98 THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



It thus appears that the material of the medallion is indigenous 

 to St. Croix Island, on which in the winter of 1604-5 were French 

 colonists competent to carve it. Is any motive for its production 

 evident? Some light on this matter is thrown from another, and 

 the following, source. In 1916 I submitted the photograph accom- 

 panying this paper to two of my expert colleagues on the faculty of 

 Smith College, Professor A. V. Churchill, a specialist in the history 

 of Art and Professor S. N. Deane, a specialist in Greek Archaeology, 

 requesting them to give me an opinion upon the status as an art work, 

 and possible origin, of the medallion, and leaving their judgment 

 uninfluenced by any suggestions or theories of my own. Their 

 report, noted at the time, was in substance as follows: — 



Nothing in the photograph suggests the influence of any particular style of 

 art, except that everything about it seems European. There is in fact no particular 

 art about it. Professor Churchill said it seemed to him like the work of some person 

 of abundant leisure with desire to do art work but no knowledge of the method or 

 the technique. It is just the kind of work that children do, or amateurs untrained 

 in representation of such effects, — this shows in the representation of the eye, ear, 

 and mouth. The maker seemed to have some idea or familiar models in mind 

 which he had seen and tried to follow. 



This mention of the carving of the stone as a work of abundant 

 leisure recalls the fact that the St. Croix colonists passed on the 

 Island a dreary winter of enforced inactivity, which in turn suggests 

 the idea that the medallion was probably carved primarily as a 

 congenial means of passing the too abundant time by some person 

 competent in stone cutting and imbued with an impulse, unsupported 

 by training, towards art work. . Herein we have, I believe, a wholly 

 reasonable motive and setting for the production of the medallion. 

 It is consistent with this idea that the finding on the Island of a 

 natural smooth-faced granite slab would have given the suggestion 

 to utiKze the inviting surface for such a purpose. 



This origin for the medallion implies a meaning for the head, 

 which, as it bears no resemblance to any of the conventional religious 

 portraits, and shows no trace of insignia of royalty, would seem most 

 naturally to signify a complimentary representation of someone 

 prominent in connection with the expedition. This would presum- 

 ably be De Monts, official leader, but might be Champlain, nearly 

 as prominent, both of whom spent the winter on the Island. The 

 style of the hair comes perhaps as near as permitted by the exigencies 

 of the carving to the long locks worn by fashionable men of -that 

 time. It is possible indeed that there were two of the medallions, 

 for the two leaders, in which case the other may yet be found. The 

 thought that it was meant for someone in the all too well filled burial 



