Искусства и ремесла Средневековья

Carving in Wood and Ivory

275

and design: they date from the fourteenth century, and we1·e given Ьу the treasшer, Jolш de \Velbuгne. There а1·е many delightful miserere seats, many of tl1e selections in this case being from the legend of Reyпard tl1e Fox. Abbot Islip of \Vestminster ,vas а great personality, influencing his times апd the place ,vl1ere his genius ex­ p1·cssed itself. Не was very coпstant and tl10гoнgl1 iп repairing апd restoriпg at tЬе АЬЬсу, апd unde1· l1is direction mt1cl1 fine paintiпg and illuшinatiпg ,vеге accomplished. The special peI"iods of ai·tistic activity in most of the cathed1·als may Ье traced to the personal influcnce of somc cultured ecclesiastic. А vегу beautiful specimcn of EnglisЬ caгving is tlie curious oak cЬest at York Catl1edгal, on whieh St. George fighting the d1·agon is ,vell гendered. Ho,veve1·, the teгmination of thc stoгy cliffeгs f1·om tЬat usually associated with this legend, fo1· the lady leads off the subdued dragon in а leash, and tЬе very abject c1·a,vl of the eгeature is depicted ,Yith шuch lшmour. Medireval ivory ca1·vi11g p1·aetically coшmenced \Yith the foшth centшy; iн speakiпg of tЬе tools employe(l, it is safe to say tl1at they coпespoпded to those used Ьу sculptoгs iп ,vood. It is geпe1·ally believed Ьу aнthOI"i­ ties that there ,vas some шetlюd Ьу ,vhicl1 ivoгy сонЬl Ье taken f1·ош tЬе ,vhole гotшded surface of the tusk, and then, Ьу soakiпg, or otЬer tгeatшent, reпde1·ed suffi­ ciently malleaЫe to Ье Ьспt онt into а largc flat sl1eet: fOI" some of the laгge шedi�eval ivoгies are mucl1 wideг