Page:An Elementary History of Art.djvu/193

Materials. 163 enclosed within a coating of more noble material — such as the chryselephantine (i.e. gold and ivory) statues of the Greeks, in which the nude portions were of ivory and the clothing and weapons of gold ; bronze and metal statues, whether cast in a mould or beaten into shape ; terra-cotta statues and architectural ornaments; plaster statues and bas-reliefs ; wax or clay models ; engraved gems, whether intaglios or cameos ; and medals or coins, whether stamped or cast. Materials used in Sculpture. Marble. — For statues and groups marble is the favourite substance, on account of its crystalline texture and of its gleaming surface, which admits of a high polish and absorbs the light equally. The most famous marbles used by the ancients were the Parian, from the island of Paros, and the Pentelic, from the mountain of Pentelicus, near Athens, both of which were white. Black and coloured marbles were also used. The Egyptians employed substances even harder than marble, such as porphyry, basalt, and granite. Modern sculptors generally prefer the white fine-grained Carrara marble. Bronze is the principal metal used in sculpture. It consists of a mixture of copper and tin, the quality varying according to the proportions of the ingredients. Gold, silver, copper, lead, and even pewter, which is a mixture of lead and tin, have occasionally been employed. Terra-cotta, baked clay, was much used by the ancients for small statuettes and ornaments. In Italy in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries it was revived, and used for busts and architectural decoration. In the latter century it was introduced into France and England. Excellent examples M 2