296 THE MAGIC OF JEWELS AND CHARMS
The
writer of a Bohemian poem on the legend of St. Catherine's betrothal to
Christ, written about 1355, appears to have been, in one part, inspired
by the glowing adornment of the Wenceslaus chapel in the cathedral of
St. Veit. The poet gives an enthusiastic description of the gorgeous
ornamentation of the mystic, imaginary temple in which the betrothal
takes place. The pavement is of aquamarine beryl, the walls are studded
with diamonds in golden settings, the framework of the windows is
alternately of emerald or of sapphire, and the window-panes are not of
stained glass, but of precious or semi-precious stones. Some of these
are not ill fitted for this use, the transparency of rubies, amethysts,
spinels, jacinths, garnets, and similar stones, admitting quite
sufficient light; but others mentioned here, such as turquoises,
chalcedonys and jaspers, would permit but a dim ray of light to
traverse their opaque or semi-opaque substance. It has been conjectured
by some that the poet drew his material from the account of the temple
of the Holy Grail in the old German legend, probably through a Bohemian
version; but as he omits in his enumeration twelve of the stones given
in the Grail legend, and adds a number of others, diamond, turquoise,
chalcedony, garnet, etc., this literary source is not fully
satisfactory. Bather might it be believed that the splendid decoration
of the Wenceslaus chapel and of the Karlstein Castle suggested the
vision wrought out by the Bohemian poet, especially as among the stones
he mentions which are not in the Grail legend, we have the garnet, so
eminently a product of Bohemia.24'1
A
peculiar and very interesting facetted diamond of 6-3/32 carats
displays alternate black and white facets and presents the appearance
of a clearly denned Greek cross in
*» Dr. B. Jezek, *' Aub dem Reiche der Edelsteinen," Prag, 1913, pp. 128-131.
