Various representations of the pillars have been attempted in works upon Phoenician art, the most remarkable being those designed by M.Chipiez, and published in the "Histoire de l'Art dans l'Antiquite."[747] Perhaps, however, there is more to be said in favour of M.de Voguee's view, as enunciated in his work on the Jewish Temple.
The third great work of metallurgy which Hiram constructed for Solomon was "the molten sea."[748] This was an enormous bronze basin, fifteen feet in diameter, supported on the backs of twelve oxen, grouped in sets of three.[749] The basin stood fourteen or fifteen feet above the level of the Temple Court,[750] and was a vast reservoir, always kept full of water, for the ablutions of the priests.

There was an ornamentation of "knops" or "gourds," in two rows, about the "brim" of the reservoir; and it must have been supplied in its lower part with a set of stopcocks, by means of which the water could be drawn off when needed.

Representations of the "molten sea" have been given by Mangeant, De Voguee, Thenius, and others; but all of them are, necessarily, conjectural.

The design of Mangeant is reproduced in the preceding representation.

It is concluded that the oxen must have been of colossal size in order to bear a proper proportion to the basin, and not present the appearance of being crushed under an enormous weight.[751] Next in importance to these three great works were ten minor ones, made for the Jewish Temple by the same artist.