Искусства и ремесла Средневековья

Iпlay апd :М:osaic

309

"All tlшt I could say would Ьс little enough of his гаге апd singulaг viгtue, and оп the goodness of l1is гeligious and holy life." Anotl1eг fгate ,vho wrote about that tiшe alluded to Fra Damiano as"putting togethe1· woods with so шuch art that they appear as pictures painted with the brush." In Germany therc was sоше interesting intarsia made Ьу the Elfen Brothers, of St. Michael's in Hildesheim, who produced beautiful chancel furnitнre. Напs Stengel of Niiremberg, too, ,vas гenowned in this art. After the Renaissance marquetгy 1·а11 riot iп France, Ьнt that is out of tlle province of our present study. The art of mosaic making l1as cl1anged very little during the centнries. Nеагlу all the technical methods no,Y used were kno,vn to the ancients. In fact, this art is 1·atheг ав elemeвtal one, and any departure from old estaЫisl1ed rules is liaЫe to lead tlic worker into а new craft; l1is art, Ьесошеs that of the inlayer or the enam­ elleг \Vhen he attempts to usc largeг pieces in cloissons, or to fuse Ьits together Ьу any process. Mosaic is а natural outgro,vth f1·om othe1· inlaying; when an elaborate design had to Ье set up, quite too complicated to Ье treated in tortнously-cнt large pieces, the craftsman naturally decided to гender the whole work with small pieces, ,vhich demanded less accuratc shaping of each piece. 01·iginally, undoнЬtedly, each Ьit of glass or stone was laid in the soft plaster of wall or floor; but now а more laboнr saving method has ob­ tained; it is amusing to ,vatcl1 the modern 1·est-cure.