tness on the things produced by them, which reveals
the work of mechanical implements, and shows a want of the creative
thought of the artist. Here, then, they sought to find means to compose
and solder together so many pieces of gold of different forms, and of
such minuteness, that, as we have said, it goes to the very extreme.

"We made innumerable experiments, and put in operation successively all
the chemical agents, many metallic alloys, and the most powerful fluxes.
We searched the writings of Pliny, of Theophilus, and of Cellini; the
works of the Indian gold-workers and those of Genoa and of Malta were
studied with all care; in short, there was forgotten no one of those
sources whence we might hope for some hint. Finally, whence least we
expected it came some real assistance.

"Hidden in the highest mountains of the Apennine range is a little town
called St. Angelo in Vado, where are made gold and silver ornaments,
with which the fair mountaineers decorate themselves. Here it appears
that they preserve, at least in part, the oldest traditions of the art
of working in gold and silver; and these workmen,... shut, so to speak,
from all contact with modern things, make crowns of filigree strung with
gilded pearls and ear-rings of that peculiar form which is called the
'navicella,' by such methods as perhaps the antique were made, so that
these jewels resemble not a little those found in the Greek and Etruscan
sepulchres, although for elegance of form and for taste they are far
from equalling them....

"Not long since, when, examining with a lens the Etruscan jewels of our
own collection, I discerned in the zones of the tiny grains (which are
characteristic of the work of these patient artists) certain defects,
such as those which are made in enamel by the melting of the gold. These
observations suggested to me to try a new process, in order to reproduce
this exceedingly fine grain-work, believed hitherto impossible to be
even distantly imitated by modern gold-workers. I immediately commenced
the new experiments, and the results were sufficiently satisfactory to
enable me to say, at present, that the problem is nearly solved which
for almost twenty years has defied us."

And even now Castellani's best grain-work is far from equalling in
delicacy and perfection of workmanship some of the antiques in his own
collection.

Our Scarabaeus has got into magnificent company, and modern taste finds
that he deserved it; an