Albert Way

“ An ancient writer on ritual observances, cited by Martene, states that it was customary to place over the head of the corpse a sigillum of wax, fashioned in the form of a cross: that the bodies of persons who had received sacred orders ought to be interred in the vestments worn by them at ordination; and that on the breast of a priest ought to be placed a chalice, which, in default of such sacred vessel of pewter, should be of earthen-ware [25] . Numerous instances of the discovery of a chalice and paten in the grave of an ecclesiastic have been noticed ”

“ Our fellow countrymen need not to be reminded now, as in the charter granted by George II. on the foundation of the existing Society of Antiquaries of London, that "the study of antiquity, and the history of former times, has ever been esteemed highly commendable and useful, not only to improve the minds of men, but also to incite them to virtuous and noble actions." ”

“ In forming a grave in Hereford cathedral, in 1836, a place of sepulture was brought to light, containing human remains, clothed in vestments which had been richly embroidered; at the right side lay a small chalice and paten of white metal, and on the paten were two pieces of wax taper, the wicks partly consumed, placed in the form of a cross. This singular circumstance seemed to indicate a practice, analogous, in some measure, to the deposit of the waxen sigillum, according to the ancient Custumal above mentioned, cited by Martene [28] . ”

“ Shaw has now in some measure supplied the deficiency so heavily felt in this country by the student of medieval art and antiquities. England is the only country in Europe which has up to the present time formed no public collection illustrative of national art, and specially destined to receive objects interesting from the historical associations attached to them, personal relics valuable from their connexion with the memory of eminent characters in ancient times, and not less to be prized as supplying characteristic examples of the gradual progress of art and taste from the earliest periods. ”

“ The Greek Church had adopted the usage of dipping the bread in the wine, the administration being made with a spoon, (labida,) a practice supposed by some to have been not wholly unknown in the Western Church [10] , but the spoon, or cochlear, frequently named with the chalice in inventories, appears to have been used in pouring the wine and water thereinto, and in some instances to have served as a strainer [11] , properly called colatorium, for the formation of which detailed instructions are given by Theophilus. ”

“ No preservative control, however, which could be exerted by any legislative measure, could, as it is believed, prove so efficient in protecting public monuments from injury, as the more general extension of such a feeling throughout all classes of the community. The charter of the Society of Antiquaries of London makes no allusion to the preservation of national monuments by influence, or direct interference, when menaced with destruction. ”

“ The general impulse which, of late years, throughout almost all countries of western Europe, has caused an increasing attention to be paid to ancient memorials of a national and medieval character, in place of the exclusive admiration of objects of more remote antiquity, and more pure and classical taste, but of foreign origin, has now attained a great degree of popular favour. ”

“ The metals capable of being employed as a ground for enamel are gold, silver, and copper, brass being of too fusible a quality. No course of experiments has hitherto made known the substances of which ancient enamels were composed, or the proportions in which they were employed: a few ancient recipes for compounding enamel have been discovered, and one of the most interesting is given as an appendix to this notice. ”

“ The discovery, therefore, of a skeleton, which, from the whole appearance of its interment, undoubtedly dated from very early times, the presence of this ornament of Saxon workmanship, and the locality of the grave, make it more than probable that this was the tomb of one of Gilbert de Broham's Saxon ancestors. It is not easy to conjecture to what purpose the ornament itself had been applied. It may have been the end or mounting of a Saxon drinking-horn, or possibly of a hunting-horn, the whole of which (except the metal rim) had decayed during the eight centuries it has lain in the ground. ”

“ The natural tendency to counterbalance the change of equilibrium produced by the act of raising and moving rapidly the right arm, would bring the left heel towards the horse's flank. It seems, however, improbable, that for such a cause of trivial convenience alone, a person of knightly condition, in the thirteenth century, would have worn a single spur, or have been thus equipped, when laid in his grave, at a period when the spurs formed one of the most important parts of knightly attire. ”

“ The roof of the chapel is coloured blue, as if to represent a covering formed of lead. In this pane we must at once recognise the representation of a miraculous dedication of the chapel, which had been built by the hermit Saint in obedience to a vision from above, and was now consecrated by the same ministering spirits who had been sent forth to direct him to undertake its construction. It is interesting to compare this subject with the curious drawing, preserved at Cambridge, which may be seen in a series of representations illustrative of the life of Edward the Confessor ”

“ Upon evidences such as these, the student of art during the Middle Ages, is enabled to form a positive opinion as to the precise age of any object, or the country whence it was derived, with as full confidence as if a date had been inscribed upon it: when characteristic ornament of a general kind may be insufficient for the purpose, he has recourse to some peculiarity of costume ”

“ Productions of the highest class of antique art attract our admiration on account of their ideal beauty, and the combination of imaginative conception with perfect mechanical skill which they display: medieval antiquities, deficient, very frequently, in their artificial workmanship as in elegance of design, arrest our notice because they bear an impress of reality ”

“ Kidd, Regius Professor of Medicine at Oxford, a representation is given, is one of three small seals appended to a letter of attorney, dated 1433, amongst the curious documents preserved in the charter-chest of Ewelme Hospital, of which the Regius Professor is ex officio the Master. The seal is probably the impress of a ring; it is of red wax. The device is apparently a dove, holding in her mouth a scroll inscribed—mercy. The rush twisted around the impression to preserve it from being defaced, and seemingly in the form of two interlaced squares, is a peculiarity of interest. ”

“ In the collection of enamels in the Louvre a remarkable Pax is to be seen, composed of an ornament originally intended, as it would appear, to serve as a morse, or brooch, used to fasten the cope in front upon the breast; it is ornamented with figures of the Virgin and the infant Saviour chased in high relief. In the possession of Dr. Rock there is also an enamelled morse which had been converted into a Pax by affixing it to a piece of wood which served as a handle: this ornament had probably formed part of the furniture of a parish church in Buckinghamshire, previously to the Reformation. ”

“ A fine specimen, in fair preservation, which is now to be seen at the Palais des beaux Arts at Paris, has supplied the subject of a plate in Shaw's Dresses and Decorations; its date is 1350, and it presents a good example of the usual character of incised slabs, as they were formerly to be seen in profusion in the cathedral and abbey churches of France. It is no easy matter to obtain a satisfactory rubbing from an incised slab, and, a good method of operation is still a desideratum. ”

“ Amongst the artistic applications of ornament, there is none perhaps more deserving of attention than the art of the enameller, on account of the high antiquity of its origin, its attractive character, and the infinite variety of purposes, connected with the refinements of progressive civilization, to which it was applied. ”

“ A beautiful series of fac-similes of the numerous brasses of Suffolk has been formed by a gentleman in that county, who has devoted many years to the collection of materials for its history; he has solely employed the large black-lead pencils, which are used by carpenters, and prefers a thick quality of paper, the rubbings being subsequently set, like black-lead drawings, with milk or beer; the figures, scutcheons, or other portions of the design, are then carefully cut out, and pasted down upon large sheets of strong paper. ”

“ In his graphic description of the chace, he depicts the gallant hunters, and steeds bearing harness enriched with gold and various colours. For, he remarks, the barbarians of the regions of the ocean are skilled, as it is said, in fusing colours upon heated brass, which become as hard as stone, and render the ornament, thus imparted, durable [2] . The examination of the earliest ornaments of bronze or mixed metal, discovered in Britain, seem to corroborate the supposition that the Sophist here alluded to an art analogous to enamelling. ”

“ The most curious object preserved at Sens, as having belonged to Becket, is the mitre, of which Mr. Shaw has given a beautiful representation. It appears to be the mitra auriphrygiata of the Roman Ceremonial, which was formed of tissue of gold and embroidery, without any gems or plates of gold and silver. ”

“ The case for pens and ink, destined to be appended to the girdle, is formed of leather, neatly ornamented with patterns in relief. The process of impressing designs on leather softened by heat, and termed cuir-bouilli, was anciently carried to singular perfection, and rendered available for a variety of purposes. Defences formed of this material supplied the place of the more cumbersome armour of iron plate, and greaves or "jambeux of coorbuly," which are mentioned by Chaucer, as part of the equipment of Sir Thopas, may be noticed on the monumental effigies of the period. ”

“ A central and permanent Committee has been formed of persons resident in London, and purposing to hold meetings every fortnight during the greater portion of the year. In the composition of this body it has been endeavoured to secure in every department of Art or Antiquarian research, the co-operation of the persons best qualified, whose aid could possibly be secured, to represent each subject respectively, such as Primeval Antiquities, Numismatic Science, Architecture, Art, Sculpture, Painting on glass, or other accessory decorations. ”

“ The Abbé Texier, whose learned Historical Essay on the Artists of Limoges affords the most valuable information hitherto published on the subject of Enamel [14] , supposes that the art was introduced from Constantinople into France by way of Venice, towards the close of the tenth century. The artificers of Limoges appear to have excelled in the art of enamelling, and during a long series of years their productions were highly esteemed in many countries of Europe. ”

“ At a period when, in default of a standing mercenary force, the safety of a kingdom lay in the military spirit which pervaded all the higher classes of the community, the strains of poetry and the fictions of romance aroused them to warlike deeds ”

“ Still more curious, however, are some ancient chess-men, which have been preserved in various collections. To the remarkable discovery of a large number in the Isle of Lewis, in 1832, now deposited in the British Museum, we owe the highly curious remarks by Sir Frederic Madden, not less valuable in regard to the ancient history of the game, than as illustrative of peculiarities of costume during the twelfth century, of which few examples are elsewhere to be discovered [2] . ”