CARLISLE GEMS, ETC. 71 



portion of a skull with the teeth ornamented with gold studs 

 and other objects, all from Ecuador, and presented by A. W. 

 Franks, Esq. 



Three polished stone axes from Tobago, presented by James 

 Hamilton, Esq. 



An axe-blade and block of jade from Lilloet, British 

 Columbia, and a necklace of antelope hoof from the Sioux ; 

 presented by A. W. Franks, Esq. 



A Zuni missile club ; obtained by exchange with the Museum 

 at Florence. 



A club from Guiana; presented by J. Edge Partington, Esq., 



F.R.G.S. 



Augustus W. Franks. 



The Carlisle Collection. 



Out of the grants for the two financial years, 1889-90 and 

 1890-91, an important series of antiquities has been pur- 

 chased from the Earl of Carlisle, and divided between the 

 Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities and the 

 Department of British and Mediaeval Antiquities and Ethno- 

 graphy. The latter department received the gems that were 

 professedly Renaissance or modern, together with a few 

 specimens chiefly noteworthy for the beauty of the settings. 



The collection of engraved gems, which forms the most 

 important part of the purchase, was made by Henry Howard, 

 fourth Earl of Carlisle (1694-1758). A letter of Horace 

 Walpole to Richard West, written from Rome, May 7, 1740, 

 describes the manner in which a part of the collection was 

 acquired. 



" There are now selling no less than three of the principal 

 " collections, the Barberini, the Sachetti, and Ottoboni : the 

 " latter belonged to the cardinal who died in the Conclave. 

 •' I must give you an instance of his generosity, or rather 

 " ostentation. When Lord Carlisle was here last year, who 

 " is a great virtuoso, he asked leave to see the cardinal's 

 " collection of cameos and intaglios. Ottoboni gave leave, 

 " and ordered the person who showed them to observe which 

 " my Lord admired most. My Lord admired many : they 

 " were all sent him next morning. He sent the cardinal back 

 •' a fine gold repeater ; who returned him an agate snuff-box, 

 " and more cameos of ten times the value. Voild qui est fini! 

 " Had my Lord produced more gold repeaters, it would have 

 " been begging more cameos." 



The gems in the Carlisle collection which are known (from 

 Stosch, " Gemmae Antiquse Cselatse," 1724) to have belonged 

 to cardinal Ottoboni, are Nos. 25, 37, 53 in the following list. 



The collection is of importance, not only on account of its 

 fine cameos and intaglios of undoubted authenticity, but also 

 because it contains several specimens with reputed artists' 

 signatures which have been the subject of controversy among 

 archa3ologists. 



0.81, E 4 



