The science of gems, jewels, coins, and medals, ancient and modern / by Archibald Billing.

  • Billing, Archibald, 1791-1881.
Date:
1875
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The science of gems, jewels, coins, and medals, ancient and modern / by Archibald Billing. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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    slight scratches—marks of the diamond-point (visible by means of a strong lens)—in both intaglios and cameos, thought they must have been done at a remote period, before the invention of the engraving lathe ; and the use of the diamond-points was never quite relinquished until the present century. Onyx or carnelian is not cut by the diamond-point so quickly as shell is by a steel tool; nevertheless, more easily than might be supposed from the hardness of the flinty material. It is evident that the early intaglios were employed more for marking property, or, as we say, setting a seal upon a thing, than for beauty; there are abundant allusions to this in the old classics, as mentioned in p. 7 ; and doubtless the high polish given to them, and upon which so much stress is laid by collectors, was for the purpose of preventing the wax, or other materials, from sticking to them, as alluded to by Pliny (Hist. Nat., lib. xxxvii. cap. xxx.). A moderate degree of polish, however, is sufficient for this purpose. The immense number of scarabs, with intaglio devices of various kinds on them (see page 6), of such poor materials that they evidently were used by the lower classes, forbids the idea that they were in common use as seals, but rather carried as charms, like the little silver crosses, Madonnas, and saints, which are the staple traffic of Loretto; and, besides, the inscriptions on many of the scarabs are benedictions and pious ejaculations—like those from the Koran, engraved on Maho- metan seals—as “ ma slTallah ” (what God wills !) on (165b), the turquoise signet-ring of a Turkish officer, brought from Mecca,—and which inscriptions read off from the seal, not being reversed as seal-ciphers, &c. Intaglios in general produce no effect in brooches, bracelets, necklaces, or liead-ornaments : thus the very valuable intaglios of the late Duke of Devonshire, set in a suit, consisting of necklace, bracelets, and diadem, are perfectly ineffective as