Augustus Wollaston Franks

“ The metals which were used for the groundwork of these enamels appear, from the passage of Theophilus quoted above, to have been, gold, silver, and copper,—the only pure metals which were ever enamelled. Of these, gold, from its superior ductility and beauty, was doubtless most commonly used. We accordingly find that almost all the remaining specimens of European workmanship are executed in this precious material. I have never heard of any examples in silver, and only one in copper. ”

“ The most important remains of the kind are all of undoubted Greek workmanship; and a considerable Byzantine influence may be traced in the greater part of those which seem to have been executed in other countries; added to which, we know of no other kind of enamelling being practised by the Greek artists of early times. [13] This is probably owing to their more usually enamelling on the precious metals. Had they employed copper more frequently, they would no doubt have soon had recourse to the very similar process of embedding the enamel in the solid metal. ”

“ An accurate and scientific classification of the results of human ingenuity, is necessarily impossible, owing to the constant occurrence of combinations of various processes, and other exceptions to any rule.
In the first of these divisions, where the enamel is embedded in the metal, considerable differences will be observed in the mode of working the metal itself. In some, the divisions are formed out of the solid metal, by tooling out the portions to be enamelled, so that the enamel is what may be termed embedded in the solid ”

“ We are indebted to the Hon. W. Owen Stanley for some interesting bronze objects found in the Island of Anglesey: they are very similar to Irish gold ornaments in their form, and were found on a spot known as the "Irishmen's huts. [10] " I should also mention some gold ornaments consisting of a cupped ring, string of beads, and three counterfeit cleft-rings of ancient date, all found in Ireland, as well as several celts of rare form. ”

“ Should, however, any particle be harder than the rest, put it aside by itself, and taking separate pieces of the glass which you have tried, place them in the fire one by one, and when each has become white with heat throw it into a copper vessel in which there is water, and it will immediately fly into small particles, which you will proceed to break up with a round hammer until they are made quite fine, and you will then wash them and place them in a clean shell and cover them with a linen cloth. ”

“ Michael, with his name in Greek, surrounded by many small medallions of saints; on each side of this centre, are three large plates representing scenes from the life of Christ (with Greek inscriptions) , measuring no less than 121/2 by 121/4 inches. All the enamelled medallions of the altarpiece are set in silver-gilt, and surrounded with gems. The silver ornaments consist of friezes and canopies very Gothic in their details; among them are scattered small square medallions of enamel, representing saints. ”

“ Paul, accompanied by the inscription—Ο ΑΓΙΟC ΠΑΥΛΟC. The figure and inscription are in enamel, on a gold background, and are executed in a manner slightly different from that described by Theophilus. The portions intended to be enamelled are sunk in the plain plate of gold, forming a kind of case, in the shape of the outline of the object to be represented. The fillets are then arranged in this case, and the enamels filled in as usual. The colours employed in this specimen are seven in number, all opaque. The hands and face are flesh colour, so managed as to give the appearance of shading ”

“ With regard to Saxon antiquities, a branch of British archæology in which the Museum is especially deficient, a very welcome accession is to be found in those presented by Viscount Folkestone. They are the result of the excavations conducted by Mr. Akerman on Harnham Hill, near Salisbury, and are especially valuable on account of the careful and scientific manner in which that gentleman conducted his researches. ”

“ Then with the same measure and rule you cut small fillets of very thin gold, which you will fashion into any work that you may wish to make in enamel, whether circles, or knots, or little flowers, or birds, or beasts, or figures, and you will arrange the small pieces delicately and carefully, each in its place, and will fasten them with moistened flour over the coals ”

“ This is far more likely to be enamel than glass.
It is, however, from the existing remains of this art that we must seek evidence of the skill of the Greek artists. It may be as well, then, to notice such specimens as are still preserved, in the chronological order to which they seem to belong.
1. One of the most interesting, and at the same time most ancient, existing examples is represented in the engraving opposite. ”

“ Then in all the settings in which electra are to be placed, you will fit thin pieces of gold, and when fitted take them out, and with a measure and rule you will cut a fillet of gold, which must be somewhat thicker, and you will bend it round the edge of each piece twice so that a small space may be left between the fillets, which space is called the border (limbus) of the electrum. ”

“ Most of the latter were found accompanied by lumps of metal which had been assumed to be the residuum of the melting-pot. On examining, however, the specimens acquired by the Museum and enumerated above, the metal will be seen to be pure copper; and it suggests that the makers of the celts, which are bronze, must have themselves mixed in the tin as required, contrary to what is mentioned of the Britons by Cæsar; "Ære utuntur importato." ”

“ Among the additions made to Primeval and Celtic antiquities, the following must be mentioned: an urn from a tumulus in Delamere Forest, Cheshire, presented by Sir Philip Egerton; which was discovered under circumstances stated in a previous volume of this Journal; [2] three urns found in a tumulus at Alfriston in Sussex; [3] several stone celts and British urns found in the same county, from the Mantell Collection, [4] including the curious ornamented clay ball described in a previous volume, [5] and an urn found at Felixstow in Suffolk. ”

“ The colours employed are a vermilion red, light blue, and light green. The faces are in silver. The enamels are very poor, and being unaccompanied by Greek inscriptions, they may have been worked elsewhere. If Greek, they must belong to a date more recent than the specimens we are noticing. ”

“ In concluding this inventory, I will here venture to call the attention of arhæologists to some branches in which the National Collection is most deficient, viz,: stone implements found in England or Wales, British urns, and Saxon antiquities of every kind, especially glass vessels. ”

“ You may have also a wing of a goose, or other large bird, which is stretched and tied to a stick, with which you will fan and blow strongly till you see amongst the coals that the perforations in the iron are white with heat ”

“ They consist of pottery, fragments of a mirror, a glass bottle, and two enamelled fibulæ. A group of the pottery is represented in the accompanying engraving. The ware is of a pale colour, and has suffered considerably from the damp of the earth in which it has lain. ”

“ Smith's Collectanea Antiqua, vol. iii., p. 46; and Journal of the British Archæological Association, vol. ix. A sepulchral inscription found at Lincoln has been presented by Mr. Arthur Trollope. It is represented on the next page. It records Julius Valerius Pudens, son of Julius, of the Claudian tribe and a native of Savia; he appears to have been a soldier of the second legion and of the century of Dossennus Proculus, and to have lived thirty years, two of them as a pensioner. ”

“ To these may be added several objects found in Ireland; especially two highly finished flint knives, a beautifully formed stone hammer head, two urns, and a ball formed of hornblende schist, exhibiting six circular faces with hollows between; which greatly resembles a ball engraved in Wilson's Prehistoric Annals of Scotland, (p. 139) .
The Museum has also acquired several bronze celts as well as specimens of the metal found with such implements, viz. one from Welwyn in Hertfordshire, presented by Mr. W. Blake; [6] several found at Chrishall or Elmdon in Essex ”

“ The interpretation of the inscription does not seem wholly satisfactory: it greatly resembles au archaic Sclavonic inscription, but it has not been decyphered by any of those conversant with the languages of that class.
The additions made to the Medieval Collection have been of considerable interest. Among those connected with England, either by the place of their discovery or by their workmanship, one of the most remarkable is the enamelled bowl found near Sudbury, Suffolk, [23] and presented to the Museum by the Hon. Mrs. ”

“ Mrs. Merrifield has quoted this passage as an authority for the practice of the art of staining glass at so early a period. The Arabic word has probably been misunderstood by the translator. ↑ The X, it will be seen, is very irregular, and resembles a K. If it is the latter letter, it may be the contraction for κύριος. ↑ This description is partly taken from Labarte's Introduction to the Debruge Catalogue, p. 120; vide also Lord Lindsay's Christian Art, vol. i. ”