than practical, for it had been previously
held by the celebrated Molière, whom we are
in the habit of regarding much more as a
poet than a tapissier or upholsterer. Be this
as it may, Buhl was really a cabinet-maker,
and invented that style of inlaid work which
is known by his name. A large manufactory
was carried on for many years by himself
and others of his family; indeed, it is
supposed that the greater part of the fine early
specimens were produced by him or his
relations. Many of the cabinets and other
articles of furniture made by Buhl were
designed by Berain, "dessinateur des
menusplaisirs du Roi."  In the Queen's writing-
table, mentioned above, the buhl-work is
exceedingly beautiful; the play of the
surface, and the variety of curvature in different
parts of the work, are admirably adapted to
show off to advantage the rich materials
employed; these materials being silver, brass,
copper, tortoiseshell and enamel. It need
hardly be said that great delicacy and care
are required in cutting the little grooves into
which the filaments of metal are introduced,
and in inserting those filaments so exactly as
to fill all the cavities, and yet to leave no
protuberances above the general level of the
wood.

A very pretty patchwork is produced
by that called damascene, in which the
right trusty artistic metal-workers of past
days produced fine results. This art consists
in expressing on the surface of one metal,
a picture or design by means of another metal,
incrusted in the former. In the middle ages
it was much practised at Damascus, whence
its name; and it was introduced into Europe
from the Levant. The incrustation was silver
on gold, gold on silver, silver or gold on iron,
silver or gold on copper—indeed almost any
two metals would suffice; and if more than
two were employed, the work produced might
still be damascene. The damascenists went
to work in different ways, according to the
qualities of the metals which they had
selected. Sometimes, when the metal to be
damascened was hard, its surface was wrought
into fine lines crossing each other; the design
was cut into this crossed surface; the metal
inlay, in fine wire or thread, was laid upon
the incisions, and forced into them by strong
pressure or by blows with a hammer; and
the entire work was finally burnished, by
which the cross-lines left uncovered by the
incrustation were erased, and a fine polish
given to the surface. Sometimes, as a means
of causing the incrustation to adhere well in
the incisions, the latter were previously
hatched or cross-lined, but the remainder of
the plate left plain. Sometimes the incrusta-
tion was left in relief; when the incrusting
metal was soft and ductile, the design or
pattern was incised in outline, and the body
of the design was left on a level with the
general surface of the plate; a thin piece of
the ductile metal was then laid upon the
design, and fixed by the insertion of its edges
into the incised or engraved lines; the
incrustation itself was afterwards occasionally
engraved or pounced. Sometimes the
damascenists practised a kind of "picqué" work, in
which a pattern or ornamentation is produced
by means of small pins or studs. By one or
other of these various kinds of damascening
were produced ornamented swords and
swordhilts, étuis, boxes and caskets, inkstands,
shields, tankards, basins, candlesticks, and
other objects. But the most glorious work
in this art is the famous shield, by Benvenuto
Cellini. It was presented by Francis the First
to Henry the Eighth, and is now the property
of Queen Victoria. The shield is made of
embossed steel, damascened with gold and
silver; and any one who would see what can
be effected in this art should forthwith go to
Marlborough House, wherein, in a gracious
and liberal spirit, which is fully appreciated
by all lovers of art, this and other artistic
productions of great value have been placed
for public exhibition by the Queen. The
shield has represented upon it, in compartments
separated by terminal figures, scenes
from the history of Julius Caesar, each consisting
of numerous and very highly-finished
figures in relief. The damascene is almost as
extraordinary as the embossing and chasing;
for it is in this kind of work that is executed
the inscription running round the edge. The
inscription comprises twelve Latin lines,
containing sixty-eight words, or nearly four
hundred letters; and when it is considered
that every one of these letters is formed by
hammering a bit of gold wire into a little
cavity cut or engraved in hard steel, it will
be seen what patient patchwork this
damascening must have been.

"What the Cellinis of past days could do,
those of the present day certainly ought to
be able to accomplish, if the art-question and
the money-question could be brought to
bear upon the subject at the same time. One
M. Falloïse, an artist-worker of Liége, is in
the habit of producing ornamental articles in
wrought iron, damascened in silver by a
process differing somewhat from those of the
mediæval artists. The indentations for
receiving the incrustation are cut with a chisel
and hammer, and are made with inclined sides,
so as to give greater power and boldness of
relief in different parts. M. Falloïse has
produced bracelets, cups, vases, chalices, and
other articles, made of steel, iron, or copper,
damascened in gold or silver with graceful
designs of birds, flowers, foliage, bassi-relievi,
and arabesques. There was a kind of
damascening formerly practised at Damascus, on
the sword-blades, which have been so
renowned for their excellence, somewhat different
from that above noticed; but it belonged
to the same family of arts, in so far as it was
an incrusting of one metal in or on another.

There was a famous kind of patchwork
practised by the Italians in past years, and