CHAPTER III.
COLLECTIONS OF PRECIOUS STONES.
The universal admiration for these treasures has led to the
formation of valuable collections of gems by governments and
by individuals, which have become the subjects of historical
records ; while among those who have been indefatigable collectors and connoisseurs are many celebrated names, both
ancient and modern, — Alexander the Great, Mithridates,
Julius Cassar, Maecenas, and Hadrian, of the former ; and Frederick the Great, Napoleon, Goethe, the Dukes of Marlborough,
and Devonshire, among the latter.
Mithridates, King of Pontus, is said to have, been the
founder of the first royal cabinet of gems known to history,
and M. Scaurus the first Roman collector. The immense
quantities of precious stones brought to Rome by Pompey as
trophies of his victories, awakened a public taste for these
costly luxuries far exceeding that of any preceding era in the
history of this nation ; hence they were eagerly sought, not
only for personal ornament, but also for enriching the cabinets
of gem-collectors. These accumulations were called dactylothecae, a word signifying finger-cases or boxes.
The most famous modern public collections of Europe are
those of Paris, Florence, the Vatican, Naples, Berlin, Vienna,
Dresden, Copenhagen, St. Petersburg, the Hague, and the
British Museum and South Kensington in London. Among^
the smaller European collections, public or private, are the
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