The Gentleman's Magazine AND HISTORICAL REVIEW. ART APPLIED TO INDUSTRY.-V. WITH all its faults the present century can hardly be charged with ingratitude to its benefactors, or at least to those it considers to come under that title. In truth, the fault if any is quite the other way, for we can scarcely take up a newspaper without seeing that a testimonial has been presented to somebody or other. These testimonials take the most varied shapes, from gold medals which are utterly useless down to tea services which are just as much the reverse. More generally, however, the token of esteem will turn out to be a vase, or a candelabrum, or an epergne; but whatever form it may take, the design, and frequently the execution, but too often leaves a very great deal to be desired. To any one acquainted with what was done in the Middle Ages and in the Renaissance there is really no sight more saddening than the interior of a silversmith's window; what little art is there to be found is generally of the latest and most debased rococo, with occasionally a soi-disant mediæval chalice with proportions and engraving such as no medieval chalice ever had. If, on the contrary, we look over any collection of old plate, however late, say such as we see in Mr. Lambert's shop, we are at once struck with the amount of hand-work displayed; and if we go further and handle it, we are surprised at its exceeding lightness it was hardly made to be sold at so much an ounce. At the same time thus much must be said in favour of the modern silversmiths, viz. that the fault does not rest entirely with them; they only buy or cause to be manufactured things which they think will command a quick sale, and a great part of the blame must be attributed to their customers, who have GENT. MAG, 1864, VOL. II. B the bad taste and want of education which leads them to buy such objects. A more general spread of art education will, it is hoped, remedy this evil: in the meantime it may be as well to examine what was the state of things with regard to the silversmith's craft in the Middle Ages. I say the Middle Ages because we possess a great mass of evidence, both documentary and real, of what was then done, which unfortunately is not the case with regard to the classic era; for although a consider able amount of documentary evidence might be obtained b an industrious rummaging of the old authors, still the value o the metal has so completely caused the destruction of the articles themselves that there would be very little to point to in the way of illustration. We even learn very little from Pliny (who is usually so full of details of all the arts), beyond certain facts of the poverty of the early Romans in respect to plate, of the gradual increase of the precious metals after the victories of Paulus Emilius, and of the extravagances of later times; the most notable being the instance of Drusillanus, tla slave of Claudius, who possessed a silver charger weighing 500 pounds, for the manufacture of which a workshop had to be expressly built: this charger being accompanied by eigh other dishes each 250 pounds in weight. Our author finishe by sarcastically wanting to know how many of his fellow slave would it have taken to introduce these chargers, and whethe giants were the guests for whom such large dishes wer wanted. The most interesting information we obtain from the "Natural History" is in chapters liii. and lv. of the 33r Book. The former tells us of the enormous sums given fo silver plate, and the latter mentions the names of the mos celebrated artists. The Benvenuto Cellini of antiquity appear to have been one Mentor, whose works were so much es teemed that Lucius Crassus the orator paid 100,000 sesterc for two goblets chased by his hand. His most valued work however, appear to have been dedicated in the temples, but Pliny's time the conflagrations at Ephesus and in the Capit had caused their destruction. Other artists are also mentioned as well as the subjects c which they worked; these appear to have consisted of embosse figures of Sileni, Cupids, Centaurs and Bacchantes, huntin and battle scenes, the court of the Areopagus, and trial Orestes, &c. Thus much for antiquity; but if we want form a just idea of what plate really ought to be we must go to the Middle Ages and to the early Renaissance. In those times, when there were no bankers, when usury was forbidden, and when the acquisition of land or houses was apt to bring the possessor into suspicion with the ruling powers if he belonged to the middle classes, or to form an inconvenient security for his good behaviour if his station of life were higher, it was often exceedingly desirable to possess property in the form of plate, which in peaceful times was useful and occasionally afforded a means of display, while, on the contrary, should disturbances arise, it could easily be hidden away or sent to the coiner, who made it into money. In those days it was also the custom to give and receive presents pretty much as it is at the present time in the East, and in the royal accounts will be found numberless instances of this custom. Froissart, the medieval Herodotus, in his quaint gossipping manner always winds up his account of any embassy or visit of one distinguished person to another with the fact that rich presents in jewels or plate were given and received. It is obvious that all this must have made good trade for the goldsmiths, who were then artists working in their own shops and producing their own work, not tradesmen who buy things out of manufactories or have them made to order. Out of such goldsmiths' shops great artists used to proceed: thus Pliny tells us that Mentor made statues in bronze; William Torel, who executed the effigies of Queen Eleanor and Henry III., was a goldsmith; so was Francia the painter, and so was Benvenuto Cellini, who has become the representative man of the craft, although almost the only authentic works of his now remaining are in bronze. How is it that we never hear of goldsmiths turning artists in the present day? I do not mean that artists do not occasionally work for goldsmiths, for they do, as in the case of the late Mr. Cotterell, and of Mr. Armstead and Vechte. But somehow or other we never hear of men who keep a shop, as Francia and Cellini did, turning sculptors or painters; the fact being that Torel, Cellini, and Francia were both tradesmen and artists, whereas our present silversmiths are simply tradesmen whose utmost accomplishments are to know the value of precious stones and of good workmanship. As the precious metals were rarer in the Middle Ages than at the present day, it was by no means uncommon to execute vessels in copper or latten gilt; and from a passage in Sacchetti it is by no means improbable that their manufacture constituted a separate trade as he speaks of an orafo d'ottone. At the present day this industry is represented by what is called or-molu, but a glance at any of the shops where fashionable nicknacks are sold will be sufficient to prove that the orafo d'ottone has taken leave of art quite as surely as his confrère who uses the more precious metals. Before entering into a short description of the various articles required for ecclesiastical and secular use in the Middle Ages, it may be as well to take a glance at the various pro cesses by which they were enriched. The simplest of thes was engraving. Here the lines were not of varying thicknesses: but the same throughout; they also terminated in a blunt end, like the engraving on the monumental brasses. The lines werə filled up either with a black composition somewhat like our heel-ball, or by enamelling, or by niello, an art almost lost the present time; the platina vessels made in Russia bein the best modern specimens of it. I need scarcely say how common was its use in Italy, or tell the well-known story how Maso Finiguerra discovered the art of taking impressions u paper while trying the effect of his niellos. A great deal of engraving is done now-a-days, but it i almost inconceivable how difficult it is to get small figure engraved in good strong lines like the old work. The en gravers do not want skill, but unfortunately they can draw the figure, and even the most skilful copyist must fail he does not exactly know what he is about. Here, again, a case for the schools of design. I must say, however, that have never had to complain of the engraving done by Hardm and Co.; and why? simply because not only has the engrave been well trained, but one of the firm, Mr. J. Powell, is an ex cellent artist, and the work being submitted to his inspection it is not allowed to go out if incorrect. -- BOSSING UP. This process is described by Theophilus an Cellini; the former would appear to refer to reliefs, but t latter directs his attention more particularly to statuett First of all the intended figure was modelled, then cast bronze, and a thin plate of silver hammered over it, and wi completed this silver was cut off in pieces, soldered togethe filled with pitch, and afterwards finished with various tool the pitch being finally melted out. Work of this description is exceedingly light, and some ten years ago in Rome I saw a crucifix by Caradosso, who is particularly mentioned by Cellini for his skill in bossing up, the weight of metal being almost inconceivably small for the size of the figure. The shrine of St. Romain at Rouen has some excellent statuettes done by this process, which is also employed in the great altar dossals and frontals at Florence, Pistoia, St. Ambrogio at Milan, St. Mark at Venice, and elsewhere. CHASING FROM THE SOLID.-This was not a very usual process, as it required the greatest care and accuracy, but it was almost always more or less necessitated in the preparation of enamels, more especially those called the translucid on relief. The celebrated bell attributed to Cellini, formerly in the Strawberry-hill collection, is said to have been executed in this manner. STAMPING.-Also described by Theophilus, who gives long directions about it, especially for the preparation of the stamping irons from his account it would appear to have been principally used for the ornamenting of horse furniture and books, and even for pulpits. The shrine of St. Taurin at Evreux presents some charming specimens of it executed during the best period of Christian art. PUNCHING is used for the grounds of engraving instead of cross-hatching. The ornaments on the garments of the effigies of Richard II. and his Queen have been done by punching with a point. FILAGREE. This art is still practised. In parts where modern civilization has hardly reached, and in the more remote villages of Europe, we still see elegant ornaments of filagree in far better taste than the modern French jewellery which is gradually supplanting them. Filagree is of two kinds: in one flat ribbons of metal are soldered together, the upper edges being often ornamented. This filagree, which is generally applied on a ground, is to be seen in the celebrated Hamilton fibula in the British Museum. The Roach Smith fibula at the same place is an example of the other variety, which consists of little round wires soldered together in various patterns, with the addition of little metal balls, in fact, very like the modern Maltese work. In later times, i.e., in the thirteenth century, this filagree took a new form, and little leaves are soldered to the ends of the wires, |
