in high repute,
and many worthy men have posed as amateurs. Indeed, there have been
Royal gardeners, among the most familiar being Edward I and Queen
Elizabeth. From Tudor times onward the once waste land in the immediate
vicinity of castles and palaces was cultivated, and the gardens of the
nobility along the Strand in London were full of beautiful stonework and
statuettes. A writer in the sixteenth century, describing an English
garden of his day, wrote: "Every garden of account hath its fish pond,
its maze, and its sundials."

Many fine old fountains or miniature fishponds remain, and sundials are
among the curios associated with the outdoor life of the home. The
garden houses of the eighteenth century included a bowling green or
court, viewed from the terrace; and towards the end of that period many
leaden figures were cast, the favourite being replicas of Roman statuary
dedicated to such deities as Bacchus, Venus, Neptune, and Minerva. These
lead statues have been collected by dealers during the last few years.
Some of them are really very beautifully formed, although in many
instances the wear and tear of a couple of centuries has covered them
over with scratches and indentations. A few years ago lead statues
received little consideration from their owners, and the children made
them targets for stone-throwing. They are thought more of now, and at
several recent sales lead statuettes and vases have sold for
considerable sums.

Sometimes ancient lead cisterns are seen outside old houses; many of
these and even rain-water spout heads, beautifully moulded and cast, are
among the household curios for which there is some call among
collectors.

The Mounting of Curios.

A miscellaneous assortment of curios displayed without any regard to
their proper setting has just the same effect as a badly framed
picture, or a painting with an inappropriate frame. Sundry curios may be
made to look charming when properly shown in a glass-topped table or a
suitable case, their value as home ornaments being materially increased.
Indeed, there are many beautiful objects which look nothing unless
properly framed. The Wedgwood cameo gems so varied and so very minutely
tooled require proper display; according to their colours so should they
be arranged on a velvet or cloth background with an ample margin to
separate them. A group of miniatures looks nothing unless in suitable
setting or mount. Much of the beauty of old china is lost