5G-1

MISCELLANEOUS OBJECTS IN MARBLE, &c.

f Class XXVII.

brittle for working, which cannot be positively ascertainedin their present state. The specimens of M. Dejeant, ofPortugal , have been referred to before, in treating of thecollections of marbles from various countries.

The Egyptian* Government^. 1408) has sent a num-ber of samples of that extremely beautiful marble known as“ Oriental alabaster.” This material is not really alabaster(sulphate of lime) in the modern sense of the word, butbeing of a very delicate colour, great clearness andtransparency, and peculiar texture, it resembles thatmineral, which has indeed been named from it. Thetable-tops of this stone are very beautiful, and admirablyworked and polished. They have obtained HonourableMention.

From the United States but few specimens of marblehave been sent, but we observe a very beautiful and well-executed table-top of yellow marble, resembling Sienna,sent by Messrs. Doe, Hazleton, and Co., of Boston (418, p. 1462).

e. Miscellaneous objects in Marble , Sfc.

Miscellaneous objects in marble, alabaster, &c., arenumerous. They include some fonts, a bust, a tomb, andvarious ornaments for the table and drawing-room, fromEngland and Ireland . Numerous small toys and otherobjects are sent from India , with garden-seats: some vasesaud other things from Italy , and a few trifles from othercountries. We proceed to enumerate them.

The fonts are several in number; some of white sta-tuary marble, one of marble from Devonshire, and othersof less pretence. Two of the former, exhibited by theLondon Marble Working Company (17, p. 764), areplain, but of elegant design and good execution. Thethird is by Mr. Peyman (Nave , 87, p. 850). The Devon-shire marble font, by Mr. Bovey (p. 7G4), is a fair specimenof the stone, which is one of the richly variegatedcoralline marbles of Plymouth ; but the material is notadapted to the object, nor is the style good, though theexecution as marble work is praiseworthy.

A bust of Grattan, well executed in Irish marble, isvery interesting, as proving the existence in Ireland of ahighly crystalline, yellowish marble, adapted for theuse of the sculptor, and more approaching the ancientParian than anything known elsewhere in Europe .Tills marble is from Dunlavey Quarries, county Donegal ,and the quality may be expected to improve, if the quarryshould he further worked. It is exhibited by the pro-prietor, Lord Moxteagle (72, p. 7G8), and is HonourablyMentioned by the Jury.

Mr. Porter (66, p. 7GS) has a collection of smallobjects in Connemara marble, all of Irish manufacture,and very neatly executed. Some small table ornamentsby Mr. Hl'Mley (59, p. 7G7\ Mr. Wisiiaw (G1, p. 767),and Mr. Simmons (Class XXX., 126, p. 829), may alsobe mentioned as neat and ingenious. A pair of small jobelisks in polished oolite exhibited bv Mr. J. Bell(57, p. 767) are very pretty illustrations of the material,and are well finished.

There still remain to be considered the ornaments ofblack and other marbles, chiefly from Derbyshire, exhi-bited by Messrs. Hall and Tennant (37 and 38, p. 767),Selim Bright (80, p. 7G9), and J. Turner (82, p. 769).The first (Tennant and Hall, 37 and 3S) have sent afair variety, which have been considered worthy ofHonourable Mention, as exemplifying the present stateof taste and skill in working marble in the district inEngland where the greatest pains have been taken, andwhere the improvement is of longest date. Mr. Bright’svases are also Honourably Mentioned.

The series of Derbyshire goods, by these exhibitors, isin some respects excellent, and the imitations or modelsfrom the antique, especially the obelisks, both Egyptian !and Nineveh , are very pleasing. The process of etching \on marble, illustrated by some of the objects they exhibit,is also shown by Mrs. Rayner (Class XXX., 47, p. 822), \and Mr. E. Bird (83, p. 769); but as it is not likely tolead to any improved process, and is of itself only aningenious but unfit application of one of the Fine Arts toa material ill adapted for the purpose, the Jury make no jfurther remark upon it. The two vases, sent by Mr. :

Bright, and the jugs by Mr. Turner, all of blackmarble, are of elegant shape aud perfectly well finished.Mr. Vallance, of Matlock, whose most important objectswill be spoken of amongst inlaid work, has sent severalarticles of marble, among which may be mentioned fivevases, some of good forms taken from the antique, anobelisk, three inkstands of black and rosewood marble,and a Roman bath of the same material. These are goodspecimens both of material and manufacture.

A tomb in alabaster, by Mr. Cundy (Nave , 60, p. 848),being a clever illustration of what can be done in thismaterial, is considered by the Jury as worthy of a PrizeMedal.

If from the British goods of this kind, we turn to thoseof other countries over which England holds rule, weshall find a number of striking and beautiful manufacturesin marble sent by various persons from India , amongstwhich may be especially mentioned, the handsome whitemarble garden-seats, understood to be a present from theRajah of Nattore to Her Majesty (p. 921), and a largecollection of objects of the same, or nearly the samematerial, exhibited by the Rajah of Joudhpoor (p. 921).These latter, amounting in number to 56, are perhapsmore curious than beautiful; but they illustrate well thecapabilities of the material. The former exhibitor hasbeen considered worthy of Honourable Mention. Besidesthese things from India , there are a few specimens ofmanufactured marble from Van Diemen’s Land, sentby Mr. J. Boyd (233, p. 991). These have been Honour-ably Mentioned by the Jury.

From France the miscellaneous objects in marble arebut few, except those where marble is applied to furni-ture, and general purposes of decoration, combined withwood-work. Mr. Simon, however (1016, p. 1227), hassome marble ornaments.

Germany, like France , contributes few objects in marbleof a miscellaneous character. There are, however, amodel of a chandelier by M. Noe (I Zollv., 418, p. 1074) ;a fountain by M. Tacchi, of Frankfort (5 Zollv., 21,p. 1122), and some small ornaments from the manufactoryof Diez, in the Duchy of Nassau (8 Zollv., 5, p. 1132).The model by M. Noe has been deemed worthy ofHonourable Mention.

The working of marble has been so long a staple manu-facture of Italy , that we might well expect from thatcountry a preponderance of such objects as illustrate thevaried applications of this material to the arts, and todecorative purposes generally. To a certain extent, thisis the case; but, although most of the productions ofItaly are ornamental, they are not pre-eminent for noveltyor variety. Among them, however, are some of extremebeauty and rare excellence.

The most remarkable of these objects, strictly belongingto the class of mineral manufactures, is a large vase ofI Oriental alabaster, executed by the Signor T. Dalt.amoda(Rome, 19, p. 1286). The material is peculiarly adaptedfor such a work, but it is not usual to obtain so large ablock absolutely free from imperfection. In the executionof the vase, the handles, which consist of serpents, are ofthe same piece with the body of the tazza, so that theartist could not have used the lathe, either on the workitself, or in polishing. In most modern works of thekind, the handles are joined on after the completion ofthe object; and the great difficulties of marble-workingare avoided (when there are no bas-reliefs round theoutside) by placing the object between two centres. Aconsiderable difficulty was involved in the nature of thematerial employed, and the necessity of chiselling awayextremely minute portions in finishing the handles. Inthose parts which are most original, the perfect steadinessof the sculptor’s hand is observable, and the confidence—! amounting almost to rashness—in his own knowledge| and experience. The whole of the tazza has been finishedwith the greatest care, the polish being everywhere com-! plete, no part being at all injured, and every detailtending to produce the beautiful effect which has beenso greatly and justly admired. The Jury have awardeda Prize Medal to this exhibitor,j From Rome we also have a number of other works;I some of them by the same artist, and in the same mate-