Искусства и ремесла Средневековья

88 Arts and Crafts in tl1e J\Пddle Ages

Goliath. Тl1еге аге two examples of cameos of tl1e Viгgin ,vhich l1ad coшmenced tl1eiг carcers, one as а Leda, and the othcr as Venus ! \Yhile а St. John had 01·igi11ally figured as Jupiter witl1 l1is eagle ! In the Renaissance tl1ere was grcat revival of all bгan­ ches of gem cutting, and cameos began to iшprove, авd to resemЫe once шоге tl1eir classical ancestoгs. Indeed, their rеsешЫавсе was гаthег academic, and there ,vas little originality in design. Like шost of the Renaissance arts, it ,vas а reversion iнstead of а ne,v creation. Tech­ nically, however, the "'огk ,vas а tгiuшph. The cгafts­ men ,vere not satisfied until they had quite outdone the ancients, and they felt oЬliged to incгease the deptl1 of the cпtting, in order to s110,v how cleverly they could coerce tl1e material; they even undeг-cнt in some cases. During tl1e l\1edicea11 period of Italiaв art, сашеоs wcre cut in шost fantastic forms; sometimes а negгo head would Ье introduced simply to exhiЬit а dark stгatшn in thc onyx, and was quite witlюut beauty. One of the Florentine lapidaries ,vas knowв as Giovanni of the Carnelians, and another as Domenico of the Сашеоs. This latter caгved а portrait of Ludovico il Мого on а red balas ruby, in intaglio. Nicolo Avanzi is reported as having carved а lapis lazuli " three fingers broad " iвto the scene of the Nativity. l\1atteo dal Nassaro, а son of а shoemaker in Verona, developed extгaoгdinary talent in gem cutting. An exotic production is а crucifix cut in а Ыood-stone Ьу Matteo del Nassaro ! where tl1c artist has so utilized