as being often the sole evidence of the facts commemorated. There is,
however, a manifest improvement in the late ones, and in them may be
traced the transition from the independent ideas of the revolution
to the subsequent submission to one man: and not less striking is
the transition from a slip-shod style of art to a pedantic imitation
of the antique. The "Trésor de Numismatique et de Glyptique" is the
most scientific and important work of art which has been executed and
achieved of late years in France. Our great public libraries may be
proud of possessing so rich, so valuable, and so curious a collection,

Most lovers of art have their favorite periods and well-beloved
masters, but in this varied range of excellence it is difficult which
to select for preference and admiration. The cameos have a beauty and
_finesse_ which far surpass that of busts and statues; they evince the
skill of grouping, which, with rare exceptions, such as the Niobe and
Laocoon, is seldom aimed at in the more important pieces of sculpture.
Cameos, moreover, let us, as it were, into the secrets of indoor
life. To these considerations we may add that these gems have had an
immense influence on French modern art. The "Apotheosis of Augustus"
especially, known to antiquarians as the "Agate of Tiberius," the
largest cameo in the world, and beautifully engraved the size of the
original in this collection, may be traced in more than one of their
late compositions.

It is said that large medallions are a sign of taste either in the
medalist or the monarch he is supposed to honor; if so, Dupré and
Varin have drawn a thick vail over the effulgence of Louis XIV.
We would not, however, lose their wigs and smiles for a world of
historiettes.