from the flight of Æneas, and the history of the Roman Emperors, down to the time of Rudolph. It was made by one Thomas Ruker, and it is remarkable that little or nothing is known of this artist by the local writers of the city of Augsburg, a place particularly distinguished for workers in iron during the sixteenth century.
On the conquest of Prague, the Swedes carried off this chair from the cabinet of curiosities. After being long in the possession of a noble family in Sweden, it was brought to England, and sold to the father of the present Earl of Radnor.
The collection of glass, both ancient and mediæval, is very rich; the two cases of Greek and Roman glass, sent by Mr. Webb, contain very choice examples.
There is also a charming piece of mediæval glass lent by the Duke of Hamilton and Brandon. It is a bottle of elegant form, almost covered with gold and enamels of the richest hue; the style of ornamentation, and probably the fabric, is of Arabian or Persian work. This is only another instance of the rich mine of artistic wealth which has come to us from the East. These orientals seem intuitively to understand the harmony of colours; whether it be a shawl from Cashmere—an ordinary Turkey carpet from Smyrna, or, in this instance, an early work of a Persian or Arabian artist—the same fixed principle is found. Take for example, as only one instance out of many, the neck of the bottle in question, the decoration is merely a foliated scroll in gold, with a light touch of crimson just to define the outline, placed on a rich blue ground; a small white thread of enamel interlaces the pattern and serves to mark the character of the idea: the result is excellent.
Indeed there are many examples in this collection, of purity and simplicity of design, which might well teach us a lesson when we see the senseless overlaying of ornament which is but too often found in our ordinary works of modern art.
There are some splendid specimens here of decorated furniture, a branch of art in which the French were unrivalled in the last century. A cabinet, sent by the Duke of Buccleugh, is a noble example of the Buhl fabric, as is the marqueterie piece, lent by the Duke of Hamilton, of inlaid wood work. There is also a cabinet of tulip wood, profusely decorated with ormolu, and ornamented with plaques of Sèvres porcelain in green, with three fine jardinières to correspond; this cabinet with its garniture of Sèvres, lent by Mr. Charles Mills, is a most dainty specimen of what the best French artists could produce in this way.
An equally fine example belonging to Mr. Barker is in the same case; here the ormolu is very finely chased, and the dark wood relieved by plaques of the purest white porcelain, covered with bouquets of flowers; the whole piece is a charming specimen of the kind of decoration which prevailed in the best salons and boudoirs of France, before the revolution and the sans culottes played such havoc in the French palaces.
The collection too is very rich in the snuff boxes of this powder and peruque period. In those days of stately action, the art of using the snuff box gracefully, was as much an accomplishment as the proper use of the ladies’ fan, as we read in “The Rape of Lock:”
“Sir Plume of amber snuff-box justly vain.”
All the art of the enameller, the painter, and the jeweller was lavished on the production of these gorgeous trifles; and although their original use has passed away, they are by no means to be overlooked. A glance at the magnificent series lent by Mr. Goding and others will show that some of the finest work of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries has been exhausted on snuff boxes.
Another branch of old art is well represented, that of illuminated manuscripts, one which, perhaps, reminds us more than anything else, in these days of never-ending type setting, of the change going on in the world. In mediæval times, when the production of a fine missal was almost the life-long work of a man, every page had an interest of its own. In the monotonous illuminated books of the present day, where every leaf is a weak counterpart of the rest, no such interest exists. A fine example of the old work may be seen in the interesting volume of St. Chad’s Gospel, a work of the tenth century: the illuminations consist of the most delicate interlaced work, in subdued colours; the play of fancy in the endless combination of birds and beasts is most remarkable: it is a very fine example of the peculiar style of ornamentation in vogue in these islands, and especially in Ireland, during the three or four centuries preceding the Conquest. The large folio missal of English work, presented in 1506 to the parish church of Caldbeech, in Cumberland, is a gorgeous example of the richness of even our country churches in works of ecclesiastical art previous to the Reformation.
No part of the collection is more historically interesting than the specimens of Glyptic art contained in the two cases exhibited by the Queen. Thanks to the valuable work of the Rev. C. W. King, the knowledge of gems has become of late far better understood amongst us. From the nature of the objects exhibited, it is not in all cases possible to see them satisfactorily.
There will be no difficulty in recognising the grand antique Roman Cameo, bearing the profile bust of Constantinus II. It has been pronounced the most important as to dimensions, subject, and material that distinguishes any English cabinet of gems. Immediately under the large cameo is a massy gold ring, set with a ruby of the finest quality, on which is cut a crowned head in profile of Louis XII. of France; this is perhaps the earliest authentic regal portrait extant of modern date; both for material and execution this gem is an invaluable example of this period of the art. The name of the king and the date of his death, 1515, are engraved inside.
Next comes a bust in front face, showing the bluff features of Harry VIII.; it is minutely finished upon a choice sardonyx. Still more important is another likeness of the same good-humoured tyrant, accompanied by that of the infant Edward VI. These likenesses, being after Holbein, tend (says Mr. King) to support the opinion that cameos were at that time executed in Italy or France after paintings sent to the gem engravers. The matured skill of the last half