Искусства и ремесла Средневековья

22 A1·ts and Craf ts in the l\1iddle Ages

an eagle, making the head and neck to surmount it, and tl1e claw feet for it to stand on, together with its soaring wings, of solid gold, and it thus became trans­ formed into а magnificent reliquary in the form of the king of Ьirds. Thc inscription on this Ampula of Suger is: "As it is our dнty to preseпt unto God oЫatioпs of gems and gold, I, Suger, offer this vase unto the Lord." Suger stood always for the i(leal in art anu character. Не liad the courage of his couvictions in spite of the fulшinations of St. Berпard. Instead of using the enormous sums of money at his disposal for importing Byzantine ,vorkmen, he p1·efer1·ed to use his funds and his own influence in developing а native French school of artificers. It is interesting to discover that Suger, among his many aclaptations and restoгations at St. Denis, incor­ porated some of the works of St. Eloi into his own coш­ positions. For instance, l1e took an ivory pulpit, and remodelled it with the addition of copper animals. Abbots of St. Denis made beautiful offerings to the church. One of theш, Abbot Matthiew de Vendome, presented а woпdcrfнl гeliquary, consisting of а golden head and bust, \vhile another gave а reliquar. y to contaiп the jaw of St. Louis. Suger presented many fine products of his own art and that of his pupils, among others а great cгoss six f eet iп l1eigl1t. А story is told of him, that, while engaged in making а particularly splendid crucifix for St. Denis, he ran short of precious