convey a 1 letter idea of 
 
 the peculiar style displayed than any description can do ; but the nature of the processes 
 
 employed, as they offer points of particular interest, demand some attention. Every thing 
 denotes that the author of these pieces was originally a metal-worker, and not a Ceramic 
 artist ; and it is more than probable that they are the production of a goldsmith — one of 
 those versatile men of genius, who, like Palissy, struck out for themselves an original 
 specialty. The ware itself is a fine white pipe-clay, and the glaze a plumbo-vitreous one, of 
 some brilliancy, and of a warm yellowish tint. The pieces are carefully constructed by hand, 
 the separate parts, such as the small pilasters, masks, corbels, &c., probably moulded and 
 afterwards completely retouched with the modelling, tool; but the most singular part is the 
 minute arabesque decoration with which the pieces are so profusely enriched. These patterns 
 are all produced by stamping; in some cases, bookbinders’ stamps have evidently been used, 
 and the hollow or engraved designs thus produced are filled up with a dark brown tinted clay 
 or slip, the process and effect being very analogous to the niello and damascene work on metal, 
 so much in use at the same time, and the patterns of which the designs on this pottery 
 precisely resemble. This ware was evidently always a poterie de hi.ee, or purely artistic 
 manufacture, and it appears to have had no sequel, that is to say, it was confined exclusively 
 to its original inventor. It is needless to state that, from the artistic merit, and above all 
 from the excessive rarity of the specimens, the pecuniary value of this pottery is very great. 
 
 07 ) 
 
CERAMIC ART. 
 
 The South Kensington Museum recently succeeded in procuring a fine salver — the only 
 piece of the kind known — from the collection of M. Espoulart, of Mans, and which, though 
 like so many of the specimens, somewhat imperfect, realized the sum of £140. 
 
 The life and labours of Bernard Palissy are now well known; his romantic history has 
 become a favourite literary theme, whilst the products of his art are so unmistakeably 
 characteristic, as to have become familiar to all frequenters of museums and salerooms. 
 Palissy was born about the year 1509, and died, a prisoner in the Bastille in Paris, about 
 the year 1589. He was originally brought up as a glass-painter. About 1538, after many 
 wanderings and discursive labours, he settled in the town of Saintes, and shortly afterwards, 
 whilst brooding over vague schemes of invention, chance threw in his way an enamelled 
 earthenware cup of some foreign manufacture, which at once decided his vocation as a Ceramic 
 artist. It is uncertain to what class of wares the cup belonged ; most likely it was a specimen 
 of Majolica, inasmuch as Palissy’s first endeavour was to produce a white enamel or stanniferous 
 glaze, and which, it should be noted, he never succeeded in producing. A deeply interesting, 
 and indeed dramatic account of His trials and labours henceforth, is given in his own essay, 
 entitled, “ The Artist in Earth.” Palissy was poor, and years of unaided and fruitless 
 experiments brought him to extreme poverty ; at last, however, success followed his unceasing 
 efforts, and he ultimately seems to have succeeded in discovering for himself numerous 
 practical contrivances, which, though probably already known in other countries, had been 
 due to the successive efforts and ameliorations of entire generations of craftsmen; and 
 judging from results, he appears in some of his methods and appliances to have surpassed 
 even the art of the present day. Palissy’s ware is a fine white earthenware, composed of 
 pipe-clay, and the glaze a phrmbo- vitreous one, his enamel colours being all floated or mixed 
 with the glaze. There is nothing especially remarkable in the colours he employed; he seems 
 never to have made use of opaque tints, and never to have actually painted any specimens, 
 all his works being essentially in relief. 
 
 His wares may be arranged in three general divisions: first, his so-called “ rustic pieces,” 
 the specimens decorated with reptiles, shells, plants, &c. (see oval dish from the Soulages 
 collection, Plate II.); secondly, those with rilievi of figure- subjects ; and thirdly, pieces 
 decorated with purely ornamental motives. Specimens of the two latter classes are also 
 
 engraved in Plate II. The first is, in all probability, the primitive variety, and from its 
 
 quaintness and originality, will always probably attract the greatest share of attention. The 
 conventionally decorated specimens, however, are those on which his claims as an artist 
 must’ mainly rest. 
 
 It will not be uninteresting to describe the methods by which Palissy’s “rustic” pieces 
 were fabricated, premising, however, that the principal difficulties he had to contend with were 
 not in the moulding or fabrication of the pieces from the clay, but in their successful firing, 
 and in the beauty and perfection of the enamels, in which latter respect, technically speaking, 
 Palissy’s greatest excellence was displayed. We learn from a contemporary manuscript, that 
 the method of forming the “ rustic” pieces was as follows : first, a tin plate was prepared 
 
 of the exact shape and size of the dish to be made, and on this the natural leaves, fibres, 
 
 pebbles, shells, &c., were fastened in the required positions with Venice turpentine ; the fishes, 
 reptiles, insects, &c. (or more probably casts of them), were also fastened down with wires 
 and other contrivances, and the whole details carefully arranged, so as to be an exact type 
 or model of the piece to be manufactured. On the original thus disposed a coat of fine 
 plaster was poured, which, when disengaged, formed a hollow mould. In this mould the 
 pieces were afterwards formed by the moist clay being pressed into the cavities ; thus again 
 producing an exact repetition in clay of the original model. 
 
 The lizards, snakes, frogs, &c., so conspicuous for their lively attitudes, were, in all pro- 
 bability, moulded from the living animals, which, when stupified by exposure to the fumes of 
 
 20 
 
CERAMIC ART. 
 
 some narcotic, remained rigidly fixed in tlieir momentary attitudes for a sufficient length of 
 time to admit of a mould being taken from them in plaster ; casts from these, as we have said, 
 being fixed down to the tin plate instead of the real animals. 
 
 The specimens of Palissy ware now met with, it should be observed, are not all from 
 the hand of the master, inferior imitations of liis wares having been evidently manufactured 
 long after his death by his descendants and imitators. Very recently also modern imitations 
 of his wares have been produced in great numbers, both in France and England; and it is 
 now often not an easy matter to decide on the genuineness of specimens purporting to be 
 ancient. 
 
 PORCELAIN. 
 
 Introduction. 
 
 Porcelain differs not less in appearance than in actual composition from all the wares 
 hitherto described. All the ancient and mediaeval potteries were formed of simple clays ; 
 porcelain, on the other hand, may be said to be an artificial compound, the result of 
 substances chemically combined by the action of heat ; it is, in reality, an intermediate 
 material betwixt earthenware and glass, being semi-opaque, and of a more or less vitreous 
 nature. Technically speaking, porcelain is classed into two divisions ; viz., the hard and soft 
 bodies (pate dure and pate tendrc). The hard porcelains are composed of two natural 
 minerals, — felspar and China clay, a species of decomposed granite : this clay is really harder 
 and more compact, requiring a greater heat in the firing of the ware, and a glaze of a 
 harder and less fusible character than the other variety. The soft porcelains differ greatly 
 in their specific composition, almost every distinct manufactory having had its own special 
 receipts. The old Sevres porcelain, or pate tendre, which may be taken as the most perfect 
 type, was a composition of various artificial or chemical substances, approaching, in fact, very 
 nearly to a glass : the body itself was much more tender than that of the previous variety, 
 and the glaze, fusible at a much lower temperature, to a certain extent became incorporated 
 with the ware, giving a peculiar depth and richness of effect wanting to the hard porcelain, 
 in winch the glaze obviously rests entirely on the surface. Many varieties of porcelain have 
 been fabricated of a nature intermediate betwixt these extremes, that is to say, uniting the 
 two processes; it is not, however, here the place to go further into the technical part of 
 our subject. The hard porcelain is, in an economical point of view, the more perfect product, 
 but for purposes of art the soft body is by far the finer vehicle. 
 
 As the porcelain body itself is always of a brilliant white colour, affording a naturally 
 suggestive surface for the reception of colour, it is here that, for the first 'time, the real 
 beauty, extent of range, and variety of enamel pigments are displayed. 
 
 Unfortunately for art, however, the manufacture of porcelain in Europe arose in a period 
 of decadence; and it has, perhaps, not even yet shaken off the trammels which, for the 
 last century and a half, have confined this most enduring and perfect vehicle of pictorial 
 art to the limited province, of the manufacturer. 
 
Group of Oriental Porcelain— ike, qriyinal specimens in the collections of the Queen, tlic Lari, of Cadoyan, 
 the Rev. — 'Pillow, and J. P. Fisclicr, Ex/. 
 
 To China belongs the undoubted honour of having originated the manufacture ot porcelain, 
 but we have no precise data by which to determine the actual epoch of its invention. 
 The Chinese themselves carry the manufacture back to a fabulous antiquity ; it seems almost 
 certain, however, that it is at least as old as the Christian era, and it evidently early 
 attained to great technical and artistic perfection. The Japanese also were doubtless acquainted 
 with the art at a very early period. It is uncertain whether porcelain was known in ancient 
 Europe ; no vestiges of it have ever been found amongst 
 Greek or Roman remains, and the small bottles found in 
 some ancient Egyptian sepulchres are proved to have been 
 introduced in modern times. It is certain, however, that 
 early in the Middle Ages, Oriental porcelain found its way to 
 the various European countries, and was soon well known and 
 valued as a most precious Eastern product. It appears, how- 
 ever, to have become, comparatively speaking, a common im- 
 portation during the seventeenth century only ; and it was not 
 till towards the end of the century that attempts were made 
 to fabricate porcelain in Europe ; soon, however, this endeavour 
 became almost a mania, and in nearly every country of Europe 
 ingenious inventors set themselves to work to solve the pro- 
 .... , • rii i . , blem It is o-enerallv agreed, that the first true hard por- 
 
 style, an early specimen of BBttcher’s pottery : ce lain was produced at Meissen, near Dresden, by the alche- 
 mists Bdttcher and Tschirnhaos, working in the service of 
 
 28 
 
CERAMIC ART. 
 
 Augustus II., Elector of Saxony ; and the manufacture of the soft or artificial variety was 
 probably achieved even earlier at St. Cloud in France, and Chelsea or Fulham in England, 
 whilst it seems not unlikely that some of the Italian manufactories were founded about the 
 same time ; there is, however, a great lack of precise information on the earliest steps in 
 the manufacture of porcelain in Europe, and an interesting field is still open for research in 
 that direction. 
 
 The infinite variety of Chinese and Japanese porcelain wares precludes any attempt to 
 describe individual specimens ; and the well-known permanency of the motives or patterns 
 in all Oriental art renders it very difficult even to guess at the age of the specimens ; it 
 is evident, however, that favourite styles succeeded each other from time to time, immense 
 numbers of specimens of precisely the same patterns having been manufactured. Some of 
 the blue-and- white, and the old crackle varieties, are certainly amongst the most ancient; 
 but even here appearances of antiquity are not always to be relied on, as it is certain 
 that imitations of the “ archaic ” varieties have been constantly manufactured at more recent 
 periods in order to gratify the antiquarian tastes of the Chinese themselves, who, according 
 to all accounts, well merit the title of a nation of virtuosi Certain varieties of Chinese 
 porcelain have perhaps surpassed in beauty and technical perfection all analogous European 
 wares ; and, generally speaking, the true principles of decorative art are more consistently 
 adhered to. Everything in Chinese Ceramic art is conventionalized, literal imitation being, 
 indeed, unknown in their art ; but in the treatment of natural types as motives of ornament, 
 especially of flowers and foliage, conventionalized as they are, the taste displayed in many 
 specimens is exquisite ; nothing, for instance, can possibly be more beautiful than the well- 
 known egg-shell plates or saucers, painted with bouquets of natural flowers surrounded with 
 borders of geometrical ornamentation, rivalling in delicacy and minuteness of execution those 
 of the early Mediaeval illuminations, the reverses grounded with the splendid ruby enamel. 
 A series of these specimens — the ne plus ultra of Chinese Ceramic art — -were contributed to 
 the Manchester Exhibition from the South Kensington Museum, by which establishment they 
 were obtained from the Bernal collection. Many of the vases, grounded in uniform colours, are 
 likewise unapproachable in splendour of tint and perfection of glaze : of late years specimens 
 of this kind, particularly of the fine turquoise-blue, blood-red, apple-green, black, and imperial 
 yellow varieties, have realized very high prices, their effect as decorative objects justly causing 
 them to be regarded as the finest possible accompaniments to costly furniture. 
 
 GERMAN PORCELAIN— DRESDEN. 
 
 The porcelain of the royal manufactory of Meissen (Dresden), and indeed that of perhaps 
 all the other German manufactories, is of the hard variety. During nearly the entire course 
 of the last century this famous fabrique continued in full activity, and produced wares of 
 great artistic excellence ; from the beginning of the present century, however, the manufacture 
 has gradually declined, and at present it fingers on, relying solely on its past celebrity. It 
 seems probable that it was at Dresden, and by Bottcher, that the problem of the application 
 of gold to the decoration of pottery was first satisfactorily solved, and down to a late period, 
 even, the perfection of the gilding in the German porcelain is very remarkable. (See exquisite 
 examples of gilding in the two Vienna plates, represented in Plates XIII. and XVI.) 
 
 The style displayed in all the eighteenth-century German wares is notably characteristic 
 of the country and epoch ; the general effect is cold and somewhat crude, partly from 
 the natural hardness and cool tint of the body and glaze, and partly from the prevalent 
 habit of executing the decoration directly on the white ground. There is, in this respect, a 
 remarkable difference from the contemporary French porcelain, which, though more beautiful 
 in the white even, was nearly always made a vehicle of rich and vivid colour. 
 
 M 
 
CERAMIC ART. 
 
 Tu respect of form, nothing can be further removed from the true principles of Ceramic 
 art than the majority of the shapes of German porcelain; every vice and extravagance of 
 the so-called “rococo” style, which attained to its fullest absurdity in Germany, is to be 
 found in porcelain. Turning on the wheel was almost disregarded; every possible variety 
 of grotesque, angular, and contorted shapes, was affected, with a laborious yearning after 
 novelty, which, in most cases, resulted in mere ugliness. Relief ornamentation is very prevalent, 
 and was perhaps even especially affected as serving to display to advantage the practice of 
 gilding, or picking out the details in gold. 
 
 Soupiire, old Dresden porcelain j date first half of 18tli century. In the possession of the Hon. Ashley Ponsonhy. 
 
 Tn painted decoration, however, it must be confessed that the German artists often 
 found out styles and modes of execution perfectly in accordance with the vehicle. Flower- 
 painting attained to great excellence, and a spirited arid highly decorative style of execution, 
 which has perhaps never been surpassed, became a familiar characteristic of the school. 
 It is somewhat singular, however, that an artist of another nationality should have been 
 the principal, and almost unique, model for the more important painting of figure-subjects ; 
 and yet to the original and seductive genius of Watteau the higher art displayed in the 
 porcelain-painting of Germany, and of Dresden in particular as its principal place of develop- 
 ment, owes its peculiar style. 
 
 SOFT PATE PORCELAIN.— FRENCH— SEVRES. 
 
 From the hard-bodied porcelains of Germany we must turn to the very different wares 
 of France and England, in both of which countries the soft pate has been preferred, as at 
 any rate the more favourable vehicle for art. The great national manufactory of Sevres, 
 iu France still flourishing — would in every respect deserve a lengthened notice, but our 
 limits will only allow us to dwell on general characteristics. 
 
 I lie Sevres manufactory was the continuation of a fabvique previously located at Vincennes, 
 and which probably succeeded still older establishments at Chantilly and St. Cloud. The 
 manufactory at St. Cloud seems to have been carried on for many years as a private under- 
 taking, the technical processes being guarded with much jealousy. About 1725 the manu- 
 facture of porcelain in France seems to have been patronized by a then minister of state, 
 who obtained important privileges for a company which was established by royal permission 
 
 30 
 
CERAMIC 
 
 ART. 
 
 in the Chateau de Vincennes. This latter fabriquc progressed and prospered till 1753, when 
 the king, Louis XV., took a direct share in the establishment, and granted it the title of 
 a royal manufactory ; and a large edifice, which still exists, was thereupon erected at Sevres, 
 to which the manufactory was removed in 1756. 
 
 In the year 1753 commenced the usage of dating all the pieces produced at this royal 
 manufactory, the letter A being employed to indicate the last-mentioned year, and the practice 
 continued till 1793, the letters of the alphabet being doubled when in 1778 the first series 
 came to an end. The hard pate, however, had ever been deemed a desideratum at Sevres, 
 and when, in 1765, the Kaolin quarries of St. Yriex were discovered, the manufacture of 
 hard porcelain commenced, and was continued simultaneously with the soft variety, till in 
 the earliest years of the present century the latter was finally abandoned. 
 
 The splendid products of the old Sevres manufacture — the pate tendre — are undoubtedly 
 the triumphs of the porcelain fdbrique ; and the prices now paid by collectors for fine pieces 
 of this ware, although seemingly extravagant, are warranted by their immense superiority 
 over every other kind of porcelain (see specimen represented in Plate XIV.) ; the abandon- 
 ment, indeed, of the exquisite- soft pate at Sevres for decorative products, in favour of the 
 far less beautiful hard porcelain, would be inexplicable but for the total change in art, brought 
 about at the period of the Great Revolution mainly by David and his school. The revulsion 
 from the exuberant ornate style of the Louis XV. and XVI. epoch to the severe pseudo- 
 classicality of the Revolution, however, is sufficient to account for the substitution of the colder 
 and essentially economic vehicle. 
 
 The artistic decoration of the Sevres porcelain would furnish an appropriate theme for 
 lengthened disquisition; it is often frankly entitled to the qualification of fine art, and the 
 beauty of the glaze and the enamel colours combine to render it unquestionably the most perfect 
 art porcelain ever produced. 
 
 ENGLISH PORCELAIN.— CHELSIA, WORCESTER, &c. 
 
 Old II til [/mood-wave Vase, in the collection of 
 J. Mayer, L’srj. 
 
 The most characteristic English porcelains, in point 
 of view of art, are those of Chelsea and Worcester; both 
 in their nature artificial soft bodies. The former manu- 
 factory was probably originated in the latest years of the 
 seventeenth or early in the eighteenth century, and its 
 finest productions were given to the world during the first 
 half of the century. The Worcester fabritjitc became cele- 
 brated early in the second half of the eighteenth century, 
 and still subsists. Although inferior to the finest porcelain 
 of Sevres, the best specimens of the Chelsea ware are 
 works of great Ceramic excellence; the style of art, though 
 somewhat homely, was distinguished by a playfid, genial 
 spirit, often rising to real excellence. (See Plate XV.) In 
 the quality of colour, the Chelsea ware is only surpassed 
 by that of Sevres, and the beautiful white tint of the body, 
 and fine quality of the glaze and wvpasto of the painted 
 surface, place it in these respects far above any German 
 porcelain. These qualities, seconded by the rarity of 
 really fine specimens, have raised this ware to a degree of 
 estimation which manifests itself in the inordinate prices it 
 commands. 
 
 On the admirable products of the Wedgwood pottery 
 
CERAMIC ART. 
 
 we have here no space to dilate ; many beautiful specimens were contributed to the Manchester 
 Exhibition. The history of this ware, however, — the first production of which is so near to 
 our own times, — is, besides, familiar to every one. 
 
 The porcelains of Italy and Spain — of Capo di Monte (see Plate XVII.), La Doccia, 
 and Venice, in the former country, and of Buenretiro in Spain — are treated of in detail 
 in Mr. Marryatt’s excellent work on pottery, to which the reader is referred for further 
 information. 
 
 J. C. ROBINSON, F.S.A., 
 
 Curator of the M useum and Library of A rt at South Kensington. 
 

CERAMIC A I-: ’V 
 
 i:. »'d ford. del. t*t Hill J B> "Wari n g, d i re x 1 Day 
 
 HIS PAN O MOORISH VA.SE SOULAGBS COLLECTION. 
 
 PLAT E 1 
 
CERAMIC ART 
 
 FI. Al l*, 2 
 
 .!. B .Waring (lire.x 
 
 3 ' 2 
 
 VA.SR SOU A 0 E*', B COLLECTION 
 _W STIRLING ESQ OF KB'IR, M.T*. 
 
 K Bedford del.ct litii 
 


 
A -PRESENTATION ELAT* ITALIAN EARTHENWARE (l6“ CENTURY) THE PROPERTY OE S AT OINGTON , ESQ? 
 
 A "VASE ITALIAN EARTHENWARE (167 CENTURY ) , . MARX PHILLIPS . ESI}?- 
 
C V 
 
. A PERSIAN FAIENCE EWER_ THE PROPERTY OF MESS RS MINTON 
 PILGRIM BOTTLE , NEVE.RS FAIEN CE _THE PROPERTY OE R NAPIER, ESQ* 
 
CERAMIC ART 
 
 F Bedford, liih. 
 
 EAENZA WARE PLATE 
 
 From. i.h-j S milages Collection. 
 
 J B Waring, DSrex L 
 
 wft Soj tli Quean 
 

1' Bedford, del. et iith. 
 
 J.B Waring, Dir« 
 
 Day fe Son.Lith rs to foe Queen 
 
 MAJOLICA PLATES, ORNAMENTAL PATTERN S (l6™ CENTT) 
 
 THE PROPERTY OF THE RIGHT HOEP^THE I.QRH HASTINGS. 
 
 CERAMIC ART 
 

URBINO ELATE AND BOTTLE, 17 T . H CENTURY. 
 
 THE PROPERTY OP D. t>AVID SOH. E S<J, . •_ ?. THE 50ULAGES COLLECTION. 
 


Waring , Dices 1 Da jSc SanJjfl£*to Uie Queen. 
 
CEB AMI C ART . PLATE 
 
CERAMIC ART. 
 
 PLATE 10. 
 
 F Bedford, Lath 
 
 J. B . Waring, Direx’- 
 
 Day &. Son, Latli r . s to the Queen 
 
 
 
PALIS SY 'WAKE FROM. THE SOULAGES COLLECTION 
 2 THE PROPERTY OF O. CO OPE, ESQ* 
 


1. A GRES EE FLANDKES JUG, TEE PROPERTY OF R. NAPIER, ESQ. 
 2 & 4.CANETTES, FLEMISH STONEWARE , 16™ CENTURY, J. G.PF1STER,ESQ,. 
 3. A GRES DE FLANDRES EWER,. ..THE EARL OF CADOGAN. 
 
 

VflSI 
 
- VIENNA PORCELAIN PLATE PROM THE COLLECTION OF H G.BOHN . ESQ.. 
 
 
 CERAMIC ART 
 

 
1- 2 . SEVRES P ORCEXATW , THE PROPERTY OP HER MAJESTY. 
 
 3-4. ,, HTS GRACE THE DUKE OP PORTLAND. 
 
 <T B.'Wanng.Direx 1 
 
 Day&San,Iat]f?Ui the Queen 
 
 2 
 
F. Bedford, del' ol lith 
 
 J. B .Warm^, Dlrexl 
 
 CHELSEA PORCELAIN, BELONGING 
 . WORCESTER PORCELAIN, ,, 
 
A "VIENNA PORCELAIN PLATE FROM THE COLLECTION OF J. ADDIN &TON. ESQ_. 
 

A CAPO DI MONTE GROUP, (lS^CENTURY.) 
 
 THE PROPERTY OP GEN* THE HONB» E LYGOE , 
 
YITREOTJS A R T. 
 
 By AUGUSTUS W. FRANKS, M.A., Dm. S.A. 
 
 Tiie section of ornamental art, which forms the subject of this notice, may be divided 
 into two heads — Glass and Enamel : in both the same substance is employed, viz., a mixture 
 of silex and alkali, coloured by various metallic oxides, and rendered either transparent 
 or opaque, according to the purposes to which it is to be applied. By Glass we mean 
 
 the vitreous substance employed independently, so as to rely on its OAvn consistency and 
 
 brilliancy for form and effect; by Enamel, the same substance applied to some other 
 
 material, to .which it is made to adhere by heat, and on which it depends for support. 
 
 Under the latter head we might include enamelled pottery and porcelain; but those manu- 
 factures involve technical peculiarities that connect them more closely with other branches of 
 art, and it is usual to restrict the name of enamels to works in metal, to which the vitreous 
 matter is fixed by heat. 
 
 GL ASS. 
 
 1. Ancient Manufacture. 
 
 The manufacture of glass appears to be of great antiquity, and its origin is lost in 
 the obscurity of early history. Pliny* and other ancient authors tell us that the discovery 
 was due to certain Phoenician merchants, who, returning in a ship to Syria with a cargo of 
 natron or soda, were obliged by stress of weather to land on a sandy beach under Mount 
 Carmel. Eor want of stones, they rested their cooking-pots on blocks of natron, and 
 the heat of the fire causing the alkali to form a flux for the siliceous sand, glass was 
 produced. 
 
 Though in itself improbable, this legend is so far valuable as it shows that in Pliny’s 
 time the Phoenicians were reputed to be the earliest makers of glass. We might view 
 the story another way, and infer from it that the art of glass-making, as well as natron, was 
 introduced into Phoenicia from Egypt, where that substance has long abounded, f At any 
 rate, Sidon acquired considerable celebrity for her glass wares. Pliny calls her “ Artifex 
 Yitri,”J and tells us that the Sidonians obtained the sand employed in the manufacture from 
 a small spot, not more than fifty paces wide, at the mouth of the river Belus, whose sluggish 
 stream brought down from Mount Carmel an accumulation of sand and clay, which was 
 purified by the action of the sea. This small spot, he says, has sufficed to produce glass 
 for many centuries. § A similar account is given by Tacitus ;|| and in later times the Venetians 
 are said to have imported sand from that coast to make their clearest glass. 
 
 * Lib. xxxvi. 26. + Natron was used in Syria in making soap. — See Jeremiah, ii. 22. 
 
 J Lib. v. 76. § Lib. xxxvi. 6o. 
 
 || Hist. v. 7. See also Josephus, Bell. Jud. ii. 10; Strabo, xvi. 2, 25. The spot is also alluded to by Geoffrey de 
 Vinsauf, in his Itinerary of Richard I. (a.d. 1189), book i. c. 32 ; and in Sir John Maundeville’s Travels (1322), who 
 says, “men comen fro fer watre by shippes, and lie londe with cartes, to fetchen of that gravel le.” 
 
 ( a ) 
 
V I T R E 0 USA 11 T. 
 
 After mentioning the various modes in which glass is fashioned by blowing, by polishing 
 on the lathe, and by chiselling like silver, Pliny tells us that Sidon was formerly renowned 
 foi its skill in all these operations, and had even invented glass specula. The colossal 
 emeralds spoken of by ancient authors must have been imitations in glass of the precious 
 stone, and were probably made in Phoenicia. Such are the emerald stele or column which 
 Herodotus saw in the temple of Hercules at Tyre,* and the two immense columns at 
 Aradus, mentioned in the Clementine Recognitions as having been visited by St. Peter. f 
 It is not unlikely that the Sidonian workshops produced the glass beads which arc 
 found in various parts of Europe, and may have been used by the Phoenicians to baiter with 
 the natives for tin, amber, and gold. To the same origin may be ascribed the beautiful little 
 vases that are discovered in tombs in Asia Minor, Greece and its islands, North Africa, Italy, 
 and Sardinia. They are usually in the form of either cimphorce or alabastra. The body 
 is of a deep transparent blue, round the upper part of which are bands of zigzag lines in 
 yellow, white, and a pale turquoise-colour. Occasionally the vase is amber-coloured, deep 
 green, or opaque white, the tints of the ornamental bands varying accordingly, so as to 
 produce a pleasing contrast. Prom the objects with which they are found, it is probable that 
 they are not anterior to the third or fourth century before Christ. In the Hertz collection, 
 exhibited at Manchester by Mr. Mayer, might be noticed several interesting and charac- 
 teristic specimens of this glass. 
 
 That there was a manufactory of glass at Sidon as late as the Antonincs, is shown by 
 the handles of small glass cups, stamped with Greek and Latin inscriptions, recording 
 apparently the name of a Sidonian maker, Artas. 
 
 Assyria seems to have possessed glass-makers; for although the greater part of the 
 fragments discovered in that country by Mr. Layard may belong to a comparatively late date, 
 perhaps to the Roman colony Niniva Claudiopolis, — some of the vases found in the 
 North-west Palace at Nimroud are of great antiquity. One of these, a transparent greenish 
 vase, is preserved in the British Museum ; on one side of it is engraved a lion followed 
 by a line of cuneiform characters,! in which we have the name of Sargon, king of Assyria, 
 who is considered to have reigned in n.c. 722. Fragments were also discovered of coloured 
 glass of various kinds, showing an acquaintance with chemical science which we might 
 expect to find in a people so closely connected with Egypt and Phoenicia as were the 
 Assyrians. 
 
 It is to Egypt, however, that we must look for the earliest evidence of glass-making. 
 The processes of blowing glass arc represented in the paintings of the tombs at Beni 
 Ilassan, which are considered to have been executed at least 2,000 years before Christ; and 
 a glass bead has been preserved on which is engraved the name of a Pharaoh who is supposed 
 to have reigned 1,450 years before the Christian era.§ One of the applications of glass 
 was to form hieroglyphics to inlay in wood or metal : there is a remarkable instance of 
 of such work in the Turin Museum, || where the small glass objects are coloured so as to 
 represent the figures in their proper tints. Under the Ptolemies the Egyptians attained a 
 rare perfection in mosaic or millefiori glass. This was formed by arranging into the 
 requisite patterns slender filaments of glass of several colours, which were then fused so 
 as to cohere; and the rod thus formed was probably heated and drawn out, so as to render 
 the filaments still more minute. The result was, that every transverse section of the block 
 or rod was a picture of various colours, and of the same pattern. A most remarkable 
 specimen of this kind is in the British Museum ; it is a quadrangular piece of pale lilac 
 
 * Herodotus, ii. 44. + Recog. Clement, vii. 12. 
 
 + This vase is engraved in Layard’s “ Nineveh and Babylon,” p. 197. 
 
 § Wilkinson, “ Egyptians,” iii. pp. 89, 90. 
 
 || Occiu'ti, “ ('utalogo dei Mominienti Egizii del Museo di Torino,” Sala di Mezzo Giorno, No. 40. 
 
V I T 11 E 0 1/8 A R T. 
 
 opaque glass, , „ of an inch square, in the centre of which is a representation of a human- 
 headed hawk with long drooping wings, the feathers of which are delineated with great 
 delicacy. 
 
 The workshops of Egypt do not appear to have been disturbed by the Roman conquest 
 ol the country; on the contrary, a large demand was created by it for their wares. 
 Strabo tells us that there was a kind of earth found near Alexandria which was indis- 
 pensable in making glass of a fine quality.* Glass-blowing is mentioned by Hadrian in a 
 letter to the consul Licinianus, as one of the principal manufactures of Alexandria ; he 
 sends his correspondent some valuable cups, which he terms iWo-ovrej, “ opalescent,”’ and 
 which had been given to him by an Egyptian priest. t It has been conjectured that these 
 vases may have been of glass. The emperor Aurelian directed that the tribute paid by 
 Egypt should consist of glass, paper (papyrus), and linen, the three staple products of the 
 country. { Martial thus alludes to the importation of glass from Egypt:— 
 
 “ Cum tibi Niliacus portefc crystalla oataplus, 
 Accipe de Circo pocula Flaminio. 
 
 Nullum sollicitant hsec, Flacce, toreumata furem, 
 Ft nimium calidis non vitiantur aquis." § 
 
 We may probably refer to the manufactories of Egypt the glass howls and saucers of 
 variegated colours which are occasionally met with in Roman tombs, and are imitations 
 of various precious materials, possibly false murrhine. Several specimens of this workman- 
 ship are to be found in the Hertz collection ; one of them, a bottle of great rarity, being 
 green and white, with patches of gold. Another is a saucer of clear glass containing spirals 
 of opaque white threads, a style of ornament which may have suggested the Venetian filigree. 
 In the Museum of Practical Geology is a large bowl which was found in a Roman tomb at 
 Nismes ; the pattern is an imitation of Madrepore; the ground, a delicate rose-colour, evidently 
 made with gold, and showing that Kunckel was not the first to employ that metal in 
 colouring 1 glass. 
 
 The Egyptians, besides making coloured vases, appear to have cut glass iu various ways ; 
 a fact noticed by Martial in an epigram entitled Calices, in which he alludes to the difficulty 
 of working them. 
 
 “ Aspicis ingenium Nili, quibus addere plura 
 
 Bum eupifc, ah quoties perdidib auctor opus.”|| 
 
 The Romans, who commenced by importing glass from Egypt, probably afterwards intro- 
 duced workmen from that country. At any rate, there must have been numerous workshops 
 in the capital, as we read that Alexander Severus levied a very productive tax on the glass- 
 works. If We may form some idea of the various colours made at this time, from the 
 account given by Pliny, who tells us of a black glass, an imitation of obsidian; an opaque 
 red, called hcematimm; opaque white; and imitations of the precious material called murrhine, 
 as well as of the jacinth, the sapphire, and other stones. The sort principally esteemed was 
 the clear white glass, like crystal.** He mentions also, that glass had superseded the use of 
 gold and silver for drinking-vessels, but that the chief defect was its tendency to crack if 
 hot liquid were suddenly poured into it.ff 
 
 With regard to the mode of ornamenting the glass, the same author speaks of three 
 different processes :—Almd Jlatu figumtur; meaning that it is formed by blowing into a 
 
 * X "' , 2 : 35 „ , + “ Vito Saturnim." } Vopiseus, '• Vito A, .reliant" 
 
 * Mart,al - x “' 7o - i ’ omo have “PP®«d that U* «1» made in the Flammwn Circus at Borne were ,-la SS It se 
 more probable, from the context, that they were earthenware. 
 
 || Martial, xiv. 115. IT Lampridius, “ Vita Alex. Severi.” 
 
 ft This is alluded to in Martial, xiv. 94 : 
 
 “ Non sumus audacis plebeia toreumata vitri, 
 
 Nostra nee ardcuti gemma feritur aqua.” 
 
 Pliny. 
 
V I T R E O IT S A R T. 
 
 mould or otherwise: alind torno teritur; that is, polished and smoothed on the lathe, both 
 inside and out, as may be seen by various examples still remaining: alind argent, mode 
 ceelatur; that is, cut in bas-relief, like the Portland vase and other similar specimens. 
 
 Glass was also extensively employed in making imitations of gems and copies of cameos, 
 for people who could not afford to possess the originals.* The perfection to which the manu- 
 facture of false gems was carried is shown by the story of the merchant who cheated with 
 them the Empress Salonina, wife of Gallienus.f The employment of it for other trivial objects, 
 such as knuckle-bones, dice, and counters, is frequently alluded to by classical authors-t 
 
 Glass was also much used in mosaic-work, being more brilliant than stone or marble; 
 and as slabs for lining the walls of baths and other rooms. It is stated by Pliny to have 
 been first so employed in the amphitheatre of Scaurus, built b.c. 58.§ To such an extent 
 had this style of decoration been carried, that Seneca complains that in his day a man 
 thought himself to be mean and poor if his bath were not lined with glass. || 
 
 It has been long questioned whether the Romans were acquainted with the use of 
 O'lass for windows. The fact has, however, been placed beyond doubt by the discovery of several 
 panes in situ at Pompeii, and even in England fragments have been found which must have 
 been applied to such a purpose. The glass seems to have been of a bluish white, and 
 moreover, to have been cast like plate-glass. It might even be fairly inferred, from 
 passages in various authors, that the Romans had greenhouses, or at any rate frames for 
 forcing fruit, made of glass. 
 
 The same material was employed for sepulchral urns, generally of a globular form with 
 a conical cover and handles at the sides. The famous Portland vase was found in the 
 sarcophagus of Alexander Severus, and is supposed to have contained the ashes of Ins 
 mother, Mnmmsca. 
 
 At a later period of the Empire, several elaborate modes of working glass were either 
 invented or more frequently employed : one of these was engraving in intaglio, on the outside 
 of shallow bowls or basins of very white glass, various subjects; such as views of buildings, 
 gladiatorial fights, with inscriptions, &c. : all these specimens are executed in a style which 
 
 fixes their date to about the age of Constantine. 
 
 Another style of work was covering vessels with a delicate network about a quarter of 
 an inch from the surface, and connected with it liy slender supports. The labour of this work 
 is evident when we consider that the network must have been, in a great measure, hollowed 
 out with a tool or the wheel. It is possible that this class of vases may have been the 
 diatreta alluded to by authors. A cup discovered near Strasburg! has round the rim the 
 name of the Emperor Maximianus, which fixes its date between A.n. 286—310; another 
 from Novara is in the Trivulzi collection at Milan ;** but one of the finest specimens is a 
 cylindrical situla or bucket in the treasury of St. Mark, Venice. It is of greenish glass; 
 round the upper part is a lion-hunt, in relief, in some parts completely undercut, the 
 remainder of the vessel being covered with the usual network. 
 
 One of the most remarkable specimens of late Roman glass is a goblet belonging to 
 Baron Lionel Rothschild. It is of an opaque greenish hue on the exterior, hut, by 
 transmitted light, of a deep red; the colouring matter being probably oxide, of copper, 
 which lias not' "'reached the state in which it forms ruby glass.ff On the outside, in very 
 
 * This use of glass prevailed at Athens as early as 01. 95, as we learn from Boekh, “ Corpus laser.’ n. 150. 
 
 + Trebonius Pollio, " Vita Gallieni.” t See Martial, vii. 71 ; xiv. 20. 5 plm I. XXXY1 ’ 0 ' 
 
 || Seneca, Epist. 86. It is probably to this that Statius alludes:— 
 
 “ Effulgent camera vario fastigia vitro.” 
 
 II Engraved in “ Mcmoires de la Societe des Antiquaires de France,” tom. xvi. pi. 1. 
 
 ** Winckelman, “ Storia delle Arti,” i. p. 42. . „ n , n 
 
 ft An engraving of this cup will be found in De la Motte’s “ Choice Examples of Art Workmanship : Cunclall, 1 . 
 
 A. 
 
VITREOUS ART. 
 
 liigh relief, are figures of Bacchus with vines and panthers; some portions being hollow from 
 within, others fixed ou the exterior of the vase. It reminds us of the description of a 
 drinking-cup mentioned in the romance of “Leucippe and Clitophon," by Achilles Tatius, 
 a writer who is supposed to have lived in the fifth century after Christ. The cup is described 
 ns belonging to Hippias of Tyre, who pours libations from it on the feast of Bacchus. 
 All round the body of the vase were vines, from which hung hunches of grapes, appearing 
 unripe while it was empty, but when wine tvas poured in, they seemed to ripen: in the 
 midst of them was Bacchus tending the vines. 
 
 IVe must not omit to notice the curious glass disks which are found in the Catacombs, 
 wlieic they were fixed into the mortar of the tombs. They are ornamented with figures 
 and inscriptions executed in gold leaf by attaching the metal" to a piece of glass, scratching 
 nw'ay the portions not required, and then coating it with a thin film of very transparent 
 glass, which lias preserved the delicate designs from injury, and thus affords most valuable 
 information as to early Christian iconography. 
 
 2. Byzantine Glass. 
 
 e might naturally expect that, under the Eastern emperors, the luxurious Byzantines 
 would continue the manufacture of glass, and that it would become of a highly ornamental 
 character. Unfortunately we have little left to enable us to judge how far they succeeded. 
 
 Thcopliilus, in his “ Diversarum Artium Schedule, ”* after giving instructions for blowing 
 plain glass vases with handles, and flasks with long necks, which appear to have been 
 the only vessels of glass made in his time in the West, teaches the mode of ornamenting 
 vessels then practised by the Greeks. These people, he tells us, made glass cups out of 
 the cubes of ancient mosaic-work— of purple, pale sapphire, and other colours, which they 
 ornamented by fixing on them gold leaf cut into the forms of men, birds, or beasts, over 
 which they threw a film of very fusible glass. They also decorated some vessels still more 
 elaborately by taking white, red, and green enamel, with which, after fixing the gold ornaments, 
 they painted flowers, scrolls, and other small patterns, and then vitrified the colours by baking. 
 They also ornamented some of the coloured vessels with threads of opaque white glass. 
 
 Hie only specimen of enamelled glass which can, with any certainty, be ascribed to a 
 Byzantine origin, is a small vase in the treasury of St. Mark, at Venice. It is of a broad 
 globular form with two handles, and of dark-brown glass, nearly opaque; the ornaments are 
 executed m gold, and in pink, red, and green enamels ; they consist of large circles inclosing 
 figures of Mercury and other classical personages, executed in a thoroughly Byzantine style! 
 On the margin arc imitations ot Oriental inscriptions. i" 
 
 3. Oriental Glass. 
 
 We have mentioned the early proficiency of Assyria in glass-making. A remarkable 
 relic of Persian workmanship is preserved in the Bibliotheque at Paris, being the well-known 
 cup of Chosroes, It is a very shallow bowl, consisting of a central medallion, apparently of 
 crystal, on which is sculptured, in relief, a figure of Chosroes, king of Persia (a.d. 531—579). 
 Around it are three rows of circular medallions, alternately white and crimson, with rosettes ; 
 the quadrilateral spaces between them are green. The whole of the glass is ornamented i! 
 relict, and has evidently been east in moulds; the medallions are united, like the parts of 
 a painted window, but by fillets of gold. Persia continued to make glass vessels during 
 
 Lib. ii. cap. 13, 14. 
 
 + I am indebted for notes of this and other objects in the treasury of St. Mark to my friend Mr. Nesbitt. 
 
 ( 1 >) 
 
V I T R E 0 U S A R: T. 
 
 the Middle Ages : Ibn Batoutah,* in his “ Travels in Asia Minor,” in 1332, talks of 
 clusters of lamps made of glass from Irak. 
 
 It is very probable that the Arabs derived their processes of glass-making from the 
 Byzantines, whose productions they were sufficiently enlightened to appreciate. It would almost 
 appear that Damascus or its neighbourhood was the seat of the manufacture, as we lind 
 verves de Damas continually mentioned in medieval inventories. The plain white glass 
 cups which found tlieir way into inventories because richly mounted, are mentioned as 
 from Blunders, or are passed over without comment ; hut most of the ornamented speci- 
 mens are referred to an Oriental origin. This may he illustrated by the following entries 
 from the Royal inventories of Prance. t In 1380 we find that Charles had “ trois pots de 
 voirre rouge a. la fa con de Damas. Ung petit voirre ouvrd par dehors a images a la la9on 
 de Damas. Un bacin plat de voirre point a facon de Damas, et une bordure d’argent es- 
 maillee de Prance et do Bourgogne. Tine lampe de voirre ouvree en facon de Damas sans 
 aucune garnison d’argent.” In 1390, “line coupe de voirre peint a, la Morisque.” 
 
 One or tw r o of these specimens have been preserved in the W cst ; such as the so-called 
 “ verre de Charlemagne,” formerly in the Abbey of Chateaudun, and now preserved in the 
 Museum of Chartres. J It is a goblet, probably of the thirteenth or fourteenth century, 
 mounted on a Gothic silvered foot, and has on it Arabic inscriptions. To the same manu- 
 factory may also belong the “Luck of Eden Hall,” an elegantly enamelled vessel, somewhat 
 Oriental in pattern, but without inscriptions. The leather case in which it is inclosed is 
 of the fifteenth century. § 
 
 Among the specimens which have come to us from the East, there are few more elegant 
 than the lamp represented in Plate 1, fig. 1. It was obtained by its present possessor, Mr. Wild, 
 in Cairo, and has been supposed to have been taken from the mosque of Sultan Hassan, in 
 which still hang several lamps of the same kind, shedding a dim light over its magnificent 
 vaults. Round both the upper part and the body of the lamp are Arabic inscriptions, 
 which, though carelessly written, being placed upon it rather for ornament than to be read, 
 seem to be to the following purport: — “Made for his exalted Highness the princely . . . Kafouc 
 cl Roumi, Treasurer to El Malek es Saleh: may his victories be exalted.” Unfortunately, 
 there are several sultans, of whose name the title “ es Saleli ” forms part, both of the Ayubite 
 and Mamlook dynasties in Egypt; but in either case it must belong to the thirteenth 
 or fourteenth century. This lamp, which is lOi inches high, is ornamented with outlines 
 in red enamel on a" gold ground, and with various patterns in opaque blue, red, yellow, and 
 green. Another lamp, very similar in form, has been recently brought from Egypt, and is 
 destined to he placed in the Louvre. || It bears the titles of a Sultan El Malek el Zalicr 
 Abou-said. There were several sultans so designated, but it was probably intended for the 
 Sultan Barkuk, a great builder of mosques at the close of the fourteenth century. 
 
 There are two fine specimens of Oriental glass in the collection ot Baron Lionel 
 Rothschild,— a basin and a large bottle, which may be referred to an earlier date. Round 
 the latter is an inscription recording the name of El Malek el Aschraf, probably one ol 
 the two sultans of that name who reigned at Miafarkin in the thirteenth century. Other 
 specimens of Oriental glass may he found in the collections of the Hbtel de Cluny, the 
 Duke of Hamilton, &c. 
 
 (l’lbn Butoutah dans l’Asie Mineure, traduits par M. Defremery,” p. 15. 
 le, “ Notice des Emaux du Louvre ” Glossaire— Voirre. 
 
 rase may be seen in “ Revue Arcli6ologique,” tom. xiv. pi. 308. 
 
 Illustration , No. 787, 27tli March, 1858. 
 
V I T K EOU8 A K T. 
 
 4. Venetian Glass. 
 
 Our knowledge of the history of Venetian glass is necessarily very scanty ; for the 
 jealousy with which the Republic regarded any interference with her manufactures, and the 
 severe laws by which she endeavoured to retain a monopoly in them, not only deterred 
 any stranger from inquiring too minutely into the processes employed, but restrained her 
 own citizens from recording any particulars concerning them. 
 
 The more recent writers on Venetian history seem disposed to ascribe the art of glass- 
 making there to the original settlers in the seventh century. It seems, however, more probable 
 that the processes were learnt from the Greeks, and that the knowledge of them may have 
 been part of the advantages which Venice obtained by the Latin conquest of Constantinople 
 in 1204. "We find, at least, mention made of glass-making in 1283;*' and from the workmen 
 being classed as butteliarii and phyalarii, we may consider that they had attained some 
 skill in making glass vessels. In 1289 an order was issued that furnaces should no 
 longer be built within the towns, no doubt from the great risk of fire. Later in the same 
 year, however, the Venetians were allowed to have furnaces for making glass ornaments, 
 such as beads, &c., within the city, if a space of not less than five paces were left between 
 them and the houses. It is probable that during the fourteenth century the great glass 
 trade in Venice was in beads, imitations of precious stones, and small ornaments, that were 
 carried to every part of the world, and the sale of which greatly added to the wealth of the 
 city. The extent to which the manufacture was carried on is shown by the license accorded 
 to Andalo de Savignonis, the Genoese ambassador to the Tartar sovereign of Cathay, to 
 export glass ornaments to the amount of from 1,000 to 10,000 gold florins. The beads 
 exported from Venice into Africa during the Middle Ages are said to be still employed as 
 money by some of the tribes of the interior. 
 
 The earliest author, that gives any distinct notions as to the vessels of glass which were 
 made at Venice, is Sabellico (1436 — 1506). lie speaks of the variety of colour and the 
 diversity of forms to be noticed in these productions, including (as he tells us) cups, bottles, 
 bowls, cisterns, casks, lamps, animals of all kinds, horns, and necklaces; — “everything, in 
 short, which can charm the eyes of mortal man.” It is possible that the extension of the 
 manufacture of vessels may have been owing to the fall of Constantinople in 1453, and the 
 consequent immigration of Greek workmen. 
 
 In the sixteenth century the glass-makers appear to have added to their attractions 
 glass with lace patterns, and glass mirrors. We have mentioned that the Sidonians are 
 considered to have invented glass specula; the use of metal ones, however, appears to have 
 prevailed during both ancient times and the Middle Ages, owing, no doubt, to the imperfect 
 state of the manufacture of those of glass. It was not probably till the latter half of the 
 sixteenth century that mirrors were brought to perfection, as in 1543 we find three Venetians 
 giving the Princess Mary of England, as a New Year’s gift, “ a favr stele glas.”f So great 
 was the reputation eventually attained by this branch of Venetian industry, that for years 
 after its productions had fallen into discredit in the European markets they continued to 
 have an extensive sale in the East. 
 
 In all branches of manufactures the Republic tried to maintain a monopoly, and in 
 none were the regulations more strict than in glass-making. The exportation of the 
 materials of all sorts was strictly forbidden, and the penalty of death was affixed to the 
 betrayal of any of the secrets of the art. Should a workman yield to the bribes of 
 
 * Filiasi, “ Saggio sull’ Antico Commercio dei Veneziani,” tom. iii. p. 230; on the authority of a MS. belonging to 
 Sebastiauo Molino, containing laws of the year 1283. 
 
 + “ Privy Purse Expenses of the Princess Mary,” edited by F. Madden, Esq*, p. 98. 
 
Y I T R, E Ol'S A It T. 
 
 other states, and resort to them with his secrets, emissaries were sent after him, with orders 
 to mate away with him. On the other hand, honours were liberally showered on the glass- 
 makers in Venice; their craft entitled them to rank as noble, and therefore enabled them 
 to fill any offices or state employments. They could intermarry with the noble families, 
 and had a li.bro d ’ oro of their own, in which their names were inscribed ; and the island 
 of Murano, in which they chiefly dwelt, had its independent officials and magistrates. 
 
 We have now to notice the result of their skill, as shown in such specimens of their 
 handiwork as have come down to us : and here it would be well to remember that the great 
 
 elegance of form and delicacy of finish by which Venetian glass is characterized, although 
 they depended in some measure on the peculiar position of the workmen, who inherited 
 many technical secrets from their ancestors, and looked upon themselves rather as artists 
 than artisans, were owing in a still greater degree to the material with which they 
 had to deal: the absence of lead, though lessening the brilliancy of the glass, rendered it 
 far more easily worked into the elaborate and elegant forms which we admire, and which are 
 unattainable in the modern flint glass, owing to its rapid cooling and great weight. 
 
 The ornamental productions may be classed as follows: — 1. Glasses plain white, or of 
 single colours. 2. The same, gilt and enamelled. 3. Crackled vases. 4. Variegated or 
 marbled vases. 5. Millefiori glass. G. Glasses with lace and reticulated ornaments. 
 
 1. The colourless vases are of various ages, but chiefly of the fifteenth and sixteenth 
 centuries. They frequently have blue ornaments attached to their stems, and are remarkable 
 for the elegance of their forms. The Soulages collection is particularly rich in this class 
 of objects, four of which are represented in Plate 4. The central one appears to be one 
 of the strange-shaped vessels which were employed tor distilling or for alchemical purposes, 
 and are mentioned by Pioravanti. The drinking-glasses were chiefly made ot the colouiless 
 
 glass, and had elaborate twisted stems : a good 
 specimen of these may be seen in fig. 5 of Plate 3. 
 The colours were principally blue and purple, though 
 specimens of green and amber-colour are occasionally 
 met with. We also find ruby glass, which, though 
 less frequently made than in Germany, seems cer- 
 tainly to have been manufactured at Venice. An- 
 other beautiful colour is the opal white, produced, 
 it is supposed, from arsenic. This colour appears to 
 he of more recent invention than some of the others : 
 two specimens of it may be seen in Plate 3, figs. 1 
 and 4, both from Lord Cadogan’s collection. 
 
 2. Gilt and enamelled Glass. — The vases of this 
 class are principally of the fifteenth and early part 
 of the sixteenth century, and are ornamented with 
 gold and various colours. One of the finest speci- 
 mens that have been preserved is the blue bowl with 
 arabesque ornaments, belonging to Mr. Pield, repre- 
 sented in Plate 2, fig. 4. On the upper part of the 
 rim is a gilt band with the inscription, tempobe 
 felici MVi/L’i HOM in a n tv r amici. Many examples 
 of this glass arc ornamented with a scale pattern, 
 resembling peacocks’ feathers, which have a pecu- 
 liarly rich and Oriental appearance: they are well 
 „ r r r w,i r. shown on the blue goblet in Plate 2, fig. 3, and on 
 
 Ua.jht, in). two specimens in Plate 1. Another very elegant 
 
y I T R EOU S A R T. 
 
 ornament consisted in gilding the most prominent portions of the waved ribs* with which the 
 vessels are enriched. A fine specimen of this kind is shown in the accompanying woodcut. 
 It is a tall covered cup, evidently of the fifteenth century, the body ornamented with gilt 
 ribs, and the rim with a scale-pattern in gold, interspersed with white, blue, and red enamel, 
 llie cover has a flat knob, on which a coat of arms has been painted, now nearlv effaced. 
 Another elegant style of ornament is shown in Plate 2, fig. 2, — a bottle or jug enamelled 
 with green foliage and yellow stems, among which white birds are disporting themselves; on 
 the body is a medallion, which originally contained the monogram of nbs surrounded by rays. 
 This ornament does not necessarily imply an ecclesiastical use : as this peculiar form of the 
 device is ascribed to St. Bernardino of Sienna, and frequently occurs on houses and walls 
 in Italy, possibly as a preservative against the plague. 
 
 o. Crackled glass. — This very peculiar fabric, which has been recent lv reintroduced, is 
 supposed to have been made by plunging the vessel, when half blown, into water, and then 
 re-heating and expanding it, so as to increase the intervals between the sections into which 
 the surface was cracked by the sudden change of temperature. It is usually of clear glass, 
 and generally dates from the sixteenth century. 
 
 4. \ ariegated or marbled glass, commonly called Schmelz.- — The principal variety is an 
 imitation of jasper, being a mixture of green and purple, occasionally varied by patches of 
 avanturine. By transmitted light it appears deep red. Other varieties are imitations of lapis 
 lazuli and tortoise-shell, and an opaque white speckled with blue and red : the inside is 
 generally of a uniform colour. These kinds of glass were chiefly in use during the seventeenth 
 century. 
 
 o. Millefiori glass appears to be an imitation of the ancient Roman process, and 
 not a very successful one. The specimens are ornamented with sections of the coloured 
 canes of which beads are made, and are not very common. 
 
 6. Lace and reticulated glass. — These beautiful fabrics, which are now called vitro rti 
 trinci, though not unknown to the ancients, are among the most successful productions of 
 Venetian skill. They were probably not in use before the sixteenth century. A detailed 
 account of the process of making the lace glass is given in M. Labarte’s Handbook: the 
 workman having selected canes of glass of the requisite patterns, arranges them round the 
 sides of a cylindrical mould, and blows into the midst a thin bubble of glass, which 
 attaches itself to the inner side of the canes, and unites them together ; he afterwards, by 
 heating, forms them into a hollow cylinder, which he fashions by blowing like any other 
 glass. A specimen of this glass may be found in Plate 3, fig. 3, from the Duke of 
 Buceleuch’s collection. It will be seen on examination that the upper and lower parts do 
 not correspond in pattern. The former has been composed of two varieties of canes placed 
 alternately : one of them ot clear glass, inclosing a spiral of opaque white, which, on 
 expanding, formed the bands of network; the other of opaque white glass, containing at 
 the centre a clear glass thread. The lower part has the same spiral, but differs in the other 
 cane employed, which was of clear glass, with an opaque thread at its centre. We have not 
 selected any of the more elaborate specimens of this glass for illustration, owing to the 
 minute nature of the patterns, which almost defy the engraver’s skill. They were anciently 
 called vast a ritorti cli Laticinio. The reticulated glass (vasi a reticelli) is a variety of the 
 lace, and appears to be of somewhat later date, being probably not much earlier than the 
 seventeenth century. A fine goblet in Mr. Slade’s collection incloses in a hollow of the stem 
 a half-sequin of Francesco Molino, Doge of Venice in 1647. This kind of glass is entirely 
 covered with white opaque lines, crossing one another, and forming a kind of network : at 
 every intersection of the lines is a small bubble of air. Though imitations of it have been 
 made in modern times, I do not know whether the process of manufacture has been made 
 public. 
 
 W 
 
VITREOUS A 11 T. 
 
 The great ' progress that has been made in all the other European manufactories has 
 caused a great decline in the Venetian trade in glass, which is chiefly confined to small 
 ornaments; in these they still excel the rest of the world both in delicacy of execution 
 and in tasteful combinations of colour. 
 
 5. French Glass. 
 
 When glass is mentioned in the early French inventories, it is usually described as 
 of Damascus work, and sometimes of Flanders. The latter may either be really of Flemish 
 workmanship, or be glass brought to the Flemish ports from Venice; for Philip, Duke of 
 Burgundy, in 1394, orders a payment of four francs “pour seze voirres et une escuellc de voirre 
 des voirres que les galees de Venise ont avan apportez en nostre pays de Flandres.”* Some 
 difficulty in tracing the history of glass-making in France is due to the word verrier 
 signifying as well the maker of glass vessels or window glass, as the glass-painter. 
 
 Before the sixteenth century, the dukes of Lorraine 
 appear to have established manufactories of glass 
 in their dominions, to which they had attracted 
 glass-makers by high privileges and the rights of 
 nobility. A common kind of glass was made in 
 Provence, Dauphiny, &c. 
 
 It is probably to one of the French manu- 
 factories that we may attribute the curious glass in 
 Mr. Slade’s collection, represented in the accom- 
 panying woodcut. It is a goblet of yellowish glass, 
 and richly enamelled. On it are represented a gen- 
 tleman, in the costume of the early part of the 
 sixteenth century, holding a flower ; near him a 
 scroll inscribed, ie svis a vovs ; opposite to him a 
 lady holding a heart, with a scroll, mo cver aves. 
 The remainder of the space has a rebus on their 
 name — a he-goat trying to drink out of a slender 
 vase of water ( Boac eau ) ; round the margin, ie 
 
 SVIS A VOVS IE HAN BOVCAV ET ANTOYNETE BOVC. 
 
 A family of the name of Boucault appears to 
 have been settled in Provence, and it is not un- 
 likely that the goblet was made in the manufactories of that part of France, the existence 
 of which is noticed as early as the close of the thirteenth century. + 
 
 idled Glass, ill the Collection of Felix Slade, Esq. 
 Height, 64 in. 
 
 6. English Glass. 
 
 Glass vessels do not appear to have been much used in England during the Middle Ages, 
 and they rarely occur in ancient inventories. Edward III. had, however, a glass cup with 
 a foot and cover of silver gilt, which had been been given to him by the Abbot of Stratford. + 
 It was not till the sixteenth century that glass vessels were made to any extent in 
 England, and the art seems to have been one of the numerous benefits obtained for this 
 country by the wise policy of Elizabeth. In 1565 we hear of the glass-works under 
 
 Cornelius de Launoy. In 1567, Jean Quarre (or Carre), of Antwerp, and other natives of the 
 
 * Laborde, “ Notice des Einaux du Louvre Glossaire, p. 545. 
 
 -|- Maud, Countess of Artois, 13 1G, possessed a quantity of glass vessels, made at Provence and elsewhere, which had 
 belonged to her husband, who died in 1302. — See Laborde, “ Notice des Einaux du Louvre Glossaire, p. 545. 
 
 + Kal. and Inv. Exchequer, iii. 192. 
 
 10 
 
y I T 11 E O U S A 11 T. 
 
 Low Countries, requested of the queen to be allowed to set up a manufactory of table-glass, 
 such as was used in France. They appear to have been recommended to her by the 
 Yidame de Chartres, and their request was granted.*' The workmen were brought from 
 Lorraine, and the manufactory was probably in Crutched Friars. In 1611, this Jean Carre, 
 or a descendant of the same name, was still living ; as appears by a letter from him preserved 
 in the State Papers, complaining that, after his establishing glass-works, at his own great 
 cost, in Sussex and London, lie hears that the privilege is about to be granted to another. 
 This other was Sir Robert Maunsell, who obtained, about 1G15, a patented monopoly not only 
 to make but to import glass. In 1670, the Luke of Buckingham introduced workmen from 
 Venice, principally, no doubt, to make mirrors ; and he established them at Lambeth, from 
 which manufactory proceeded most of the small mirrors with bevelled edges, which are still 
 found in old-fashioned houses. 
 
 Till late years, however, the manufacture of table-glass does not appear to have attained 
 a high perfection in England. Luring the seventeenth century, large quantities of Venetian 
 glass were imported into the country. In the Sloane MSS. in the British Museum 
 may be found copies of several letters, addressed by an English glass-merchant, John Greene, 
 of Holborn, to his correspondent at Venice, Signor Alessio Morrelli, between the years 
 1671 and 1691, specifying the forms and colours of the vessels which were to be sent, 
 and showing that there was a considerable demand for these wares. 
 
 7. German Glass. 
 
 The three productions for which the German glass-makers are best known are, enam- 
 elled glass, engraved glass, and ruby glass. The enamelled appears to have been practised 
 as early as the sixteenth century, f and was probably borrowed from the Venetians, as some 
 of the patterns are evidently copied from the latter. The vessels so decorated are generally 
 cylindrical goblets with covers. The ornaments consist of coats of arms, and figures of 
 various kinds; such as a procession of the electors; the imperial eagle bearing on its 
 wings the arms of the states which composed the empire; or the armorial bearings of the 
 persons for whom the glasses were made. In Plate 5 may be seen several specimens of 
 this glass. The goblet with the eagle (fig. 3) is of the seventeenth century. The bottle 
 in blue has on it representations of the Saviour, St. Peter, and St. John, and is dated 1650. 
 Both these specimens are from Mr. Slade’s collection. 
 
 The engraved glass, which was originally made in imitation of crystal, is often very well 
 executed. Its introduction is attributed to Caspar Lehmann, who worked at Prague about 
 1609, under imperial protection. His pupil, George Schwanhard, produced several works of 
 merit. The chief defect of this kind of decoration is the little effect produced by a great amount 
 of labour ; and the heavy elaborate designs of the seventeenth century were particularly ill- 
 suited for such a purpose. 
 
 The ruby glass, though, as we have seen, not unknown to the ancients, was brought 
 to perfection by Kunckel, who was director, in 1679, of the glass-houses at Potsdam : the 
 colouring matter was gold. His productions are much esteemed, especially in Germany. 
 
 * See “ Calendar of State Papers,” Domestic Series, xxxvii. 3 ; xliii. 42, 44, 45, (fee. 
 t A specimen in the Kunst. Kammer at Berlin is dated 1533. 
 
VITREOUS A R T. 
 
 ENAMEL. 
 
 Before entering into the history of enamel as practised by various nations, it may be 
 as well to say something of the different modes of applying it to metal. They may be 
 divided into three classes, according to the method by which the outlines of the figures 
 or patterns are produced : —1. Inlaid enamel , where the outlines are formed by metal divi- 
 sions. 2. Transparent enamel , where the outlines and all the markings are produced by 
 variations of depth in the sculptured ground over which the the vitreous matter is floated. 
 3. Tainted enamel, where the outlines are made by a difference in the tint of the enamel 
 itself, which completely conceals the metal base. 
 
 In the inlaid enamel, the metallic divisions are produced in two different ways, de- 
 pending, in some measure, on the material of which they are composed. Where gold is 
 the recipient, the metal is valuable, and at the same time very ductile ; so that the artist 
 can twist or bend fillets of it into any form required. The base is, therefore, made of a 
 thin plate of gold, and the outlines composed of a network of independent fillets of the 
 same metal. This is the kind of enamel commonly termed cloisonne , which was usually 
 executed in gold, and prevailed, chiefly at Constantinople, from the eighth to the twelfth 
 century. When, however, copper came to be employed, the value of the metal was of 
 less consideration, and the labour of fashioning the small fillets increased : the workman, 
 therefore, selected a plate of the whole thickness required, in which he sunk the cavities 
 to contain the enamel. This is the champ leve process, or, as it is termed by M. de Laborde, 
 a taille d'epargne. Such are the enamels of Celtic and Roman origin, as well as the 
 productions of the schools of Germany and Limoges during the twelfth, thirteenth, and 
 fourteenth centuries. In China, this style of work does not appear to have been intro- 
 duced till the sixteenth century ; the earlier enamels having been executed by the cloisonne 
 process. 
 
 In the transparent enamel, which was usually executed on gold or silver, the metal 
 
 ground is chiselled in low relief below the surface, and the colours, which are all trans- 
 parent, are fused over it. The surface is then polished; and the result is a delicately- 
 
 shaded picture in enamel. The faces are either left in the metal, or covered with a thin 
 
 coating of colourless enamel. This kind of enamelling was chiefly practised in Italy and 
 Erance during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, and occasionally in the East at a later 
 period. 
 
 The painted enamel can be executed on any metal sufficiently hard to bear the heat 
 of the furnace. After fashioning the metal into the necessary form, it is covered with a 
 coating of dark or light enamel, according to the process preferred. The details, in the former 
 case, are executed in white, and the colours produced by coating any portion with a thin layer 
 of transparent enamel, or, in the latter case, by painting on the white ground with divers 
 colours. This mode of enamelling was chiefly employed at Limoges, in Erance, from the 
 end of the fifteenth to the seventeenth century, and since then, in other countries. 
 
 1. Enamelling among tile Ancients. 
 
 The art of enamelling on metal does not equal in antiquity that of glass-making : 
 we are, in fact, scarcely able to show that it existed previous to the Christian era, either 
 by documents, or the still more satisfactory evidence of the objects themselves. M. Labarte 
 has, indeed, displayed his usual industry, and a considerable amount of erudition, in col- 
 lecting passages from the early Greek writers, which he considers to prove the existence of 
 enamelling in their time. His hypothesis, however, rests mainly on interpreting the electrum 
 
VITREOUS ART. 
 
 of tlie ancients as enamel ; a signification of the word which is not mentioned in Pliny 
 who tells us that there were two substances so called, — amber, and an alloy of gold and 
 silver. M. Labarte considers that, in several passages, the word will not bear either of these 
 interpretations ; in which we cannot agree.* But this curious question has been recently so 
 ably handled by Count Ferdinand do Lasteyrie, that we may safely conclude that there is no 
 evidence to be found in the early classical authors of the practice of the art of enamelling.f 
 
 We might, naturally expect that a process which combined great brilliancy of effect 
 with a durability unequalled by any other mode of colouring, would find favour with the 
 Egyptians; but I am not aware that any specimens, truly enamelled, have been discovered 
 in Egypt. Most of the collections of antiquities brought from that country include bronzes 
 and gold ornaments, enriched with coloured decorations, which, at first sight, look like 
 enamels; but, on examining them carefully, we shall see that they are hard stones or pieces 
 of glass, set into their places with cement. 
 
 In the museums, however, of Munich and Berlin, are preserved some beautiful specimens 
 of goldsmiths’ work of an Egyptian style, which appear to be truly enamelled. But, on 
 examining the history of these ornaments, we shall find that they are neither properly 
 Egyptian nor of a very remote antiquity. The whole of these relics were discovered in 
 the same place, by Dr. Ferlini, of Bologna, whose account is very curious. J Having 
 succeeded in reaching Meroe, the ancient capital of Ethiopia, situated about 800 miles to 
 the south of Egypt, Dr. Eerlini determined to examine some of the numerous pyramids in its 
 neighbourhood. lie proceeded to demolish one of the most perfect; in doing which, at no 
 great distance from the top, he came upon a small vault, containing a w'ooden coffin or bier, 
 carved with hieroglyphics, and covered with a cloth : inside this was deposited a bronze tazza, 
 which contained the objects in question. Continuing his work of demolition, he found, 
 about half-way down the pyramid, and considerably below the vault, a small cavity containing 
 tw o bronze vases, one of which is engraved in his memoir. It is of a bucket-form, the handle 
 proceeding from two very fine Bacchic masks : the workmanship appears to be good, but is 
 evidently of Roman origin. Erom their position, these objects must have been deposited 
 before the vault w r as built in winch the enamelled ornaments wore found ; and we are thus 
 enabled to decide that the latter are not anterior to the Christian era. Moreover, according 
 to Dr. Ferlini’s account, rings, cameos, and other ornaments, of undoubtedly classical origin, 
 were found mingled with the enamelled jewellery. 
 
 At the commencement of the Christian era, Ethiopia was governed by a succession of 
 powerful queens of the name of Candace ; one of the last of them being the sovereign 
 whose eunuch was converted by Philip. Under their dominion, Ethiopia attained consider- 
 able prosperity; and it is not impossible that the jewels in question may have belonged to 
 
 an Ethiopian queen, or one of her attendants. The most elegant of the ornaments appear 
 
 to be four golden bracelets, one of which has been published by M. Labarte, ornamented 
 with busts and figures in low relief, and a rich enamelled diaper. The colours employed 
 
 are dark and light blue, white, and red, which are kept separate by delicate fillets of 
 
 metal. The figures are in the Egyptian style, but considerably modified by the influence 
 of classical taste ; while the patterns of tlie diaper closely resemble those to be found on 
 works of art of late Roman origin. 
 
 The Greeks appear to have had some slight knowledge of enamelling, for the exquisite 
 gold necklaces which have been principally found in tombs in the island of Melos are orna- 
 mented with minute flowers, the petals of which contain a vitreous substance. It was 
 
 * “Recherches sur la Peinture en Email.” Paris, 1856. 
 
 t “ 1,’Electrum des Ancieus ctait-il de remain” par Ferdinand de Lasteyrie. Paris, 1857. 
 
 + “Cenno sugli Scavi nella Nubia,” dal D. Giuseppe Ferlini. Bologna, 1837. 
 
 (<i) 
 
V I T 1! E 0 U S A 1! T. 
 
 probably fused with a blowpipe, and at a low temperature. Such trifling productions can 
 scarcely be called enamels. 
 
 It is not till the third, century after Christ that we obtain any direct mention of the 
 art of enamelling. Philostratus, a Greek sophist, who had been attracted to Rome by the 
 court of Julia Domna, wife of Severus, has left a curious work entitled “The leones,” in 
 which he describes a series of paintings; one of them is a boar-hunt; and after mentioning 
 the variegated trappings of the horses, he adds, “ They say that the barbarians who live in 
 (or by) the ocean, pour these colours on to heated brass, and that they adhere, become as 
 hard as stone, and preserve the designs which are made in them. * Although this passage 
 has been often quoted, its full bearing does not appear to have been taken into consideration. 
 There can be little doubt that it refers to enamels: the only question is as to the people 
 who practised the art of fusing them. The Drench writers have generally applied the 
 passage to the Gauls; but the term ev (oxscti/cp would refer to the Britons with still greater 
 force. Moreover, the enamelled objects which he mentions are bronze horse-trappings, and it 
 is precisely in Britain, and not in Gaul, that such objects are found. The antiquities 
 discovered at Stanwick in Yorkshire, Bolden Hill in Somersetshire, Saliam loney in Norfolk, 
 Westhall in Suffolk, and at Middleby in Annandale, Scotland, which are all of Celtic 
 workmanship, consist principally of bits, and portions of horse-furniture of various kinds, 
 which have preserved, in many cases, the enamel with which they were decorated. 
 
 The passage in Philostratus would seem to prove, that in his time the art of enamelling 
 was not practised either in Italy or Greece, for he was evidently well acquainted with the 
 artistic processes of these countries ; and had such a mode of decoration been adopted to 
 any extent, would not have spoken of the barbarian performances of that natuie. 
 
 In later times, the Romans, or the native populations under their dominion, cultivated 
 the art of enamelling ; but the designs of the ornaments which they made preserved throughout 
 a trace of their origin, and had close analogies with Celtic patterns. It. is not improbable 
 that some of the finest specimens were made in Britain ; for a large flat plate representing 
 an altar, which was found in London, and is now in the British Museum, has all the 
 
 appearance of being unfinished. The curious cup which was found at Rudge in Wiltshire, 
 and is in the possession of the Duke of Northumberland, has round it the names of five 
 
 of the towns on the Roman wall. Some peculi- 
 arities of workmanship connect very closely the 
 
 Some peculi- 
 
 specimen last mentioned with the beautiful vase 
 which was found in a tumulus on the Bartlow 
 Hills, Essex, where it seems to have been deposited 
 subsequent to the reign of Hadrian. A very elegant 
 vessel, once enamelled, was found in 1838 in the sea, 
 at Ambleteuse, off the coast of Normandy, in com- 
 pany with newly-struck coins of Tacitus ; which 
 would fix its date to about A.n. 276. 
 
 Of the enamelled ornaments of the Roman 
 period there are few which are more elegant than 
 the fibula or brooches. The annexed representa- 
 tion is taken from one in Lord Hastings’s collec- 
 tion. The pattern, which consists of yellow quatre- 
 
 tion. The pattern, which consists ot yellow quatre- 
 foils with blue centres on a red ground, has at first 
 sight a very mediaeval appearance, which is, how- 
 ever, removed by the dolphin in the centre. 
 
 iyfiurftt]. — leone; 
 
 1 ^ 
 
VITREOUS A R T. 
 
 The ancient processes appear to have lingered in Ireland, as we find some of the 
 details of the earlier shrines executed in enamel. A fragment of one of these is represented 
 in Plate 6, fig. 4, and belongs to the College of St. Columba, Bathfarnham. In other 
 parts of the West, all traces of their existence were swept away by the Teutonic invasions. 
 The jewellery of the conquerors does not appear to have been enriched with enamel. The 
 nearest approach to a vitreous incrustation is to be traced in some of the Anglo-Saxon 
 
 finger-rings,* such as that of Ethel wolf, 
 king of England, preserved in the 
 British Museum, and that of Alhstan, 
 represented in the accompanying illus- 
 tration, which was found in Caernarvon- 
 shire, and has been attributed to a bishop 
 of Sherborne of that name, between 
 817 — 867. The ornaments are, however, 
 all executed in niello , an essentially dif- 
 ferent process from enamel, as the black 
 material was applied at a much lower 
 temperature, and was rather a metallic amalgam than a vitrification. The ouly enamels 
 which have any claim to a Saxon origin are the well-known Alfred jewel, and an elegant 
 little brooch discovered in London, now in the British Museum. It is not improbable 
 however, that both these enamels were made on the continent, and imported into this 
 country ; an hypothesis which seems strengthened by its having been thought necessary 
 to protect the enamel in the former by a thick piece of crystal. A style of work which 
 was very prevalent both in England and abroad from the fifth to the tenth century, 
 consisted of flat garnets mounted in gold. Such are the ornaments said to have been 
 found in the tomb of Childeric, which have been frequently described as enamels, and the 
 exquisite brooches from the Eaussett collection exhibited at Manchester by Mr. Mayer, of 
 Liverpool. 
 
 ). Gold Rina inlaid with Niello, attributed to Alhstan, Bishop of Shtrborn, 
 A.D. 817-8C7. Tn the Collection of /. J. Whclle, Esq. 
 
 2. Byzantine Enamel. 
 
 The art of enamelling among the Byzantines, whether originating from the East, or 
 derived from the Homan processes, took a peculiar development in being chiefly confined 
 to the precious metals. We have no means of judging how early it was practised at 
 Constantinople, as its existence for several centuries rests on the interpretation of some 
 
 obscure passages in the Byzantine writers, and principally on the meaning of the word 
 
 %6[Asu(rtg, which M. Labarte does not hesitate to translate ‘ enamel.’ Any productions anterior 
 to the eighth century, especially such as represented religious subjects, were probably 
 destroyed by the iconoclasts. Ilmu Hayyan tells us that in 949 Constantine Porphyro- 
 genitus sent ambassadors to the caliph Abd-ur-rahman at Cordova, with a letter, “ enclosed 
 in a bag of silver cloth, over which was a case of gold, with a portrait of King Con- 
 stantine admirably executed on stained glass.” f Erom the material of the case, it is not 
 
 improbable that the portrait was enamelled on metal ; the description would, however, apply 
 equally well to a picture in gold leaf, enclosed between two thicknesses of glass, or to an 
 enamel painting on glass, in opaque colours, such as the vases mentioned by Theophilus. 
 
 It is to the monuments themselves that we must have recourse in order to judge of 
 the merit of the Byzantine enamellers. The most considerable of these is the famous 
 
 * See li Archseologia,” iv. 47. 
 
 t Quoted from Ibnu Hayyan by Ahmed Ibn Mohammed Al-Makkari, in his “ History of Mohammedan Dynasties in 
 Spain,” translated by Gayanga (Lond. 1843), vol. ii. p. 141. 
 
 15 
 
VITREOUS A R T. 
 
 Tala d'Oro of Venice, an accumulation ol' gold, silver, precious stones, and enamels of 
 several dates and styles of work ; but, for curiosity and splendour, unequalled by any other 
 altar-piece. The Tala, as it now exists, is composed of two oblong portions, united by 
 hinges ; the lower one being about twice the height of the upper. The centre of this 
 lower division is occupied by a square composition, consisting of a large medallion, partially 
 in relief, representing our Lord, seated; around which arc smaller medallions of the four 
 Evangelists, and other saints. Under this are five compartments, containing figures of the 
 Blessed Virgin, the Doge Ordelafo Baliero, and the Empress Irene; and two inscriptions 
 of the fourteenth century, recording the various alterations. On either side of the central 
 compartment are three rows of figures, six in each row ; the lowest are Prophets, some 
 with Greek, others with Latin inscriptions; the middle row' is of Apostles, with Latin 
 inscriptions ; and the upper one, of Archangels. Along the top of the whole lower division 
 of the altar-piece is a series of seventeen panels, eleven of them representing the life of 
 
 Christ ; the other six, diaconal saints : on each side are five subjects from the life of 
 
 St. Mark: all these panels have Latin inscriptions in verse. The upper division of the 
 Tala contains, at its centre, a large medallion representing St. Michael, which, like the Christ 
 in the lower division, is partially in relief, and is surrounded by smaller medallions. On 
 each side are three large plates of silver gilt, representing, in enamel, scenes from the 
 “ Passion : ” they have Greek inscriptions, and measure no less than 12^ inches square. 
 
 "With the exception of the six last mentioned, all the enamels of the altar-piece are 
 
 executed on gold. This magnificent object is completed by elaborate borders of silver gilt, 
 covered with a profusion of gems. 
 
 The history of the Tala is somewdiat perplexing. Two of the earliest chronicles of 
 Venice* state, almost in the same words, that the Doge Pietro Orseolo “ commanded a 
 tabula for the altar of St. Mark’s church to be executed at Constantinople, of wonderful 
 workmanship, in gold and silver:” still, as the Doge reigned but two years, at the end 
 of which he fled to a monastery in Prance in order to become a monk, we can scarcely 
 believe that so elaborate a piece of workmanship could be completed and sent from 
 Constantinople during his rule. Sansovino informs us that, owing to sundry accidents, it 
 was not brought to Venice till the dogeship of Ordelafo Baliero, in 1105. Andrea Dandolo, 
 in his Chronicle, t states that, in that year, “the Doge, for the greater reverence of the 
 Blessed Evangelist Mark, placed on his altar a (or the) golden tabula wonderfully made at 
 Constantinople with gems and pearls.” This passage has been interpreted, somewhat forcedly, 
 as showing that Baliero made into an altar-piece the already existing altar-frontal of Orseolo. 
 If we turn to the Tala itself, we find on it two inscriptions, both evidently of the four- 
 teenth century. The first records that, under Ordelafo Baliero, in 1105, the Tala “nova 
 factafu.it and that under Pietro Ziani, in 1209, it was “renovala;" the second informs 
 us that it w r as again restored ( novatur ) in 1315, under Andrea Dandolo. Row it is to be 
 remembered that this last doge is one of the chroniclers who mentions that the tabula was 
 ordered at Constantinople by Orseolo ; and it seems scarcely likely that he w ould have 
 allowed the original donor to be omitted in the inscription, had the Tala been really brought 
 to Venice by that doge. 
 
 The enamels are evidently not all of the same style or workmanship. On examining 
 the engravings of the altar-piece and some of its details, given by Cicognara and Du 
 Sommerard, I feel disposed to think that the Archangel Michael, the six large subjects at 
 the top, the twelve Archangels (which have all Greek inscriptions), and four of the Prophets, 
 which have also Greek inscriptions, are of the same date and workmanship as the figures of 
 
 * "Ohromcon Venetian,” Peru Mon. Ilist. Germ. ix. p. 20; anti “ Obronicon Vcnetnm Andrew Dnmlnli,” 
 Mmatoii, xii. 212. t Mm-itwi, “ Kernm Ital. Script.” xii. 260. 
 
 10 
 
V I T R E O U S A R T. 
 
 tlie Empress Irene and the Doge Ealiero, which must have been made at. Constantinople 
 about 1105. The remainder of the enamels, among which occur repetitions of some of the 
 subjects enumerated above, but in a different style, and which are accompanied by Latin 
 inscriptions, must therefore belong to the alterations made by Pietro Ziani in 1209 ; and 
 were made either by native artists or by Byzantine workmen brought to Venice after the 
 taking of Constantinople in 1201.* And lastly, the Gothic silver-work in which the whole 
 is set forms part of the restorations made by Andrea Dandolo in 1315. 
 
 None of the other Byzantine enamels which have been preserved, equal in interest or 
 size the Pala cV Oro. Being generally executed on a precious material, the larger specimens 
 have been melted up, and the smaller ones have been set and re-set like precious stones; so 
 that we lose all idea of their original arrangement. Many of these smaller enamels are to 
 be found on book-covers ; such as on those given by the Emperor Henry II. to the church 
 of Bamberg, about 1001; on those preserved in the library of St. Mark’s, at Venice; and on 
 several at Paris. A fine book-cover, of which, however, the enamels have been re-set, is 
 preserved in the cathedral at Moscow. 
 
 In the church of Essen, near Cologne, is a gold cross, enamelled, given to the con- 
 vent by the Empress Theuphano. Another cross is preserved at the convent of Notre 
 Dame at Namur, which once belonged to the Monastery of Ognies, and is said to have 
 been brought from the East by Cardinal de Vitry, who died in 1211. f 
 
 Several pectoral crosses have also been preserved. One of the most ancient of these is 
 in the possession of Mr. A. J. Beresford-Hope, M.P. : it consists of two cruciform plates of 
 gold, enamelled, and set in silver gilt, so as to form a kind of box or reliquary. The present 
 setting is very plain, and appears more recent than the enamels. On the front, which is 
 much injured, is represented the Saviour on the Cross, clothed in a long tunic of various 
 colours; over the head is the monogram IC . NC. The hand in benediction, which is 
 usually seen at the top of the cross, is replaced by a II, the . initial of ITarifp, the Eather. 
 
 At the foot of the cross is a skull. On one side of the Saviour is the Virgin ; on the 
 
 other, St. John. They are accompanied by the abbreviated inscription IAEOTC AOTIMHPC, 
 — Us 6 ulos o-oir Uou rj [xyrrip <rou , — the Saviour’s address to them from the cross. On the 
 back, which is represented in Plate 6, fig. 1, is a full-length figure of the Blessed Virgin, 
 above whom are St. John Bax^tist, St. Paul, St. Peter, and St. Andrew, with their names iii 
 Greek. The outlines or cloisons of gold are very delicate. The colours of the enamels are 
 about thirteen in number; the ground being a rich transparent emerald-green. Several 
 peculiarities of symbolism, and the absence of any mark of ayiog before the names of the 
 saints, seem to carry this cross back to a considerable antiquity. A smaller cross is preserved 
 in the museum at Copenhagen, which was found at Ringsted, in the tomb of Queen 
 Dagmar, the daughter of Ottocar, king of Bohemia : she died in 1213. A third pectoral 
 cross is preserved in the Vatican. 
 
 M itli the exception of the crosses and some few smaller objects, the Byzantine enamels 
 
 are usually executed by lowering the surface of the gold according to the form of the 
 
 figures to be represented, and then filling up the portions so lowered with gold fillets 
 and enamel ; so that the figures are executed in enamel on a gold ground : the inscrip- 
 tions are sunk in a similar manner. The mode of doing this will be best understood 
 
 * An engraving of the Pala, and of two portions of it on a larger scale, will be found in Cicognara, “Storm della 
 Seultura.’ A coloured engraving in Du Sommerard, “Album,” lOe serie, pi. xxxii., evidently copied from Cicognara, 
 and the details appear also to be derived from the same source. I have some doubts whether the colours are not imaginary 
 Another engraving will be found in “La Pala d' Oro,” by Mons. Giovanni Bellomo (Venice, 1847), which has been copied in 
 Labarte, “ jRecherches sur la Peinture en Email.” 
 
 t Engraved in “ Annales Archeologiques,” tom. v. p. 319. 
 
 (e) 
 
V I T EEOUS A R T. 
 
 liy examining a small medallion in the Museum of Practical Geology, representing 
 St. Paul.* 
 
 The specimens which we hare mentioned are all executed in the precious metals : a 
 few specimens, however, in copper have been preserved. The most important of these is 
 the tablet representing St. Theodore, belonging to the Pom-tales collection. The saint’s 
 dress and the background are covered with a profusion of small patterns, which produce an 
 elaborate but not very effective picture.! The principal outlines appear to be portions of 
 tiie copper plate which forms the ground; the outlines of the details being separate fillets, 
 as usual. In the Collegio Romano is a large figure of Christ, which is said to have been 
 found in a catacomb under the church of Santa Maria in Trastevere, at Rome. In tins 
 case the main outlines are beaten up from the back of the copper plate; and the folds 
 of the dress are formed by slender filaments. There are two small specimens of' this kind 
 of work in the British Museum,— the symbols of the Evangelists, St. Luke and St. Mark. 
 The figures are in gilt copper, which is beat up from the back: the backgrounds are of 
 elaborate patterns in enamel, separated by metal cloiaons. Had the Byzantine artists 
 employed copper more frequently, they would probably have adopted the champleve process 
 as more expeditious and less troublesome. 
 
 3. German Enamels on Copper. 
 
 The art of enamelling appears to have found its way into Germany in the eleventh 
 century, and to have been practised in tlmt country for some time; and although its 
 productions have till lately been overlooked or confounded with those of Limoges, they are 
 not only numerous but possess considerable merit. 
 
 The exact site of the manufactory has not been ascertained, but there can be little 
 doubt that it was situated on or near the Rhine, probably at Cologne. Its origin may be 
 due to the connection which was established between the German court and Constantinople, 
 through the marriage of the Emperor Otlio II. witli Theupliano, daughter of the Byzantine 
 Emperor Romanus, in the year 972. The court, when in Germany, was not unfrequently 
 at Cologne, and the neighbouring monastery of Essen has preserved a gold enamelled cross, 
 on which is inscribed a record of its donation by Theupliano. We know also that Bernward, 
 Bishop of Hildesheim, who had been tutor to the young Emperor Otho III., was well 
 acquainted with the artistic processes of his time, and he is even said to have executed 
 with his own hands several precious objects preserved in the Cathedral of Hildesheim. 
 Accordingly, we find over an altar in the south aisle of that church, an altar-piece of 
 enamelled copper, covered with a profusion of subjects, representing the history of the 
 New Testament, which, from their style, may be ascribed to the time of Bishop Bernward. { 
 
 The existence of enamellers within the limits of the ancient Lorraine, in which Cologne 
 was included in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, is revealed to us by the “ Acts of Suger,” 
 Abbot of St. Denys, to which M. Labarte appears to have first called attention. This 
 munificent ecclesiastic, after restoring and partially rebuilding bis abbey, determined that 
 its internal fittings should correspond witli so splendid an exterior. Among other decora- 
 tions, he decided on erecting a stately cross on the spot where the body of St. Denys had 
 rested till removed by himself about 1143, to a sumptuous shrine. He therefore collected 
 
 * See “ Archieological Journal,” vol. viii. p. 63. 
 
 + Engraved in Labarte, “ Reclierclies sur la Peinture eu Email, pi. 1). 
 
 + A portable altar of the eleventh century is in the possession of the Bishop of Hildesheim, 
 
 and another at Siegbnrg. 
 18 
 
V I T n E O U S A R T. 
 
 gold and gems, with which he formed the cross itself. As a support to this, he caused 
 a quadrangular column or pedestal to he made, the foot ol which was ornamented with 
 the four Evangelists; the stem was most elaborately enamelled with 'subjects representing, 
 in a parallel series, the history of the Old and New Testament; the capital had on it 
 figures contemplating the Passion. This pedestal was carefully executed “ by several Eotlia- 
 ringian goldsmiths; sometimes seven, sometimes five being employed at a time; and the 
 work was not completed in less than two years.”* * * § The cross was consecrated by Pope 
 Eu»enius III., at Easter, 1147, and must have been made between the years 1143 and 
 1147. Doublet informs us that this pedestal was composed of enamels on copper. It was 
 destroyed about 1634. 
 
 One of the most conclusive evidences of a manufacture of enamels at Cologne is 
 furnished us by the portable altar preserved at Hanover, on which is inscribed eilbertus 
 colon iensis me fecit. The top is composed of a slab of crystal, surrounded by enamelled 
 plates of copper, representing the twelve Apostles holding scrolls, on which are inscribed 
 portions of the Creed; beyond them are eight subjects from the history of the New 
 Testament. In all these enamels, the figures are represented in gilt metal, with dark enamel 
 outlines and a blue or green ground. The sides of the altar are decorated with eighteen 
 enamelled plates, on which are prophets, each holding a scroll with a portion of his 
 prophecy. They have gold grounds and enamelled faces and dresses. Their names are 
 written in vertical lines, as in the Byzantine enamels. There is no shading, each colour 
 being kept, separate by the metal outlines : between the figures are columns ornamented 
 with blue quatrefoils on a white ground, which appear to be executed by the cloisonne 
 process, or with stiff branches of red, blue, and white patterns, which frequently occur 
 on German enamels. The date of this interesting object appears to be the twelfth century. 
 Several portable altars, more or less ornamented, and evidently proceeding from the same 
 school, are to be found at Siegburg, in the diocese of Cologne, in the church of St. 
 Mary, in the capital at Cologne, and in the Cathedral at Bamberg. t 
 
 About the same time were no doubt made two reliquaries, remarkable both for their 
 form and workmanship. One of them is at Hanover, the other, formerly in a German 
 collection, now belongs to Prince Soltykoff, at Paris. They are both in the form of 
 cruciform buildings, with large fluted domes; on the sides are groups and figures in walrus- 
 tusk; the roof and the backgrounds of the figures are enamelled: in the Hanover shrine, 
 the ornaments are chiefly stiff crisp foliage, like the altar made by Eilbert. That belonging 
 to Prince Soltykoff has rich scrolls of shaded foliage. $ 
 
 To the same German school, I should be disposed to attribute a large quadrangular 
 tablet formerly in the Debruge collection, and now belonging to Prince Soltykoff. It 
 represents subjects from the Old and New Testament, with a profusion of inscriptions. 
 They are chiefly executed in outline, the ground being covered with the stiff and crisp 
 foliage so often found on German enamels. § 
 
 A fine specimen of German enamel, somewhat later in date, is shown in the triptych 
 formerly at Alton Towers, and now in the South Kensington Museum. || In the central 
 portion are three subjects from the life of Christ, in each wing three subjects from the 
 Old Testament, antetypes of the events opposite to which they are placed. The arrange- 
 
 * “Acta Sugeri,” printed in Felibien, — “ Histoire de l’Abbaye de Saint Denys,” p. clxxxiv. 
 
 + This has been published by M. Labarte, — “ Recherches sur la Peinture en Email.” 
 
 + Portions of the shrine at Hanover have been published by Vogell, and part of the roof in Prince Soltykoff’s 
 reliquary by Labarte, — “ Recherches,” etc. 
 
 § “ Catalogue Debruge Duinenil,” No. 952. It has been engraved in “ Annales Arclieologiques,” tom. viii.. and a portion 
 in Labarte, “ Recherches,” etc., where it is attributed to the school of Limoges. 
 
 || See Shaw’s “ Decorative Arts of the Middle Ages.” 
 
 19 
 
V I T It E O U 8 
 
 A R T. 
 
 ment of tliese subjects, and the inscriptions which accompany them, will he shown by the 
 accompanying diagram : — 
 
 Jonah and the Whale. 
 
 The Resurrection. 
 
 Elisha’s Bones raise up a 
 Dead Man. 
 
 CEU IONAM CETVM SIC REDDIT 
 TERRA SEPVLTVM. 
 
 SIMPLA OVPLAM MORTEM PELLIT 
 TRIDVANA PERHENNEM. 
 
 VIVENT QVI VERI CORPVS TAN- 
 CiVNT HELISEI. 
 
 The Sacrifice of Isaac. 
 
 The Crucifixion. 
 
 The Brazen Serpent. 
 
 PROLAPSV MVNDT FIT FILIVS 
 HOSTrA PATRI. 
 
 IN CRVCE XPO OBIT PROTHOPLASTI 
 DEBITA. SOLVIT. 
 
 QVOS SERPENS LACERAT SERPENTR- 
 IMAOO REFORMAT. 
 
 The Catching of Leviathan. 
 
 Christ opening Gates of Hell. 
 
 Samson carrying off the Gates 
 of Gaza. 
 
 HAMVS QVOD PISCI FIT LEVIATHAN 
 CARO CHRISTI. 
 
 FORTIOR HIC EQVIDEM CAPTVS 
 SPOLIAT PREMIT HOSTEM. 
 
 SIC FRACTIS PORTIS DEVS 
 AVFERT DEBITA MORTIS. 
 
 The figures are represented entirely in gilt metal, with engraved 
 outlines. The colours are few in number, but the effect is very rich. 
 The enamelled plates are inclosed in an elaborate border of gilt 
 metal, which closely resembles in pattern and style those on the 
 shrines at Maestricht, and the great corona at Aix-la-Chapelle ; 
 confirming the German origin of the work. 
 
 I have been thus minute in describing this object, as the 
 style of the inscriptions and also the character of the workman- 
 ship somewhat resemble the three following specimens, which I 
 am also disposed to attribute to the German school. They are 
 — 1. The Crosier at Goodrich Court ; 2. the Bruce Bowl ; 3. the 
 Bowl from Warwick Castle. 
 
 1. The crosier now at Goodrich Court lias for a long time 
 been an object of much interest to 
 writers on enamel. It was first pub- 
 lished by Willemin, who stated that it 
 was found in the tomb of Bagenfroi, 
 Bishop of Chartres, who died about 960. 
 It is represented in the accompanying 
 woodcuts, one of which gives its gene- 
 ral form, and the other two the orna- 
 ments on the knop and the crook de- 
 veloped. The knop ( see next page) is 
 ornamented with four medallions, formed 
 by the interlacing of stems of foliage; 
 inclosing four subjects from the history of 
 David : — 1. David Anointed by Samuel ; 
 2. David Slaying Goliali with a Sling- 
 stone ; 3. David Cutting off the Head of 
 Goliali ; 4. David Rescuing the Lamb 
 from the Bear. The inscriptions describ- 
 ing these subjects are in four Leonine verses, as follows : — 
 
 \er(d Quilhe of the Cm 
 Goodrich Court. 
 
 Ornaments on the Crook of the Crosier 
 at Goodrich Court. 
 
 20 
 
Write workman, with thy tool : — This is the first anointing of David. Here struck by a sling, Goliah, having made an 
 evil use of his own strength, falls. Here David cuts off his head with a sword. Bear, thou fallest, given to the worms, by an 
 unarmed boy.* 
 
 ft . &jT7 
 
 Pattern of the Knop of the Crosier at Goodrich Court, belonging to Colonel Meynek. 
 
 The crook is ornamented with interlacing bands forming medallions, in which are 
 represented the virtues, crushing under their feet the opposite vices. They are Tides, 
 Idolatria; Pudicitia, Libido; Caritas, Invidia; Sobrietas, Luxuria ; Largitas, Avaricia; Con- 
 cordia, Liscors. Above this again are various fantastic animals. The colours are very 
 varied, and some of the details much shaded; the figures are represented in metal with 
 engraved outlines. The end of the crook is in a separate piece, and may possibly have 
 been an ancient restoration. 
 
 "We have one more particular to mention, and not the least interesting, wliich is, that 
 in a band below the knop is engraved the following inscription : + fiiater willelmvs me 
 fecit. The name of the artist would either suit a German or Trench origin ; though, in 
 the latter case, we might perhaps have expected to see it written Gulielmus. 
 
 2. The Bruce bowl. — This remarkable object is in the possession of Mr. Bruce, of 
 Kennet. It is said to have belonged to Malcolm Canmore and to Mary Queen of Scots ; 
 the latter tradition is probably well founded, as the bowl came into the family of its 
 present possessor, with several objects which undoubtedly belonged to that queen. It is a 
 covered bowl, nrobablv a ciborium. The ton is surmounted with a knop and four leaves. 
 
 
 
V I T R E 0 TJ S 
 
 A R T. 
 
 Tin-: Bowl. 
 
 4. Samson breaking out of Gaza. 
 
 + SAMSON DE GAZA CONCLVSVS AB HOSTIBVS 
 EXIT. 
 
 5. David rescuing a Lamb from the Bear. 
 
 + VRSVS OVEM LEDIT DAVIT* I WAT HVNC 
 QVOQVE CEDIT. 
 
 6. Elijah, being carried up to Heaven. 
 
 -f IGNEVS HELIAM CVRRVS LEVAT AD THEO- 
 III AM. 
 
 The Cover. 
 
 4. The .Resurrection. 
 
 -F SVRGIT HE TVMVLO PETRA XPS QVEM PETRA 
 TEXIT. 
 
 | 5. Christ rescuing Souls from, Hell. 
 
 + MORS HOMINEM STRAVIT DE HAC LIGAT 
 HVNC RELEV AVIT. 
 
 | 0. The Ascension. 
 
 + QVO CAPVT ASCENDO MEA MEMBRA VENITE 
 SEQVENDO. 
 
 3. The bowl belonging to the Earl of Warwick is somewhat later in style than the Bruce 
 bowl, but is also of much freer and finer drawing; so that the greater portion of the enamel 
 lias disappeared. It has, unfortunately, suffered from injury.! The subjects are represented 
 
 Enamelled Ciborium in (he Collection of the Earl of Warwick. 
 
 in circular medallions, iucloaed by the branches of a rich scroll, the leaves of which fill 
 
 in the spaces. The figures are entirely in gilt metal. The ground of the subjects has 
 
 been blue enamel, and the rest of the ground pale green : the foliage, and the upper and 
 lower borders, have been richly enamelled in bright and strongly-contrasted colours. Over 
 each subject is a Leonine verse describing it. The subjects are as follows : — 
 
 1. The Sacrifice of Cain and Abel. + agnvs abel mvnvs agnvm privs optvlit vnvs. 
 
 2. The Circumcision of Isaac. + precesstt lavacrvm sacra circvmcisio sacrvm. 
 
 3. Isaac bearing the Wood. + ligna pver gestat crvcis vnde tipvm manifestat. 
 
 4. Sacrifice of Isaac. + temptans tempt atvs Isaac aries qve paratvs. 
 
 5. Jonah issuing from the Whale's mouth. + reditvr vt salvvs qvem ceti clavserat 
 
 ALVVS. 
 
 6. The burning Bush. + qvi velvd ardebat rvbvs et non igne calebat. 
 
 It will be seen that three of these subjects arc described in the same lines as those 
 
 on the Bruce bowl. The subjects on the cover were probably — 1. The Presentation in the 
 
 * The substitution of T for D betrays a German origin. 
 
 t A coloured engraving of this bow], from a drawing by Vertue, in the possession of the Society of Antiquaries, may bo 
 found in Shaw's “ Decorative Art of the Middle Ages.” 
 
VITREOUS ART. 
 
 £ 
 
 Temple ; 2. the Baptism of our Lord; 3. Christ bearing the Cross; 4. the Crucifixion ; 
 5. the Resurrection ; 6. the Ascension. 
 
 We may also attribute to Germany the quadrangular plaques which are found in 
 many collections, and which have a peculiar character, showing that they must have pro- 
 ceeded from the same atelier , and been made at the same period. The background of the 
 figures is in metal; as are likewise the faces and hands, with strongly-marked outlines, 
 generally filled with blue, but sometimes with dull red enamel. The dresses are in enamel, 
 shaded abruptly with a preponderance of green and yellow : the usual border is a narrow band 
 of pale blue or green, with a white margin. Where more elaborate borders are employed, they 
 arc usually executed by the cloisonne process, and are of stiff patterns, such as quatrefoils. 
 The metal edge is frequently notched, so as to have a beaded appearance. The subjects are 
 generally typical of the history of the cross, such as the enamel which forms the centre 
 of a book-cover in Mr. Slade’s collection (Plate 6, fig. 2), representing the raising of the 
 brazen serpent. A fine specimen of the same workmanship may be found in the museum at 
 St. Omcr, being the foot of a cross.* The front of a cross of similar style is in the British 
 Museum. In Plate G may be seen three other specimens of German enamels, one of which 
 (fig. 5) represents Alexander the Great going to visit the birds in a car drawn by gryphons ; 
 a subject derived from the romance written by a Byzantine, Simeon Seth, about the middle 
 of the eleventh century. The date of this class of enamels is fixed by the circular medallion 
 preserved in the British Museum, representing Henry of Blois, Bishop of Winchester and 
 brother of King Stephen, which was probably executed between the years 1139 and 1146. f 
 
 Should the various enamels above described be rightly attributed to the German 
 enamellers, they give us a very high idea of the perfection in the art which was attained 
 by that school. One of its principal characteristics seems to be the erudition and thought 
 with which the subjects, generally selected from Scripture history, have been chosen. Its 
 productions do not appear to have been as numerous as those of Limoges, and did not, 
 therefore, become so widely known ; but they seem to have avoided the monotony of many 
 of the Erench productions. 
 
 4. Limoges Enamels. 
 
 The school of Limoges, owing probably to the fecundity of its productions, obtained a 
 greater renown than any other during the Middle Ages, so that opus de Limogia , or opus 
 Lemoviticum, became synonymous with enamelled work. Like most early manufactures, it has 
 left us no trace of its origin. Its commencements may have been small, and the destruction 
 that has taken place of ancient works of art may have embraced many of its earlier pro- 
 ductions. 
 
 M. Labarte has argued, with some reason, that Sugcr would scarcely have sent to 
 Lorraine for enamellers if there had been any in Erance ; still, many parts of Lorraine were 
 nearer to St. Denis than Limoges, and it is evident that Suger was determined to obtain the 
 best workmen he could to decorate his abbey. 
 
 However, no documents have been brought forward which show the existence of enamellers 
 at Limoges as early as the year 1145, when the Lotharingian goldsmiths were engaged at 
 St. Denis ; nor can any enamels undoubtedly of Erench origin be referred to so early 
 a date. The most ancient specimen which has any claim to be of Erench workmanship is 
 the tablet which was originally fixed over the tomb of Geoffrey Plantagenet, at Mans.J 
 
 # Du Sommerard, “ Arts du Moyen-Age,” 9e serie, pi. ix. 
 
 t Engraved in “ Archaeological Journal,” vol. x. p. !), and Labarte's “ Handbook of the Middle Ages” (Murray), p. 146. 
 
 t Engraved in Stothard’s “Monumental Effigies;” Du Sommerard, “Album,'’ lOe serie, pi. xii. ; and Labarte’s 
 “ Handbook,” p. 124. 
 
VITREOUS A R T. 
 
 It is a quadrangular plate, on which he is represented, in a rich costume, holding in his 
 right hand a sword, in his left a large azure shield, charged with lions rampant. Geoffrey, 
 who was Count of Maine, died in 1151, and was buried in the church of St. Julian, at 
 Mans, at the cost of the bishop, "William de Passavant. Some doubts have been expressed 
 as to the person represented in this enamel ; Mr. Planclie* being disposed to attribute the 
 memorial to William d’Evreux, who died in 1118; M. Labarte,+ to King Henry II., the son 
 of Geoffrey. The first of these theories would carry the date too far back, while the last is 
 quite untenable, as the arms are not those of a king of England. 
 
 The earliest mention of Limoges work that has been hitherto noticed is contained in 
 a letter from an ecclesiastic to the prior of St. Victor, at Paris, in which he alludes to 
 having shown him a book-cover, de opere Jjemovicino, which he wished to send to the 
 Abhey of Vutgam. M. Eabarte has succeeded in fixing the date of this letter to the year 
 1170. The manufacture must have attained some celebrity, as in the year 119/, Ealco, the 
 founder of the church of St. Margherita at Veglia, in Apulia, records his having presented 
 to it dims tabulas ceneas superauratas de labore Limogice.% It must have been about this 
 time that the two enamelled panels were executed which are preserved in the I16tel de Cluny 
 at Paris. One of them represents the Adoration of the Magi; the other, an interview 
 between St. Nicholas and Etienne Muret, the canonized founder of the Abbey of Grandmont, 
 near Limoges. § There seems some probability that they formed part of the shrine of St. 
 Etienne Muret, which was erected about 1189. Both panels are executed in a similar 
 style, and in the same colours. The subjects have a plain gilt ground, and are placed 
 under enamelled canopies, resembling that in the memorial of Geoffrey Plantagenet. The 
 faces, with the exception of the head of Christ in the Nativity, are of a pale pink , the 
 dresses are enamelled in various colours, with scarcely any shading save in the pale blue, 
 which has white margins. 
 
 In 1180 died Henry I., Count of Champagne, for whom a splendid tomb was erected 
 in the church of St. Etienne, at Troyes. It was chiefly formed of gilt metal and silver, 
 but in some portions of it were inserted enamels with various geometrical patterns. If executed 
 shortly after the count’s death, this monument would belong to the twelfth century. || 
 
 It is scarcely necessary to prove from documents the existence of enamelling at Limoges 
 during the thirteenth century. It was then that the art attained its highest perfection and 
 greatest vogue : its productions appeared in profusion, ornamenting the churches of all parts 
 of Europe. Eor the large cathedrals and abbeys there were splendid altar-pieces and shrines ; 
 for the smaller churches, crucifixes, candlesticks, pyxes, reliquaries, and other sacred utensils ; 
 and its inferior productions must have been within the reach of the poorest chapel. These 
 objects, moreover, had the merit of making quite as good an appearance as the finest gold 
 and silver work of the wealthy churches. The great lord had his enamelled tomb ; the 
 knight had enamels for the trappings of his horse, for his sword pommel, and his belt: 
 the moderately Avealthy had enamelled basins for their halls, and caskets for their Avives 
 trinkets. The enamellers of Limoges catered for all tastes ; and if they frequently alloAved 
 themselves to become artisans rather than artists, to produce quantity rather than quality, 
 it was the fault of those who accepted their productions Avitliout complaint. When we see 
 how numerous the enamels are still, and Ave consider the disturbances from which Limoges 
 and its neighbourhood have suffered, — the ravages of the English during the fourteenth 
 
 * Journal of tlie Archaeological Association, i. 29. + Becherches sur la Peintuve en Email, p. 56. 
 
 t Ughelli, “ Italia Sacra,” vii. 942. 
 
 § They are engraved in Du Sommerard, “ Album,” 2e s?rie, pi. xxxviii. t 
 
 j| An engraving of this tomb, which is now destroyed, may be found in Arnaud, “ Voyage Archeologique dans 1 Aube. 
 Troyes, 1S37. 
 
VITREOUS ART. 
 
 century, the still more destructive effects of the Huguenot troubles, and of the Trench 
 Revolution, — we shall form some idea of the immense quantity which must have been produced. 
 Nor was the renown of the manufactory confined to its own country : both in England 
 and Italy we find mentioned in inventories the opus Lemoviticum ; and not only have some 
 of the English churches preserved their ancient shrines of this material, but, from time to 
 time, the battered remains of similar objects are found in our fields and rivers. 
 
 Before describing the various classes of objects which were produced by the workshops 
 of Limoges, it may be as well to notice briefly the various styles of decoration which 
 were employed there. Of these we find two marked varieties, belonging to different 
 dates. In the earliest of them the figures are represented in enamel on a gilt metal 
 ground ; the flesh-tints in white or pink enamel ; the dresses in various colours, slightly 
 shaded : the metal background is not unusually diapered with stiff engraved foliage. The 
 enamels of this description belong chiefly to the twelfth century. A little later, the faces 
 are represented in relief, and the shading of the dresses becomes more strongly contrasted. 
 In the enamels of the thirteenth century, the figures are represented entirely in gilt metal, 
 either in very low relief below the surface, or in full relief, when they are generally formed 
 of separate pieces fixed on. The backgrounds are enamelled generally in blue : some of 
 them are diversified by horizontal bands of a paler tint, and rosettes or flowers of bright 
 colours ; others are decorated with running scrolls terminating in rich flowers. (See Plate 8, 
 fig. 1.) 
 
 The most important works in enamel, for size and elaboration, were the altar-pieces and 
 tombs. A fine specimen of the former was to be seen before the Revolution, in the abbey 
 of Grandmont. The greater part of the tombs have disappeared; but a happy accident 
 has preserved drawings of many of them, which are now in the Bodleian Library. We 
 have mentioned the tablet representing Geoffrey Plantagenet : an enamel of nearly the same 
 date was formerly in the cathedral at Angers, representing Bishop Ulger, who died in 1149. 
 The tombs erected about 1247 for two of the children of Louis IX., at Royaumont, are still 
 preserved.* At a somewhat later date, we hear of several memorials of the family of Dreux, 
 who were connected by marriage with the Vicomtes of Limoges. Towards the close of the 
 tliirteentli century, so great was the reputation acquired by Limoges for its enamelled tombs, 
 that, in two instances at least, they were brought to England : in 1276 a tomb of this kind 
 was made for Walter de Merton, Bishop of Rochester; the artist employed was Master John, 
 of Limoges; and we find in the “ Custumale Roffense” a record of the expenses for conveying 
 the effigy from Limoges to Rochester, as well as for setting it up, &c. This monument no 
 longer exists, but in Westminster Abbey are the remains of the tomb of William de Valence, 
 Earl of Pembroke, who died in 1296, which are enamelled in the style of Limoges. f We 
 might naturally expect to find such a memorial of this nobleman, as he was a younger son 
 of the house of Lusiguan which had possessions in the Limousin. One of the latest of the 
 tombs appears to have been that of the Cardinal de la Chapelle Taillefer, who died in 1312 ; 
 it seems to have been made by two brothers, I. and P. Lemovici. 
 
 The shrines and reliquaries were generally formed like small chapels, with pointed 
 roofs; the figures were usually confined to the front and two ends, the back being 
 ornamented with patterns. The subjects most frequently to be met with are, the 
 Martyrdom of Becket, the Adoration of the Magi, and representations of our Lord and the 
 twelve Apostles. One of the finest specimens that have been preserved is the shrine repre- 
 senting the acts of St. Calminius, formerly at Mausac.* The legend of St. Valerie may be 
 
 * See Willemin, “ Monuments In&dits,” pi. 91 ; and Millin, “ Antiquites Nationales,” tom. iv. No. xi. pi. 3. They are 
 now at St. Denis. 
 
 + Engraved in Stothard’s “ Monumental Effigies,” p. 41. + Du Sommerard, “Album.” 
 
 (g) 
 
VITREOUS A R T. 
 
 found on several reliquaries, as might be expected from the reverence paid to that saint in 
 the Limousin, and her connection with the history of St. Martial. One of these is repre- 
 sented in Plate 8 (fig*. 2), from the collection of Mr. Magniac : it is of the thirteenth 
 century, and 13f inches in length. The end of a line shrine is represented in Plate 7, 
 fig. 2, from Lord Hastings’s collection. On it are two saints, crowned ; below them, open 
 sarcophagi, and the inscription exvltabvnt domino ossa hvmillata. The corresponding 
 end is in a collection at Lyons,* the only difference being in the inscription, which reads 
 CVSTODIT dom in vs omnia ossa sanctorvm. The shrine of St. Agatha, in the cathedral at 
 Catania, in Sicily, records its having been made by John, son of Bartliolus, of Limoges, 
 in 1376. 
 
 The ornaments of the altar were also enamelled ; such as crucifixes and candlesticks. 
 The latter arc peculiarly elegant, having generally triangular bases, slender stems with 
 knops, and a pricket at the top to support the candle. A fine pair is preserved in the 
 collection at Goodrich Court, f one of which is represented in Plate 8, fig. 3 ; another pair 
 of very similar workmanship is the property of the Rev. George W. Brackenbridge. On 
 the sides of the bases are medallions inclosing men armed with a club and shield, supported 
 
 by two. lions, as will be seen 
 by the annexed woodcut. The 
 cruets for containing the euclia- 
 ristic wine and water were also 
 enamelled, as is shown by the 
 specimen in the collection of 
 the Marquis of Breadalbane, 
 Plate 8, fig. 2. The employ- 
 ment of enamelled copper for 
 pyxes and ciboria to contain 
 
 Enamelled linsr o f a Candlestick belonging to (lie. Rev. George W. Bracl-mb-idgr. ^Tie ^ 10S ^ was frequent ; the 
 
 Width, g;; inches. larger examples were in the 
 
 form of covered cups ; a splen- 
 did specimen of which is preserved in the Louvre ; it is especially interesting from its 
 bearing the name of its maker, Master G. Alpais, of Limoges: a bowl evidently by the 
 same hand is in the British Museum. The ciboria were also made in the form of doves, 
 and suspended over the altars. The more ordinary pyxes are shaped like circular boxes 
 with conical tops, and are generally ornamented with angels, coats of arms, or scrolls. 
 
 There were many other uses to which enamel was applied; such as censers and vessels 
 for incense, book-covers, &c. It was also in use for basins, some with and some without 
 spouts. They are not usually ornamented with subjects of an ecclesiastical character, and 
 may have been employed in halls and refectories. They were made in pairs, and the mode 
 of using them seems to have been for the attendant to hold the basin without the spout 
 before the person, and to pour water over the hands from the one with the spout. A 
 good specimen of these is shown in Plate 7, fig. 1, from Lord Hastings’s collection : it is 
 nine inches in diameter, being the average size of these objects. 
 
 Enamel was also successfully applied to crosiers. The forms are usually more elegant 
 than the one made by Prater Willelmus, represented in page 20, but they are less elabo- 
 rately ornamented ; they arc generally composed of a snake curled round, so as to form the 
 crook, and contain sacred subjects ; such as Adam and Eve ; the Annunciation ; the Coro- 
 nation of the Virgin ; and St. Michael and the Dragon. The knop is usually formed of 
 
 Engraved in “ Melanges AvcMologiqueS,” tom. i. pi. xliv. 
 
 For a detailed account and engraving of these candlesticks, see “ Archieologia,” vol. xxiii. p. 317. 
 
 20 
 
VITREOUS ART. 
 
 dragons in relief.* The preservation of many of these crosiers is due to their having been 
 deposited in the tombs of bishops. They have not only been found so placed in Erance, 
 but one was discovered in Wells Cathedral and another in Ireland, both of them undoubtedly 
 of Limoges workmanship. 
 
 The enamelled productions of Limoges appear to have fallen into disrepute during the 
 fourteenth century, either owing to their monotonous and inferior execution, or to the pre- 
 ference given during that century to carvings in ivory and works in the precious metals 
 for church purposes. The fashion, in fact, had gone by ; and though it is probable that the 
 workshops continued for a long time to produce religious furniture in gilt copper, it was 
 not till a new phase of the art appeared that the ancient city regained its position as the 
 principal seat of enamelling. 
 
 5. Transparent Enamel. 
 
 While the artists of Limoges were actively engaged in supplying Europe with their 
 enamelled wares, their contemporaries in Italy were introducing a new style of enamel, 
 destined to become nearly as popular in Erance. Its peculiarity consisted in the designs 
 being chiselled in very, low relief, and showing through a transparent coating of enamel of 
 various colours, the outer surface of which was level. This invention was due to the gold- 
 smiths, the beauty of whose productions it would naturally enhance. In 1286, John of Pisa 
 enamelled portions of the silver altar-piece which he made at Arezzo ; but the most important 
 work was the reliquary at Orvieto, executed by Ugolino, a Sienese goldsmith, to contain the 
 miraculous wafer of Bolsena. This object, which is of large dimensions, represents the 
 fa§ade of the cathedral, and is covered with enamelled plates, representing on one side the 
 history of the miraculous wafer; on the other, the Passion of our Lord. To enumerate 
 the enamellers in this style would be to give a catalogue of the Italian goldsmiths of the 
 fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, and would include the great names of Pollaiuolo, Erancia, 
 and others. 
 
 This mode of enamelling on silver seems to have speedily found its way to Erance, where 
 it was much employed by the goldsmiths to ornament the fine services of plate which the 
 
 princes of the blood vied with one another 
 to accumulate. On examining the inven- 
 tories of this period, we shall find innu- 
 merable entries which show the success 
 to which the Erench artists had attained. 
 A manufactory of small enamels of this 
 description appears to have existed at 
 Montpellier during the fourteenth cen- 
 tury; as we learn, from complaints that 
 were made by the enamellers of that 
 town, that the King of Erance’s mo- 
 ney ers interfered with them. It is pos- 
 sible that these moneyers made small 
 copies of medals which they enamelled; 
 such as the silver counter or medallion 
 in the British Museum, copied from a 
 gold coin of Philip de Valois, and enamelled 
 in transparent colours, though not entirely according to the Italian process. 
 
 Portion of the Mounting of the Bruce Morn, the 'property of the 
 Marquis of Aylesbury. 
 
 " Most of the varieties of enamelled crosiers may be found in the Abbe Martin’s article, “ Le Baston pastoral ” 
 (Melanges Archcologiques, tom. iv. p. 161). 
 
VITREOUS A R T. 
 
 The beauty of the Italian enamels was exemplified at Manchester by the exquisite 
 morse belonging to Mr. Magniac.* The cup belonging to the corporation of Lynn is 
 ornamented in a similar manner ; but owing to frequent restorations, it is doubtful whether 
 any of the original enamels remain. 
 
 The use of enamels of the same kind, but with a larger part of the silver visible, is 
 
 shown by the Bruce horn. It 
 bears upon it the arms of the 
 ancient Earls of Moray, probably 
 of Thomas Eitz-Randolf, nephew 
 to Robert Bruce, and Regent of 
 Scotland, who died in 1331. The 
 accompanying woodcuts represent 
 the junction of the strap and a 
 portion of the mounting of the 
 mouth, on which may be seen a 
 king, possibly Robert Bruce, be- 
 tween two other figures! {see 
 previous page). Another magni- 
 ficent specimen of this work may 
 Wykeham, belonging to his noble 
 
 r Straps of the Hr art L 
 Earl of Moray. 
 
 rith the Anns of Randal f 
 
 he seen in some portions of the crosier of "William of 
 foundation. New College, at. Oxford.} 
 
 (i. Painted Enamels in Italy. 
 
 It is uncertain whether Italy or France first practised this mode of enamelling; as, 
 however, the Italian process approaches more nearly to the translucent enamel, and was 
 far shorter in duration than the French, we may give it the precedence. The materials on 
 which it -was executed were silver and copper. Specimens of the former are of rare occur- 
 rence ; the background and some of the outlines are engraved on the metal, and show 
 through the transparent colour; the details are painted in white, and heightened with gold. 
 Although pleasing in design, they are not satisfactory in effect, owing to the hardness of 
 the execution. A good specimen of this work may be seen in the Louvre, and in a medallion 
 in the British Museum, which is remarkable for being painted with subjects on both sides. 
 The enamels on copper are executed in opaque colours : we may notice a round medallion 
 mounted as a pax, from the Bernal collection, now in the British Museum. 
 
 The most remarkable specimens, however, of the art of enamelling in Italy arc the 
 dishes, ewers, flagons, and other decorative vessels, usually termed Venetian, which, in beauty 
 of form and colour, are quite equal to those of Limoges. Two specimens are shown in 
 
 Plate 17, a deep plate from Mr. Bolide Hawkins’s collection, and a bowl and cover- 
 
 belonging to Lord de Tabley. The copper, after being fashioned into the requisite shape, 
 appears to have been covered with a thick coating of w-hite enamel, some portions of 
 which were then painted with a rich green and a dark blue ; a few spots of opaque rod, 
 or turquoise-colour, were added in imitation of jewels, and then elegant arabesques formed 
 with gold loaf, and slightly tooled, were scattered over the surface. In some few specimens, 
 figures occur, as portions of armorial bearings, &c. ; but they are very ill executed, and 
 greatly mar the effect of the patterns. 
 
 * Engraved in Shaw’s “ Decorative Arts of the Middle Ages,” pi. 7. 
 t An engraving of the horn may be found in “ Archfeologia,” vol. iii. pi. vi. 
 + Engraved in Carter’s “Ancient Sculpture and Painting,” pi. lxxxiii. 
 
V I T ItEOU S A R T. 
 
 7. Painted Enamels or Limoges. 
 
 During tlic latter half of the fifteenth century Limoges regained the load in producing 
 enamels. We are not acquainted with the cause of this revival, which may possibly have 
 been produced by the change which was taking place about that time in glass-painting. The 
 ancient windows were formed of a mosaic of pieces of glass of different colours, on which the 
 outlines were painted in brown enamel ; but towards the close of the fifteenth century a 
 different process was introduced, consisting in applying vitreous colours to white glass, several 
 colours being employed on the same piece of glass. This may have led to applying the 
 same colours to metal ; at any rate, some of the principal enamellers of Limoges were also 
 glass-painters. 
 
 Eor the convenience of description, we may divide the painted enamels of Limoges into 
 four classes: — 1. The Early style, from about 1475 to 1530. 2. The Eine style, from 1530 
 to 15S0. 3. The Minute style, to about 1030. 4. The Decadence, to the close of the 
 manufactory in the eighteenth century. 
 
 1. The Early enamels were generally executed on stout plates of copper, nearly flat ; the 
 back was coated with a thick and opaque layer of enamel, to prevent the metal from being 
 warped in passing through the furnace. The surface to be ornamented was covered with 
 brown enamel, and the details of all kinds painted in opaque white ; such portions as were to 
 he coloured were then glazed over with transparent enamel, and the lights and smaller details 
 "'ere picked out with gold; to increase the rich effect of the painting, small discs of foil, called 
 paillettes , were fixed to the enamel and covered with colour, so as to have the appearance of 
 gems. The tints in the Early style are very varied, and exceedingly vivid; the faces are 
 generally too purple in tone, and the white enamel is sometimes laid on so thick as to appear 
 in relief. The designs have a Elemish look, and resemble illuminations; on the edges of 
 the dresses are frequently inscriptions in gold, giving the names of the personages repre- 
 sented. Another peculiarity of these enamels is the metal framework in which they are 
 enclosed being ornamented with pairs of leaves united by twisted stalks. 
 
 The early enamellers appear to have received the patronage of some of the principal 
 people of the time. On the wings of the fine triptych exhibited at Manchester by Mr. 
 Dauby Seymour, M.P., are represented Louis XII. and Anne of Brittany, with their patron 
 saints and armorial bearings. Its date must therefore be between 1499 and 1513. The 
 wings of a triptych in the Rattier collection have on them portraits of Peter, Duke of Bourbon, 
 and his wife, Anne of Prance, which fix its date from 1474 to 1503. Another specimen, 
 which is in the H6tel de Cluny, and represents the Crucifixion, has in one corner the portrait 
 of tiie person at whose expense it was painted, and also a figure of Rend, king of Provence. 
 Erom the inscription upon it we learn that it was painted by Nardon Penicaud of Limoges, 
 on the 1st of April, 1503. Mr. Seymour’s triptych is evidently by the same hand, as is 
 likewise a very fine quadrangular tablet in Mr. Bale’s collection, represented in Plate 9. 
 It was formerly in the Preaux collection, and is a remarkable specimen of the Early 
 period. A triptych which may be by the same artist is in Mr. Addington’s collection. 
 Nardon Penicaud appears to have been the principal enameller in the Early style, though we 
 also find works by Jean Penicaud. The subjects at this period were chiefly religious, but 
 we may notice as exceptions the series illustrating the iEneid, some of which were exhibited 
 by Mr. Magniac. 
 
 2. The Fine style .— Owing probably to the great influence of Italian art on theErench school 
 at the commencement of the sixteenth century, a considerable change took place in enamels; 
 the painters sought to improve their designs, and, abandoning the excessive richness of the 
 
 0 >) 
 
 J 
 
V I T H ECUS A 1! T . 
 
 earlier style, to produce a brilliant effect by a liigli glaze anti finish. Many of their most 
 successful works are executed merely in hlack and white, with occasionally a slight tint on 
 the flesh and a cool tone on the ground. The use of paillettes was abandoned, the plates of 
 copper were made thinner and more convex, and the enamel of the hack nearly transparent. 
 The family of Penicaucl continued to take no mean part in the progress of the manufactory ; 
 at least three of its members have left behind them productions of importance. They, usually 
 stamped the copper before it was enamelled w ith a crowned cypher composed of P and L, 
 possibly Penicaud Limousin. Jean Pcnicaud the younger was a man of considerable talent; 
 his enamels are remarkable for their brilliancy and transparency, but he was unfortunately 
 too fond of using paillon, that is, placing a sheet of silver foil under some of the colours, 
 in order to obtain greater brilliancy, which has spoilt many of his works by its liability to 
 suffer from injury and decay. Another Penicaud who has not signed his works, excepting 
 with the family stamp, was evidently a still greater artist, and his productions may be ranked 
 among the finest of the school of Limoges. I should be disposed to attribute to him the 
 very charming enamel from Warwick Castle, represented in Plate 10, fig. 1. Another of 
 this family, Pierre Penicaud, painted in the same style and with considerable brilliancy, 
 but his drawing is apt to be careless and extravagant. 
 
 We now come to Leonard Limousin, the greatest of the enamellers of Limoges; his 
 earliest signed works commence in 1582, and he continued for about forty years to paint 
 in enamel ; the latest being in 1571. One of his earlier productions was a series of eighteen 
 pictures, representing the Passion, exhibited at Manchester by Lord Hastings.* The drawing 
 is poor, but the colours are brilliant, and resemble in tone the earlier enamels. The same 
 remark applies to a Crucifixion, dated 1531), from the Bernal collection, exhibited by the 
 department of Science and Art. Indeed his devotional pictures, which were generally 
 executed in colour, are seldom favourable examples of his skill. The only exceptions to 
 this are the two large compositions formerly in the Sainte Chapello at Paris, and now in 
 the Louvre, representing sacred subjects, together with kneeling figures of Praucis I., 
 Henrv II., and their queens. These important works are dated 1553. His vases, covered 
 cups, and other pieces of furniture or ornament, are distinguished for their elegance and 
 delicate taste. A very beautiful chessboard painted in 1537, is preserved in the Louvre. 
 In the following year lie made the magnificent horn exhibited by Mr. Magniac : it is divided 
 longitudinally into two portions, one of them painted in grisaille, the other in colours. In 
 1552 he made the fine enamelled fountain in the collection at Narford. In the same 
 collection may be found a remarkable dish, representing the Least of the Gods, after Raphael ; 
 contemporary portraits are, however, substituted for some of the heathen divinities. It is 
 dated 1555, and has on it the arms of the Constable do Montmorency. It is to Leonard, 
 or one of his school, that we may attribute the circular dishes from Warwick Castle, one 
 of which, in grisaille on a blue ground, is represented in Plate 10, fig. 3. 
 
 The class of works, however, in which Leonard Limousin surpassed all others of the 
 enamellers were his portraits: some of these he executed as early as 1539; viz., a portrait 
 of Luther, exhibited by Mr. Brett. To about the same period may he ascribed the portrait 
 of Charles Tiercelin, in the Soulages collection. In 155G, ho commenced a magnificent set 
 of portraits, painted on oval plates, about eighteen inches high, and enclosed in frames 
 composed of various pieces of enamel set in gilt wood. Eight of this set have been 
 preserved ; viz., Francis II., Francis of Lorraine, Duke of Guise, the Constable Montmorency, 
 Catherine’ de Medicis, Elizabeth and Margaret of Valois ; the Cardinal of Lorraine, and 
 Jaques Amyot. The first three are in the Louvre; the other five belong to Mr. Danby 
 
 30 
 
 * Debnigea Diunenil Collection, No. 69G. 
 
V I T It E O IT S A It T. 
 
 Seymour, M.P., and were exhibited at Manchester. Elizabeth of France is represented in 
 Plato 12, and is signed by the artist, and dated 1556. At a still later date, he painted 
 with a hand enfeebled by age, a strange representation of Charles IX. as Mars, and other 
 royal personages in similar characters. 
 
 Pierre Raymond commenced enamelling as early as Leonard Limousin, and continued 
 his labours still longer; his earliest production being dated 1531, his latest 1578. He was 
 one of the most industrious of the ennmellers of Limoges, and left behind him an immense 
 number of works; they are generally executed in grisaille with pale flesh-tints. Ilis 
 coloured enamels, which are not common, are painted with very little pciillon. His chief 
 defects are the hardness of the outlines and the dry character of the shading, giving to 
 many of his compositions the appearance of engravings transferred to copper. One of his 
 earlier works, a magnificent triptych in colours, at Hamilton Palace, hearing the early date 
 1539, is at the same time one of the most successful of his paintings, and shows too clearly 
 that this artist, in striving to produce a large number of works, overlooked all opportunities 
 of improving himself. His dishes, ewers, candlesticks, cups, and plates are all very charming 
 and very decorative, hut they present us with little variety. A fine dish belonging to Mr. 
 Addington, engraved in Plate 15, represents the Judgment of Paris, after the print by 
 Marc-Antonio, and exemplifies both the faults and merits of this enameller. The elegant 
 ornamentation ot his covered cups is shown in Plate 13, from a specimen belonging to 
 Mr. Mayer. 
 
 A contemporary, and possibly a pupil of Leonard Limousin, has produced a good 
 many works, which he has only signed with his initials, C. N., and has dated 1539 and 
 1545. His colouring resembles that of Leonard, and is not unpleasing, but his drawing 
 is very exaggerated and grotesque : his figures have generally a scared appearance! owing 
 to the way in which he has drawn the eyes. This artist seems to have painted several 
 hexagonal saltcellars with heads of Paris, Helen, and other mythological personages; among 
 Which we may probably include the specimen in Plate 10, fig. 2. One of liis finest pro- 
 ductions, an ewer, dated 1539, was exhibited at Manchester by Lord Hastings, having 
 formerly been in the llidier Petit collection. It has on the foot the name of Ihhan Vullin, 
 for whom it was probably made. 
 
 The family of Courtois produced two enamellers of distinction ; of these, Pierre Courtois 
 was an artist of considerable merit, though bis works have not been so much sought after as 
 those of Jean Courtois. His most remarkable productions are the large medallions in relief 
 representing the Gods and Virtues, which were made in 1559, to decorate the Chateau de 
 Madrid. These medallions are no less than four feet nine inches high, but are in reality 
 formed by the union of several enamelled plates, the junctions of which are concealed with 
 care. At Manchester was a fine casket by this artist, signed P. Courteys, belonging to Mr. 
 Field. The enamels of Jean Courtois are well known by the shining black of his back- 
 grounds and the salmony tone of his flesh-tints. He was very successful in ewers, of 
 which a fine specimen is shown in Plate 14, fig. 1 , from Mr. Addington’s collection. 
 Ilis coloured enamels are remarkable for their vivid and perhaps over-wrought effect. One 
 of the finest specimens is represented in Plate 11. It is a large oval plate, 20J inches in 
 height, possibly intended to he placed behind a light, and represents an allegorical figure 
 of Grammatique. It is wonderfully brilliant in colour, but is defective as a work of art, 
 from the want of concentration in the design. 
 
 An enameller not unlike Pierre Courtois in style, produced several pleasing works : 
 this was Jean Court dit Vigier, who has dated a few of his enamels from 1555 °to 1557. 
 His productions were chiefly painted in grisaille, with a very delicate flesh-colour. We 
 may probably attribute to this master the tazza belonging to the Marquis of Breadalbane, 
 in Plate 10, fig. 1; and possibly the ewer in Plate 14, fig. 2, from Warwick Castle. The 
 
 31 
 
VITREOUS A R T. 
 
 last of these is in colours, but resembles in execution a casket, likewise in colours, in 
 the British Museum, signed, A lymoges par iehan covrt bit vigier 1555 
 
 One of the finest of the Limoges enamellers is the artist who signs Ins works M. D. Iape, 
 or with some portions of these letters, and who has been identified with Martin Didier, the 
 royal enamellcr from about 1571 to 1609. These dates, however, do not seem to agree 
 with the style of his enamels, which seem to belong to the first half of the sixteenth 
 century. His paintings are very remarkable for tlieir artistic effect, though sometimes 
 
 somewhat hazy in execution. , ,, 
 
 3 The Minute style .— Jean Courtois, by liis profuse use of pmllon, and the ove - 
 
 richness of his colouring, prepared the way for several enamellers who appeared towards 
 the end of the sixteenth century, possibly his pupils, who are all distinguished by a veiy 
 finical execution. The principal of these is Susanne Court, the daughter, it is supposed, 
 
 of the enamellcr Jean de Court. Iler flesh-tones are of a dead white and her faces m 
 
 profile, appearing suddenly, amidst a profusion of rich blue, green, and purple in which 
 the dresses of the figures, as well as the backgrounds, &c„ are represented the outlines 
 and details are mostly heightened in gold. Eour artists of the name of Limousin, no 
 doubt relations of the great Leonard, resemble Susanne Court in colouring, but surpass 
 her in execution. These were Jean, Leonard, Joseph, and Eraneois Limousin Their works 
 are usually small, such as saltcellars and mirror-cases, the ornaments of wlucli are taken 
 from the prints of Etienne de Laune. An enameller who signed his works I. R„ possibly 
 Jean Raymond, appears to have flourished at the commencement of the seventeenth century 
 he has left several remarkable paintings, in which the red enamel is generally treated with 
 
 success. - i 
 
 4 'The Decadence . — After 1620, the vogue of Limoges enamels appears to have decreased. 
 
 The introduction of enamelling on gold, by Toutin, seems to have thrown the art compara- 
 tively into discredit; and the artistic merit of the enamellers themselves was not sufficient 
 
 to redeem it. Henri Poncet produced some enamels in grisaille, of a certain merit. T 10 
 family of Nouailher counted among it members several enamellers, who emulate one another 
 in the hardness of their colouring and the insipidity of their designs. Another family who 
 supplied Limoges with its latest artists was that of Laudin: their works are somewhat 
 superior to those of the Nouailhers. A favourable specimen ot *oe Laudin is shown in 
 Plate 16 fig. 3, representing an oval medallion 8* inches high, m the Marquis of Baths 
 collection. It is signed on the reverse, N. Laudin, Vend Smailleur His brother, Jean 
 Laudin, although one of the latest, is incomparably the best of the enamelleis of tie 
 Decadence, and lias produced some paintings in grisaille of considerable merit lie appea . 
 to have been very industrious, and to have produced an immense number of works. 
 
 With the Laudins terminated the series of artists who had thrown so much lustre on 
 the town of Limoges by their brilliant productions, which may now be found treasured up n 
 the public museums and private collections in every part of Europe. It has been impos ble 
 within the limits of this notice to do justice to each of the artists, or even to mention then 
 principal works. This has been so ably done by Count Leon de Laborde, in his Notice des 
 Emaux du Louvre,” a model for all museums of what constitutes a really valuable catalogue, 
 lliat the deficiency will not be regretted. 
 
 8. Miscellaneous Earrics. 
 
 A manufacture of enamels copied from that of Limoges, but executed on gold or silver 
 in combination with filigree, appears to have been commenced in Russia during the seven- 
 teenth century ; but its productions are more curious than beautiful. At the commencemen 
 
 III 
 
V I T 11 K 0 IT S 
 
 A R T. 
 
 of that century, Jean and Ilenri Toutin carried on the process which had been commenced 
 by Leonard Limousin, of painting in colours on a white ground; but they applied it to gold, 
 and restricted the use of it to small objects. The watchmakers at Blois, such as Morliere 
 and Vauquer, continued this process, which ultimately produced the exquisite miniaturists 
 Petitot, Bordier, and Zinc. Still later we find Dresden busily occupied in enamelling snuff- 
 boxes and candlesticks, and in England enamels were produced at Battersea and at Liverpool, 
 to which the art of transferring from engravings, then recently discovered, was applied with 
 success. To trace, however, the history of enamelling in all its ramifications would far exceed 
 the limits of this treatise and the patience of the reader. 
 
 0 ) 
 
ARABIC GLASS VESSEL, (MED LEVAL) THE PROPERTY OF J. W.' WILD, ESQ,. 
 A VENETIAN GLASS TAZZA , FROM THE COLLECTION OF G. S. NICHOLSON, E S Q. 
 .A VENETIAN GLASS SALVER, FROM THE SOULAGES COLLECTION. 
 



 

VENETIAN GLASS-. 
 
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 3. 
 
 5. 
 
 FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE EARL OF CADOGAN. 
 
 ,, ,, OCTAVIUS COOPE, ESQ. 
 
 ,, ,, THE DUKE OF BUCCLEUCH. 
 
 ,, „ THE EARL OF CADOGAN, 
 
 G. S. NICHOLS ON, ESQ,. 
 
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 “VITREOUS ART 
 
 AN EHAME1IED JUG, THE 
 AN ENAMELLED BOTTLE 
 A GERMAN WIEDERKOM 
 A GERMAN DRINKING GLASS , 
 
 PROPERTY OP' THE EARL OE C ADO GAN 
 „ ROBERT NAPIER, ESQ? 
 
 „ „ FELIX. SLADE, ESQ? 
 
 „ „ ROBERT NAPIER, ESQ? 
 
 P Bedford D el. et Lith. 
 
 J B . Waring , Direx 1 ' 
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 1 A GREEK ENAMEL PECTORAL CROSS, LG'J'.R CJCITTURY. 
 TKE PROPERTY OP H . B . BERESEORD HOPE ESQ. M. P 
 
 2 GERMAK E HAMEL THE PROPERTY OF V SLADE, ESQ. 
 
 THE REV? W. SNEYL. 
 ,, ST G 01. UMB.A 1 S COLLEGE, HEAR DUBLIN. 
 
 ,, W.M. ROLLS, ESQ. 
 

VITREOUS -ART, 
 

K. Bedford , Bel et. lath . 
 
 J. B Waxiu£ , Birex 1 
 
 Bay & SorL,L±tlL re to the Queen . 
 
 A LIMOGES ENAMEL PLAQUE (A PAILLETTES) EARLY XVI CENTURY 
 
 THE PROPERTY OP C. S BALE, ESQ,* 
 
VITREOUS ART 
 
 PLATE li 
 
 T. Bedford, Del etlitli . J. B. Waxing, Dir ex L Day& Son , I,itli rs to tLe Queen 
 
 A LIMOGES ENAMEL PLAQUE XVI CENTURY . 
 
 By Jean Courteys . 
 
 THE PROPERTY OP SIR AWTHONY ROTHSCHILD, BART. 
 

A LIMOGES EL -LIES -M3K, EL 
 
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VENETIAN ENAMEL “WARE , 16™ CENTURY. 
 
 ■FROM THE COLLECTION OP RHODE HAWKINS ESQ 2. LORD DE TABLET 
 
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 wring. J B. (John 
 unites Kingdom In* 
 
 treasures 
 
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