128 Experiments on Staining Wood . 
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 splendour and magnificence of the Vati- 
can ; and he left behind him many specimens of his art at 
Sienna, Naples, and other Italian cities. The works of 
this artist, on account of the variety and beauty of the 
stained pieces of wood employed in them, are still cele 
brated among connoisseurs, and preferred to all new 
works of the like kind. It is, however, to be lamented, 
that the processes used by John of Verona are at present 
altogether unknown, though the wood he employed was 
chiefly of European growth. Veneered or inlaid works 
are now so much in vogue, that there are few houses in 
which some of the furniture is not ornamented in this 
manner; and the sums of money expended every year for 
different kinds of foreign wood, necessary to supply this 
luxury, is very considerable. These woods are import- 
ed chiefly from India by the English, Hutch and French; 
and some of them are of more value than the best copper, 
the filings of which might be employed to make imita- 
tions of them. That narrow district alone on the Rhine 
between Darmstadt and Heidelberg receives annually for 
walnut tree wood the sum of ten thousand florins. Since 
mahogany furniture however began to be used, our cabi- 
net makers have made scarcely any thing else than com- 
mon works, because we are accustomed to purchase from 
the English, not only the materials, but also the works 
themselves ; so that the time may come when no work- 
men of this kind will be found in Germany : on that ac- 
count, it is well worth the trouble to make experiments on 
the staining of our own wood, in order to render them 
equal, if not to ail foreign woods, at least to some of 
them, since many things can be coloured in that manner 
which are harder and more compact than wood. The 
