[Class XXVII.
stone (a true carbonate of lime), apparently formed in themanner of stalagmite, and on account of its peculiar tintand transluceucy was called by the ancients alabaster.
From India are sent many specimens partly manu-factured, indicating the existence, in that country, ofvaluable material more or less resembling our marbles,and suitable for similar purposes. A few of these arecoloured, and the quality of the white marble is verypeculiar. One of the coloured kind may be mentioned asaffording a tint of pale green, unknown in Europe . Thisis from Hellary (Madras, p. 86S), and is a magnesian rock,probably a variety of serpentine. Many of the hardermaterials might also be mentioned.
A small series of partly manufactured jades recently for-warded from China , by Dr. Bowring, is interesting onaccount of the material, which is, however, too difficultand costly in working to be much used for economic
purposes, unless indeed mortars and pestles and some j cellent.
design, is of considerable merit, and the details veryadmirably executed. The general work of the figuresand principal features of the design are also commend-able ; but tbe purely ornamental part is inferior incomposition, sometimes confused, and has little life anddelicacy of expression. It is also finished too muchwith the tile and pumice-stone. Notwithstanding thesefaults, the work, as a whole, has very great merit, andhas been recommended as worthy of a Prize Medal.
A very beautiful and carefully-worked specimen of theblack marble of Belgium , executed in that country, andfitted to an English stove, is exhibited in Class XXII.,(491, p. 650), by I. Noirsain. It consists of a chim-ney-piece and large mirror-frame above, without orna-ment, but of noble proportions. The effect is ratherheavy, but the work is so good that the Jury award aPrize Medal to this exhibitor. The material is also ex-
other objects for chemists could be manufactured of it oflarger size than can now be made of agate, and at moderatecost.
Many collections of marbles and other substancesreferred to this Class are not noticed here, because theyarc less decidedly manufactured. Taken as a whole, itcannot be said that these collections are in any sensecomplete; but they may, if afterwards brought together,form a nucleus of much value, which will suggest manyuseful hints. We proceed now to describe in succession thevarious manufactured objects which are most easily andreadily compared.
b. Chimney-pieces.
The chimney-pieces sent for exhibition involve so manydifferences in style and material, and are of so manydegrees of merit, that it were unreasonable to judge themnil by one standard, or regard them from one point ofview. Architectural decoration and sculpture, beauty andexcellence of material, adaptability to the special purposerequired, cheapness, and many other considerations, mustalL be taken into account; and the Jury have endeavouredto select for reward from the whole number those mostremarkable for each of these qualities.
The works of this kind of the greatest pretension and
There are no less than five exhibitors of marble chim-ney-pieces from France , one of whom exhibits severalworks of good general character, and in good taste; andanother, a group chiefly remarkable for combining acertain degree of excellence with moderate cost. Therest all offer some points of interest, but they are confinedto the simpler kinds for house decoration.
The Jury award a Prize Medal to Mr. Seguin (France ,092, p. 1212), for a carefully finished work in veinedCarrara marble, of very ingenious design, and some meritin workmanship. They also give a Prize Medal to Mr.J. A. Lebrun, jun. (France , 572, p. 1205), for threesimilar objects in white and veined marble, which arestated to be of moderate price, and are well adapted, bytheir style and comparative simplicity, for the usual pur-poses of chimney-pieces. The cost of a moderatelyornamented chimney-piece by this maker is said not toexceed 12/. in Paris .
Three chimney-pieces by Mr. Marga, of Paris (France ,608, p. 1207), deserve notice, and one of them, of veinedCarrara marble, is in good taste and well executed. Ofthis exhibitor the Jury make Honourable Mention. Mr.J. Dupuis, also of Paris (France , 184, p. 1183), sendsthree similar objects, one of which, with a simple geo-metrical pattern, is in good taste, without any high
highest claim to originality are three chimney-pieces of ; pretensions. Generally speaking, the French works ofstatuary marble (of Carrara), exhibited by Giuseppe | this kind exhibit a somewhat over use of the file, and too
Bottinei.li, of Milan (Austria , 726, p. 1043). They areall characterized by elaborate design, and excellence inthe details of execution. They also show much freedomand boldness of sculpture, and deserve much praise for thevigour and life with which the numerous figures andvarious objects are represented. The Jury fully appre-ciate this high excellence in many points, and adjudge aPrize Medal to the exhibitor; but they would direct
little of that free handling by the chisel which gives lifeand expression to a sculpture.
We come lastly to the English chimney-pieces, whicharc not very remarkable either for design or execution.Excluding those which do not owe their chief excellenceto inlaid work, few are left that will detain us long. Inthe Nave, West (82, p. 756), there is one by Mr. Thomas,of white marble, with a bust of Shakspere aud various
attention to the fact that the style of ornament is not ; figures, the sculpture of which is tolerable, but the wholeadapted to the object, nor are the designs altogether in *. u ~ —. T " - —* foa
good taste. On the whole, however, their artistic meritis of a high order : the figures are correctly modelled, andfull of life and delicacy, and this effect is produced by thechisel, and is by no means the result of mechanicalassistance. The faults of style seem to have arisen froman attempt at great originality, which is but partiallysuccessful. It should be remarked, also, that the materialis not of the finest quality.
The chimney-piece, by G. Motelli (Austria , 728,p. 1044), also of Milan, is marked by the same excel-lences, and some of the same faults, as those of Bottinelli.The design is generally' good; but the countenances,especially of the Cupids, are unpleasing, and a part ofthe marble is left rough to heighten the effect, which ishardly admissible in a chimney-piece. In other respectsthe execution is highly creditable to the artist. This,and a marble mantel-piece by G. Benzoni (Austria , 725,p. 1043), are considered by the Jury as worthy of jHonourable Mention, both of them bearing evidence jthroughout of the taste, judgment, and feeling of an 'accomplished artist. \
Next to the works of these Milanese sculptors, the |Jury place the chimney-piece exhibited by A. Leclercq, •of Brussels (Belgium , 425, p. 1164), which is constructed jof very beautiful Carrara marble. The architectural 1
is" too much like a monument. In the same part (86,p. 847) is a rather elaborate white marble chimney-piece, by Messrs. Brine Brothers and T. Sharp. Thedesign is not remarkable, but the work is good. The giltornament is perhaps more novel than admirable, but theJury have recommended the exhibitor for HonourableMention.
In Class XXVII. (17, p. 764) the London MarbleWorking Company exhibits a good white marble chimney-piece, for which, and several other objects in marble, aPrize Medal is awarded. Mr. Tennant and Mr. IIali.(37 aud 38, p. 766), exhibiting together several Derby-shire and other marbles, of which Honourable Mention ismade, have, amongst the rest, a black marble chimney-piece, with stove, and porcelain tiles. Others will beafterwards described amongst the inlaid work.
There are several chimney-pieces in Class XXII., whichrather illustrateimprovements in stoves tbanoffer anythingnew or remarkable in marble working. One of them,however, by Messrs. Thos. and James Nelson ( 102 ,p. 603), is well executed and handsome, in a stone some-what difficult to work, and the Jury consider it deservingof Honourable Mention. An alabaster chimney-piece isexhibited by Mr. W. Pierce (107, pp. 604, 605), but thematerial is manifestly unsuited for the purpose.
Lastly, there is a veined Carrara marble chimney-piece,