Page:History of Art in Phrygia, Lydia, Caria and Lycia.djvu/307

 INDUSTRIAL ARTS. 291 FIG. 207. Lydian trinket. Height, 16 c. ; length, 26 c. Louvre. Drawn by St. Elme Gautier. drical in shape, or annulated, with staples at the back for attach- ment (Fig. 208). The last object is a simple twist of gold thread of considerable size, with an oblong hole at one end. The twenty-five pieces which made up the treasure, have all the appearance of having come out of one workshop, and of being the work of one hand. We have here the remains of one or two sets of orna- ments. Thanks to the tube on which the gold plaques are mounted, the perforations that appear on them, and the hooks at the back, they could be easily secured to the dress ; here and there, too, are very tiny holes for the passage of thread. The mingling of two processes, which, as a rule, exclude each other, will be observed. The artificer who wrought these ornaments knew how to solder gold ; for in this way were fixed every one of the minute granules that form an ornament of astonishing fineness ; at the same time, when he wished to insert and secure the heads of the animals in the field of his principal plaque, he went to work as one ignorant of the first principles of his craft, and found no better contrivance than letting down the end piece at the back, rivet-wise (Fig. 204). That these jewels are the outcome of an advanced art is proved, both by the plaques of metal beaten out into great thinness with the mallet, and the repoiisst work done with the graver ; it testifies to an art that makes light of difficulties, and knows how to turn out forms and ornament pleasing to an educated eye. If these trinkets are from the hand of a Lydian, they must have been wrought in the time of Gyges or one of his successors. The heads of the animals adorning them recall those on Lydian coins of the same period, characterized by firm vigorous make. On the other hand, if we find here elements borrowed from Egypt, their presence is to be accounted for in the relations entered into between the Lydian empire and Egypt from the advent o( the Mermnadse, the latter furnishing Egypt with those Carian mercenaries, whose profession took them backwards and forwards FIG. 208. Lydian trin- ket. Length of either cylinder, 48 c. Louvre. Drawn by St. Elme Gau- tier.