mixture of grace and boldness; at another the whole is
singularly deformed, and the purfling roughly executed, as though the
maker had no time to finish his work properly. It seems as if he had
hastily finished off a set of Violins that he had already tested,
eager to lay the stocks for another fresh venture. The second epoch
has given us some of the finest specimens of the art of Violin-making.
In these culminate the most exquisite finish, a thoroughly artistic
and original form, and the most handsome material. In some cases the
lustre of the wood of the backs, set in its casing of deep amber, that
unrivalled varnish, may be likened to the effect produced by the
setting summer sun on cloud and wave. The reader may pardon a somewhat
novel application of the loveliest description of the glow of evening
to be found in the compass of the English language, which paints the
heavens' colours as--

"Melted to one vast iris of the west,
Where the day joins the past eternity.
... All its hues,
From the rich sunset to the rising star,
Their magical variety diffuse.

And now they change; a paler shadow strews
Its mantle o'er the mountains; parting day
Dies like the dolphin, whom each pang imbues
With a new colour as it gasps away,
The last still loveliest, till--'tis gone--and all is grey."

The effect of this beautiful coruscation upon the backs of Violins is
obtained by cutting the wood upon the cross, or, as the French term
it, _sur maille_. It is seen, though rarely, on backs divided, when
the wood is particularly handsome in curl. The varnish on such
instruments is of a rich golden hue, highly transparent; it is lightly
laid on. The size of these works varies; they are sometimes a trifle
smaller than the other specimens of Guarneri. In the last epoch we
find Violins of an altogether bolder conception, dating from about
1740 and a little later. They are massively constructed, and have in
them material of the finest acoustic properties. The sound-hole loses
the pointed form so much associated with Guarneri: the purfling is
embedded, the edges heavy, the corners somewhat grotesque, the scroll
has a mixture of vigour, comicality, and majesty, which may force a
smile and then a frown from the connoisseur. The comparison may seem a
little forced, but the head of a thoroughbred English mastiff, if
carved, might give some idea of the appearance sought t