The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1882-03-30
Came eos.


the lapidary's art, ows its origin to the
innate superstition that precious stones
hung about the neck were a protection
against evil spirits and witches. Beside
the brilliant and transparent noble stones
or gems, like the diamond, topaz, ame-
thyst, ruby, emerald, sapphire, which
we're more rarely employed, the. trans
lucent and Opaque or oapy-looking
stones which take a fine polish were
mostly employed. Among the latter are
the opal, turquois. and agate, or com
mon rocks like granite, syenite, and ba-
salt; or those of animal origin, such as
ivory, coral, mother-of- pearl and amber,
as we'll as metals. These were variously
ornamented by different kinds of cut
ting. By deep cutting bold relief pic
lures were formed; by slight cutting, the
bas-relief. The latter are called cameo.
The Greeks, who received the art of cut
ting stones from the East, did some ex-
cellent work; they decorated many uten-
sils with canoes, and in fact cut out
vessels of great beauty and of technical
perfection. This is seen in the so-called
Portland Vase in the British Museum.
The old Romans, too, who learned this
art from the Greeks, are distinguished
for excellence in it. In the early CEN
turtles of the Christian era this art was
cultivated in Constantinople especially,
while it seems to have been but little
known in the West. In.the fifteenth
century it was brought to Italy by
Grecian workmen from Constantinople.
1t was cultivated there up to the time of
the Renaissance in the sixteenth century,
particularly in Florence. The fabrica-
ton of vessels and articles of splendor
from rare stones, which had also been
done in Greece, was renewed here in the
finest manner.
The cabinet of gems in Paris and
Florence, the imperial treasury at vi
emma, the treasure chamber in Munich,
and especially the Green Vaults in
Dresden, all possess large number of
such works of art from the hands of
italian, French and German artists. In
the seventeenth century, during the
thirty years war, when all art was Grip
pied and retarded. the art of cutting
stones also declined, and with the excep-
ton of short revival in the eighteenth
century, not much has been accom-
plished since.
At the present time the manufacture
of canoes is carried on chiefly in Genoa
and Rome, as we'll as in Paris, as a
branch of industrial art. According to
the Techniker, cameo cutting was ex-
clusively confined to Italy and Rome
forty years ago, but now Genoa has
about thirty persons engaged in this art,
Rome eighty, and Paris over three hun
dred.
The cameo cutters of to-day employ
not only precious stones, but shells, lava,
etc. Certain species of univalvular
muscles are especially suited for canoes,
because they consist of several layers of
different colored material, which also
vary in hardness, and texture. These
shells are worked in such manner that
the direction of the leaves of the middle
layer runs lengthwise. In these canoes
the middle layer forms the body or the
relief, and the inner layer the back
ground, and the external differently col
ored layer on the surface gives to the
figure different appearance or special
setting. In selecting shells with three
strata, the artist selects one where the
layers adhere together we'll. the middle
one being quite thick, and the three diff
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such q shade as suits the intended work.
The shells are first cut into pieces of
suitable size by means of slitting-tool
and diamond dust, or o .steel knife sup
piled with emery and water. These
pieces are fastened ON four-sided oval,
or other shaped stone, and the edges
polished with an oil stone. They are
then cemented ON q piece of wood to
serve as q handle to hold the cameo while
he draws upon it the figure that is to be
cut in it. The marks of the pencil are
now followed by sharp pointed instru-
ment which cuts the required outlines.
Then finer tools of steel wire hardened
and polished on the end, files, and en-.
graver's chisels are employed to remove
the superfuous parts Of the white enamel,
The surface of the cameo, SO far as posi-
BILE, is finished with cutting tools, because
the sharp edges Of the figures would be
injured by polishing. After the figure
is cut in relief, final polish is given,
using little putty powder dry on stiff
brush. In this operation great cere must
be taken not to scratch the surface. The
cameo is then removed from its wooded
handle, and is ready for sale. The pink
conch shells make very delicately
shaded cameo that is highly priced for
brooches and cuff buttons. -Scientifc
American.