The beautiful Etruscan Fibulæ are enriched with minute globules of gold soldered on, a process brought to a remarkable degree of perfection by the Etruscans in the 7th, 6th and 5th centuries B.C. Of the gold and silver vessels used by Solomon in the temple, we have the description in the Books of Kings and Chronicles, but no trace of the originals, except that on the Arch of Titus, 79 A.D., we find a representation of the seven-branched golden candlestick (fig. 9). Of the Mediæval period, many fine examples of church and corporation plate are still treasured in our museums. They are of great intrinsic value, of beautiful workmanship, chased and engraved, and enriched with cast and repoussé work and the choicest enamels. Of the craftsman or goldsmith we know but little, but his delicacy of touch, his just appreciation of appropriateness of treatment to his material, and the singular grace and charm of his design are a tribute to his culture and personality. Cellini produced many beautiful works, yet perhaps not more beautiful than his many contemporary goldsmiths. In our museums there are some charming specimens of engraving upon silver, filled in with black enamel called Niello, by Maso Finiguerre, about 1450, who produced some early prints from an engraved plate. [Illustration: BRONZES. Plate 33. ] BRONZE. Bronze, an alloy of copper and tin, has been in use from a remote period in the history of the arts. Its adaptability for casting, its durability, utility and colour have rendered this material one of the most useful and valuable. Of the many fine examples of the early Egyptian and Assyrian bronze now in the British Museum, the most beautiful are the bronzes of Siris, two fragments of armour, with reliefs in repoussé (fig. 4). The many Greek statues in the round, of their Gods and heroes, show the most skilful technique and beauty of form. The Etruscans were clever workers in this material, and they used a most expressive treatment of incised lines, which differentiates their decorative bronzes from those of Greece, with their delicate low reliefs. The bronze mirrors (fig. 2) and the Cista are typical examples of the Etruscan treatment. The finest known cista is that called the “Ficoroni Cista,” by Morios Plantios (3rd century B.C.) and is now in the Collegio Romano; a description, with illustrations of this example is in the “_Magazine of Art_,” April, 1884. Descriptions of this cista and of the many fine examples in the British Museum are given in “_Murray’s Handbook of Greek Archæology_.” Of small decorative bronzes, Naples Museum alone has over 13,000 examples, consisting of candelabra, tripods, tables, chairs and couches, which, eighteen centuries ago, were used by the wealthy Roman citizens. Of bronze equestrian statues, the most renowned are those of Marcus Aurelius, at Rome, A.D. 175; Bartolomeo Coleone, at Venice, A.D. 1488, by Andrea Verrocchio; and Alessandro Leopardo; and that of Gattamelata, at Padua, 1453 A.D., by