Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 9.djvu/440

 344 ON THE BRONZE DOORS OF THE CATHEDRAL OF GNESEN. has produced a resemblance to a cap. The hair of the civilised men is worn short and smoothly combed, some of the Prussians, on the contrar}^, have their hair hanging in rough tangled masses ; they are true " homines criniti,"" as Helmoldus describes them. All except the ecclesiastics wear moustaches ; those of the Prussians are thicker and longer than those of the Poles, Bohemians, or Germans. None are bearded except one figure in the eighteenth pannel. In the engraving at page 343, of the Emperor and his attendant Sword-bearer, it will be seen that while the tunic of the latter is represented as full of folds in its lower parts, the portion above the waist is quite smooth, and projects consider- ably beyond the lower ; this projecting part has horizontal lines engraved upon it, as if to represent an ornamental border. The same may be observed in the most prominent figure of the group of Prussians in the thirteenth pannel. This pro- jection may possibly be merely a clumsy representation of the falling of the upper part of the tunic over a narrow belt girding it about the waist ; but it looks as if intended to represent a leathern or wadded lorica,^ or cuirass, worn over the tunic. In these instances, ornamental stitching, or embroidery round the neck and at the wrists, is repre- sented, which seems to make against the supposition that anything besides the tunic is meant to be shown. Of these sculptures, none perhaps are more curious and interesting than the figures of the Prussians (shown in the annexed woodcut : the group is a part of the thirteenth pannel) ; at least, if we may believe that they are correct representations of the appearance of this people while yet enjoying their primitive independence. It may be thought that the very close resemblance of their costume to that of the other nations, goes far to prove that the artist gave himself no thought or care as to the cor- rectness of the representation, and clothed these heathens in ' Such a garment, or piece of defensive & 51. The first are Italian, of uncertain annour was used by the Romans, but it date, but probably later than 600. The seems to belong rather to the classical second instance is in an illumination of a period, or to the Greeks of the Lower Bulgarian MS. of the thirteenth or four- Empire, than to the middle ages or to teenth (?) century ; the third, in a Greek Germany. Distinct representations of MS. of the ninth or tenth. Was not the such a defence are but seldom to be " thorax," which Eginhart says that' found in mediteval art, but it may be seen Charlemagne wore over his linen tunic, a in some sculptures engraved by Ciampini defence of this kind, and not a mere (Vet. Mon., vol. ii., plates 4 & .5), and in pectoral? Agincourt's " History of Art," plates 47