hout any metallic background. It is
still made in many parts of the world. When held to the light
it resembles minute arrangements of stained glass. Francis I.
showed Benvenuto Cellini a wonderful bowl of this description,
and asked Cellini if he could possibly imagine how the result
was attained. "Sacred Majesty," replied Benvenuto, "I can
tell you exactly how it is done," and he proceeded to explain
to the astonished courtiers how the bowl was constructed, bit by
bit, inside a bowl of thin iron lined with clay. The wires were
fastened in place with glue until the design was complete, and
then the enamel was put in place, the whole being fused together at
the soldering. The clay form to which all this temporarily adhered
was then removed, and the work, transparent and ephemeral, was
ready to stand alone.

King John gave to the city of Lynn a magnificent cup of gold, enamelled,
with figures of courtiers of the period, engaged in the sports of
hawking and hare-hunting, and dressed in the costume of the king's
reign. "King John gave to the Corporation a rich cup and cover,"
says Mackarel, "weighing seventy-three ounces, which is preserved
to this day and upon all public occasions and entertainments used
with some uncommon ceremonies at drinking the health of the King
or Queen, and whoever goes to visit the Mayor must drink out of
this cup, which contains a full pint." The colours of the enamels
which are used as flat values in backgrounds to the little silver
figures, are dark rose, clear blue, and soft green. The dresses of
the persons are also picked out in the same colours, varied from
the grounds. This cup was drawn by John Carter in 1787, he having
had much trouble in getting permission to study the original for
that purpose! He took letters of introduction to the Corporation,
but they appeared to suspect him of some imposture; at first they
refused to entertain his proposal at all, but after several
applications, he was allowed to have the original before him, in
a closed room, in company with a person appointed by them but at
his expense, to watch him and see that no harm came to the precious
cup!

The translucent enamels on relief were made a great deal by the
Italian goldsmiths; Vasari alludes to this class of work as "a
species of painting united with sculpture."

As enamel came by degrees to be used as if it were paint, one of
the chief charms of the art died. The limits of this art were its
strength, and