THE SHRINE OF ST. SEBALD 
marked out for him by the traditions of his house 
and of his art. The sarcophagus should be placed, 
according to his old design, upon a base adorned 
with reliefs illustrating the miracles of the Saint: 
figures of apostles should guard the coffin, and 
above it should rise a canopy of lofty fretted Gothic 
pinnacles. Now this original design was for a shrine 
intended to be over forty feet high, and something 
after the manner of Adam Krafft's Pyx. On this, 
or rather on some slight modification of it, he be- 
gan to work, and, as he went on, introduced very 
important alterations under the influence of his 
sons’ new knowledge. It is due to this process of 
modification probably that we have to pass the 
criticism on the Sebaldusgrab that the parts are 
oreater than the whole, though the beauty and 
finish of the details are so great that, once we are 
within range of their charm, we forget and forgive 
any fault in the proportionment of the complete 
structure. Beginning with the base, most likely at 
that end where the statue of himself in his leather 
apron is to be seen, and where the inscription 
“ Beginning by me, 1508,” may be read, Vischer 
made such good progress with the work that by 
1512 Cocleus could write of it in his Cosmograp/na 
with amiable exaggeration ;—* Quis vero solertior 
Petro Fischer in celandis fundendisque metallis ? 
Vidi ego totum sacellum ab eo in aes fusum im- 
aginibusque celatum, in quo multi sane mortales 
stare missamque audire poterunt.” (What more 
skilful founder is there than Peter Vischer ? I my- 
19 E