THE ART OF FOUNDING IN BRASS^ COPPER AND BRONZE. 411 



composed of tin and copper, was found in Egypt of the time of the sixth dynasty, 

 2,000 years b. c. 



The first work of art of which we have any details in Holy Writ is the Ark 

 made by Moses, and generally called " the Ark of the Covenant." It was also 

 the first work performed by the Israelites as a nation. A large portion of the 

 works in connection with this are of pure gold beaten out with the hammer; and 

 although these show mechanical skill of a very high order, they are outside the 

 scope of our paper. 



We read (Exodus xxxviii. 8), " And he (Moses) made the laver of brass, and 

 the foot of it of brass, of the looking-glasses of the women," etc. The word trans- 

 lated "foot" should be, as given in the margin, "cover." This laver, or large 

 basin, in which the priests were to wash, must have been a large work to cast , 

 and it shows a complete and accurate knowledge of the different sorts of bronze 

 for different purposes that the cover should be made of the mirrors of the women, 

 brought by them out of Egypt, and which, containing about one-third more of 

 tin in the alloy, constituted speculum metal. So that the cover of this huge 

 washing basin formed, when raised, a mirror in which the priests could examine 

 themselves before approaching the altar. There were besides this many other 

 articles used in the erection of "the Ark of the Covenant" made of bronze. 

 Dean Prideau gives as the weight of bronze used, 10,277 pounds troy weight. 

 The entire weight of the articles made in the three metals, gold, silver, and brass 

 or bronze, was 14 tons 2 cwt. No one can read over the narrative of that under- 

 taking, viewed independently of the adverse circumstances of the Israelites, wan- 

 derers in the wilderness, without perceiving that many amongst them possessed 

 great skill ; some had most probably been amongst the highest class artisans of 

 Egypt. The ease with which these elaborate works connected with the Ark, as 

 well as the Golden Calf and the Brazen or Bronze Serpent, were produced, show 

 that they had not been employed solely in the labor of brickmaking whilst in 

 Egypt, but that in all probability many of them were working men in the Egypt- 

 ian foundries and other public works in which metal articles were manufactured. 



Bronze being a mixture of copper and tin in variable proportions, every varia- 

 tion produces a bronze of different quality, more or less suitable for different pur- 

 poses. One quality will have great hardness and very be brittle — another hard and 

 flexible ; one gives a bright reflecting surface when polished, suitable for mirrors 

 — another is famous for its sonorous quality, and is therefore suitable for bells, 

 gongs, etc. Before these properties and differing qualities could have been found 

 out some length of time must have intervened, as such knowledge of practical 

 facts could not have been obtained until society had gained a considerable ad- 

 vancement in the arts. We are able to show by analyses that have been made of 

 the bronze of the Egyptians and other ancient nations, that it was of such varied 

 qualities, requiring a great amount of knowledge and practical skill as well as 

 pure materials. Consequently these ancient people must have attained the knowl- 

 edge before they could procure the varied articles. A chisel found by Wilkinson 

 in an Egyptian quarry gave copper 94.0, tin 5.9, iron 1=100. A dagger, analyz- 



