PEARLS IN MORE RECENT TIMES
I
F the favored and
privileged classes among the great nations of old went to extremes in
their senseless adulation and their extravagant pursuit of a beautiful
object, the powerful and wealthy people in Europe during the early and
later Middle Ages, while not disdaining to employ pearls, showed
somewhat greater discernment and moderation.
The
peoples of Gaul, for example, in their fondness for rich fabrics and
rich ornament could not help but gravitate towards a gem that had not
necessarily to be brought from distant lands and which needed neither
highly skilled labor nor deep knowledge to make it beautiful. Gems of a
kind were to be found in many of the European rivers and required only
to be set within a framework of precious metal or to be drilled, when
they were ready to be admired. There were skillful goldsmiths among
them who knew the value of the soft beauty of pearls when set off by
combination with some brighter and more colorful gems.
There
were early kings of Gaul who attempted to rival Oriental princes in
outward pomp and personal adornment. King Dagobert, who ruled from 628
to 638, employed a most skillful and ingenious craftsman named Eligius,
under whose direction the holy sanctuaries were enriched with shrines
decked out with pearls and precious stones; the vestments of the clergy
and the reliquaries also were magnificently emblazoned with jewels
presented by the pious and opulent king. We may be sure that since he
was so profuse in his gifts to churches and clergy Dagobert did not
neglect his own personal adornment, and that his court lacked nothing
in richness, variety, and color that fine gems could confer.
Incidentally, it may be of interest to the reader to learn that
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