Bath in its relation to Art. 



The Royal Cabinet of Stockholm contains a large collection 

 of the Bath stamp of the reigns of Athelstan, Edgar, and 

 Ethelred ; part of the ancient spoil of the Scandinavian 

 Vikings. Only few relics of Norman Architecture exist, the 

 chief being the pillars built in at the foundation of the east 

 corner of the Abbey Church. The decorative taste of 

 various periods is illustrated in the Abbey. Bath is shown 

 to have done something for ecclesiastical art in the sculp- 

 tured story of Bishop Montague's dream on the west front, 

 and the fine bold carving of the time of James the First on 

 the entrance doors. In the interior there are Prior Birde's 

 chantry, and the groined stone ceiling of former times, and 

 the reredos, the carved wood work and the coloured win- 

 dows of later ones. 



For a long time the Abbey Church was the Necropolis 

 of Bath, the chief place of sepulture for people of dis- 

 tinction. Until lately none of the large cemeteries now 

 surrounding the city existed ; only the beautiful village 

 churchyards for those who preferred to rest in the great 

 Temple of Nature. Hence the accumulation of sculpture 

 in the Abbey : tombs, tablets, emblems, medallions, erect 

 figures, recumbent figures, of every conceivable variety, 

 although in many cases of questionable artistic or historic 

 interest. The most conspicuous tomb is that of Bishop 

 Montague; it is of the Elizabethan style, the recumbent 

 figure in pontifical robes and the hands clasped in prayer. 

 There is also the stately monument of Lady Jane Waller, 

 wife of the great Parliamentary General, whose figure is given, 

 a knight in armour, the nose of which was said, incor- 

 rectly, to have been knocked off by James II. when he visited 

 the Abbey. The skill of Flaxman is shown twice : in memory 

 of Mr. Bingham, a senator of the United States, and of 



