William Bromet

“ M. M. Dumortier and Le maistre d'Anstaing, on behalf of the commission for the restoration of Tournay cathedral, then requested from the congrès an opinion as to the dates of its several parts, with a view of being guided by such opinion in the progress of their undertaking. Whereon M. Benvignat of Lille said, that he for one agreed with M. Dumortier, that the employment of the Roman foot in planning out the nave, denoted it to be more ancient than the introduction of Byzantine measurements. ”

“ Whereon M. de Caumont observing that there is still a labyrinth near the west end of the cathedral at Chartres, and that another formerly existed at Amiens, presented a drawing of a brick mosaic from a mansion of the middle ages; and M. de Givenchy gave an account of certain incised slabs in the church of Notre Dame at St. Omer, with allusion to a detailed description of some of them by Dr. Bromet in the Archæologia, who informed the meeting that portions of others might still be found in the cathedral at Canterbury. ”

“ M. Guillemin enumerated the finding of four thousand two hundred coins in some extensive Roman buildings overwhelmed with sand at Etaples, a sea-port of Normandy supposed to have been called Quantovicus; and M. Bouthors referred to several bronze hatchets and in- struments of unknown use lately discovered at Amiens.
At the afternoon meeting, on a paper read by M. Rigolot of Amiens relative to ancient representations of the Virgin and other holy personages, M. Didron remarked, that we generally attribute too great an influence to pagan art over the art of Christian times ”

“ This economical use of the fragments of a broken grind-stone, shews that stones fit for whet-stones and grind-stones, as well as mill-stones, were costly articles, which then, as now, were only to be obtained in regions far distant from Oxfordshire [2] .
This villa, which may be called the Wheatley villa, is situated on the south-eastern slope of an eminence about three furlongs from the river Thame, and about ten from the Roman road between Aelia Castra (Bicester) , and Dorocina (Dorchester) ; and seems to have been an edifice of considerable extent. ”

“ The inscriptions, of which the lines, as well as the lines of the effigy, are filled up with red or black mastic, are generally on the border of the slab, and merely indicate the deceased's name and title, and the year of his death, concluding with a brief pious invocation or consolatory sentiment. ”

“ M. Dumortier then said that, although he had not been put on the committee above-named, he had accidentally been present at their re-inspection, and proved that he agreed with most of their opinions, by reading a remonstrance written long ago against any general use of stucco, as well as against the crude and brilliant colouring of the capitals and of the vaulting of the nave, and any wish to hide the fresco in the north transept. ”

“ White coarse mortar; b. Outer Draining Tile; c. Inner Draining Tile of finer quality than the outer; between the two is an open space; d. Fine red mortar, in which is a passage for the water The fire-place which was used for heating this hypocaust is an opening from the prefurnium through the western wall, about 3 ft. high, built of brick, and covered with large 2 ft. square tiles like those before noticed, placed on different levels, the highest being outermost. ”

“ M. Bard proceeds to state that the earliest crucifix he has discovered is a small bronze, once gilt, now in the cabinet of bronzes in the Galleria degli Uffizi at Florence. This crucifix has the head inclined to the right, and is crowned with a kind of mural crown of three battlements. The hair is only indicated by dots, but the upper lip has a decidedly marked mustachio. The chest and legs are naked, the rest of the body being in a tight half tunic, through which the ribs are indicated by engraved lines. ”

“ Incised slabs of the fifteenth century are more profusely, though less elegantly adorned than those preceding them; and many have other symbolical representations than the small angels before mentioned, while the arch en- closing the effigy partakes of the same change as to form, which real architectural arches had undergone. Their Ecclesiastical Costume is also rich; the tunic having often a border of pearl-like ornaments, and a double band of Greek crosses. In the inscriptions, honorary titles are more numerous both before and after the name ”

“ The base being twenty-five feet broad, diminishing gradually upwards to the sin-face, a bed of gravel six feet broad. M. Dumortier on this observed, that the Roman road at Tournay is composed of large stones arranged herringbone-wise, and took occasion to suggest a further investigation of the Roman roads leading to Boulogne, with the hope of discovering the site of Nemetacum. M. Guillemin said that vestiges of Roman roads from Cassel to Arras and to Amiens still remain ”

“ It may be remarked, that where the countenances of the effigies are in good condition, their expression is very appropriate, magistrates having a noble and severe mien, and their wives generally an amiable and pious look. Towards the latter part of the sixteenth century the embellishments of incised slabs are in the renaissant style, with Italian pilasters and mouldings, but altogether poor and feeble in execution; they were soon discontinued, and except in the bearing of inscriptions, monumental slabs became quite plain. The Costume, however, of the sixteenth century is in general very rich. ”

“ This gutter was formed of two concave tiles, one within the other, set firmly in cement, so as to render it efficient.
About 116 ft. further north [1] , they uncovered the south-western angle of another portion of the villa; but nothing was found there except a few fragments of fine pottery, and the foundations of other walls.
Several tiles of various forms were likewise found, though few were sufficiently in situ to shew what their destination had been. Those of concave form are probably remains of a roof, and a few blackened with smoke are portions of wall-flues. ”

“ On clearing away the earth in the north-east angle, they found that this plaster floor had been laid on solid flat tiles 2 ft. square by 21/2 in. thick, the whole being supported by uniform and regularly disposed pillars, about 1 ft. 10 in. high, built up of flat tiles 7 in. square by 11/4 thick, set in beds of mortar 3/4 of an inch thick—the lowest or plinth tiles being about 11 in. square, and laid on a natural bed of yellow sand.
Section of Hypocaust. ”

“ Grimbald of Tournay about that time. Dr. Bromet felt it necessary to impugn by informing the meeting that this statement was now considered apocryphal. But M. Dumortier still contended that this early date was corroborated by the accordance of the measurements of the nave with the Roman foot, whereas the transept was planned with the Byzantine foot, and the choir with the foot of Tournay. ”

“ The nearness to the surface of some foundations of the walls caused them to be laid bare by the plough, and indicated to the farmer, Mr. Orpwood, a cheaper store of draining stones than he could dig from the contiguous quarries. ”

“ M. von Quast of Berlin presented some highly interesting drawings from a series of frescoes in the church at Halberstadt, In answer to the question on Celtic monuments, the Chevalier de la Basse-Moùturie mentioned a Druidical stone at Altlinster near Luxemburg, which he described as sculptured in relief, with two colossal human figures in long-sleeved garments ”

“ Dr. Leglay stated, was on the Scheld between Bonavis and Vaucelles. The Secretary of the Archæological section also gave a narration of the preceding day's visit to Tournay; especially mentioning the examination of the cathedral and the churches of St. Piat, St. Quentin, and St, Jaques; as well as of the burial-place of King Childeric, and some domestic edifices of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries ”

“ At the general meeting in the afternoon, M. Dumortier gave a long account of Tournay cathedral preparatory to the next day's intended visit. But this account was more commendable for its ingenious inferences than for the correctness of its dates, one of which, viz. the year 900, assigned to the nave because of a resemblance of its capitals to some in a crypt at Oxford stated to have been built by St. ”