Искусства и ремесла Средневековья

120 A1-ts and Crafts iн tl1e .М:iddle Ages

with handles having the appca1·ancc of Gotl1ic tгасе1·у. In an old book puЬlished in 1795, theгe is ап account of the miгacнloнs Keys of St. Denis, made of silve1·, ,vЬich "they apply to tЬе faces of thesc peгsons who have Ьееп so ш1fOI"tuнate as to Ье Ьitteн Ьу шаd dogs, апd \Уlю receivcd ceгtain ашl iшmcdiate гclief in only toнching theш." А key iп Yaleneia, оvег 11i11e inchcs iп leнgtl1, is richly eшbossed, ,vhile the ,vaгds аге composecl of cleco­ rative letteгs, looking at fiгst like ап elaboгate soгt of filigгee, Ьнt finally resolviпg tl1emselves into the auto­ graphic stateшent: " It ,vas made Ьу Ahmed Al1sa11." It is а delicate piece of thi1·teenth ог foшteenth centшy "'ork in iron. Another obl SpanisЬ key has а НеЬге,v inscгiption 1·ош1d the handle: 11 The Кing of Кings will арен: tl1e King of the 1,vhole Eaгtli will enteг," апd, iп the waгd::;, iн Spanish, " God ,vill open, tЬе Kiнg ,vill enter." The iron sшiths of Barceloпa foгmed а Guild in tl1e thiгteentЬ сепtшу: it is to Ье гegretted that шоrс of thei1· work could ноt have llesceпded to нs. А frank treatmeпt of locks and bolts, нsiпg them as decorations, instead of tгeating theш as disgraces, upon tЬе sшface of а dоог, is the only ,vay to make theш iп any degree effcctive. As Pugiп has said, it is possiЫe to usc nails, scгews, and гivets, so that they become " beautiful studs and busy cшichmcnts." Florentine locksmiths \\'erc specially faшous; there also ,vas а great fashion fог damascenecl ,vork in that city, ancl it ,vas executed with шuсЬ elegance.