Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1911-06-22
HISTORY OF CANOES.
Shells, Eggs and Stones Used Before
ONYX Wac Known.

~ SGsh A&A
lecture was recently delivered by
Cyril Davenport at the Royal institu-
ton, London, dealing with the beautt-
full handicraft dating from Ptolemaic
ti-mes-cameos. Mr.. Davenport main-'
tanned that a flrst-rate intaglio on hard
stone was the finest work Of art which
could be wrought by the hand Of man.
Intaglios. however, he explained. were
normally intended for the purpose Of
making Impressions. being therefore
only q. a to an end, whereas al
cameo vas complete in itself. He de-
scribed the processes necessary to the,
production of a cameo. including h
mysteries Of the bow drill, cutting dia-
mond point, n modern gem-cutter'a
lathe. A short account was also given
Of the early history OF canoes or.
shells. eggs n soft stones before the
discovery of. onyx as the material spe;
cially adapted for cameo-cutting. The
Graeco-Roman. and especially the Au-
GUSTAV, period was rich in canoes, and
almost every great Roman wished to
have his portrait cut in onyx. One of
these, an exquisite portrait Of the em-
peror himself, which formerly belonged,
to the strozzi collection. is perhaps the
canoes were practically in~destructible,
except by accident. The large canoes
the Triumph Of Bacchus" at the vati-,
can, the agate de There at Paris,
n the "Gemma Augesten" at Vienna.
were described in detail, and much
curious information was given about,
the signatures on canoes. When these
signatures were in relief they were un-
doubtedly genuine, but when in intaglo
they might be forgeries, and many such
signatures were known to have been
forged during the renaissance.
Regarding the glass plates. the finest
instances OF glass canoes are to be
found upon the Portland vase and h
Auldjo vase. both in London, and on
the Vase es Vendanges at Naples.
me remarkable change from the
classical and NEUROLOGICAL designs of
the Graeco-Roman times to the Chris
tan themes Of the fourth century. when
Constantine the Great became Chris
tian, is curiously illustrated in canoes.
Hercules was christened David" Per-
seus ana the Gorgon became David
and Goliath" and venuses and Ledas
were turned into Virgin Marys;" ana
the great Agate de There" at Paris
being called the Triumph Of Joseph In
Egypt" Then at the renaissance they.
all went back again, and classical art
recovered its lost position. The re-
naissance cameo cutters were very
skilled workmen. but In spite Of their
general high level they had not sue
ceeded IN. making any very important
cameo. although the 'Hymeneal Pro-
cession Of Eros and Psyche" realized :
high price. They were. however, emit
nnen.ly successful In the setting OF gems.
bestowed high and learned p~atronaSe
IN the matter OF engraved gems. Two,
very charming pendants with cameo
portraits Of Queen Elisabeth repre-
scented English work. and fine recent
work has also been executed by Ed
ward Burch. Marchant, Wray n
art wa virtually lost, and Bernardo
PistrNcci. chief engraver to the mini.
VINO designed the beautiful group Of az
George n the. dragon on the Ene-
lish soveretgn coin. was really the last
sxeat cameo designer. In France ane
Adoaph David. Henri Francois. Georrc
Lematre and others.