An Illustrated Dictionary of Words used in Art and Archaeology / Explaining terms frequently used in works on architecture, arms, bronzes, Christian art, colour, costume, decoration, devices, emblems, heraldry, lace, personal ornaments, pottery, painting, sculpture, &c., with their derivations.

by John W. Mollett

B.

Baccalarii, Med. Lat. A contraction of bas-chevaliers: poor knights; distinct from knights bannerets, who were also termed rich knights.

Baccelleria, Med. Lat. The order of bachelors. Thus we read,

“La flor de France et la bachelerie.”

Bachelor or Bachelier has been derived from bas échelle, the lowest step of the ladder. (Meyrick.)

Baccha, Gr. and R. A Bacchante; a woman who celebrates the mysteries of Bacchus, in the temples of the god, or in the Bacchic orgies. In the numerous representations of Bacchantes which occur on monuments of ancient art, they carry the thyrsus in their right hands, and wear a wreath of ivy or vine-leaves on their heads. They appear also in the disguise of Lenæ, Thyades, Naiads, Nymphs, &c.

Bacchanalia, R. (Greek, Dionysia). Festivals held in honour of Dionysus or Bacchus.

Bacchos, Gr. and R. A short, richly ornamented thyrsus, carried by the Mystæ, at Eleusis, on occasion of their being initiated in the mysteries. There was a proverb in Greece which said: “Many carry the Bacchos, but few are inspired by the gods.”

Bacillum (dimin. of Baculum, q.v.). A small wand, especially the lictor’s wand.

Backgammon, originally called table board, is mentioned in a MS. of the 13th century. The name of bag-gamon is first found in 1646.

Baculum, Baculus, R. A general term to denote any kind of staff, except such as form the insignia of any rank or office, or are employed in certain professions.

Fig. 54. Badge of King Henry V. in his chantry in Westminster Abbey.

Fig. 53. Planta genista, or broom.

Badges. Small heraldic shields, worn by servants and others, showing, in embroidered cloth or silver, a figure or device; common also “in the furniture of houses, on robes of state, on the caparisons of horses, on seals, and in the details of Gothic edifices.” (Lower, “Curiosities of Heraldry.”) Fig. [54] from the cornice of King Henry’s chantry in Westminster Abbey shows the adaptation of heraldic badges in architectural ornament. (The description is inserted under Blazon, q.v.) The Badges worn by the military followers of the feudal leaders answered the purpose of our modern uniforms. Among remarkable badges are the “Bear and ragged staff” of the Earls of Warwick, the red and white roses of Lancaster and York, the sprig of broom (Fig. [53]) of the Plantagenets.

Badgers. Brushes of badger’s hair, for blending or softening. (See Blending.)

Bagordare, Med. It. A burlesque tournament in which the combatants were attended by fools instead of heralds and esquires.

Bagpipe. This ancient and favourite instrument of the Celtic races is represented in an O. E. MS. of the 14th century. Several of the Hebrew instruments mentioned in the Bible and in the Talmud were kinds of bagpipes. So was a Greek instrument called “Magadis.” In Russia and Poland, and in the Ukraine, it used to be made of a whole goat’s skin, and was called “Kosa,” a goat. It is of high antiquity in Ireland, and a pig playing the bagpipe is represented in an illuminated Irish MS. of A. D. 1300.

Baijoire. (1) A medal or coin on the obverse or reverse of which were two faces in profile, placed one over the other. (2) An ancient silver coin of Genoa, and an ancient Dutch gold coin. The term is certainly derived from an old word Baisoire [baiser, to kiss].

Bai-Kriem, Hindoo. Literally, roasted rice; a stone employed in some of the monuments of the ancient Cambodia. (See Bien-Hoa.)

Bailey. (See Ballium.)

Bainbergs (Germ. Bein-bergen). Shin-guards or modern greaves.

Baisoire. (See Baijoire.)

Balance or Scales. In Christian symbolism the balance symbolizes the Last Judgment. The Scales and Sword are also, generally, the attribute of personified Justice.

Balandrana. A large cloak, of the 12th and 13th centuries.

Balayn, O. E. Whalebone for crests of helmets.

Baldachin, It. A canopy of wood, stone, or metal over seats and other places of honour, common also over fireplaces and beds, and carried in coronation and other processions over the most honoured persons.

Baldric, Baudrier, or Baudrick, O. E. A girdle or sash, usually a belt of leather, and worn over the shoulder. They were sometimes hung with bells. (See Balteus.)

Balea, Balia, Med. Lat. (from βάλλω, to throw). (1) A sling. (2) A ballista. From their skill in the use of slings, the inhabitants of Majorca, Minorca, and Ivica had the appellation Baleares.

Bales, O. E. (Lat. balascus; Fr. balais). An inferior kind of ruby.

Baleyn. (See Balayn.)

Balista. (See Ballista.)

Balista a pectore, Med. Lat. A hand cross-bow.

Balistrariæ, Med. Lat., Arch. Cruciform openings in the wall of a fortress to shoot quarrels through from cross-bows.

Balletys or Tuptai, Gr. A ceremony consisting in a mock combat with stones, which took place at the Eleusinian festival.

Fig. 55. Ball-flower.

Ball-flower. An ornament characteristic of the Decorated style of the 14th century. It represents the “knop” of a flower. Ball-flowers may be seen in the Cathedrals of Bristol, Gloucester, and Hereford.

Ballista or Balista, Gr. and R. (βάλλω, to throw). A military engine for hurling large missiles. It was constructed of wood, and consisted of two uprights connected horizontally by a double cross-beam. Strands of twisted fibre formed the motive power of the engine, which was fitted with an iron groove. The cord was drawn back by men, with the aid of a drum or pulleys. The ancient balista was used to shoot stones; the catapult to project heavy darts. Some balistæ threw stones weighing three cwt. The mediæval balistæ threw quarrels or stones.

Ballistarium or Balistarium, Gr. and R. A shed or magazine in which ballistæ were kept.

Ballium, Med. Lat. (1) (from Ital. battaglia). The Bailey or courtyard of a castle. (2) The bulwark which contained such a Bailey.

Balneæ or Balineæ. (See Balneum.)

Balnearia, R. A general term for all the utensils used in a bath, such as strigils, unguentaria, guttæ, oils, perfumes, essences, &c.

Fig. 56. Balneæ. The Caldarium.

Balneum, Balneæ, Thermæ, Gr. and R. Balneum meant originally a tub or other vessel to bathe in; next, the room in which it was placed; when there were many such rooms the plural balnea was used. Balneæ were the public baths, under the Republic, when they consisted of ordinary baths of hot and cold water. Thermæ were the magnificent and luxurious buildings adapted for the hot air system. They contained (1) the Apodyterium, or dressing-room; (2) the Frigidarium, where the cold bath was taken; (3) the Tepidarium, a bath of warm air; (4) the Caldarium, with a vapour bath at one end, a warm water bath at the other, and a Sudatorium, or sweating bath in the middle. The pavement, called suspensura, was over a furnace, hypocaustum. The bathers were currycombed with strigils, which the Greeks called stlengis or xystra; and they dropped oil over their bodies from narrow-necked vessels called guttus or ampullæ. The Thermæ contained exedræ, or open air chambers, where philosophers lectured, and libraries, and had gardens, and shady walks, and fountains, with statuary attached to them. The ruins of the Thermæ built by Titus, Caracalla, and Domitian remain visible (Fig. [56]).

Balon, Balein, Balayn, O. E. Whalebone.

Balsam of Copaiba. An oleo-resin, used as a varnish, and as a vehicle, for oil painting.

Balteolus. Dimin. of Balteus (q.v.).

Balteus or Balteum (a belt), R. (1) A baldric or wide belt which passed over one shoulder and beneath the other, for the purpose of suspending a sword, buckler, or any other arm. (2) The ornament on the baldric on which was marked the number of the legion to which a soldier belonged. (3) A richly ornamented band of leather placed round a horse’s breast, below the Monile, or throat-band (q.v.). (4) The broad belt in the sphere, which contains the signs of the Zodiac. (5) The bands surrounding the volutes of an Ionic capital. (6) The præcinctiones, or small walls, or parapets, separating the different tiers in a theatre or amphitheatre. (Generally a BELT.)

Baltheus, Med. Lat. for Balteus.

Baluster. A small pillar, swelling in the centre or towards the base.

Fig. 57. Balustrade.

Balustrade, Arch. An enclosure or parapet composed of ballisters (q.v.), and by analogy, an enclosure consisting of any other ornament, such as trefoils, carved work, &c. Fig. [57] represents a balustrade of the pointed Gothic style.

Bambino, It. A babe. Image of the infant Christ.

Bambocciata, It. The style of genre painting of Teniers, Van Ostade, Wilkie, and others. It was introduced into Rome in 1626 by Peter Van Laar, who was called, from an unfortunate deformity that he had, Il Bamboccio, or the Cripple.

Banded, Her. Encircled with a band.

Banderolle. (1) A small flag, about a yard square, upon which arms were emblazoned, displayed at important funerals. (2) In architecture of the Renaissance, a flat scroll, inscribed.

Fig. 58. Falling-Band.

Bands. Originally the name given to the collars which (in the 17th century) replaced the ruff of Elizabeth’s reign. At first they were made of stitched linen or cambric edged with lace, stiffened so as to stand up round the neck. Contemporary with these were the falling bands. The engraving (by Hollar, 1640) shows a merchant’s wife with collar or falling band of cambric edged with lace. The term bandbox has descended to us from those days, when similar boxes were made expressly for keeping bands and ruffs in. (Fig. [58].)

Bands, Arch., are either small strings round shafts, or a horizontal line of square, round, or other panels used to ornament towers, spires, and other works. (See Balteus.)

Bandum, Banderia, Med. Lat. A small banner. The French poets called it “ban,” a word probably of Celtic origin, signifying “exalted.” (Meyrick.)

Bankard, O. E. (Fr. banquier). A carpet or cloth covering for a table, form, or bench.

Fig. 59. The Royal Standard, or Banner.

Banner. In heraldry, a square, or narrow oblong flag, larger than the pennon (q.v.), charged with the coat of arms of the owner displayed over its entire surface, precisely as it is blazoned on a shield, as in the illustration of the Royal Standard, which should properly be styled the Royal Banner. (See Standard.) The Union Jack is also a banner, in which the blazonry of the two nations of England and Scotland are combined, not by “quartering,” but by an earlier process of “blending” the cross and the saltire in a single composition. The profusion of banners at tournaments, in feudal times, when each noble planted his own in the lists, was an element of picturesque effect. The term applies to all kinds of flags, or colours, proper to individuals, or corporations, &c., who display them. It does not appear that military banners were used by the ancients. The banners used in Roman Catholic countries bear the representation of patron saints, or symbols of religious mysteries.

Banner-cloth, Chr. A processional flag.

Banneret. A knight entitled to display a banner.

Baphium, Gr. and R. (βάπτω, to dye). A dyer’s workshop.

Fig. 60. Baptistery of St. Jean, Poitiers.

Fig. 61. Baptistery of St. Constance, Rome.

Baptisterium, R. (from βάπτω, to dip). A kind of cold plunging-bath, constructed in the Frigidarium (q.v.), or the room itself. In Christian archæology, baptistery was the name given to a building adjoining a basilica, or situated near it, in which baptism was administered. Such is the baptistery of St. John Lateran at Rome. One of the most ancient baptisteries in France is that of St. Jean, at Poitiers, represented in Fig. [60]. It dates from the fourth century; that of St. Constance, at Rome (Figs. 61, 62), belongs to the same period.

Fig. 62. Interior of the Baptistery of St. Constance.

Bar, Her. A horizontal line across a shield.

Barathron or Orugma, Gr. (βάραθρον). A deep cleft behind the Acropolis at Athens, into which criminals were thrown, either under sentence of death by this means, or after they had been put to death by hemlock or other poisons. It was situated near the temple of Diana Aristobulê.

Barba, Gen. The beard, whence the attributive barbatus, frequently employed to denote one who wears a beard. Thus bene barbatus, a man with a well-trimmed beard; barbatulus, a young man whose youthful beard had never been touched with the razor. Among many nations of antiquity the custom prevailed of curling the beard artificially, so as to obtain long curls or ringlets, cincinni. (See Cincinnus.) The Assyrians, Egyptians, Jews, Persians, Greeks, and Romans may be particularly enumerated. Shaving the beard was introduced into Rome about B.C. 300, and became the regular practice. In the later times of the republic many persons began to wear it trimmed, and the terms bene barbati and barbatuli were applied to them. Under Hadrian the practice of wearing beards was revived, and the emperors until Constantine wore them. The Romans let the beard grow as a sign of mourning; the Greeks shaved. The beard is an attribute of the prophets, apostles, and evangelists (excepting St. John); and, in ancient art, of Jupiter, Serapis, Neptune, &c. Neptune has a straight beard; Jupiter a curly silky one. The early Britons shaved generally, but always had long moustachios. The Anglo-Saxon beard was neatly trimmed or parted into double locks. The Normans originally shaved clean, but when settled in England let all their beard grow. Close shaving prevailed among the young men in England in the 14th century; older men wore a forked beard. After sundry changes, clean shaving obtained in the reign of Henry VI., and the beard was rarely cultivated from then until the middle of the 16th century. The most extravagant fashions arose in Elizabeth’s reign, and were succeeded by variations too numerous to detail.

Barbatina, It. A preparation of clay mixed with the shavings of woollen cloth, used in the manufacture of pottery to attach the handles and other moulded ornaments. (Fortnum.)

Barbed, Her. Pointed, as an arrow.

Fig. 63. Barbican.

Barbican, Mod. (1) A long narrow opening made in a wall, especially in a foundation wall, to let the water flow away. (2) The term also denotes an outwork placed in front of a fortified castle or any other military post. In the latter acceptation the term Antemural (q.v.) is also used. The illustration is taken from the arms of Antoine de Burgundy. In this instance the barbican is a small double tower, or out-post watch-house, and the shutter-like pent-house protection of the unglazed window openings bears a striking resemblance to a modern sun-blind.

Barbitos, Gr. and R. (βάρβιτος). A stringed instrument which dates from a very high antiquity; it was much larger than the Cithara (q.v.). To strike the long thick strings of the barbitos, a Plectrum (q.v.) was used instead of the fingers. The invention of this instrument is attributed to Terpander; Horace, on the contrary, says it was invented by Alcæus, and Athenæus by Anacreon. It was a kind of lyre with a large body.

Barbotine, Fr. A primitive method of decorating coarse pottery with clays laid on it in relief. (Jacquemart.)

Barca. A boat for pleasure, or for transport. It was also a long-boat. (See Bari.)

Barde, Barred, Her. In horizontal stripes.

Barded, Her. Having horse-trappings, or—

Bardings, which were often enriched with armorial blazonry.

Bardocucullus, R. and Gaul. (bardus and cucullus, i. e. monk’s hood). A garment with sleeves and hood worn by the poorer classes among the Gauls. It bore some resemblance to the Roman Pænula (q.v.).

Barge-board, or Verge board, is the external gable-board of a house; which is often elaborately ornamented with carvings.

Bari or Baris, Gr. and Egyp. (βᾶρις). A shallow Egyptian boat, used on the Nile to transport merchandise, and in funeral processions. The Egyptian sacred barks, with which they formed processions on the Nile, were made of costly woods, and ornamented with plates of gold or silver, and carried a miniature temple (naos), which contained the image of a divinity. The prow and the poop were ornamented with religious symbols of the richest workmanship.

Fig. 64. Barnacles or Breys.

Barnacles or Breys. An instrument used in breaking horses.

Baron, in heraldic language, signifies a husband. The rank of Baron in the peerage corresponds with that of the Saxon Thane; it is the lowest.

Baronet. An hereditary rank instituted by James I. in 1612.

Baron’s Coronet, first granted by Charles II., has, on a golden circlet, six large pearls; of which four are shown in representations.

Baroque. In bad taste, florid and incongruous ornamentation. The same as rococo.

Barrulet, Her. The diminutive of a Bar (q.v.).

Fig. 66. Barry of six.

Barry, Her. Divided into an even number of bars, which all lie in the same plane.

Barry-Bendy, Her. Having the field divided by lines drawn bar-wise, which are crossed by others drawn bend-wise.

Fig. 67. Bartizan.

Bartizan, Watch-turret, Arch. A small watch-tower made to project from the top of a tower or a curtain-wall, generally at the angles. City-gates were in some instances furnished with bartizans. Originally they were of wood, but from the 11th century they were made of masonry, and so formed part of the structure on which they rested; they were, in fact, turrets. (Fig. [67].) (Compare Barbican.)

Fig. 68. Bar-wise.

Bar-wise, Her. Disposed after the manner of a Bar (q.v.).

Barytes. A heavy spar, or sulphate, the white varieties of which are ground and made into paint (constant or Hume’s white). Mixed with an equal quantity of white lead, it produces Venice white, and with half as much “Hamburg,” or with one-third “Dutch” white.

Basalt is a very hard stone, much like lava in appearance, and black or green in colour, used for statuary. The principal specimens are Egyptian and Grecian.

Basanos, Gr. (1) (Lat. lapis Lydius) The touchstone; a dark-coloured stone on which gold leaves a peculiar mark. Hence (2) trial by torture. (3) A military engine, the form of which is not exactly known.

Bascauda, R. A basket, introduced from Britain as a table utensil, considered as an object of luxury. It was the old Welsh “basgawd,” and served to hold bread or fruits.

Bascinet. A light helmet, round or conical, with a pointed apex, and fitting close to the head, mentioned in the 13th century.

Bascule, O. E. (1) The counterpoise to a drawbridge. (2) A kind of trap-door. (A badge of the Herbert family.)

Fig. 69. Ionic Base.

Base, Arch. The lower part of a pillar, wall, &c.; the division of a column on which the shaft is placed. The Grecian Doric order has no base.

Base. Her. The lowest extremity.

Baselard, Fr. An ornamental short dagger, worn at the girdle; 15th century. With such a weapon the Lord Mayor of London “transfixit Jack Straw in gutture.” The weapon is preserved by the Fishmongers’ Company.

Bases. A kind of embroidered mantle, which hung down from the middle to about the knees, or lower; worn by knights on horseback. (Narcs.)

Basileia, Gr. (βασίλεια). A festival instituted in honour of Jupiter Basileus. It was in commemoration of the victory which the Bœotians had won at Leuctra, and in which success had been promised them by the oracle of

Fig. 70. Basilica at Pompeii (restored).

Fig. 71. Ground-plan of a Basilica.

Basilica (sc. aula), Gr. and R. (βασιλικὴ, sc. στοὰ, i. e. royal hall). This term owes its original meaning to the fact that in Macedonia the kings, and in Greece the archon Basileus dispensed justice in buildings of this description. The Romans, who adopted the basilica from the above-named countries, used it as a court of justice, but besides this it became a branch of the forum, and even when it did not form a part of the latter was constructed near it, as was the case at Pompeii. Fig. [71] represents the ground-plan of this basilica, and Fig. [70] a view of the same building restored. The ground-plan of the basilica is rectangular, the width not more than half nor less than a third of the length. It was divided by two single rows of columns into three naves, or aisles, and the tribunal of the judge was at one end of the centre aisle. In the centre of the tribunal was the curule chair of the prætor, and seats for the judices and advocates. Over each of the side aisles there was a gallery, from which shorter columns supported the roofs; these were connected by a parapet wall or balustrade. The central nave was open to the air. Under Constantine the basilicæ were adopted for Christian churches. The early Norman churches were built upon the same plan, and the circular apsis, where the judges originally sat, used for the central altar, was the origin of the apsidal termination of the Gothic cathedrals. The first basilica was built at Rome, B.C. 182. In the Middle Ages structures resembling small churches erected over tombs were called Basilica.

Basilidian Gems. (See Abraxas.)

Basilinda, Gr. and R. (βασιλίνδα). Literally, the game of the king; it was often played by Greek and Roman children. The king was appointed by lot, the rest being his subjects, and bound to obey him, during the game.

Fig. 72. Basilisk.

Basilisk. A fabulous animal, having the body of a cock, beak and claws of brass, and a triple serpent tail. The emblem of the Spirit of Evil. In heraldry, a cockatrice having its tail ending in a dragon’s head.

Basilium, Gr. (βασίλειον). A royal diadem, of a very tall form, of Egyptian origin. Isis-Fortuna is often represented wearing the basilium on her head.

Basinet. (See Bascinet.)

Basons for ecclesiastical ceremonies, for collecting alms or for holding the sacramental vessels, were a favourite subject for the goldsmith’s art. Some beautifully enamelled basons of the 13th century represent subjects of hawking and hunting, &c.

Bas-relief, Basso-relievo, sculptured figures projecting less than half of their true proportions; Mezzo-relievo projecting exactly half; Alto-relievo more than half, from the ground upon which they are carved.

Bassara or Bassaris, Gr. (a fox, or fox-skin). A long tunic of Lydian origin worn by the Mænads of Lydia and Thrace, who were often called, from this circumstance, Bassaræ and Bassarides.

Basterna, R. A closed litter appropriated especially to the use of ladies, as the Anthologia Latina says: “The gilded basterna conceals the chaste matrons.” It was carried by two mules harnessed in shafts, one in front and one behind; the Lectica (q.v.), on the contrary, was carried by men. During the Middle Ages the same form of litter was a common means of conveyance in England.

Fig. 73. Ground-plan of the Bastile.

Bastile, Arch. An outwork placed so as to defend the approach to a castle or fortified place. A famous Bastile which had been converted into a state prison was that of Paris, destroyed in 1789. Fig. [73] shows the ground-plan of it. The diminutive of this term is Bastillon, which has been changed into Bastion.

Bastion, Mod. A projecting polygonal buttress on a fortification. The anterior portions of a bastion are the faces; the lateral portions, the flanks; the space comprised between the two flanks, the gorge; and the part of the fortification connecting two bastions together, the curtain.

Bastisonus, Med. Lat. A bastion or bulwark.

Batagion or Batagium. (See Patagium.)

Fig. 74. Naval and Military Badge of the “Bath.”

Fig. 75. Civil Badge of the “Bath.”

Bath, Order of the, numbers 985 members, including the Sovereign; viz. First Class: Knights Grand Cross—G.C.B.—50 Naval and Military and 25 Civil Knights. Second Class: Knights Commanders—K.C.B.—120 Naval and Military and 50 Civil. Third Class: Companions—C.B.—525 Naval and Military and 200 Civil.

Batiaca or Batioca, Gr. and R. A vase of a very costly description, used as a drinking-vessel.

Batière, Fr., Arch. (See Saddle-roof.) A roof is said to be “en batière” when it is in the form of a pack-saddle; that is, when it has only two slopes or eaves, the two other sides being gables.

Batillum or Vatillum, R. (1) A hand-shovel used for burning scented herbs to fumigate. (2) Any kind of small shovel.

Baton. In heraldry, a diminutive of the BEND SINISTER couped at its extremities.

Baton. The military baton, or staff, was of Greek origin. (See Scytale.)

Batter, Arch. Said of walls that slope inwards from the base. Walls of wharfs and of fortifications generally batter.

Battle-axe is one of the most ancient of weapons. The pole-axe is distinguished by a spike on the back of the axe. (See Bipennis.)

Fig. 76. Embattled.

Battled, Embattled, Her. Having battlements.

Fig. 77. Battlement.

Battlement, Embattailment, Bateling, O. E. (Fr. Créneau, Merlet, Bretesse). A parapet in fortifications, consisting of a series of rising parts, called Merlons or Cops, separated by spaces called Crenels, Embrasures, or Loops.

Batuz. Norman French for battus, beaten with hammered up gold; said of silken stuffs so adorned.

Baucalia or Baucalis, Gr. and R. (βαυκάλιον, βαύκαλις). A drinking-vessel, which varied in shape and material.

Baucens, Bauceant, Med. A black and white banner used in the 13th century. (Meyrick.)

Baudekyn, O. E. A fabric of silk and gold thread.

Baudekyn (Lat. Baldakinus). Cloth of gold, brocade: “pannus omnium ditissimus.”

Baudrick or Baldrock, O. E., of a church bell. The strap by which the clapper is hung in the crown of the bell.

Baukides, Gr. (βαυκίδες). A kind of shoe worn by women; it was of a saffron colour. This elegantly-shaped shoe was highly esteemed by courtezans, who often placed cork soles inside their baukides, to make themselves appear taller.

Baxa or Baxea, Gr. Sandals made of textile plants, such as the palm, rush, willow, papyrus, and a kind of alfa. They were worn by comic actors on the stage.

Bay, Arch. (Fr. Travée). A principal compartment or division in a structure, marked off by buttresses or pilasters on the walls, or by the disposition of the vaulting, the main arches, &c. The French word baie means an opening made in a wall for a door or window.

Bayeux Tapestry. A roll of unbleached linen worked in coloured worsted with illustrations of the Norman Conquest (about A. D. 1068); preserved in the public library at Bayeux. A full-sized copy may be seen in the South Kensington Museum.

Bayle, Arch. The open space contained between the first and second walls of a fortified castle. These buildings often had two bayles; in this case, the second was contained between the inner wall and the donjon.

Bayonet. A weapon, so called after the town of Bayonne in France, where it was invented about A. D. 1650.

Bay-stall, Arch. The stall or seat in the bay (of a window).

Beads, Arch. An architectural ornament of mouldings consisting of small round carved beads, called also Astragal. Another name for this ornament is Paternosters.

Beaker (Fr. cornet). A trumpet-shaped vase, or drinking-cup.

Fig. 78. Moulding with Beak-heads and Tooth-ornament.

Beak-heads (Fr. becs d’oiseau), Mod. An ornament peculiar to English architecture, representing heads and beaks of birds. The ancient Peruvians used the same ornament in their architecture, as shown in Fig. [79], taken from the decoration of the monolithic door of Tianuaco.

Fig. 79. Peruvian ornament (Beak-heads).

Bear. Dancing bears are represented in Anglo-Saxon MSS.

Beards. (See barba.)

Beaver. The movable face-guard of a helmet.

Beds. Anglo-Saxon beds usually consisted merely of a sack (sæccing) filled with straw, and laid on a bench or board, which was ordinarily in a recess at the side of the room, as we still see in Scotland. The word bedstead means only “a place for a bed.” Tester beds, or beds with a roof, were introduced by the Normans. Early in the 13th century beds were covered much as now, with ‘quilte,’ counterpane, bolster, sheets, and coverlet; and stood behind curtains which hung from the ceiling. In the 15th century the beds became much more ornamental, having canopy and curtains, and these, as well as the tester or back, decorated with heraldic, religious, or other devices. At the sides were costers, or ornamental cloths. Between the curtains and the wall a space was left called the ruelle, or little street.

Beech Black. A blue-black vegetable pigment.

Bees, in Christian art, are an attribute of St. Ambrose.

Belfry (Fr. Beffroi). The campanile or bell-tower of a church. Frequently detached from the church, as at Chichester Cathedral. (See Bell-gable.)

Bell. An attribute of St. Anthony, referring to his power of exorcising evil spirits. In heraldry, the bell is drawn and blazoned as a church bell.

Bell-cot, Arch. A BELL-GABLE (q.v.).

Fig. 80. Belled.

Belled, Her. Having bells attached, like the cows in the device of the city of Béarn. (Fig. [80].)

Bell-gable, Arch. A turret raised over the west end of small churches and chapels that have no towers to hang a bell in. This is distinct from the smaller turret at the east end of the nave for the Sanctus Bell (q.v.).

Bellicrepa, Med. Lat. A military dance, of Italian origin.

Bellows were called in A.S. bælg or blastbælg. A MS. of the 14th century represents a man blowing at a three-legged caldron with a perfectly modern-looking pair of bellows. Bellows, in Christian art, are an attribute of Ste. Geneviève.

Bell-ring, Mod. The ring in the Crown of a bell from which the clapper hangs.

Bells on the caparisons of horses were common in the Middle Ages. A passage in the romance of Richard Cœur de Lion describes a messenger “with five hundred belles rygande.” Chaucer’s monk has also bells on his horse’s “bridel” which “gyngle as lowde as doth the chapel belle.”

Belt, Chr. A girdle used to confine the alb at the waist.

Belt of Beads, Chr. A rosary was sometimes so called.

Belvidere, It. A prospect tower over a building.

Bema, Gr. (1) A stone platform or hustings, used as a pulpit in early Christian churches. (2) The term is synonymous with sanctuary. (3) It also serves to denote an ambo and a bishop’s chair. (See Ambo.) The Athenian bema was a stone platform from which orators spoke at the assemblies (ecclesiæ) in the Pnyx.

Bembix, Gr. and R. (Lat. Turbo). (1) A child’s whipping-top. (2) The whorl of a spindle.

Benches, for seats, are represented in the 14th century formed by laying a plank upon two trestles.

Fig. 81. Bend. Arms of Le Scrope.

Bend, Her. One of the Ordinaries. It crosses the field diagonally, from the dexter chief to the sinister base, as in Fig. [81], the arms of Richard Le Scrope: Azure, a bend or.

Bendideia, Gr. (Βενδίδεια). A festival held in the Piræeus in honour of the goddess Bendis (the Thracian name of Artemis or Diana).

Bendlet, Her. The diminutive of Bend.

Bend-wise, or In bend, Her. Arranged in the direction of a bend.

Fig. 82. Bendy.

Bendy, Her. Parted bend-wise into an even number of divisions.

Benna, Gaul. and R. This term, borrowed either from the Welsh or the Gauls, denoted among the Romans a four-wheeled cart or carriage made of wicker-work. A benna may be seen on the bas-reliefs of the column of Marcus Aurelius.

Bennoŭ, Egyp. A mythical bird resembling the phœnix, which sprang from its own ashes, and was made the emblem of the resurrection. It symbolized the return of Osiris to the light, and was therefore consecrated to that god.

Benzoin. A gum-resin used as an ingredient in spirit varnishes.

Fig. 83. Berlin porcelain jug.

Berlin Porcelain. The manufactory was first founded in 1750, under Frederick the Great. Fig. [83] is a specimen of Berlin hard porcelain.

Beryl. A gem of an iridescent green colour.

Bes, R. (bi, twice, and as). A fraction of value equivalent to two-thirds of an as.

Besa, Gr. and R. A drinking-vessel, also called bessa and bession. It was wider at the bottom than at the top, and in shape much resembled the Bombylos (q.v.).

Bessa (Fr. beysse ferrée), Med. An instrument like a pickaxe or mattock used by the pioneers of an army; 15th century. (Meyrick.)

Bession. (See Besa.)

Bestions, Arch. This term is applied by Philibert Delorme to the fantastic animals which occur in sculptures of the decorative or florid period of architecture.

Beten, O. E. Embroidered with fancy subjects.

“A coronall on her hedd sett,

Her clothes with beasts and birdes were bete.”

Beveled, Arch. Having a sloped surface. (See Splay.)

Bever. A Norman word for “taking a drink” between breakfast and dinner; elsewhere called “a myd-diner under-mete.”

Fig. 84. Bezant.

Bezant, Her. A golden “roundle” or disk, flat like a coin.

Biacca, It. White carbonate of lead; a pigment.

Biblia, Med. Lat. A war engine for attack.

Bibliotheca, Gr. and R. (βιβλίον, book, and θήκη, case). Primarily the place where books were kept, and hence used for the collection of books or MSS. itself. The most celebrated library of antiquity was that founded by the Ptolemies at Alexandria, destroyed by the Arabs, A. D. 640.

Bibliothecula, Gr. and R. (dimin. of bibliotheca). A small library.

Bice. The name of certain very ancient blue and green pigments, known also as Mountain (or Saunders’) blue, and Mountain green, and by other names. (See Carbonates of Copper.)

Biclinium, Gr. and R. A couch or sofa on which two persons could recline at table.

Bicos, Gr. (See Bikos.)

Bidens, R. (dens, a tooth). Literally, with two teeth, forks, or blades. The term was applied to a hoe, a pair of scissors, and an anchor (ancora bidens). A two-forked weapon of the same name occurs in some representations of Pluto.

Bidental, R. (bidens). A structure consecrated by the augurs or haruspices, through the sacrifice of an animal. This was generally a sheep of two years old, whence the name bidens applied to the victim. The bidental was often an altar surrounded with a peristyle, as may be seen from the remains of one of them at Pompeii. A bidental was set up in any place which had been struck by lightning. A cippus or puteal placed on the exact spot which had been struck bore the inscription: Fulmen or fulgur conditum.

Bien-hoa or Ben-hoa, Hind. A kind of stone employed by the Khmers or ancient inhabitants of Camboja for their sculpture; they also called it baï-kriem (roasted rice), which it exactly resembles. Its deep yellow colour recalls in a striking degree that of old white marbles which have been long exposed to the sun and air in warm countries.

Fig. 85. Bifrons.

Bifrons, R. (frons, a forehead). Having two fronts or faces. Libraries and picture galleries generally contained statuary of heads or busts coupled together back to back, but especially of Janus, emblematic of his knowledge both of the past and the future. The illustration represents a Greek vase, in imitation of the statuary described.

Biga, R. (bi and juga, double-yoked). A car drawn by two horses. Bigæ also denoted, like bijugus or bijugis, two horses harnessed together. [The Greeks called this method “Synoris.”]

Bigatus, R. (sc. nummus). A silver denarius (one of the earliest Roman coins) which had a BIGA on the reverse. Other denarii were quadrigati, having a four-horse chariot on the reverse.

Biggon, O. E. “A kind of quoif formerly worn by men;” hence “Béguines,” the nuns at the Béguinage at Ghent, who still wear the biggon.

Bikos, Gr. and R. A large earthenware vase adapted to hold dry provisions, such as figs, plums, &c.

Bilanx, R. (double-dish). A balance with two scales. (See Libra.)

Bilbo. A light rapier invented at Bilboa.

Bilix, R. (double-thread). A texture like “twill,” or “dimity,” made by a double set of leashes (licia).

Fig. 86. Bill-head.

Bill, O. E. A weapon made of a long staff with a broad curved blade, a short pike at the back, and a pike at the top, used by infantry of the 14th and 15th centuries. (Fig. [86].)

Billet, Her. A small oblong figure.

Billet, Arch. A moulding of the Roman epoch, consisting of short rods separated from each other by a space equal to their own length. Some billets are arranged in several rows.

Bilychnis, Gr. and R. A double lamp with two beaks and two wicks, so as to give out two separate flames.

Binio, R. A gold coin current at Rome. It was worth two aurei or fifty silver denarii. (See Aureus.)

Bipalium, R. A spade, furnished with a cross-bar, by pressing the foot on which the instrument could be pushed into the ground. Representations of this tool occur pretty frequently on tombs.

Fig. 87. Bipennis.

Bipennis or Bipenne, Gen. (penna, a wing). An axe with a double blade or edge, used as an agricultural implement, an adze, or a military weapon. The Greeks, who called it βουπλὴξ, never made use of it. It was used especially by barbarous nations, such as the Amazons, Scythians, Gauls, &c. Fig. [87] represents a Gaulish bipennis taken from one of the bas-reliefs on the triumphal arch at Orange.

Bird, in Egyptian hieroglyphics, signified the soul of man, and in Christian art had originally a similar meaning afterwards forgotten.

Bird-bolt. A short thick arrow, with a blunt head, about the breadth of a shilling.

Biremis, R. (remus, an oar). A pair-oared boat, or a vessel having two banks of oars.

Fig. 88. Biretta. (Portrait of a Rector of Padua.)

Biretta, It. A cap. In its restricted meaning the term is applied to that worn by priests and academical persons. The illustration shows the state costume of the Rector of the University of Padua, who wears a sacerdotal biretta.

Birotus and Birota, R. (rota, a wheel). Anything having two wheels, and so a two-wheeled carriage, car, or chariot.

Birrus and Byrrus, R. A russet-coloured capote with a hood. It was made of a coarse cloth (bure) with a long nap. Such was, at first, the meaning of the term, but in course of time birri of a fine quality were made.

Bisaccium (It. bisacce). Saddle-bags of coarse sacking.

Biscuit, Fr. A kind of porcelain, unglazed. The finest is the so called Parian porcelain.

Bisellium, R. (sella, a seat). A seat of honour or state chair, reserved for persons of note, or who had done service to the state. There was room on the seat for two persons.

Bishop’s Length. Technical name for a portrait-canvas of 58 inches by 94 inches.

Bismuth. The pigment, called pearl white, which is the sub-nitrate of this metal, is very susceptible to the action of sulphurous vapours, which turn it black.

Bisomus, Chr. A sarcophagus with two compartments; that is, capable of holding two dead bodies. (See Sarcophagus.)

Bistre. A warm brown water-colour-pigment, made of the soot of beech-wood, water, and gum. It is the mediæval fuligo and fuligine.

Biting-in. The action of aqua fortis upon copper or steel in engraving.

Bitumen. This pigment should be genuine Asphaltum, diluted and ground up with drying oil or varnish. It dries quickly. There is a substance sold as bitumen which will not dry at all. (See Asphaltum.)

Bivium, R. (via, a way). A street or road branching out into two different directions; at the corner there was almost always a fountain.

Bizarre, Fr. Fantastic, capricious of kind.

Black is the resultant of the combination in unequal proportions of blue, red, and yellow.

Black, in Christian art, expressed the earth; darkness, mourning, wickedness, negation, death; and was appropriate to the Prince of Darkness. White and black together signify purity of life, and mourning or humiliation; hence adopted by the Dominicans and Carmelites. In blazonry, black, called sable, signifies prudence, wisdom, and constancy in adversity and love, and is represented by horizontal and perpendicular lines crossing each other.

Black Pigments are very numerous, of different degrees of transparency, and of various hues, in which either red or blue predominates, producing brown blacks or blue blacks. The most important are beech black, or vegetable blue black; bone black, or Paris black, called also ivory black; Cassel or Cologne black, cork black, Frankfort black, and lamp-black. (See Asphaltum.)

Blades, Arch. The principal rafters of a roof.

Blasted, Her. Leafless, withered.

Blautai, Gr. (Lat. soleæ). A richly-made shoe; a kind of sandal worn by men.

Blazon, Her. Armorial compositions. To blazon is to describe or to represent them in an heraldic manner. The representation is called Blazonry. For example, the blazoning of the BADGES on the cornice of King Henry’s chantry in Westminster Abbey is as follows:—On the dexter, a white antelope, ducally collared, chained, and armed or; and on the sinister a swan gorged with a crown and chain. The beacon or cresset or, inflamed proper. (See Fig. [54].)

Blending. Passing over painting with a soft brush of badger’s hair made for the purpose, by which the pigments are fused together and the painting softened.

Blindman’s Buff. Called “hoodman-blind,” temp. Elizabeth.

Blind-story, Arch. The TRIFORIUM in a church. Opposed to the CLEAR or CLERESTORY (q.v.).

Blocking-course, Arch. The last course in a wall, especially of a parapet. The surface is made slightly convex to allow of water flowing off more easily.

Blodbendes (O. E. for blood-bands). Narrow strips of linen to bind round the arm after bleeding.

Blodius, O. E. Sky-blue.

Bloom. The clouded appearance which varnish sometimes takes upon the surface of a picture.

Blue. One of the three primary colours, the complementary to orange. Blue, in Christian art, or the sapphire, expressed heaven, the firmament, truth, constancy, fidelity. Its symbolism as the dress worn by the Virgin Mary is of modesty. In blazonry it signifies chastity, loyalty, fidelity, and good reputation. Engravers represent it by horizontal lines.

Blue Black, or Charcoal Black, is a pigment prepared by burning vine-twigs in close vessels. Mixed with white lead it yields very fine silvery greys. (See also Black Pigments.)

Blue Pigments. Minerals:—see Ultramarine, Cobalt, Blue Verditer. Vegetable:—Indigo. Animal:—Prussian blue. (See Carbonate of Copper, Intense Blue.)

Blue Verditer. (See Verditer.)

Figs. 89, 90. Boars. Gallic ensigns.

Boar. In mediæval art, emblem of ferocity and sensuality. In heraldry the boar is called Sanglier. The military ensigns of the Gauls were surmounted by figures of the wild boar.

Boclerus, Med. Lat. A buckler; 14th century. The word is derived from the German Bock, a goat. Compare Ægis.

Bodkin, Saxon. A dagger, a hair-pin, a blunt flat needle.

“With bodkins was Cæsar Julius

Murdred at Rome, of Brutus, Cassius.”

(The Serpent of Division, 1590.)

“He pulls her bodkin that is tied in a piece of black ribbon.” (The Parson’s Wedding, 1663.)

The Latin name for this classical head-dress was acus.

Body Colour. In speaking of oil colours the term applies to their solidity, or degree of opacity; water-colour painting is said to be in body colours when the pigments are laid on thickly, or mixed with white, as in oil painting.

Boedromia, Gr. and R. A festival instituted in honour of Apollo the Helper—βοηδρόμος. It was held at Athens on the sixth day of September, a month thence called Boedromion.

Bohemian Glass. The manufacture of a pure crystal glass well adapted for engraving became an important industry in Germany about the year 1600, and the art of engraving was admirably developed during the century. Of Johann Schapper, especially, Jacquemart says that he produced “subjects and arabesques of such delicacy of execution that at first sight they seemed merely like a cloud on the glass.”

Bohordamentum, Med. Lat. A joust with mock lances called “bouhours.”

Bojæ, R. (bos, an ox). (1) A heavy collar of wood or iron for dangerous dogs. (2) A similar collar placed round the necks of criminals or slaves.

Boletar, R. A dish on which mushrooms (boleti) were served, and thence transferred to dishes of various forms.

Bolevardus, Med. Lat. A boulevard or rampart.

Bombard, O. E. A machine for projecting stones or iron balls; the precursor of the cannon. First used in the 14th century.

Fig. 91. Bombards worn by King James I. of England.

Bombards, O. E. Padded breeches. In Elizabeth’s reign the breeches, then called Bombards, were stuffed so wide that a gallery or scaffold was erected to accommodate members of Parliament who wore them. The engraving shows James I. (painted 1614) attired for hawking. (Fig. [91].)

Bombax, O. E. The stuff now called Bombasin. “A sort of fine silk or cotton cloth well known upon the continent during the 13th century.” (Strutt.)

Bombé, Fr. Curved furniture, introduced in the 18th century.

Bombulom or Bunibulum, O. E. (from the Greek βόμβος, a hollow deep sound). A musical instrument consisting of an angular frame with metal plates, which sounded when shaken like the sistrum of the Egyptians.

Bombylos and Bombylê, Gr. and R. A vase so called from the gurgling noise which the liquid makes in pouring out through its narrow neck.

Bone Black. (See Ivory Black.)

Book. In mediæval art an attribute of the fathers of the Church; in the hands of evangelists and apostles it represents the Gospel. St. Boniface carries a book pierced with a sword. St. Stephen, St. Catherine, St. Bonaventura, and St. Thomas Aquinas also carry books.

Bordure, Her. A border to a shield.

Boreasmos, Gr. A festival held at Athens in honour of Boreas, the god of the north wind.

Borto or Burdo, Med. Lat. A lance.

Boss. The centre of a shield; also an architectural ornament for ceilings, put where the ribs of a vault meet, or in other situations.

Fig. 92. Greek Bossage.

Fig. 93. Bossage.

Bossage, Arch. An arrangement of plain or ornamental projections on the surface of a wall of dressed masonry. Figs. 92 and 93 represent two Greek walls finished in this manner.

Boston, O. E. A flower so called.

Botéga, It. A manufactory or artist’s workshop where pottery is made.

Fig. 94. Botonée Fitchée.

Botonée, Fitchée, Her. Varieties of the heraldic cross, called also treflée. (Fig. [94].)

Fig. 95. Coffee-pot of Bottcher Ware.

Bottcher Ware. Early Dresden pottery. (1) A very hard red stone-ware, made of a red clay of Okrilla, invented at Meissen by John Frederick Bottcher. (2) Porcelain. Bottcher, finding his wig very heavy one day, examined the powder upon it, and discovered it to be the fine kaolin of Aue, from which the Dresden (or Meissen) china is made. Bottcher’s first object was to obtain a paste as white and as perfect as that of the Corea; he succeeded at his first trial, and produced pieces with archaic decoration so perfectly imitated, that one would hesitate to declare them European.

Fig. 96. Bottle-mouldings.

Bottle, Boutell, Bowtell, or Boltell, Arch. An old English term for a bead moulding; also for small shafts of clustered columns resting against the pillars of a nave, in the Romano-Byzantine and Gothic periods. These shafts spring from the ground and rise to the height of the bend of the roof, the diagonal ribs of which they receive on coupled columns. Probably from bolt, an arrow.

Fig. 97. Water Bouget.

Bougets or Water Bougets, Fr., were pouches of leather, which were used by the Crusaders for carrying water in the deserts. Fig. [97] is a heraldic representation of the coat of arms of De Ros.

Boulé, Bouleuterion, Gr. An assembly composed of the foremost men of the nation. It was a kind of senate or higher council which deliberated on the affairs of the republic. The popular assembly, on the other hand, composed of all the males of free birth, was called agora, and was held in a place called by the same name. (See Agora.)

Boule. A peculiar kind of marquetry, composed of tortoise-shell and thin brass, to which are sometimes added ivory and enamelled metal. Named from its inventor, André Charles Boule, born 1642.

Boulting-mill. A mill for winnowing the flour from the bran (crusca); the device of the Academy of La Crusca. (See Crusca.)

Bourdon. A pilgrim’s staff. On the walls of Hôtel Cluny, at Paris, the pilgrim’s bourdon and cockle-shells are sculptured. Piers Plowman describes a pilgrim’s

“burdoun y-bounde

With a broad liste, in a withwynde wise

Y-wounden about.”

Bourginot. A close helmet of the 15th century, first used in Burgundy.

Fig. 98. Bourgogne Point Lace.

Bourgogne, Point de, is a beautifully fine and well-finished pillow lace resembling old Mechlin. No record remains of its manufacture. (Fig. [98].)

Bovile. (See Bubile.)

Bow. Represented in the most ancient monuments. In classical art an attribute of Apollo, Cupid, Diana, Hercules, and the Centaurs.

Bow, Arch., O. E. A flying buttress, or arch-buttress.

Bowed, Her. Having a convex contour.

Bower or Bowre, O. E. The Anglo-Saxon name for a bed-chamber, “bird in bure” = a lady in her chamber. The bed-chambers were separate buildings grouped round or near the central hall.

“Up then rose fair Annet’s father,

Twa hours or it wer day,

And he is gane into the bower

Wherein fair Annet lay.”

(Percy Ballads.)

Bowls of metal, generally bronze or copper, found in early Anglo-Saxon barrows or graves, are probably of Roman workmanship. Some beautiful buckets (A.S. bucas) were made of wood, generally of ash, whence they had another name æscen. They are ornamented with designs, and figures of animals, and were probably used at festivities to contain ale or mead.

Bowtell or Boutell, Arch. (See Bottle.)

Brabeum, Brabium, or Bravium, Gr. (βραβεῖον, from βραβεὺς, judge). Three terms denoting the prize assigned to the victor in the public games.

Fig. 99. Figures with Braccæ.

Braccæ, Bracæ, or Bragæ (Celtic breac). Trousers worn principally by barbarous nations, such as the Amazons, Gauls, Persians, and Scythians. Anaxyrides was the name given to close-fitting trousers, braccæ laxæ to wider pantaloons, such as those worn by the Gaul in the left-hand corner of Fig. [99], from a bas-relief taken from the sarcophagus of the vigna Ammendola. The braccæ virgatæ were striped pantaloons worn especially by Asiatics; braccæ picta, variegated or embroidered trousers. (See Breeches.)

Fig. 100. Three diamond rings interlaced.

Braced or Brazed, Her. Interlaced, as in the illustration of the arms of Cosmo, the founder of the Medici family. (Fig. [100].) (See also the illustration to Fret.)

Bracelet. Bracelets were, among the ancients, a symbol of marriage. (See Armilla.)

Bracelets. (See Periscelis.)

Brachiale, R. (brachium, the arm). An armlet, or piece of defensive armour covering the brachium or forearm. It was worn by gladiators in the circus. Some beautifully ornamented specimens were found among the excavations at Pompeii.

Brackets, Arch., in mediæval architecture, are usually called Corbels. (See Fig. [5].)

Braconniere, O. E. A skirt of armour, worn hanging from the breast and back plates; 16th century.

Bractea or Brattea, R. Leaves of metal, especially of gold, beaten out.

Braga, Bragæ. (See Braccæ.)

Bragamas, O. E. (See Braquemard.) “Un grant coustel, que l’en dit bragamas;” 14th cent.

Braggers, O. E. An obsolete term for timber Brackets.

Brake, O. E. A quern or hand-mill.

Brand, A.S. A torch; hence, from its shining appearance, a sword. (Meyrick.)

Brandrate, O. E. An iron tripod fixed over the fire, on which to set a pot or kettle.

Braquemard, O. E. A kind of sabre—“un grant coustel d’Alemaigne, nommé braquemart;” 14th century.

Brass, Gen. An alloy made by mixing copper with tin, or else with zinc or silver. Another name for it is Bronze (q.v.). Corinthian brass is very celebrated, but little is known of its composition even at the present day. Mosaic gold, pinchbeck, prince’s metal, &c., are varieties of brass differing in the proportions of the ingredients. Brass beaten into very thin leaves is called Dutch Metal.

Fig. 101. Brassart.

Brassart. Plate armour for the arm. (Fig. [101].)

Brasses. Engraved metal plates inlaid in the pavements or walls of churches as monuments. The material was called cullen (or Cologne) plate. The engravings were made black with mastic or bitumen, and the field or background was coarsely enamelled in various colours.

Brattach, Celtic. A standard; literally, a cloth.

Braunshid, O. E. Branched.

Breadth “in painting is a term which denotes largeness, space, vastness,” &c. (Consult J. B. Pyne “On the Nomenclature of Pictorial Art,” Art Union, 1843.)

Breccia, It. A conglomerate used by the ancients in architecture and sculpture.

Breeches (breac Celtic, braccæ Lat.). The word breeches in its present acceptance was first used towards the end of the 16th century; previously, breeches were called hose, upper socks, and slop. (See Bombards and Braccæ.)

Bremen Green. (See Verditer.)

Breys, Her. (See Barnacles.)

Bridges, O. E. A kind of satin manufactured at Bruges.

Fig. 102. Bridle-device of the Arbusani.

Bridle. A favourite Scriptural emblem of self-restraint and self-denial. The illustration is the device of Benedetto Arbusani of Padua; with the motto which, according to Epictetus, contains every essential to human happiness. (Fig. [102].) (See “Historic Devices.”)

Broach or Broch, O. E. A church spire, or any sharp-pointed object, was frequently so called.

Fig. 103. Broad arrow.

Broad Arrow, now used as the Royal mark on all Government stores, &c., was first employed as a regal badge by Richard I. (Fig. [103].)

Fig. 104. Gold Brocade State or “Ducal” costume of the Dogeressa of Venice.

Brocade. A stout silken stuff of variegated pattern. Strutt says it was composed of silk interwoven with threads of gold and silver. The state or “ducal” costume of the Dogeressa of Venice, represented in the illustration, consisted principally of an ample robe of the finest gold brocade, lined with ermine. (Figs. 88, 104.)

Broella. Coarse cloth worn by monks in the Middle Ages.

Bromias, Gr. A drinking-vessel of wood, or silver, resembling a large Scyphus (q.v.).

Bronze. Antique bronze was composed of tin and copper; the modern bronze contains also zinc and lead, by which the fluidity is increased, and the brittleness diminished.

Bronzes (ancient Chinese) are rarely seen out of the province of Fokien. The lines of metal are small and delicate, and are made to represent flowers, trees, animals of various kinds, and sometimes Chinese characters. Some fine bronzes, inlaid with gold, are met with in this province. As a general rule, Chinese bronzes are more remarkable for their peculiar and certainly not very handsome form than for anything else.

Bronzing. The art of laying a coating of bronze powder on wood, gypsum, or other material. Another method is the electrotype process. (Consult Walker’s Electrotype Manipulation.)

Figs. 105 to 112. Gallic and Merovingian brooches.

Brooch. (See Fibula.) Anglo-Saxon and Irish specimens of magnificent workmanship are described in the Archæological Album. In the Middle Ages brooches bore quaint inscriptions: Chaucer’s “prioress” wore

“a broche of gold ful shene,

On which was first y-wretten a crouned A,

And after, Amor vincit omnia.”

Leather brooches for hats are mentioned by Dekker in Satiromastix, 1602. Figs. [a]105], [a]106], [a]107] represent different brooches found in France of the Gallic and Merovingian periods. (Compare Fibula, Phaleræ.)

Fig. 113. Gallic brooch.

Brown, in Egyptian art, was the colour consecrated to Typhon; in ancient times it was the sign of mourning. Regarded as a compound of red and black, Bistre, it is the symbol of all evil deeds and treason. In a monastic costume it signifies renunciation. With the Moors it was emblematic of all evil. Christian symbolism appropriates the colour of the dead leaf for the type of “spiritual death,” &c. (Consult Portal, Essai sur les Couleurs symboliques.)

Brown Madder. (See Madder.)

Brown Ochre. A strong, dark, yellow, opaque pigment. (See Ochres.)

Brown Pigments are asphaltum, bistre, umber, sienna, Mars brown, Cassel earth, Cappagh brown, brown madder, and burnt terra verde;—chiefly calcined earths. (See also Indigo.)

Brown Pink (Fr. stil de grain). A vegetable yellow pigment. (See Pinks.)

Brown Red is generally made from burnt yellow ochre, or Roman ochre, or from calcined sulphate of iron. (See Mars.)

Brunswick Green. A modification of Mountain Green (q.v.).

Bruny, Byrne, or Byrnan. Saxon for a breastplate or cuirass, called by the Normans “broigne.”

Brushes. (See Hair Pencils.)

Fig. 114. Brussels Lace.

Brussels Point à l’Aiguille differs somewhat from the lace usually known as Brussels Lace or Point d’Angleterre, but resembles Point d’Alençon in the réseau ground. (Fig. [114].) (See Point d’Angleterre.)

Buccina (Gr. βυκάνη). A kind of trumpet anciently made of a conch-shell, represented in the hands of Tritons.

Buccula, R. (bucca, a cheek). The chin-piece or cheek-piece of a helmet, which could be raised or lowered by the soldier at will.

Bucentaur. A monster, half man and half ox. The name of the Venetian state galley.

Buckets, Anglo-Saxon. (See Bowls.)

Fig. 115. Heraldic buckle.

Buckle, Her. The crest of the Pelham family, now represented by the Earls of Chichester. It is a common ornament of ecclesiastical buildings, houses, and other objects in Sussex. (Fig. [115].)

Buckler. (See Clipeus and Scutum.)

Buckram. A cloth stiffened with gum, so called from Bokhara, where it was originally made.

Fig. 116. Bucranium.

Bucranium, R. (βουκράνιον). An ox’s head from which the flesh has been stripped; an ox-skull employed in the decoration of friezes by Greek and Roman architects. Fig. [116] represents a bucranium in the temple of Vespasian at Rome.

Budge, O. E. Lambskin with the wool dressed outwards. Mentioned by Chaucer.

Buffett-stoole, O. E. A stool with three legs.

Buffin, O. E. Coarse cloth of Elizabeth’s time.

Bugles, O. E. Glass beads in the hair, temp. Elizabeth and James I.

Buldiellus, Med. Lat. A baudric.

Bulga, R. A purse or leathern bag for money which was carried on the arm. According to Festus the word is of Gallic origin.

Fig. 117. Bulla (on a door).

Bulla, R. (bullo, to bubble). A term denoting objects of various kinds, but all more or less approximating in shape to a water-bubble. The heads of certain nails were called bullæ; Fig. [117] shows one of the bullæ decorating an ancient bronze door in the Pantheon at Rome. The bulla aurea was an ornament of globular shape, worn round the neck by children of patrician family. The bulla scortea was an ornament made of leather, worn by freedmen or individuals of the lower orders.

Bulting-pipe, O. E. A bolting-cloth for sifting meal.

Bullula, R. (bulla). Diminutive of Bulla (q.v.).

Bur. A term in etching for the rough edge of a line, commonly removed, but by Rembrandt and other great masters made effective.

Burdalisaunder, Bourde de Elisandre. Burda, a stuff for clothing (mentioned in the 4th century) from Alexandria. A silken web in different coloured stripes; 14th century.

Burgau. A univalve shell, Turbo marmoratus, producing a mother-of-pearl; and hence all works in mother-of-pearl, of whatever material, are called “burgau.” (Jacquemart.)

Burin. An instrument for engraving on copper.

Burnisher. A steel instrument used by engravers to soften lines or efface them. An agate is used to burnish gold.

Burnt Sienna. (See Sienna.)

Burnt Terra Verde. (See Green Earth.)

Burnt Umber. (See Umber.)

Burr, O. E. (1) The broad iron ring on a tilting-lance, just below the gripe, to prevent the hand slipping back. (2) Projecting defences at the front of a saddle. (Meyrick.) (3) The rough edge produced on the metal by an incised or etched line in an engraving.

Buskin. (See Cothurnus.)

Bustum, R. (buro, to burn). An open spot upon which a pyre was raised for burning the corpse of a person of distinction. When the area adjoined the burying-ground, it was called bustum; when it was separate from it, it was called ustrina.

Fig. 118. Arch-buttress.

Buttress, Arch. An abutment employed to increase the solidity or stability of a wall; it may either immediately abut on the wall, or be connected with it by a flying or arch-buttress (Fig. [118]). In the Romano-Byzantine and lanceolated styles buttresses are largely employed to strengthen the walls of naves which have to support high vaulted roofs.

Buxum, R. (πύξος). Box, an evergreen, the wood of which was used for various purposes, as with us. By analogy, the term buxum was applied to objects made of this wood, such as combs, flutes, children’s shoes, and waxed tablets for writing.

Buzo, O. E. The arrow for an arquebus, or cross-bow. French, boujon: “a boult, an arrow with a great or broad head.” (Cotgrave.)

Byrrus. (See Birrus.)

Byssus, Gr. and R. (βύσσος). The precise meaning of this term is unknown; there is no doubt it was a texture made of some very costly material, since we learn from Pliny that the byssus cloth which he calls linum byssinum was exceedingly dear. Everything leads us to suppose that it was a linen material of the finest quality. This opinion would seem to be confirmed by Herodotus and Æschylus. The word comes from the Hebrew butz.

Fig. 120. Byzantine ornament on an English font.

Fig. 119. Byzantine Font.

Fig. 121. Roman-Byzantine Cross at Carew.

Byzantine Period. Time, about 6th to 12th century A. D. (Byzantium, the Latin name of Constantinople.) Byzantine Architecture is noteworthy for a bold development of the plan of Christian places of worship. It introduced the cupola, or dome, which was often surrounded by semi-domes; an almost square ground-plan in place of the long aisles of the Roman church; and piers instead of columns. The apse always formed part of Byzantine buildings, which were richly decorated, and contained marble in great profusion. St. Sophia, Constantinople (A. D. 532–537), is the finest example of Byzantine architecture. St. Mark’s, Venice (A. D. 977), and the Cathedral of Aix-la-Chapelle (A. D. 796–804), are also of pure Byzantine style. Byzantine Painting was that which succeeded the decline of the early Christian Art in the catacombs and basilicas of Rome, and which preceded and foreshadowed the Renaissance of Art in Italy. In style it was based on that of the catacombs, but with a reminiscence of the excellence of ancient Greece; it was, however, restrained and kept within narrow limits by the conventionalities which were imposed upon it by the Church, and which almost reduced it to a mechanical art. The mosaics of the 10th and 11th centuries in St. Mark’s, Venice, are perhaps the best existing examples of the Byzantine period. Specimens are also to be seen in St. Sophia, Constantinople; and at Ravenna.