Искусства и ремесла Средневековья

Gold and Silver

47

in Romaв capitals, "Ferare God." It is owned Ьу tЬс Howard family, of Corby. Tankards wеге somctimes made of sucl1 crude materials as Ieathcг (like thc " Iethe1· Ьottcl " of his­ tory), and of ,vood. In fact, tlю inventory of а ceгtain small church in tl1e уса1· 1566 tells of а '' penny tank­ ard of wood," ,vhich was нsed as а " lюly wate1· stock." An extravagant design, of а period really later tЬап we are supposed to deal ,vith in this book, is а curious cup at Barber's and Surgeon's Hall, known as tЬе Royal Oak. It is bнilt to suggest an oak tгее, а naturalistic trunk, with its roots visiЫe, supporting thc cup, which is in the form of а scmi-conventional tl'ce, covered with leaves, clctacЬed acorns swiпging f1·ee on riпgs from the sidcs at intel'vals ! Richard Redgгave callecl attcntion to some of the absurditics of the cxotic work of his day iп England. " Rachel at а well, unde1· an iшitative раlш t1·ee," he remaгks, " clraws, not ,vatcr, lюt ink; а grotto of oyster sЬells ,vith childl'cn besidc it, contains . . . an ink vcssel; the milk pail on а maiden's head contains, not goat's milk, as the animal Ьу hcl' side would lead you to suppose, but а taper ! " One great secrct of good desigп in metal is to avoiJ imitating fragile things in а strong matcrial. The stalk of а flower or leaf, for instancc, if made to do dнty iп silver to support а hcavy cup or vase, is а very clis­ agreeaЫe tblng to contemplate; if thc aгticle ,vere гeally