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THE SILVERSMITH'S ART
great edifices devoted to religion. The style
called Gothic put forth its first attempts
during the first half of the twelfth century,
in the province of the Ile de France, of which
Paris was the capital. In sculpture, there
was a similar development. Monumental
sculpture arose in France in the twelfth
century. The thirteenth merely continued
in the path already traced. As for the
industrial arts, they had then reached such
a degree of perfection that it can be af-
firmed that there has since been no progress,
and too often only decadence. As for work
in the precious metals, the pieces which we
illustrate have never been surpassed.
   There were then, as now, two principal
methods of working silver: the one casting;
the other beating the metal in a thin sheet
over a hard form or matrix. In both cases,
the silver was retouched by the chisel after
being cast or beaten. Finally, the twelfth
and the thirteenth century silversmiths used
extensively patterns in relief, and also silver
filigree, which they riveted upon the body
of the piece, or, with great skill, soldered to
it. Often, also, they retouched their pieces
with the graving-tool, and traced decora-
tive motifs on flat surfaces.  Silver, has,
indeed, defects as a material. It does not
coat, like ivory, bronze and copper.      R
stains easily. When polished, it glistens
with high-lights which sometimes change
the appearance of the shapes. To over-
come these defects there has been devised an
entire series of ingenious methods: incising,
hammering and engraving, which dull the
surfaces.
   In the Middle Ages none of these pro-
cesses were neglected. The delicacy of the
work is astonishing. Time was then an
unimportant factor. The artisan proceed-
ed slowly and worked through days and
weeks necessary to complete, according to
rule, the piece upon which he was engaged.
We, on the contrary, economize time always
and everywhere. For us time is the only
precious thing. We are forced to create
much, and consequently quickly. To pro-
duce the greatest quantity in the least time,
at the cheapest rate: such is the desire of
the manufacturers who have industrialized
the art of our times and who, in doing this,
have killed it.
  In the Middle Ages, other conditions pre-
vailed. Time had not the same value. The
artisan neglected nothing to render perfect
the object which he fashioned. There are
many individuals who form an indefinite,
sublime idea of art, and persuade themselves
that it is above and independent of small
Crucifix in gilded silver: from the Treasury of the
Cathedral of Sens
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