METAL-WORK
222
METAL-WORK
churches, which have been correctly called the oldest
imispums, have guarded their treasures more carefully
than till' worldly ownei-s; it is rather to he ascribed to
tlic fad that at that lime the metal-work for secular
Diirposes was a pract ically iH'i;lii;ilile factor. We must
saints and relics required an increase of reliquaries.
One of the results of this was that these were no
longer made as large and costly as in the Romancsciue
epoch, t'ombined with this was the stri\iiig for con-
stantly new forms of reli(iuaries, among which busts
not infer from this, however, that in the liomanesque in particular now became very popular. The early
periotl, as in the preceding, it \\a^ monks and clerics (jothic altars with double folds or wings became in
who were the principal nianufacturens of the metal- fact small galleries of busts of the saints. The nuni-
work for the Church. During this period the art of ber of cast statues of the saints and of the Blessed
metal-working, as well as theplastic arts in general, Virgin also increases very considerably from the four-
gradually passed into the hands of the laity. A mam- teenth century. The material aswellas the techni(|ue
ber of Benetlictine monasteries, it is true, still clung and decoration of the works of the goldsmith again
to the old traditions of the OKler, and remained centres experience a change. Copper, which has been almost
of artistic pursuits. a necessity for the bulky Romanesque reliquaries,
By far the largest amount of ecclesiastical metal- now gives way to silver; this is emjiloyed especially
work of the Romanesque period is to be found in Ger- for the figures in relief which were then much used, and
many, where the art. of metal
working created magnificent
works in the districts bordering
on the Rhine and the Meuse.
On the Rhine the Benedictine
monks Eilbert (1130) and
Friedericus (1180) of the Bene-
dictine mona.stery of St. Pan-
taleon produced several reli-
quaries and portable altars,
which they decorated for the
most part with enamel. They
were far surpassed by the lay-
men (iodefroi de Claire and
Nicholas of Verdun, who com-
binetl plastic ornamentation
and enamelling with amazing
perfection. They are the cre-
ators of the two most beautiful
reliquaries of this whole period ;
Ciodefroi wrought the shrine of
St. Heribert at Deutz (1185),
and Nicholas the shrine of the
Three Kings at Cologne. In
France lUcewise the art of
enamelling was zealously culti-
vated, especially in Limoges,
where small articles of metal
for church use were manufac-
tured in large quantities and
exported in all directions.
The art of casting also can show several famous names such as Reiner of Huy, who cast the well-known baptismal font at Liege, and Riquinus of Magdeburg in whose work- shop the gate of the cathedral at Novgorod was probably
Silver Pax
Basilica of St. Ambrose, Milan
which served more frequently
than in the Romanesque period
as statuettes for the decoration
of shrines.
\'ery intimately connected with this change of material was an alternat ion in the mode of ornamentation. The c/wm- /ilevc enamel had lost its power of attraction, and indeed it could not very well be used upon the thin sheets of silver; t ranslucent enamel therefore took its place; this was applied by cutting the relief-like repre- sentation in the silver ground and pouring a transparent enamel over the relief, so that the different parts according as they are higher or lower produce the effect of light and shade in their various grada- tions. Siena has long been regarded as the starting-point of this new mode of ornamen- tation, because a chalice in Assisi made by the Sienese (iuccio Manaja about 1290 is the oldest example of this process. PVom Italy it early spread to Germany, where it flourished especially on the Upper Rhine, and to France.
The features of the religious metaJ-work of this age that more than any other distin- guish it from the earlier productions are the super- structure and construction;.
manufactured (1150). All these works are surpassed the same difference prevails as between a Roman-
by the beautiful baptismal font at Hildesheun, the esque and a Gothic church. The ponderous Re-
work of an unknown master. Italy has almost noth- manesque style is replaced by a pleasing lightness
ing to show from this period, except a few bronze and mobility of form. However in the art of metal-
doors, which enlighten us as to the position of cast- working as in the other arts we must carefully dis-
ing in bronze; such are the doors of Barifano of tinguish within this period between the early Gothic
Trani in Ravello (1179) and Monreale (1189) and of work and the late Gothic. Only the early Gothic
Bonano at Pisa (1180). (Cf. Falke and Frauberger,
"Deutsche Schmelzarbeiten", Frankfort, 1904;
Neumann, "Der Reiiquien-schatz des Hauses Braun-
schweig-Liineburg", Vienna, 1891.)
E.— The Gothic epoch (1250-1500) brought numer- ous changes and new requirements, also in church
work may be described as possessing, so to say, an
aristocratic character, a certain ideal striving after
the sublime; like the fairest period of chivalry, how-
ever, this striving lasts but a short, time; it soon gives
way to the homely and real actuality. The late
Ciothic metal-work throughout lacks the idealism of
metal vessels. In this period the feast of Corpus the eariy Gothic. This likewise is connected with the
Christi was first introduced (1312), and thereby a new cultural development. The common people, who had
metal vessel, the monstrance or osten.sory, made grown in power, took pride, as the nobility had done
necessary. For this purpose a ves.sel was employed before, in securing for themselves a lasting memonal
like those which up to that time had been in general by means of religious foundations and presents to
use for exhibiting relics. Another vessel, which came churches. To dedicate magnificent, artistically ex-
into use at this time and upon whose manufacture ecuted works, however, their means were in many
great stress was laid, is the " pax ", or " osculatorium " cases insufficient, thus giving rise to many works in
{instrumentum pacis). The growing veneration of metal of poor workmanship, especially chalices, mon-
