gems made by this amateur, in order to unite it to the remains of the former royal collection at Fontainebleau, where the royal library was then kept. This design was postponed in consequence of the death of this prince, and was not resumed until the reign of Louis XIV. His uncle, Gaston d'Orleans, had bequeathed him his own collection, including, amongst other antiquities, a considerable number of gems coming partly from that of the president De Memes, a selection out of the two thousand engraved stones got together by Louis Chaduc in Italy. This cabinet was at first deposited in the Louvre; Colbert, in 1664, replaced it in the Bibliothèque Royale. Louis XIV. purchased antique gems from all quarters, including the collection of Gualdi, and that formed in the East by M. de Monceaux. Louvois, in 1684, removed the cabinet of gems and medals to Versailles, and appointed M. de Carcavy keeper of it. Louis XIV. often amused himself with the examination of these treasures, and added to them the collections of M. de Harlai, of M. Oursel, and of Thomas le Comte. M. de Rainssant, keeper of the cabinet at Versailles, also made some important additions to the number; and this care, after his death, was followed up by Oudinet, deceased 1712, Simon (1719), and afterwards by C. de Boze. Towards the end of the seventeenth century Louis XIV. had made the purchase of the splendid collection of Lauthier of Aix, in Provence, formed with great taste, and under the direction of the learned Peiresc, whose own gems Lauthier had purchased. Now also Louis XIV. bought the cabinet of Bagarris, formerly treated for by Henri IV., as already noticed. The famous signet of M. Angelo belonged to the Lauthier Collection. The various travels, in the interest of science, of Nointel, Lucas, De la Croix, and Vaillant, all undertaken at the expense of this sovereign, and at an enormous cost, greatly contributed to

S

enrich the Cabinet of Antiquities. It was still further augmented by the purchase of the medals of Pellerin in 1775; by the bequest of the collection of Caylus, and by the acquisition of those of Fourcault; and by the union of that of St. Geneviève in 1796. The total number of the gems is 1388, thus classified :

634 Intagli, of which 160 are heads; 474 various subjects. 139 Camei of the Greek School: 66 heads; 73 various subjects. 58 Camei of the Roman: 51 heads; 7 various subjects. 172 Modern Intagli (suspected): 99 heads; 73 subjects.

33 Modern Intagli: 12 heads; 21 subjects.

93 Camei, supposed modern, of Roman portraits.

63 Camei, subjects from modern history.

16 Camei of devotional subjects.

57 Camei of various subjects.

9 Medieval Camei: 2 heads; 7 various subjects.

Amongst these the names present themselves of the engravers,-Dioscorides, Evodus, Glycon, Gnaeus, Hyllus, Midias, Pamphilus, Panaeus, Aulus (the last modern). The intagli of this cabinet are distinguished for the beauty of the material as much as by the variety of their subjects. Many of them hold the first rank among antique engraved gems, -such are the Achilles Citharedus of Pamphilus, the Dionysiac Bull of Hyllus, the Julia Titi of Evodus, formerly belonging to St. Denis, and the signet of M. Angelo. And as regards camei, nothing can be cited as surpassing in volume of the stone and in excellence of workmanship the following:-the Apotheosis of Augustus (known as the Agate of the Sainte-Chapelle, brought to France by Baldwin II. in 1244); the Apotheosis of Germanicus, which came from Constantinople, and was treasured for seven hundred years in the convent of St. Evre at Tours, until presented to Louis XIV. in 1684; the Augustus, the Annius Verus, the

Jupiter of the cathedral of Chartres, and the vase of Sardonyx, designated as the vase of Ptolemy, or of St. Denis.

BERLIN.

The immense collection of Berlin (by far the largest existing) is formed out of the united cabinets of the Elector of Brandenburg, of the Margrave of Anspach, of Stosch (in number 3544 stones and pastes, purchased by Frederick the Great for 30,000 ducats), of Bartoldy (entirely antique pastes), and of later acquisitions, forming the enormous total of 4490 stones and 848 pastes. Of these are classified 3634, being the intagli alone, as follows :—

1. Egyptian and Oriental: gems 165; pastes 31.

2. Etruscan and Early Greek: gems 151; pastes 30.

3. Greek and Roman Religion: gems 1141; pastes 355. 4. Monuments, heroes: gems 263; pastes 172.

5. Historical subjects: gems 190; pastes 70.

6. Ancient domestic life: gems 138; pastes 71.

7. Arms, vases, instruments, masks: gems 297; pastes 66. 8. Animals: gems 316; pastes 47.

9. Inscriptions, Abraxas: gems 125; pastes 6.

Of these 316 gems and 115 pastes present heads, and 2470 gems and 733 pastes, various subjects. Amongst them occur the artists' names of Agathangelus, Agathopus, AlexaApollonides, Aulus, Craterus, Diocles, Diodorus, Deuton, Gnaeus, Hellenus, Hermaiscus, Hyllus, Seleucus, Solon.

The finest gems, to the number of 1100, are mounted in gold, the rest in silver. Of stones retaining their antique settings there are 65, twenty-five of which are rings. Set in silver antique rings are 9, in bronze 15, in iron 26, in lead 1. By the side of each intaglio is placed a cast from it in plaster, the only mode of facilitating the study of the beauties or defects of an engraving when it can only be examined, but

not be taken in the hand. From Berlin this plan was introduced into the collection of the Bibliothèque at Paris.

FLORENCE.

The collection commenced by Lorenzo grew up under the patronage of the succeeding princes of the Medici family, especially of Cosmo III., until it has attained the number, according to Maffei, of nearly three thousand gems. Besides many camei of rare beauty, it possesses 14 heads or busts in full relief, in Turquois, Agate, Sardonyx, and Lapis-lazuli. The names, supposed of artists, occur on 23 intagli and 2 camei.

Gori, in the Museum Florentinum,' has described 1010 intagli and 181 camei, of those most valuable for art or subject in this collection.

Hercules and the Stymphalian Birds.

ITALIAN COLLECTIONS.

The Strozzi Cabinet contained, says Visconti, a larger number of first-class works than any other of the same nature. Amongst them was the Hercules of Gnaeus, the Medusa of Solon, that of Sosthenes, the Esculapius of Aulus, the Germanicus of Epitynchanus, the Muse of Allion, and the Satyr of Scylax; and many others without names but of the very highest merit. This cabinet was attached, by the will of its founder, to the Palazzo Strozzi at Rome, whence it could not

be removed without the penalty of forfeiture. It is now dispersed, but the best gems have passed into the Blacas Collection. The Ludovisi gems, belonging to the Prince di Piombino, include many of great value, both antique and Cinque-Cento works, but its chief glory is the Demosthenes of Dioscorides. A set of casts of 68 of the finest are procurable at Rome.

The Cavalier Azara, Spanish minister, possessed (1796) a collection formed by himself at great cost and with much intelligence, and rich in many camei and intagli, valuable either for instruction or for their workmanship.

The Vatican Collection, though accumulated more by means of chance acquisitions than by selection, includes many examples of gems of great volume and of excessive rarity. The catalogue prepared by Visconti for publication, but unfortunately lost, filled two folio volumes, which may give an idea of the great riches of this collection, access to which is so difficult to be obtained that few visitors of the Vatican are aware of its existence.

MODERN GEM-ENGRAVERS.

(Principally abridged from Mariette, Pierres Gravées,' I. 114.)

The earliest artist in this line, mentioned by Vasari, is Giovanni delle Carniole, who worked at Florence, under the patronage of Lorenzo dei Medici, in the latter quarter of the fifteenth century. His masterpiece was a head of Fra Savonarola, cut upon a large Carnelian."

Domenico dei Camei had engraved at Milan a portrait of

7 Mertens-Schaafhausen Collection, B. 180, Carnelian. Bust of a Monk; on the right the the left S, Gothic form.

letter |, on

Fine work

of the time of the Medici. Hieron. Savonarola? (Is this the gem mentioned by Vasari ?)