Black silver art

Black silver (Min.), "stephanite", Ag5SbS4 orthorhombic (silver antimony sulfide) ["Rocks and Minerals: A Guide to Field Identification" (Golden Field Guide from St. Martin's Press) by Charles A. Sorrell and George Sandstrom (2001) p.114] , displays beautiful crystals characteristic ["Peterson First Guide to Rocks and Minerals" (Peterson First Guides(R)) by Frederick H. Pough and Roger Tory Peterson (1998) p.58] ; - called also "brittle silver" ore, or "brittle silver glance", "fulminating" silver. (Chem.)
*A black crystalline substance, Ag2O.(NH3)2, obtained by dissolving silver oxide in aqua ammonia. When dry it explodes violently on the slightest percussion.
*Silver fulminate, a white crystalline substance, Ag2C2N2O2, obtained by adding alcohol to a solution of silver nitrate. When dry it is violently explosive.

Holy vessels

The Holy Water font was originally the fountain for ablutions, "cantharus" ("phiala"), placed in the centre of the atrium of the basilica can still found in the East, especially at Mount Athos, at Djebeil in Syria, and at Haia-Napa in the Island of Cyprus. These fountains were used by the faithful who, before entering the church, washed their hands and feet in accordance with a rite probably derived from Judaism and even yet observed in Muslim countries. When the atrium of the Christian basilica was reduced to the proportions of a narrow court or a simple porch, the "cantharus" gave way to a less pretentious structure ["Dictionary of Architecture and Construction" (Dictionary of Architecture & Construction) by Cyril M. Harris (2005) p. 168] . It is now only exceptionally that the "cantharus" is found doing service as a Holy Water font, mainly at Mount Athos, where the "phiala" of the monasteryof Laura stands near the catholicon in front of the entrance and is covered by a dome resting on eight pillars. Vessels intended for the use of Holy Water are of very ancient origin (see on the right), and archaeological testimony compensates, to a certain extent, for the silence which historical and liturgical documents maintain in their regard. The "phiala" is a large two-handled drinking cup ["The Etymologies of Isidore of Seville" by Stephen A. Barney, W. J. Lewis, J. A. Beach, and Oliver Berghof (2006) p.400] ["Bodies From the Ash: Life and Death in Ancient Pompeii" by James M. Deem (2005) p.30] , or drinking globlet with high, curved, exaggerated handles ["Hands in Clay : An Introduction to Ceramics" by SPEIGHT, Charlotte Speight, and John Toki (2003) p.32] the upper basin of a fountain (see on the right).

Other names

*German silver. (Chem.).
*Gray silver. (Min.) See Freieslebenite.
*Horn silver. (Min.) See Chlorargyrite.
*King's silver. (O. Eng. Law) See Postfine.
*Red silver, or Ruby silver. (Min.) See Proustite, and Pyrargyrite.
*Silver beater, one who beats silver into silver leaf or silver foil.
*Silver glance, or Vitreous silver. (Min.) See Argentine.

References