is, is designed in such a spirited manner
as to produce a result which hardly can be surpassed by Europeans at
the present day."[44]

As another example of this same sort of thing, we may take the
description of another object, a curious metal casket brought to
Europe by a member of the Punitive Expedition. In design, according to
Ling Roth, this casket "is bold and artistic; the high relief of the
bizarre face and the zigzag conventionalized serpents and tadpoles
being well thrown up by enchasing of the ground work. The proportions
are all good, and this is especially the case with an enchasing of the
enclosed lines." Ling Roth says that the relief portions are somewhat
roughly cast, and the enchasing sometimes irregular, but, "on the
other hand," he continues, "the great variety of objects exhibited
without any over-crowding, the general grouping, the tones background,
the real beauty" of the major portion of the design show that the
artist was "a man of considerable taste, judged not only as a Negro,
but as a man of culture."[45]

Another object which Ling Roth mentions as being especially remarkable
for its technique is that which he has ventured to call a _sistrum_.
It consists of what appears to be two brass bell bodies, a larger and
a smaller welded together at the tapering ends. On the face of the
larger bell is represented the now well-known group of a king or chief
with a sort of Persian head-dress, with a harpoon-like projection at
the top. He is supported on both sides by similarly dressed
individuals; somewhat above the level of his head the chief is flanked
by two tablets, each upheld by a hand emerging from the background.
The background is enchased with an elegant foliated design somewhat
Bornean in character. The back of the bell, with a few exceptions, has
a similar relief. After describing the smaller bell, which is of a
somewhat different character, Ling Roth concluded with these rather
significant remarks:

"Taken as a whole the _Sistrum_ is an elegant piece of
workmanship. The thoroughness of the details of execution is
worthy of the Japanese, even the inaccessible and almost hidden
portion of the smaller bell being enchased with a pattern."[46]

As excellent as are these types of castings, the finest works of these
Negro sculptors were achieved, not in works of this character, but,
according to critics like Dalton, Read, and Ling Roth, rather in works
that are done in the