DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.51584#0180
176 EARLY ITALIAN PAINTERS.
According to Vasari’s account, Maso Finiguerra
was a skilful goldsmith, living in Florence ; he
became celebrated for the artistic beatify of his
designs and workmanship in niello. Finiguerra is
said to be the first to whom it accidentally occurred
to try the effect of his work, and preserve a memo-
randum of his design in the following manner:—
Previous to filling up the engraved lines with the
niello, which was a final process, he applied to them
a black fluid easily removed, and then laying a
piece of damp paper on the plate or object, and
pressing or rubbing it forcibly, the paper imbibed
the fluid from the tracing, and presented a fac-simile
of the design, which had the appearance of being
drawn with a pen. That Finiguerra was the first
or the only worker in niello who used this method
of trying the effect of the work is more than doubt-
ful ; but it is certain that the earliest known im-
pression of a niello plate is the impression from a
pax* now existing in the church of S. Giovanni at
Florence, executed by Finiguerra, and representing
the subject we have often alluded to—the Corona-
tion of the Virgin by her Son the Redeemer, in
presence of Saints and Angels; it contains nearly
thirty minute figures most exquisitely designed.
* A pax oi' pix is the name given to the vessel in which
the consecrated bread or wafer of the sacrament was depo-
sited. This vessel was usually of the richest workmanship,
often enriched with gems.
According to Vasari’s account, Maso Finiguerra
was a skilful goldsmith, living in Florence ; he
became celebrated for the artistic beatify of his
designs and workmanship in niello. Finiguerra is
said to be the first to whom it accidentally occurred
to try the effect of his work, and preserve a memo-
randum of his design in the following manner:—
Previous to filling up the engraved lines with the
niello, which was a final process, he applied to them
a black fluid easily removed, and then laying a
piece of damp paper on the plate or object, and
pressing or rubbing it forcibly, the paper imbibed
the fluid from the tracing, and presented a fac-simile
of the design, which had the appearance of being
drawn with a pen. That Finiguerra was the first
or the only worker in niello who used this method
of trying the effect of the work is more than doubt-
ful ; but it is certain that the earliest known im-
pression of a niello plate is the impression from a
pax* now existing in the church of S. Giovanni at
Florence, executed by Finiguerra, and representing
the subject we have often alluded to—the Corona-
tion of the Virgin by her Son the Redeemer, in
presence of Saints and Angels; it contains nearly
thirty minute figures most exquisitely designed.
* A pax oi' pix is the name given to the vessel in which
the consecrated bread or wafer of the sacrament was depo-
sited. This vessel was usually of the richest workmanship,
often enriched with gems.