Part 10 (1/2)
[100-*] Engraved as an ill.u.s.tration to the volume describing the congress of the British Archaeological a.s.sociation at Winchester, in 1845.
[108-*] He was elected 1418, and died 1464.
[115-*] J. Y. Akerman on Gnostic Gems, in _Archaeologia_, vol. x.x.xii.
[116-*] T. Wright, M.A., &c., in _Archaeologia_, vol. x.x.x.
[117-*] Masarius, quoted in Topsel's ”History of Serpents,” 1611.
[136-*] He was a draper; and his seal has a device upon it consisting of a skull with a bone in the mouth; the letters W. S. are under it, and very small. This ring was most probably of silver. It is unlikely that a small trader like Smith should wear a heavy gold ring, like this which claims to be Shakspere's.
[136-] The concluding words of the will are--”in witness whereof I have hereunto put my seale,” the last word being struck through with a pen, and _hand_ subst.i.tuted.
[137-*] Heminge was the old stage-manager, who, like Shakspere, became very wealthy by the profession. Burbage was the great tragedian, and the original performer of Richard III. Condell was a comedian, part-proprietor of the Globe Theatre; it is to him and Heminge we are indebted for the first complete edition of Shakspere's works, the folio of 1623.
[144-*] Motley's ”Rise of the Dutch Republic.”
[147-*] In the Koran this wild version of the story occurs:--”Solomon entrusted his signet with one of his concubines, which the devil obtained from her, and sat on the throne in Solomon's shape. After forty days the devil departed, and threw the ring into the sea. The signet was swallowed by a fish, which being caught and given to Solomon, the ring was found in its belly, and thus he recovered his kingdom.”--SALE'S _Koran_, chap. x.x.xviii.
ANCIENT BROOCHES AND DRESS FASTENINGS.
ANCIENT BROOCHES AND DRESS FASTENINGS.
Every artist who paints an historical picture knows the difficulty of obtaining the necessary _minutiae_, in order to give _vraisemblance_ to his picture, as the authorities are widely scattered, and can only be brought together by those who know where to look for them; for often they lie hidden in illuminated MSS., or in books of considerable rarity, seldom looked at by the general reader, and only fully appreciated by literary men and students. We propose to show how varied and curious the history of any article of dress becomes if studied carefully, and how such minor details indicate clearly defined periods, as faithfully as any other historic _data_ left for our guidance.
The use of the fibula, or brooch, was, in all probability, first adopted by men to secure the outer cloak upon the shoulders. It originated among the ancient Greeks, and appears to have been considered as a characteristic of Greek costume, even after it had long been adopted by the Romans, as may be understood from a pa.s.sage of Suetonius in his life of Augustus. ”He distributed among various other persons, togae and pallia, and made a law that the Romans should wear the Greek habit, and the Greeks the Roman habit;” that is, that the Greeks should wear the toga, and the Romans the pallium. Now, though it is certain that the pallium, or cloak, was peculiar to the Greeks, and that many authors, besides Suetonius, testify the same, yet it is as evident that this article of dress became afterwards the common habit of Greeks and Romans.
[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 201.]
The earliest form in which we meet with a fibula is that of a circular disc, having a pin crossing it behind, which pa.s.sed through the folds of the cloak, and was hidden from sight by this outer disc. It retained that form for ages, and is rarely seen upon antique monuments in any other shape. It is very clearly represented upon the statue of Paris, as shown in Fig. 201. It will be seen that the cloak covered the left arm, the opening being upon the right one, where the brooch reposed on the shoulder, leaving the right arm free. There is a very beautiful and well-known antique statue of Diana, representing the G.o.ddess fastening her mantel in the same manner.
The character of this outer garment varied with the seasons, but whether heavy and warm, or light and cool, it was usually plain in its character, or simply decorated with a border, and corner ornament.
Sometimes, when worn by great personages, it appears to have been decorated with needlework, and shot with threads of gold. Such a one is described in the Odyssey (book xix.) as worn by Ulysses:--
”In ample mode A robe of military purple flow'd O'er all his frame: ill.u.s.trious on his breast The double-clasping gold the king confest.
In the rich woof a hound, mosaic drawn, Bore on full stretch, and seized a dappled fawn: Deep in the neck his fangs indent their hold; They pant and struggle in the moving gold.”
When the brooch secured the short military cloak of the Romans, it was usually worn in the centre of the breast. As the desire for personal display increased, a brooch was worn on each shoulder; the ladies often wearing a row of them to close the sleeve left open down the arm.
Occasionally, they were also used to fasten the tunic above the knee, in the way that Diana,
”Queen and huntress, chaste and fair,”
appears to have secured hers before she indulged in the chase.
As luxury increased in the Roman Empire, these articles of utility became also ornaments of much cost and splendour. The art of the goldsmith was devoted to enrichments for them; that of the enameller to brilliant colouring. They increased in size greatly, and became distinctive of rank and wealth. The influence of Eastern taste, when the seat of royalty was transferred from Rome to Constantinople, was visible in the jewellery afterwards usually worn; nor was the taste by any means confined to the fair s.e.x, the men in the East being still as fond of jewellery as the ladies of the harem. The poorest persons eagerly wear what their limited means allow, and load themselves with cheap ornaments, although a pound weight of them would not be worth five s.h.i.+llings.
These enamelled brooches are frequently found in places where Roman towns once stood. They may, in fact, be said to abound in most museums.