27 JUNE 1908, Page 7

The Arts and Crafts of Older Spain. By Leonard Williams.

3 vols. "The World of Art Series." (T. N. Emilia. 15s. net.)—The Moorish element which coloured all the early arts of Spain gave to them a peculiar individuality which separates them from those of other countries. This is specially so in the case of the pottery and the ironwork. Mr. Williams deals with his subject in three

divisions, each occupying a volume,-jewel and metal work; furniture, pottery, and glass; and textile fabrics. The story of the discovery of eleven Visigothic crowns in 1858 makes us feel how small a circumstance may lead to some great find. In this case it was only exceptional rain which washed away the earth from a spot not far from Toledo, leaving the treasures revealed. Spain ought to be rich in ecclesiastical treasures of the past, for she has not had either a Reformation or a French Revolution. To judge by the present volumes, a great many beautiful and interesting things have been preserved.