342 Mr. J. W. Mallet's Eepori on the Chemical Examination of Antiquities, ^v. 



are in each instance the same, or nearly so. This is not wonderful, however, 

 as we find that most of the materials are of the commonest and most easily 

 obtained substances for the purpose, requiring but little preparation, and 

 are of a durable and stable character ; hence naturally selected by the early 

 artist, and, when once in use, not likely to cease to be so from the knowledge 

 of them dying out, as that of difficult and rai'e preparations might easily have 

 done. Two points of difference are, however, to be found between the Roman 

 pigments and these Irish ones, namely, the use of an oily medium for mixing 

 the colours from Slane Abbey, whereas such was not apparently employed by 

 the Romans in their fresco paintings ; and the occurrence in the former of large 

 quantities of ceruse or white lead, which, although known and described by 

 Pliny and Vitruvius as a common colour, was not found by Sir H. Davy in 

 any of the specimens examined by him. Both circumstances tend to prove the 

 more modern character of the Irish pigments. 



Such are the results of the examination of these antiquities so far obtained. 

 It will be seen that some classes of objects in the Academy Museum have not 

 been spoken of at all, and that this investigation is very far from exhausting the 

 subject with respect even to the departments discussed. Conscious of my un- 

 fitness for the task, I have left the bearings of these results upon archteology 

 almost untouched ; yet the analyses and experiments above described are not, 

 perhaps, absolutely barren in results of interest, and at least put on record a 

 number of facts concerning the materials employed at early periods in Ire- 

 land for various purposes of the arts, which may possibly in some degree 

 assist the researches of archtEologists. In the hope that such may be the case I 

 have ventured to lay them before the Royal Irish Academy, to the liberality 

 of whose Council I am indebted for the specimens principally experimented 

 upon. 



