Leadwork. By W. R. Lethaby. Illustrated. (Macmillan.)—It. is remarkable how
little we care about leadwork in England, which is the home of the art and where it has reached its perfection. It is practically dead now, never having had the toughness of iron- work, though its beauty and decorative value are evident enough,. and its durability and its own particular softness and ductility should have entitled it to a more lasting respect. Old lead was cast, modern is milled and liable to crack ; besides, the beautiful surface of old lead was duo to silver and arsenic alloyed with the metal, hence its whiteness. Now whenever old lead is meddled with, it is for the worse, unless it is cast again, which is not often done. The designs on coffins, pipe-heads, boxes, vases, and the many lead statues that still exist, some of them illustrated in this charming little volume, proclaim to the observant eye what capacity the despised metal has. It only awaits a renaissance. All art lovers should read Leadwork.
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