Искусства и ремесла Средневековья

57

Jewelry and P1·ecious Stones

tЬе Peacock TЬrone of Delhi. It \Yas in the form of t,vo sp1·ead tails of peacocks, coшposed entiгely of sapphires, emeralds апd topazes, feather Ьу featl1er and еуе Ьу еуе, set so as to touch each other. А parrot of life size caпred fгom а single emerald, stood bet,veen the peacocks. In 1161 tЬе tЬ1·one of the ЕшрегОl' in Constantinople is descгibed Ьу Benjaшiп of Tudela: " Of gold orna­ шented · witЬ precioнs stoпes. А golden crown Ьangs over it, suspended on ·а chain of tЬе sаше шaterial, tl1e lengtЪ of ,vЪiсЬ exactly admits tЬе Emperor to sit under it. Tl1e cro,vn is Ol'namented тт,·itЪ precioнs stones of inestimaЫe valнe. SucЬ is the lнstre of these dia­ шonds tЬat even \Yithout any othe1· ligЪt, they illшnine the rоош in \vhicЬ tl1ey :11·е kept." Tl1e g1·eatest шedireYal je\Yellcr was St. Eloi of Limoges. His Ьistory is an inteгestiпg опе, and Ыs acllievement and rise in life ,vas very гemarkaЫe in the period iп \Yhich l1e lived. Eloi was а woгkшan in Liшoges, as а yoпth, under tl1e famous Abho, iп tЬе sixtЪ centшy; tЬе1·е he leal'lled tl1e craft of а goldsшitЪ. Нс was sнch а spleпdid aгtisan tЬat he s0011 гeceived comшissions fOl' extensive woгks un his o,vn account. King Clothai1·e II. Ol'dered froш hiш а golden tЬгоnе, апd sнpplied tЪе gold wЬich ,vas to Ье used. То the asto11ishment of all, Eloi presented the king with tvю golden thгo11es (although it is difficult to iшagiпe what а king would do ,vith duplicate thrones!), and iшшediately it was noised abroad that the goldsшitЬ Eloi was possessed