them, Abbot Matthiew de Vendôme, presented a wonderful reliquary,
consisting of a golden head and bust, while another gave a reliquary
to contain the jaw of St. Louis. Suger presented many fine products
of his own art and that of his pupils, among others a great cross
six feet in height. A story is told of him, that, while engaged in
making a particularly splendid crucifix for St. Denis, he ran short
of precious stones, nor could he in any way obtain what he required,
until some monks came to him and offered to sell him a superb lot of
stones which had formerly embellished the dinner service of Henry
I. of England, whose nephew had given them to the convent in exchange
for indulgences and masses! In these early and half-barbaric days of
magnificence, form and delicacy of execution were not understood.
Brilliancy and lavish display of sparkling jewels, set as thickly
as possible without reference to a general scheme of composition,
was the standard of beauty; and it must be admitted that, with
such stones available, no more effective school of work has ever
existed than that of which such works Charlemagne's crown, the
Iron Crown of Monza, and the crown of King Suinthila, are typical
examples. Abbot Suger lamented when he lacked a sufficient supply
of stones; but he did not complain when there occurred a deficiency
in workmen. It was comparatively easy to train artists who could
make settings and bind stones together with soldered straps!

In 1352 a royal silversmith of France, Etienne La Fontaine, made
a "fauteuil of silver and crystal decorated with precious stones,"
for the king.

The golden altar of Basle is almost as interesting as the great
Pala d'Oro in Venice, of which mention is made elsewhere. It was
ordered by Emperor Henry the Pious, before 1024, and presented to