DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.1399#0017
PLATE 204.
SCISSORS AK> LOCKS.
THE SCISSORS BY TORO, OF C0MP0BASS0, AND GUERRE, OF LANGRES;
THE LOCKS BY MESSRS. HOBBS, ASHLEY, & CO., LONDON.
r~\UEING the 16th century Italy produced such workers in iron and steel as modern Europe has
-*—' never surpassed ; but the traditions of those ingenious artists whose productions had once been
the admiration of all nations died out almost entirely in the succeeding period of Italy's decadence,
and left few, if any, traces behind. Something of their spirit, however, would still seem to animate
the artificers whose works we have illustrated in the accompanying lithograph. They are boldly cut
in steel, and of good design ; the most elaborate pair being by Pietro Antonio Toro, of Campobasso,
Southern Italy. Inscribed on the blade is "Alia Regina Vittoria ;" on the border of the handle the
maker's name, "Pietr' Antonio di Toro, artefice di Compobasso," is formed in'open-cut letters, and
within the handle are minute representations of the Last Supper, Christ before Pilate, the Crucifixion,
and the Resurrection. The scissors of S. Santangelo and Messrs. Venditti and Terzano, also
of Campobasso, were likewise of a most ornate description, and boldly cut.
The finely-worked scissors of M. C. Guerre, Jun., of Langres (Haute-Marne), left nothing to
be desired in point of design and execution. M. Guerre was awarded a medal by the International
Jury of Class 32 B, " for a varied assortment of cutlery of good quality."
It is almost unnecessary to say anything in praise of the productions of Messrs. Hobbs, Ashley,
and Co., their works being so universally known and admired. They were awarded a medal " for
excellence of manufacture in locks and safes." The firm received, also, a prize medal at London,
1851; a first-class medal at Paris, 1855; besides medals of honour from Austria and the United
States. We read in the official Report of Class 31, that the patent locks of this firm have " tended
to reduce the price of the cheaper description of lever locks made by hand; but it does not
appear that machinery has been introduced by any other maker. Much greater difficulties were
met with by Mr. Hobbs than were expected. A great deal of time was occupied in perfecting
his machinery; and he found that even if he made three-fourths of each lock by machinery, to
make the remaining fourth by hand was as costly as to make the whole by hand. This arose
from the form of the different parts not being adapted to be economically made by hand; and
from the necessity of making all the parts accurately alike, which were to fit into the machine-
made parts. In a hand-made lock the different parts are fitted one to another in a very rapid
manner by a practised workman, but are not interchangeable like the pieces struck in dies by
Mr. Hobbs, which are all of the same size and shape." For a further notice of English locks
the reader is referred to the letter-press appended to Plate 234.
As regards the state of the smith's art in Italy, although now at somewhat a low ebb,
there are still evident proofs of a capability for better things, and a manipulative power which
only requires instruction to bring it to something approaching its former excellence. It is curious
that the finest work, both in design and execution, should be produced in so out-of-the-way a
place as Campobasso, a small town of some 9,000 inhabitants, in the province of Sannio, famous
in Roman history as Samnium. This little town enjoys great repute in Italy for its cutlery,
which is manufactured there on an extensive scale. Italy is well supplied with iron ore, mainly
from the isle of Elba, converted into pig-iron principally in the north, and smelted with charcoal,
from whence almost all the Italian steel is obtained, produced usually in the open fire by the
German forge-process. We have not space to enumerate the several parts of Italy which have
a local reputation for different kinds of hardware. We will only add, that besides Campobasso
in the south, Florence and Pistoia in central Italy, and Milan and Brescia in the north, are the
principal sites of the cutlery manufacture; and that for safety-locks and strong boxes, Ciani of
Florence, Caruti of Genoa, and other makers at Milan, have a well-deserved reputation.
In the 16th century, Palermo was famous for its cutlery. In a play acted before Queen
Elizabeth we read, " It is a razor, and that a very good one—it came lately from Palermo." But
whereas we then imported our cutlery from Italy, we now export (1861) to the value of £39,126
to Naples and Sicily alone, and to the entire kingdom £92,906 worth.
We cannot say that Italy was properly represented in hardware ; and in regard to wrought-
iron work, we only remarked one example; but that was of very great artistic merit; viz., a
hammered iron gate by P. Franci, of Siena, who received a medal for "very good work."
SCISSORS AK> LOCKS.
THE SCISSORS BY TORO, OF C0MP0BASS0, AND GUERRE, OF LANGRES;
THE LOCKS BY MESSRS. HOBBS, ASHLEY, & CO., LONDON.
r~\UEING the 16th century Italy produced such workers in iron and steel as modern Europe has
-*—' never surpassed ; but the traditions of those ingenious artists whose productions had once been
the admiration of all nations died out almost entirely in the succeeding period of Italy's decadence,
and left few, if any, traces behind. Something of their spirit, however, would still seem to animate
the artificers whose works we have illustrated in the accompanying lithograph. They are boldly cut
in steel, and of good design ; the most elaborate pair being by Pietro Antonio Toro, of Campobasso,
Southern Italy. Inscribed on the blade is "Alia Regina Vittoria ;" on the border of the handle the
maker's name, "Pietr' Antonio di Toro, artefice di Compobasso," is formed in'open-cut letters, and
within the handle are minute representations of the Last Supper, Christ before Pilate, the Crucifixion,
and the Resurrection. The scissors of S. Santangelo and Messrs. Venditti and Terzano, also
of Campobasso, were likewise of a most ornate description, and boldly cut.
The finely-worked scissors of M. C. Guerre, Jun., of Langres (Haute-Marne), left nothing to
be desired in point of design and execution. M. Guerre was awarded a medal by the International
Jury of Class 32 B, " for a varied assortment of cutlery of good quality."
It is almost unnecessary to say anything in praise of the productions of Messrs. Hobbs, Ashley,
and Co., their works being so universally known and admired. They were awarded a medal " for
excellence of manufacture in locks and safes." The firm received, also, a prize medal at London,
1851; a first-class medal at Paris, 1855; besides medals of honour from Austria and the United
States. We read in the official Report of Class 31, that the patent locks of this firm have " tended
to reduce the price of the cheaper description of lever locks made by hand; but it does not
appear that machinery has been introduced by any other maker. Much greater difficulties were
met with by Mr. Hobbs than were expected. A great deal of time was occupied in perfecting
his machinery; and he found that even if he made three-fourths of each lock by machinery, to
make the remaining fourth by hand was as costly as to make the whole by hand. This arose
from the form of the different parts not being adapted to be economically made by hand; and
from the necessity of making all the parts accurately alike, which were to fit into the machine-
made parts. In a hand-made lock the different parts are fitted one to another in a very rapid
manner by a practised workman, but are not interchangeable like the pieces struck in dies by
Mr. Hobbs, which are all of the same size and shape." For a further notice of English locks
the reader is referred to the letter-press appended to Plate 234.
As regards the state of the smith's art in Italy, although now at somewhat a low ebb,
there are still evident proofs of a capability for better things, and a manipulative power which
only requires instruction to bring it to something approaching its former excellence. It is curious
that the finest work, both in design and execution, should be produced in so out-of-the-way a
place as Campobasso, a small town of some 9,000 inhabitants, in the province of Sannio, famous
in Roman history as Samnium. This little town enjoys great repute in Italy for its cutlery,
which is manufactured there on an extensive scale. Italy is well supplied with iron ore, mainly
from the isle of Elba, converted into pig-iron principally in the north, and smelted with charcoal,
from whence almost all the Italian steel is obtained, produced usually in the open fire by the
German forge-process. We have not space to enumerate the several parts of Italy which have
a local reputation for different kinds of hardware. We will only add, that besides Campobasso
in the south, Florence and Pistoia in central Italy, and Milan and Brescia in the north, are the
principal sites of the cutlery manufacture; and that for safety-locks and strong boxes, Ciani of
Florence, Caruti of Genoa, and other makers at Milan, have a well-deserved reputation.
In the 16th century, Palermo was famous for its cutlery. In a play acted before Queen
Elizabeth we read, " It is a razor, and that a very good one—it came lately from Palermo." But
whereas we then imported our cutlery from Italy, we now export (1861) to the value of £39,126
to Naples and Sicily alone, and to the entire kingdom £92,906 worth.
We cannot say that Italy was properly represented in hardware ; and in regard to wrought-
iron work, we only remarked one example; but that was of very great artistic merit; viz., a
hammered iron gate by P. Franci, of Siena, who received a medal for "very good work."