\\ AX FIGURES -WEAR. 



t:tl in us; it is a petrified picture of our earthly 

 parts. Tin; line at which a work of art should 

 atop, in its approach to nature, is not distinctly 

 marked ; but it cannot be overstepped without af- 

 fecting us disagreeably. In Florence, all parts o! 

 the human body are, at present, imitated, in <<>- 

 loured wax, for the study of anatomy. More than 

 thirty rooms, in the palace, are filled with these 

 wax preparations ; also plants are found there, imi- 

 tated to deception, in wax. Exact imitations in 

 wax, of vegetable productions, do not produce the 

 same unpleasant emotions as wax images of men and 

 animals, because they have, by nature, a more sta- 

 tionary character. 



The first idea of forming figures of wax of this 

 kind was conceived by Nones, of Genoa, an hospital 

 physician in the seventeenth century. He was about 

 to preserve a human body by embalming it ; but, 

 not being able to prevent putrefaction entirely, he 

 conceived the idea of having the body imitated as 

 accurately as possible, in wax. The abbate /inn- 

 bo, a Sicilian, who understood nothing of anatomy, 

 but was skilled in working in wax, imitated the 

 head of the body so perfectly, under the direction 

 of Nones, in coloured wax, that many who saw it 

 took it to be the real head. Zumbo secretly made 

 another copy, and went with it to France, where 

 he pretended to have invented the art. He soon 

 died. De Nones then had the whole body perfectly 

 copied by a Frenchman named De Lacroix. In 1721, 

 La Courege exhibited similar figures in Hamburg ; 

 and, in 1737, others were publicly sold in London. 

 The works of Ercole Lelli, Giovanni Manzolini and 

 his wife, which were formerly preserved in the in- 

 stitute of Bologna, and were thence carried to Pa- 

 ris, were remarkably fine. Beautiful figures in wax 

 made by Anna Manzolini, are preserved in Turin 

 and Petersburg. She died in 1755. More modern 

 artists in this line, in Italy, are L. Calza, Filippo 

 Balugani, and Ferrini. The celebrated Fontana, 

 in Florence, carried this art to a high degree of 

 excellence. He received so many orders that 

 he employed a large company of anatomists, mo- 

 del cutters, wax-moulders, and painters. Yet 

 he generally confined himself to representations 

 of the intestines. Vogt, in the university of Wit- 

 tenberg, used, in his lectures, wax preparations, 

 in imitation of the fine branches of vessels. Pin- 

 son, and, at a later period, Laumonier, at Rouen, 

 distinguished themselves in this department, in 

 France. The composition for this purpose consists 

 of four parti* wax, three parts white turpentine, 

 and some olive-oil or hog's lard, suitably coloured. 

 The bulk of the figure is formed with the hands : 

 the finer parts are made with instruments of vari- 

 ous forms: some figures are cast. The moulds 

 ought to be of gypsum, and consist of many pieces, 

 covered inside with oil. The wax is poured into 

 a hole at the feet, and the whole is then thrown 

 into cold water, that the wax may be separated the 

 more easily. A composition, of which sculptors 

 form their first models, consists of sixteen parts 

 wax, two parts Burgundy pitch, or shoemaker's 

 wax, and one part hog's lard ; or of ten parts wax, 

 one turpentine, as much shoemaker's wax, and as 

 much hog's lard. This is melted by a slow fire, 

 and afterwards well stirred and strained, so as to 

 expel all the air. A composition of wax and other 

 substances is very proper for impressiors of figures i 

 cut in stones. It is prepared thus: an ounce of 

 virgin wax, melted slowly in a copper vessel and 

 a -drachm of sugar candy pounded well, half an-' 



ounce burnt soot, and two or three drops of turpen- 

 tine. The wax is warmed if a cast is to be taken, 

 and the stone, having been a little moistened, is 

 pressed on it. Gem-cutters use this composition. 

 WAX-MYRTLE, OB BAYBERRY (myrica 

 cerifera) ; alow, spreading shrub. The leaves are 

 lanceolate, with a few indentures towards the ex- 

 tremity, and sprinkled with resinous dots. The 

 bark and leaves, when bruised, emit a delightful 

 fragrance. The berries are as large as a pepper- 

 corn, and, when ripe, are covered with a whitish- 

 green wax, which is collected by boiling them: 

 the fat then melts out, floats at the top of the 

 water, and may be skimmed off. When con- 

 gealed, it looks like tallow or wax, but has a dirtv- 

 green colour. It is therefore melted again, and refill- 

 ed, by which means it acquires a fine and pretty t ran >- 

 parent green colour. It is dearer than common tal- 

 low, but cheaper than wax. A bushel of the b, 

 will yield four or five pounds. This wax is used 

 for a variety of purposes, but chiefly for making 

 candles, which burn slowly and with but little- 

 smoke, emit an agreeable odour, and never melt 

 and run down at the sides, like tallow and sperma- 

 ceti ; but, as they do not give a strong light, espe- 

 cially during cold weather, it is usual to add a por- 

 tion of tallow. Such candles are a beautiful and 

 economical article, and it is surprising they are not 

 in more general request. A fine-scented and ex- 

 cellent soap, and also sealing-wax, are made from 

 these berries. At present, however, little use is 

 made of the bayberry, except in districts where 

 the bushes are very abundant. It is often called 

 tallow-shrub, or candleberry~tree. The flowers are 

 inconspicuous, and are disposed in aments. Fur- 

 ther information is given in the article Myrtle^Ynr. 



WAX PAINTING. See Encaustic Painting. 



WAX, SEALING. See Sealing-Wax. 



WEANING (of the child from its mother's 

 breast.) The mother's milk is necessary for the 

 new-born infant; but, after a certain period, the 

 cutting of the teeth shows the capacity and 

 need which the child has of receiving other susten- 



:e. This takes place before the end of the 

 first year. The age of twelve months, therefore, 

 may be regarded as about the proper period for 

 weaning. With children who are healthy, and cut 

 their teeth early, it may take place still sooner : 

 with weak, sickly children, it must be delayed long- 

 er, and never should he attempted during sickness 

 or dentition. It is best for both mother and child 

 to bring it about gradually. By so doing, the se- 

 cretion of milk in the former is gradually diminish- 

 ed ; and those complaints which arise from sudden 

 weaning are prevented ; while the child is gradu- 

 ally accustomed to other kinds of sustenance, and 

 the restlessness and want of sleep, which are so 

 troublesome in sudden weaning, are avoided. The 

 child remains healthy and well nourished. For 

 this, it is only necessary, that the mother should 

 give the breast to the child less frequently, and 

 offer it proper kinds of nourishment of'tener than 

 before. These must be, both during the weaning 

 and some time after it, very light of digestion, and 

 more fluid than solid : in particular, they should 

 have no stimulating qualities, and none that will 

 tend to create acidity, or produce other marked 

 changes in the organic functions. 



WEAPONS, See Arms. 



WEAR ; to cause a ship to change her course 

 from one board to the other, by turning her stein 

 to the wind. See Ship. 



