=Ra.= The sun-god with hawk head is a common object of Egyptian pottery
and architectural ornament, subsequent to the Asiatic invasions. It
typifies the union of the yellow Asiatic and the native Egyptian races.
=Rabato=, Sp. A neck-band or ruff. (See REBATO.)
=Rabbet= (from _rebated_). In Joinery a groove in the edge of a board.
=Rabyte=, O. E. (for Arabyte). An Arab horse.
=Racana=, Chr. A blanket of hair-cloth prescribed for the couches of
monks, &c., in summer.
“Pro anis _rachinis_ propter æstus utantur.”
=Rack=, O. E. The last fleeting vestige of the highest clouds.
=Racon=, O. E. The pot-hook by which vessels are suspended over a fire.
(See GALOWS.)
=Radiant=, =Rayonée=. Encircled with rays. (Fig. 395.)
=Radius=, R. A pointed rod employed by certain professors of astronomy
and mathematics for tracing figures on the sand. Also the spoke of a
wheel, a ray of light, and lastly, a stake used in constructing
intrenchments (_valla_).
=Radula=, R. A scraper, an iron tool used for paring or scratching off.
=Raffaelle-ware.= A fine kind of Urbino majolica, the designs for which
were probably furnished by pupils of the great master.
=Rag.= In Masonry, stone that breaks in jagged pieces.
=Ragged Staff=, Her. (See RAGULÉE.)
=Ragman’s= or =Rageman’s Roll=, O. E. (1) In History, a roll of the
nobles of Scotland, who swore fealty to Edward I. at Berwick, in 1296;
hence (2) a game of chance, in which a number of versified descriptions
of character were drawn from a roll by the members of a company; 13th to
15th century. The game survives among children of the present age in the
custom of drawing _Twelfth-Night_ characters.
=Ragstone.= A rough kind of sandstone found in Kent.
[Illustration: Fig. 572. Ragulée.]
[Illustration: Fig. 573. Bear and Ragged Staff.]
=Ragulée=, =Raguly=, Her. Serrated. A “ragged staff,” or “staff
_ragulée_,” is a part of a stem from which the branches have been cut
off roughly. The illustration is the well-known device of the Earls of
Warwick, originating with Arthgal, one of the Knights of the Round
Table; because, says Leland, “this Arthgal took a bere in his arms, for
that, in Britisch, soundeth a bere in Englisch.” (Fig. 573.)
=Rahal=, Arabic. A load for a camel; about 5 cwt.
=Rains=, or =Raynes=, =Cloths= (A. D. 1327–1434, &c.). Fine linen woven
at _Rennes_ in Brittany.
=Rajeta=, Sp. A coarse cloth of mixed colours.
=Rallum=, R. A piece of iron on the end of a stick, used to scrape off
earth from the plough-share.
[Illustration: Fig. 574. Assyrian Battering-ram.]
=Ram=, in Christian iconography, is a symbol not fully explained. It was
probably connected with the idea of a manful _fight_ with the powers of
evil. Two rams face to face with a cross between them are a frequent
symbol. (Consult _Martigny_, _Dict. des Antiq. Chrét._ s. v. Belier.)
=Ram=, O. E. for rain. (_Shakspeare._)
=Ram= or =Battering-ram=. (See ARIES.) The illustration (Fig. 574) is
from the Assyrian sculptures, showing the invention of the _testudo_ to
be of great antiquity.
=Ramadhan.= The ninth month of the Arabian calendar, and the Mohammedan
month of fasting; it is followed by the festival of the _Little Bairam_.
=Ramalia=, R. (_ramus_, a ram) Roman festivals instituted in honour of
Ariadne and Bacchus.
=Ramillete=, Sp. A nosegay; a pyramid of sweetmeats and fruits.
[Illustration: Fig. 575. Lion Rampant.]
[Illustration: Fig. 576. Demi-lion Rampant.]
=Rampant=, Her. Erect, one hind paw on the ground, the other three paws
elevated; the animal looking forward, and having his tail elevated.
=Rampant guardant=, Her. The same as rampant, but looking out of the
shield.
=Rampant reguardant=, Her. The same as rampant, but looking backwards.
=Ranseur=, Fr. A sort of partisan in use in the time of Edward IV.,
having a broad long blade in the centre, and projecting shorter blades
on each side.
=Rantle-tree=, Scotch. (1) The beam in the chimney from which the crook
is suspended, when there is no grate (Angl. GALOWS. See also
REEKING-HOOK). (2) A tree chosen with two branches, which are cut short,
and left in the shape of a Y, built into the gable of a cottage to
support one end of the roof-tree.
=Rapier=, introduced from Spain in the 16th century, remained the
favourite weapon of gentlemen. It is a light sword with a narrow blade
adapted only for thrusting. It used to be called a _tuck_.
=Rapier-dance.= A theatrical dance still practised in Yorkshire,
consisting of evolutions of the dancers with naked rapiers round a
performer who kneels in the centre and finally simulates death. (Compare
SWORD-DANCE.)
=Raploch=, Scotch. Coarse undyed woollen cloth.
=Rareca.= Peruvian aqueducts; distinct from the subterranean aqueducts
called HUIRCAS or _Pinchas_ (q.v.).
=Rash.= “A species of inferior silk, or silk and stuff manufacture.”
(_Nares._)
=Raster=, =Rastrum=, R. (_rado_, to scrape). A rake.
=Rat.= In Chinese symbolism, the month of November. (See TCHY PERIODS.)
=Rath=, Celtic. An ancient fortress or castle of the Irish chiefs,
consisting of a circular intrenched enclosure, with buildings in the
centre.
=Rational=, Heb. A square piece of richly embroidered cloth worn by the
Jewish high priest upon the breast, above the ephod.
=Ratis=, R. A raft of strong beams or planks; and thence a flat boat, a
bridge of boats, &c.
=Raunle-tree.= Scotch; for RANTLE-TREE (q.v.).
=Raven=, the ensign of the ancient Danes, was the bird of Odin. In
Christian art, the emblem of Divine Providence (in allusion to the
history of Elisha); attribute of certain saints, especially of ascetics.
(See CROW.)
=Ray=, Chr. The fish (_rina diaudan_) which was burned by Tobias (vii.
2, 3), and the eggs of which are still burnt for intermittent fevers
among the Greeks. (_Harris_, 408.)
=Ray=, O. E. (i. e. _rayed_). Striped cloth much worn in the 13th and
14th centuries.
=Raynes=, O. E. (from Rennes in Brittany). Fine linen.
“Cloth of raynes to sleep on soft.” (_Chaucer._)
=Rayonnée=, Her. (See RADIANT.)
=Real= (Eng. ROYAL). A Spanish coin. There are two kinds: a _real of
plate_, worth 4¾_d._, and a _real of vellon_, worth 2½_d._ (Cf. RIAL.)
=Realgar.= A red pigment, formed of arsenic in combination with sulphur.
A fugitive and _corrosive_ pigment. (See _Merimée_, _De la Peinture à
l’huile_, p. 124.)
=Realism=, =Realistic=, in Art. (See IDEAL and REAL.)
=Rebated.= Turned back, as the head of a MORNE or jousting-lance.
=Rebato=, Sp. The turn-down collar of the 15th and 16th centuries.
=Rebec=, Sp. A musical instrument of three strings, tuned in fifths, and
played with a bow like a fiddle. It was originally introduced into Spain
by the Moors.
=Rebiting.= A process of renewing the lines of a worn-out plate, by
etching them over again; a difficult and delicate operation, which is
rarely performed with entire success.
[Illustration: Fig. 577. Rebus (Prior Bolton). The Bolt and Tun.]
=Rebus=, Her. An allusive charge or device. A _ton_ or _tun_ pierced by
a bird-bolt is in the church of Great St. Bartholomew, of which Prior
Bolton was the last prior.
“Prior Bolton
With his bolt and tun.”
(_Ben Jonson._)
=Recamo=, Sp. Embroidery of raised work.
=Recel=, Sp. A kind of striped tapestry.
=Receptorium=, R. (_recepto_, to receive). A kind of parlour, also
called _salutatorium_, which generally adjoined the ancient basilicas.
[Illustration: Fig. 578. Cross _Recercelée_.]
=Recercelée=, Her. A variety of the heraldic cross.
=Recheat=, O. E. A sound on the horn to call dogs away from the chase.
=Recinctus.= Equivalent in meaning to DISCINCTUS (q.v.).
=Recorders.= A musical instrument mentioned by Shakspeare. It resembled
a very large clarionet. Milton also speaks of
“the Dorian mood
Of flutes and _soft recorders_.”
(_Paradise Lost_, i. 550.)
=Recta=, R. A straight tunic, made out of a single piece, which took the
form of the body; it hung from the neck, and fell down as far as the
feet.
=Rectilinear= figures are those composed entirely of straight or _right_
lines.
=Red.= One of the three primary colours, producing with YELLOW,
_orange_, and with BLUE, _violet_. The principal red pigments are
_carmine_, _vermilion_, _chrome red_, _scarlet lake_, _madder lake_,
_light red_, _burnt sienna_, for _yellow_ reds; and _Venetian red_,
_Indian red_, _crimson lake_, for _blue_ reds. Red, in Christian art,
represented by the ruby, signified fire, divine love, the Holy Spirit,
heat or the creative power, and royalty. In a bad sense, red signified
blood, war, hatred, and punishment. Red and black combined were the
colours of purgatory and the devil. (See REALGAR, INDIGO.)
=Red Chalk= or =Reddle= is a mixture of clay and red iron OCHRE, used as
a crayon in drawing. (See OCHRE.)
=Red Lake.= (See CARMINE.)
=Red Lead.= A pigment which mixes badly with other pigments. (See
MINIUM.)
=Red Ochre= includes _Indian red_, _scarlet ochre_, _Indian ochre_,
_reddle_, &c.
=Red Orpiment.= (See REALGAR.)
=Redan=, the simplest kind of work in field fortification, generally
consists of a parapet of earth, divided on the plan into two faces,
which make with one another a salient angle, or one whose vertex is
towards the enemy.
=Reddle.= (See RED CHALK.)
=Redimiculum=, R. (_redimio_, to bind round). A long string or ribbon
attached to any kind of head-dress.
=Redoubt= is a general name for nearly every kind of work in the class
of field fortifications.
=Redshank=, Scotch. A Highlander wearing buskins of red-deer skin, with
the hair outwards.
=Reduction.= In Art, a copy on a smaller scale. The work is done
mechanically by a process of subdivision of the original into segments
or squares.
=Reekie=, Scotch. Smoky; hence _Auld Reekie_, the city of Edinburgh.
=Reeking-hook=, O. E. A pot-hook hung in the chimney, to suspend vessels
over an open fire. (See GALOWS.)
=Re-entering=, in Engraving, is the sharpening or deepening with a
graver the lines insufficiently _bitten in_ by the acid.
=Refectory=, Mod. (_reficio_, to refresh). A hall in which the monks of
a monastery assembled to take their meals; one of the most important
rooms of the establishment; it was often divided into two naves by a row
of columns called the spine (_spina_), which received the spring of the
vaultings forming the roof of the refectory.
=Reflected Lights= thrown by an illuminated surface into the shadows
opposed to it, modify the LOCAL COLOUR of every object that we observe
in nature, and should accordingly be made to do so in painting.
=Reflexed=, =Reflected=, Her. Curved and carried backwards.
=Refraction= is the diversion of a ray of light which occurs when it
falls obliquely on the surface of a medium differing in density from
that through which it had previously moved. The differently-coloured
rays have different degrees of refrangibility. Refraction is the cause
of the phenomena of the _mirage_, _Fata Morgana_, &c., and presents to
us the light of the sun before his actual emergence above the horizon.
[Illustration: Fig. 579. Regals or Portable Organ.]
=Regal= or =Regals=, O. E. (1) A small portable organ, with single or
double sets of pipes (the attribute of St. Cecilia, and of saints and
angels of the heavenly choir). The illustration (Fig. 579) of an angel
playing the regals, is taken from an ancient MS. (2) A kind of
harmonica, with sonorous slabs of wood.
[Illustration: Fig. 580. Regalia. Grand Duke of Tuscany in state
costume, with crown and sceptre, &c.]
=Regalia.= The ensigns of royalty. The regalia of England are the crown,
sceptre, verge or rod with the dove, St. Edward’s staff, the orb or
mound, the sword of mercy called Curtana, the two swords of spiritual
and temporal justice, the ring of alliance with the kingdom, the armillæ
or bracelets, the spurs of chivalry, and some royal vestments; and are
kept in the Jewel Office in the Tower of London. The Scottish insignia,
a crown, a sceptre, and a sword of state, are kept in the Crown-room at
Edinburgh. The illustration shows the regalia and state vestments of the
Grand Duke of Tuscany, in the 16th century. (Fig. 580.)
=Regifugium=, R. (lit. flight of the king). An annual festival held on
the sixth day of the calends of March (24th of February), in
commemoration of the flight of Tarquin and the establishment of the
Roman republic.
=Regioles=, Fr. Chr. Small doors in the _confessio_ or _martyrium_ of an
altar, containing relics of a saint or martyr. The faithful used to
introduce handkerchiefs by these doors, that they might consecrate them
by contact with the relics.
=Regrating= or =Skinning=, in Masonry, is the process of scraping or
hammering off the outer surface of old stones to make them look white
and new; it has been greatly abused in the restoration of ancient
buildings.
=Reguardant=, Her. Turning the head and looking back; emblematic of
circumspection and prudence.
=Regula=, R. A straight rule used by artisans.
=Regulares=, Chr. Horizontal _rods_ of wood or metal in churches for the
suspension of veils or curtains. These were often made of gold or
silver, with a row of images on the upper part.
=Regulus= (in Greek βασιλίσκος) is the name given by ancient astronomers
to a line drawn from the polar star, between the pointers, &c., to the
bright star called α Leonis or Cor Leonis (the lion’s heart).
=Reindeer=, Her. A hart with double antlers, one pair erect, the other
drooping.
=Reisner-work.= A corrupt spelling of the name of Riesener, a celebrated
worker in marquetry in France in the 18th century.
“Riesener used tulip, rosewood, holly, maple, laburnum, purple-wood,
&c. Wreaths and bunches of flowers, exquisitely worked and boldly
designed, form centres of his marquetry panels, which are often plain
surfaces of one wood. On the sides, in borders and compartments, we
find diaper patterns in three or four quiet colours.” (See _Pollen_,
_Ancient and Modern Furniture_, &c.)
=Relief= (It. _rilievo_). Sculpture projecting—ALTO-RELIEVO, more than
half; MEZZO-RELIEVO, exactly half; BASSO-RELIEVO, less than half. (See
also RONDO BOSSO, INTAGLIO-RELIEVATO, STACCIATO.)
=Reliquary=, Chr. A portable shrine or casket made to contain relics. A
reliquary made to be worn round the neck was called _encolpium_ (ἐν
κόλπῳ, in the bosom), _phylacterium_, &c.; one to be carried
processionally, _feretrum_. (See FERETORY, Fig. 307.)
=Remarque=, Fr. A slight sketch on the margin beneath an etching or
engraving, to denote the earliest proof impressions.
=Removed=, Her. Out of its proper position.
=Remuria=, R. A Roman festival in honour of Remus, held on the third of
the ides of May (13th of May) on the Palatine mount, on the spot where
Remus had taken the auspices, and where he was buried.
=Renaissance= (lit. new-birth or revival). The term is popularly applied
to the gradual return to classical principles in Art in the 13th and
14th centuries. The Italian renaissance, begun by NICCOLA PISANO in
architecture and sculpture, and by GIOTTO in painting, was fostered by
the Medici family, and culminated in Leonardo, Michelangelo, and
Raphael. Teutonic art (Flemish, German, and Dutch) had also their
periods of revival. It is, however, impossible to indicate their
representatives without entering upon debateable questions. Goldsmith’s
work, pottery, and other useful arts passed through parallel periods of
revival concurrent, or nearly so, with those in painting.
=Rengue=, Sp. A kind of gauze worn on official robes in Spain.
=Reno= and =Rheno=, R. A very short cloak, often made of skins, peculiar
to the Gauls and Germans, and adopted by the Roman soldiery.
=Repagula=, R. (lit. fastening back). A double fastening to a door; of
two bolts (_pessuli_), one of which was shot towards the right, and the
other to the left.
=Replica.= A duplicate of a picture, done by the same painter.
=Repose.= (See RIPOSO.)
=Repositorium=, R. (_repono_, to lay down). A side-board for plates and
dishes in a dining-room; it was divided into several stories, and formed
a kind of dinner-wagon; and many examples were richly ornamented, and
inlaid with variegated woods, or tortoise-shell and silver, &c.
=Repoussé=, Fr. Metal-work hammered out from behind into ornaments in
_relief_.
=Requiem=, Chr. The Roman _Missa pro Defunctis_, or service for the
dead, beginning with the anthem “_Requiem æternam dona eis, Domine_.”
=Rerebrace=, O. E. (for the French _arrière bras_). Armour for the upper
part of the arm.
=Rerebrake=, O. E. A pommel at the back of a saddle to support the
horseman under the shock of a tilting-bout. (See _Meyrick_, vol. ii. p.
137.)
=Reredos=, Chr. (1) The wall or screen at the back of an altar. In the
primitive churches, in which the bishop’s seat was at the back of the
altar, there was no _reredos_. Its introduction dates from the period
(about the 12th century) when the episcopal seats and the choirs were
established in front of the altars. (2) The ROOD-SCREEN was sometimes so
called. (3) The open hearth was so called. Hollinshed relates that,
before the invention of chimneys, “each man made his fire against a
_reredosse_ in the hall, where he dined and dressed his meat.”
=Rere-supper= (Fr. _arrière souper_). The last meal taken in the day;
15th century.
=Resins.= (See AMBER, COPAL, DAMARA, MASTIC, &c.)
=Ressaunt=, O. E. Arch. An obsolete term applied to members of
architecture inflected or curved like an OGEE moulding.
=Rest.= In Music, a character denoting silence for a length denoted by
the character used to express the rest, i. e. _semibreve_, _minim_,
_crotchet_, _quaver_, &c.
=Restoration.= In Architecture, a drawing of an ancient building in its
original design.
=Retable= (Fr.), Chr. (See REREDOS.)
=Rete= and =Retis=, R. A net.
=Retiarius.= A gladiator whose only arms were a trident and net; with
the latter he tried to embarrass the adversary by casting it over his
head, and, having done so, to wound him with the trident; failing in
their throw, their only resource was to run round the arena preparing
the net for a second attempt. They fought generally with the
Mirmillones, and had no helmet nor other protective armour excepting for
the left arm. (See GLADIATORS.)
[Illustration: Fig. 581. Venetian Reticella Lace.]
=Reticella= (Lat. _reticulus_, a little net). This was the first known
needle-made lace, produced in all lace-making countries under different
names. (See GREEK LACE.) It was made in several ways: the first
consisted in arranging a network of threads on a small frame, crossing
and interlacing them in various complicated patterns. Beneath this
network was gummed a piece of fine cloth, open like canvas, called
quintain (from the town in Brittany where it was made). Then with a
needle the network was sewn to the quintain by edging round those parts
of the pattern which were to remain thick, then cutting away the
superfluous cloth: hence the name of cutwork in England. A more simple
mode was to make the pattern detached without any linen; the threads
radiating at equal distances from one common centre served as a
framework to others, which were united to them in geometric forms worked
over with button-hole stitch (or _point noué_). The engraving shows a
fine specimen of reticella from Venice, 1493. (See also MILAN
RETICELLA.)
=Reticulated.= Latticed like the meshes of a net (_rete_).
=Reticulated Glass.= (See GLASS.)
[Illustration: Fig. 582. Reticulated Vase. Japanese.]
=Reticulated Porcelain= is an Oriental product, of which the outer side
is entirely cut out in geometric patterns, honeycomb, circles
intercrossed and superposed to a second vase of similar, or of simply
cylindrical form. Fig. 582 is a specimen of this style.
[Illustration: Fig. 583. Reticulatum opus.]
=Reticulated Work=, Arch. (Lat. _reticulata structura_, literally, made
like a net). Masonry constructed with diamond-shaped stones, or
QUARRELS, shown in Figs. 493 and 583. The latter shows one of the mouths
of the _cloaca_ opening on the Tiber. _Reticulata fenestra_ was a window
grated over with bars of wood or metal crossing in the form of network.
=Reticulum=, R. Diminutive of _rete_, a net.
=Retinaculum=, R. (_retineo_, to hold back). A rope used to moor a
vessel to the shore.
=Retorted=, Her. Intertwined.
=Retro-choir=, Chr. Arch. Chapels behind or about the choir.
=Reverse.= The back of a medal. In very ancient coins this had no mark
except that of the instrument by which it was fixed to receive the stamp
of the _obverse_. By degrees this grew into a figure of a dolphin or
some other animal. Some ancient Greek reverses are _intaglios_ of the
stamp in relief of the _obverse_. Complete reverses appear on Greek
coins about 500 B.C., and are of exquisite execution. (Cf. OBVERSE.)
=Revinctum= (opus), R. (_revincio_, to bind fast). Dove-tailed masonry.
(See Fig. 269.)
=Rhabdion= (lit. a small rod). An instrument used in _encaustic
painting_, with which the wax tints were blended. It was probably flat
at one end, and kept heated in a small furnace close at hand. (See
_Eastlake_, _Materials_, &c., i. 154.)
=Rheda=, R. A roomy four-wheeled carriage, of Gallic origin, with
several seats. The driver was called RHEDARIUS.
=Rheno=, Gr. (ῥὴν, a sheep). A sheepskin cloak, covering the shoulders
and as far as to the waist, worn by the ancient Germans as a protection
against rain.
=Rhingrave.= The petticoat breeches worn in the reign of Charles II.
(_Planché._)
=Rhomboid.= “An equilateral oblique parallelogram.”
=Rhomphæa=, =Romphæa=, =Rumpia=, R. A sword with a long blade, used by
the Thracians.
[Illustration: Fig. 584. Rhyton. Greek Drinking-cup.]
=Rhyton=, Gr. and R. (ῥυτὸν, lit. flowing). A drinking-vessel of
earthenware in the form of a horn or trumpet; in many instances with a
handle.
[Illustration: Fig. 585. Rial. Queen Elizabeth.]
=Rial= or =Royal= (Sp. _real_). A Spanish coin introduced into England
in 16th cent. (See REAL.)
=Riband= or =Ribbon= (Welsh _rhibin_; Irish _ruibin_, &c.). A long
narrow web of silk worn for ornament or use; especially for a _badge_ of
devotion in love or war.
“See in the lists they wait the trumpet’s sound:
Some love-device is wrought on every sword,
And every ribbon bears some mystic word.”
(_Granville._)
The Ribbons of the various orders of Knighthood are:—of the GARTER, a
broad dark blue ribbon passing over the left shoulder; of the THISTLE, a
broad dark green ribbon; of St. PATRICK, a light blue; of the BATH, red;
of the STAR OF INDIA, pale blue with white borders.
=Ribbon=, =Riband=, Her. A diminutive of a BEND.
=Ribibe.= A kind of fiddle; 15th century.
=Ribs=, Arch. Projecting bands on ceilings, &c.
=Rica=, R. A square piece of cloth with a fringe, worn by priests and
women on the head, and especially by the former when they were offering
a sacrifice; _ricula_ was a smaller veil worn in the same fashion. (Cf.
FLAMMEUM.)
=Rice-paper.= A delicate vegetable film brought from China, and used as
a substitute for drawing-paper in the representation of richly-coloured
insects or flowers, &c.
=Ridels.= French word for bed-curtains; 15th century.
=Rimenato=, It. (See CRUSCA.)
=Ring Mail.= Flexible armour of iron rings interwoven; introduced from
the East by the Crusaders.
[Illustration: Fig. 586. Ring of chiselled iron. French. 16th century.]
[Illustration: Fig. 587. Venetian Ring. 16th century.]
=Rings.= The symbolic use of signet-rings is mentioned in many passages
of the Holy Scriptures, especially as a transfer of authority; as
Pharaoh to Joseph (Gen. xli. 42), Ahasuerus to Haman, &c. A large
collection of Egyptian signet-rings is in the British Museum, many being
much too large to be worn on the hand. EGYPTIAN rings were of ivory,
porcelain, or stone, but generally of gold. The ETRUSCANS and SABINES
wore rings at the foundation of Rome, 753 B.C., those of the former
being remarkable for beauty and intrinsic value. The LACEDÆMONIANS wore
iron rings. The ROMANS also under the Republic were proud of wearing an
iron ring; under the Empire the privilege of wearing a ring raised the
wearer to the equestrian order. GREEK and ROMAN rings were, generally
speaking, massive and simple, and of obvious value in metal and stone,
until in the degenerate times of the Empire luxury spread, and the lower
classes began to disfigure themselves with cheap jewellery. Solid rings
were carved out of rock-crystal in Christian times; and others were made
of stone, chiefly of calcedony. Rings of amber, glass, earthenware, and
other materials were exhumed at Pompeii. The BRITONS and SAXONS had
beautiful jewellery. The former wore the ring on the middle finger; the
Anglo-Saxons on the third finger of the right hand, which was thence
poetically called the “golden finger.” A beautiful specimen of enamelled
art is the gold ring of Ethelwulf, king of Wessex (the father of Alfred
the Great), now in the medal room of the British Museum. Among the
_niello_ rings of the Saxon period is one in the British Museum
inscribed “Ahlreds owns me, Eanred engraved me.” Plain wire rings, or
plain bands of metal merely twisted round the finger, are common objects
in Saxon tombs; but the most beautiful specimens of this, as of other
branches of the goldsmith’s art in antiquity, are from IRELAND. In
SCANDINAVIA the earliest forms are spiral, and of simple workmanship.
RINGS were a part of the official jewellery of kings, bishops, and
cardinals; and the _fisherman’s ring_, with a representation of St.
Peter in a boat fishing, was the papal ring of investiture. A copious
literature on this special subject deals with the superstitions,
ceremonies, customs, and anecdotes connected with finger-rings, as well
as with their exemplification of the history of the development or
decadence of art. A collector divides his rings into _Antique_,
_Mediæval_, and _Modern_; the former period ending A. D. 800, and
classified by nationalities. The later collections are classified as
_Official_: ecclesiastical, civil, and military; or _Personal_, viz.
signet-rings, love and marriage, mourning, &c.; historical, religious
(i. e. devotional, &c.), magic, and simply ornamental. (The substance of
the above is drawn from _Finger-ring Lore_, &c., by _W. Jones_, Chatto,
1877; and _Antique Gems_, by the _Rev. C. W. King_. For the significance
of rings in connexion with the history of Christianity, see _Smith and
Cheetham_, _Dict. of Christ. Ant._ s. v.)
=Rinman’s Green.= (See COBALT.)
=Rip-rap=, Arch. A builder’s term for a foundation of loose stones.
=Riposo=, It. The rest of the Holy Family during the Flight into Egypt
is often shortly designated the _Riposo_; it is treated by different
masters in a great variety of styles.
=Riscus=, R. (ῥίσκος). A wardrobe or chest for clothes.
=Rising=, =Roussant=, Her. Said of birds about to take wing.
=Rivers=, Chr. The four rivers of Paradise are variously represented in
primitive Christian art; e. g. the LAMB standing on a mountain, from
which they flow; or they are personified, and symbolize the four
Evangelists: the Gihon is St. Matthew; Pison, St. John; Tigris, St.
Mark; and Euphrates, St. Luke. The following lines in one instance
accompany such a representation on an engraved copper plate:—
“Fons paradisiacus per flumina quatuor exit;
Hec quadriga levis te _Χρε_ per omnia vexit.”
In CLASSIC art generally, rivers are personified as half-prostrate
figures reclining upon an urn, and marked by certain attributes; e. g.
of the Nile, a hippopotamus; of the Tiber, a wolf suckling Romulus and
Remus; other rivers by the flora or by certain cities of their banks,
&c. (Consult _Didron_, _Iconographie Chrét._; _Martigny_, &c.)
=Roan.= (1) A kind of leather much used for bookbinding; it is of
sheepskins tanned with sumach. (2) Said of a _bay_ or _sorel_ horse
marked with grey.
=Robigalia=, R. Roman festivals held every year on the sixth of the
calends of May (25th of April), in honour of the god Robigus, to
preserve the wheat from mildew.
=Roborarium= (_robur_, strength). An enclosure within a wooden palisade.
[Illustration: Fig. 588. Robur. Prison at Rome.]
=Robur=, R. The subterranean dungeon of a prison (_carcer_), in which
criminals were executed. In Fig. 588 the character of the _robur_ is
clearly seen; it is that of the prison of Ancus Martius and Servius
Tullius at Rome, of which some ruins still remain.
=Rochet=, Chr. (Lat. _rochetum_; Anglo-Saxon _roc_, a loose upper
garment). A short surplice without sleeves, open at the sides; imitated
from a linen outer garment of the same name, much worn by women in the
14th century. Chaucer says,—
“There is no clothe sytteth bette
On damoselle than doth rokette.”
=Rock-crystal.= A material much used for carving in China. _Fortune_
says, “Fine specimens of rock-crystal, carved into figures, cups, and
vases, are met with in the curiosity shops of Foo-chow-foo. Some of
these specimens are white, others golden yellow, and others again blue
and black. One kind looks as if human hair was thrown in and
crystallized. _Imitations_ of this stone are common in Canton, made into
snuff-bottles, such as are commonly used by the Chinese.” The GREEK name
(κρύσταλλος, ice) refers to the belief that it was frozen water; the
INDIANS believe it to be the husk of which the _diamond_ is the kernel,
and call it the _unripe diamond_; in JAPAN it is cut into round balls
used for cooling the hands; in CHINA also it is extensively carved; in
the MIDDLE AGES it was highly valued throughout EUROPE as a detector of
poison. Still more recently crystal balls have been supposed to have
magical influence, and used for divination and conjuring.
=Rockets=, O. E. Slabs of wood used on lances, during exercise, for the
same purpose as the buttons of foils.
=Rococo=, It. The style of decoration into which that of the Louis
Quinze period culminated, distinguished for a superfluity of confused
and discordant detail. (See LOUIS XV.)
=Rod.= In measurement, 16½ feet linear, or 272½ square feet.
=Rodomel=, O. E. The juice of roses, mixed with honey.
=Rogus=, R. A funeral pile when in process of burning, in
contradistinction to PYRA (q.v.).
=Rokelay=, O. E. A short cloak.
=Roll-moulding= (Arch.), profusely used in the Early English and
Decorated styles, is a round moulding, divided longitudinally along the
middle, the upper half of which projects over the lower. _Roll and
fillet moulding_ is a roll-moulding with a square _fillet_ on the face
of it.
=Rolls of Arms.= Heraldic records of ancient armorial insignia,
preserved on strips of parchment. The earliest known are of the 13th
century. (Consult _Boutell_.)
=Romal=, Hind. A silk fabric, of which cotton imitations are made in
England.
[Illustration: Fig. 589. Temple of Vesta at Tivoli, with
Roman-Corinthian columns.]
=Roman Architecture= is a combination of the _Etruscan_ and the _Greek_,
principally distinguished from the latter by the circular arch, and the
_monopteral_ or circular temple unknown to the Greeks, but a favourite
form with the tomb-building ancestors of the Etruscans. The _orders_ of
Roman architecture were the Doric and Ionic, detrimentally modified; the
Corinthian, which they greatly enriched; and the Composite, of which the
upper part of the capital was Ionic, and the remainder Corinthian. The
distinguishing feature of the Roman architecture is, however, less in
the modifications of the orders, than in their application in _composite
arcades_, or plain arches of Etruscan design, faced by and supporting a
purely ornamental arrangement of a long horizontal entablature on two
columns. (Consult _Fergusson_, _Hist. of Arch._, vol. i.)
=Roman Doric Order of Architecture.= A deteriorated imitation of the
Grecian Doric, adopted, with considerable modifications, by modern
Italian architects.
=Roman Ochre= or =Italian Earth=. A pigment of a rich orange yellow,
used both raw and burnt in oil and water-colours. (See OCHRE.)
=Roman Sepia= is _sepia_ (q.v.) mixed with red.
=Romanesque.= A degenerated and hybrid style of architecture and
ornament, transitional from the classical Roman to the introduction of
the Gothic. In the architecture there is an incongruous combination of
the horizontal and arched methods of construction; and in the ornament a
similar dissonance of natural and conventional or fanciful objects.
_Fairholt_ calls it the _classic rococo_. _Fergusson_ (_Hist. of Arch._,
vol. i. p. 352) defines the _Romanesque_ as “that modification of the
classical Roman form, which was introduced between the reigns of
Constantine and Justinian, and was avowedly an attempt to adapt
classical forms to Christian purposes.” He says, “If _Romanesque_ is to
be applied to our Norman architecture, the Parthenon ought to be called
_Egyptianesque_, and the Temple at Ephesus _Assyrianesque_.” There seems
to be no universally-received definition of this term.
=Rondache=, Fr. A round shield for foot-soldiers. It had a slit near the
top to look through, and another at the side for the sword.
=Ronde Bosse= (It. _rondo bosso_). Sculpture in relief with a complete
rounded outline, detached from the ground.
=Rood=, Chr. (1) A cross or crucifix. (2) A space of 1210 square yards;
the fourth of an acre. (3) In building, 36 square yards of work. (4) As
a linear measure variable, from 21 feet to 36 yards.
=Rood-beam=, Chr. The beam across the church by which the _rood_ was
supported when there was no _rood-loft_.
=Rood-cloth=, Chr. The veil by which the large crucifix or _rood_ was
hidden during Lent.
=Rood-loft=, =Rood-screen=, Chr. A gallery, generally placed over the
chancel screen in parish churches, in which the cross or _rood_ was set
to view.
=Rood-tower=, =Rood-steeple=, Chr. Arch. A tower or steeple of a
cruciform church, built above the intersection, i. e. immediately over
the _rood_.
=Roquelaure.= “A short abridgment or compendium of a cloak, which is
dedicated to the Duke of Roquelaure.”
=Rorarii=, R. (_ros_, the dew). A body of light skirmishers in the Roman
army, who were ranged in the second rank of the _triarii_, with the
_accensi_ behind them in the third line. They took their name from the
light missiles which they scattered upon the enemy, which were like the
drops of rain before a thunder shower. It was their business to begin
the attack, and retire behind the _triarii_ when pressed. Their
skirmishing was a prelude to the charge of the heavy-armed spears
(_hastati_).
=Rosary=, Chr. A string or chaplet of beads for numbering prayers, an
Oriental and ante-Christian custom of great antiquity. They are called
_tasbih_ by the Indian Mohammedans; in Sanscrit _Japanata_, “the
muttering chaplet,” &c.
[Illustration: Fig. 590. Heraldic Roses.]
=Rose=, Her. Represented in blazon without leaves. The rose of England
is generally drawn like the natural flower, or with natural stem,
branches, leaves, and buds, but with heraldic rose-flowers. (See Fig.
395.) In Classic art, a rose upon a tomb is an emblem of a short life.
The ancient Romans were passionately fond of roses, and cultivated them
assiduously in their gardens, and introduced them plentifully in their
feasts and symposia. In _mediæval_ England roses were the favourite
presents on birthdays; and Whitsuntide was called, from the plenty of
them, Rose Easter. Sticking a rose in the ear was the boast of an
accepted lover.
“That in mine ear I durst not stick a rose,
Lest men should say, Look where three farthings goes.”
(_Shakspeare._)
The allusion refers to a thin silver coin of the reign of Elizabeth,
called the three-farthing rose. (_Planché._)
=Rose-engine Pattern= (Fr. _guillochis_). (1) An architectural moulding,
also called Greek fret, meanders, and quirked torus. (2) In goldsmiths’
work it is an ornament of network made by means of a machine called a
rose-engine. (_Bosc._)
=Rose Lake=, =Rose Madder=. A rich tint prepared from lac and madder.
(See MADDER.)
=Rose Pink.= A coarse kind of lake; a delicate and fugitive colour. (See
PINKS.)
=Rose-quartz.= A massive quartz of a rose-red colour, common in Ceylon.
[Illustration: Fig. 591. Rose-window in the Church of St. Croix,
Orleans.]
=Rose-window= (sometimes called a Catherine wheel), Arch. A large
circular window divided into compartments by curved mullions. The most
beautiful examples are met with in churches of the Florid Gothic period.
(Fig. 591.)
=Rose-wood=, =Rhodes-wood=, largely used in furniture as a favourite
veneer, is a name applied to a large variety of trees, mostly imported
from Brazil.
=Rosemary=, in Old England, was closely connected with wedding-feasts
and with funerals.
“There’s rosemary: that’s for remembrance; pray you, love, remember:
and there is pansies; that’s for thoughts.”
(_Hamlet._)
“There’s Rosemarie; the Arabians justifie,
It comforteth the braine and memorie.”
(_A Dialogue between Nature and the Phœnix_,
_by R. Chester, 1601._)
=Rosetta-wood.= A beautifully-veined East Indian wood, of a bright red
orange colour.
=Rosettes.= (See RIBANDS.)
=Rosins.= (See RESINS.)
=Rosso Antico=, It. Ancient marble of a deep red tint, probably deepened
in colour by antiquity, like the NERO ANTICO (q.v.). It is the material
of many ancient Egyptian and early Greek sculptures, unequalled in tone
by the products of any modern quarries. It contains white spots and
veins.
=Rostrum=, R. (Gr. _Embolos_). The prow of a ship. The plural _rostra_
was used to denote a tribune in the Roman forum, from which orators
addressed the people; it was so called because it was decorated with the
figure-heads of the ships taken from the Volscians in the Latin War.
=Rota=, R. (1) A wheel composed of a nave (_modius_), spokes (_radii_),
felloes (_absides_), and iron tires (_orbes_ or _canthi ferrarii_). (2)
It was also an instrument of punishment. _Rota aquaria_ was a hydraulic
wheel; _rota figularis_, a potter’s wheel.
=Rotta= (Germ. _rotte_; Eng. _rote_), a stringed instrument of the early
Middle Ages, sounded either as a harp or a fiddle.
=Rotunda.= A dome-shaped or _monopteral_ (q.v.) structure. The largest
_rotunda_ ever made was that of the Vienna Exhibition in 1873.
[Illustration: Fig. 592. Gallic coin.]
=Rouelle=, Fr. (lit. a small wheel). A French term which has been
applied by antiquaries to numerous objects more or less resembling a
wheel, such as brooches and coins. The Gallic coin (Fig. 592) is from
the bas-reliefs on a Roman arch at Orange.
[Illustration: Fig. 593. Rouen Plate. Decorated à la Corne.]
=Rouennais Faience.= This style, of strongly Oriental character, and
mostly applied to the decoration of what are called “lambrequins” (or
mantlings) and “dentelles” (lace), has been the object of universal
imitation in France and other countries. Figs. 593 and 594 are
representative specimens remarkable for great originality.
[Illustration: Fig. 594. Slipper in Rouen Faience.]
=Rouge Croix=, =Rouge Dragon=. Two of the four _Pursuivants_ (heralds of
the lowest type) of Herald’s College.
=Rouge Royal=, Arch. A kind of red marble.
=Round Towers.= There are upwards of a hundred in Ireland, of which
about twenty are perfect. Generally the tower is a hollow circular
column from 50 to 150 feet high, capped by a short pointed roof of
stone. The base, frequently of cyclopean masonry, measures from 40 to 60
feet in circumference, and the form of the whole tower is tapering
towards the summit. The single entrance door is always from 8 to 15 feet
above the ground; the windows, scattered, light the internal stories or
rooms. Innumerable and wild conjectures of the origin and purpose of
these towers have been made. The most sober appears to be that they were
the earliest form of buildings of a monastic order, adapted to the
exigencies of a Christian settlement in the midst of pagans and pirates.
(See _Petrie_, _The Round Towers of Ireland_.)
[Illustration: Fig. 595. Bezant.]
=Roundels.= (1) Wooden platters decorated with painting and gilding;
16th century. (2) Small round shields borne by soldiers in the 14th and
15th centuries. (3) Arch. The bead or astragal moulding.
=Roundle=, Her. A circular figure in Heraldry, of which there are many
kinds: as the BEZANT, PLATE, TORTEAU, &c. (q.v.). In modern Heraldry a
roundle _gules_ is called TORTEAU; _azure_, HURT; _sable_, PELLET or
OGRESS; _vert_, POMME; _purpure_, GOLPE. (See also FOUNTAIN, ANNULET.)
=Roussant=, Her. About to fly.
=Rowan-tree=, Scotch. The mountain ash.
=Rowel.= The wheel of a spur.
=Rowel Lights=, Chr. Lights in a church, let up and down by a pulley,
especially a star-like light made to move at the Epiphany, when the
coming of the wise men was acted as a religious play. Any small hoop or
ring movable on the place that holds it is a “_rowel_.”
=Rowell= or =Ricel=, O. E. A vessel mentioned, but not described, in
Church records (of _Walberswick_, Suffolk), to be used twice in the
year; “whereby, and the great quantity of Wax and Frankincense, a
ceremonial Imitation of the Birth and Burial of our _Saviour_ seems to
have been celebrated.” (_Gardner, T._, _Historical Account_.)
=Royal.= (1) _Paper_: 21 inches by 19. (2) _Artillery._ A very small
mortar. (3) _Sailing._ The upper sail above the top-gallant. (4) O. E. A
RIAL (q.v.), a coin of the value of ten shillings.
=Royal Blue= (Fr. _bleu du roi_). A vitreous pigment used in porcelain
painting, resulting in a rich, deep blue colour. It is prepared from
_smalt_.
=Rubelite.= A precious stone not much used for jewellery. It is a
species of _tourmaline_, red and pink in colour.
=Rubens Brown.= A rich brown pigment.
=Rubiate.= A name for _Liquid Madder Lake_ (q.v.).
=Rubicelle.= An orange-coloured stone, a variety of the _spinel ruby_.
=Rubrica=, R. Red ochre; and thence _rubric_, an edict or ordinance of
the Civil Law written in red ochre, while the ordinances and rules of
the prætors were written in black on a white ground on the ALBUM (q.v.).
=Ruby=, in Christian art. (See RED.)
=Ruby= or =Red Sapphire=. A _corundum_, the most valuable of all gems;
when perfect and large, exceeding even the diamond in value. The colour
varies from the lightest rose tint to the deepest carmine. The most
valuable tint is called “pigeon’s blood,” a pure deep rich red, without
any admixture of blue or yellow. Brahmin traditions speak of the abode
of the gods lighted by enormous rubies; and one name of the Kings of
Pegu was “Lord of Rubies.” In mediæval times the ruby was regarded as an
amulet against poison, plague, sadness, evil thoughts, wicked spirits,
&c. It also kept the wearer in health, and cheered his mind, and
blackened when he incurred danger. (Consult _Emanuel_, _Diamonds and
Precious Stones_, &c.)
=Rudder.= On ancient coins, &c., with the orb and fasces, emblem of the
supreme power.
=Rudens=, R. The smaller ropes in a ship.
=Rudiarii.= Veteran gladiators discharged from the service by the
presentation of a wooden sword (_rudis_).
=Rudis=, R. (1) A spoon or similar instrument. (2) A wooden sword. (See
RUDIARII.) When a gladiator received his discharge, a _rudis_ was given
him, together with a freedman’s cap, by way of declaration that he had
been granted his liberty, a fact expressed by the phrase _rude donari_.
=Rue=, Her. A _chaplet of rue_ is blazoned _bend-wise_ (see PER BEND)
across the shield of Saxony. (See CRANCELIN.)
=Ruffles.= Lace frills worn over the wrists, introduced _temp._ Henry
VIII.
=Ruff and Honours.= An ancient game of cards from which Whist is
derived.
[Illustration: Fig. 596. Silesian Maiden with Ruff.]
=Ruffs.= Large collars of lace or muslin. A fashion of the 16th century;
it commenced at the end of the reign of Henry VIII. Cambrics and lawn
for making ruffs were first imported under Elizabeth. For illustrations
of various modifications of this fashion, see Figs. 267, 283, 304, 559,
561, 580, &c. (Consult _Planché_, _Cycl. of Costume_.)
=Rugæ=, Chr. The metal _cancelli_ or screens of the more sacred parts of
a church. The presbytery of St. Peter’s was fenced in with silver
“rugæ,” and the confessional with rugæ of gold. (See _Smith and
Cheetham_.)
=Rullions=, Scotch. Shoes made of untanned leather.
=Rum-swizzle.= “The name given in Dublin to a fabric made from undyed
foreign wool, which, while preserving its natural property of resisting
wet, possesses the qualities of common cloth.” (_Simmonds’ Commercial
Dict._)
=Rumex=, R. A weapon of similar character to the SPARUM, the head of
which was formed like a spear with a hook on the blade.
=Runcina=, R. A carpenter’s tool of the nature of a plane.
=Runco=, R. A hoe.
=Runes=, Scand. Magical inscriptions in a character believed by the
northern nations to have been invented by Woden. “The Runic alphabet,”
says _Mr. Wheaton_, “consists properly of sixteen letters, which are
Phœnician in their origin.... They are only Roman, with the curves
changed into straight lines for the convenience of engraving on hard
substances.” (_Hist. of the Northmen_, p. 61.)
=Ruskie=, Scotch. A coarse straw hat; a basket or beehive of plaited
osiers or straw.
=Russells=, O. E. A kind of satin.
=Russet.= A _red_ grey colour; violet mixed with orange. Its
complementary is _green_ grey.
=Rust= (oxide) of iron. “The best _rust_” is mentioned in a list of
colours of the 17th century. (_Brown_, _Ars Pictoria_, _Appendix_, p.
5.)
[Illustration: Fig. 597. Rustic Work. Bossage.]
=Rustic Work= (Fr. _bossage_). Ashlar masonry, the joints of which are
worked with grooves or channels to render them conspicuous; sometimes
the whole of the joints are worked in this way, and sometimes only the
horizontal ones. (See Fig. 597.)
=Rustre=, Her. A LOZENGE pierced with a circular opening.
=Rustred Armour= seems to have grown out of the _ring armour_. It
consisted of one row of flat rings about double the usual size, laid
half over the other, so that two in the outer partly covered one.