Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 7.djvu/482

348 cester, during the past year; as in them we have figures and their ornaments wrought with an attention to detail, which is not only highly finished as to the filling up, but presents "a grandeur, dignity of character, and great breadth of treatment," to use the words of Mr. Westmacott, the eminent sculptor, "which strongly reminds us of the finest Greek schools." These are arranged in medallions and surrounded by a framework of the twisted guilloche, in which the colours are remarkably subdued. These again and the designs, as a whole, are surrounded by another guilloche, in which bright colours prevail; the whole surrounded by a wide border of a neutral grey, so that we cannot help observing that the brightness and freshness of each medallion is greatly enhanced by the prominence given to it by the grey border; whilst the pavement, as a whole, is admirably brought out by a bright guilloche, which serves the like purpose as a gold frame to a picture; the broader external border relieving the entire pavement, and thus giving it a prominence in the centre of the room, which contributed greatly to its general effect. Thus, while each picture is satisfactory, viewed separately, there seems to be an unity of purpose in the whole design which could only have been brought about by accurate study and refined taste.

The effects here glanced at are the more extraordinary, when we examine the means by which they were attained. Small portions of natural rocks and potsherds, both of various shades of colour, were with few exceptions the only materials used; and these viewed as mere dead elements, when the forms which they animated are broken up, are portions of stone and pottery of all sizes, from an inch square to pieces no larger than a pea, which appear to have been merely chipped off from larger fragments, and to have undergone little, if any, polishing before being used in the mosaic design. The upper surfaces only are smooth, so that there is little doubt a last polish was given to the floor, when the designs were completed.

As these materials consist of natural rocks, pottery and glass, I shall proceed to describe the nature and origin of the different substances which I have observed, according