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X. Obfervations and Experiments on Stdinlng Wood. By 

 FrofeJJor Beckmann. From New Tranfa&ions of the 

 * Royal Society of Gottingcn, Vol. VI. 



1 HE oldeft inlaid works now extant are preferred in Italy, 

 and the moil highly efteemed of thefe are thofe made by 

 John of Verona, a monk and cotemporary of Raphael, who 

 was born in 1470, and died in 1537. He was invited to 

 Rome by Pope Julius II. in order that he might add to the 

 fplendpur and magnificence of the Vatican ; and he left be- 

 hind him many fpecimens of his art at Sienna, Naples, and 

 other Italian cities. 1 he works of this artift, on account of 

 the variety and beauty of the ilained pieces of wood em- 

 ployed in them, arc flill celebrated among connoiffeurs, and 

 preferred to all new works of the like kind. It is, however, 

 to be lamented, that the proceffes ufed by John of Verona 

 are at prefent altogether unknown, though the wood he em- 

 ployed was chieflv of European growth. Veneered or inlaid 

 works are now fo much in vogue, that there arc few houfes 

 in which fome of the furniture is not ornamented in this 

 manner; and the funis of money expended every year for 

 different kinds of foreign wood, neceffary to fupply this 

 luxury, is very confidcrable. Thefe woods are imported 

 chiefly from India by the Englifh, Dutch and French ; and 

 fome of them are of more value than the belt copper, the 

 filings of which might be employed to make imitations of 

 them. That narrow diflricT: alone on the Rhine between 

 Darmftadt and Heidelberg receives annually for wallnut-tree 

 wood the fum of 10,000 florins. Since mahogany furniture 

 however began to be ufed, our cabinet-makers have made 

 Icarcely any thing elfe than common works, becaufe we are 

 accuftomed to purchafe from the Englifh, not only the ma- 

 terials, but alfo the works themfelves ; fo that the time may 

 come when no workmen of this kind will he found in Ger- 

 many : on that account, it is well worth the trouble to make 



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