eke Path Phew, REAR he oN Car ge 3 THE J. PAUL GETTY MUSEUM LIBRARY a ets ee nie . 4 “e _ ai t ,’ ‘ : ees ; . ' Wa my “ ?; 4 : v rr * i's < , 4% ‘ Seg © 4 ws THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART HANDBOOK OF ae eAosi CAL, COLLECTION BY GISELA M. A. RICHTER, Lrt.D. dadguaduse RRR RKO XXX MYO SSS SS = NEW AND ENLARGED EDITION Sw) tite. I oe ee ni SamM= 1% rw] NEW YORK MCMXXVII i; ay COPYRIGHT ® ‘BY THE METROPOLITAN 1 OF ART JANUARY, 192 Pelee Less than ten years ago our classical collections were installed in Wing J and a descriptive handbook was pub- lished. Since then we have so completely outgrown our quarters that an extension into Wing K has become neces- sary. This fifth edition of the Handbook has been rewrit- ten to include additions made since 1917 and to serve as a guide to the collections in their new arrangement. | + : CONTENTS PREFACE . ILLUSTRATIONS INTRODUCTION The Present Collection and Its Arrangement . Value and Appreciation of Greek Art BIBLIOGRAPHY HANDBOOK OF THE CLASSICAL COLLECTION First Room with Annex Prehistoric Greek Period, about 3500-1100 B.C: Second Room Early Greek Period, about 1100-550 B.c. . Third Room Archaic Period, Sixth Century B.c. Fourth Room and Eastern Colonnade of Wing K First Half of V Century B.c. Fifth Room Second Half of V Century B.c. . Sixth Room Fourth Century B.c. . Seventh Room Hellenistic Period, III-I Century B.c. . Eighth Room Hellenistic and Roman Imperial Periods, II] Century B.c.—I Century a.p. . Central Hall of Wing J Greek Sculptures, VI-I Century B.c. PAGE 100 144 107 189 211 230 Viil CONTENTS Court of Wing K: Garden and Northern, Western, and Southern Colonnades Roman Imperial Period, 31 B.c.-Fourth Century A.D. Sardis Gallery . Jewelry Room . INDEX. PAGE 284 321 325 337 PabwolRATIONS FIGURES 1-238 in general reproduce objects in the classical collection and are placed in the text as near to the descriptions of the objects they illustrate as practicable. The cover design, vignette on the title-page, and most of the head-bands and tail-pieces used for decoration in the chapters have been drawn from the objects themselves; the cover design by Lindsley F. Hall of the Museum staff, the others by Edward B. Edwards. The following list of these is printed for the convenience of the student of ornament. Cover DeEsicn: From a Roman fresco Southern Colonnade VIGNETTE ON TITLE-PAGE: From a fifth-century krater meen or eh ases/,e Fourth Room INTRODUCTION Head-band: From a sixth-century kylix Case A, Third Room Tail-piece: From a fifth-century oinochoé Case A, Eastern Colonnade BIBLIOGRAPHY Head-band: From a Roman table Court of Wing K Tail-piece: From the Kybele chariot Case S, Western Colonnade First Room Head-band: From avase found at Pachyam- Re 8 ee, Pedestal X Le DOS REA Ie GOAN Ss Tail-piece: From the Snake-Goddess group Case V SECOND RooM Head-band: From a geometric amphora Case N Tail-piece: From a Corinthian vase. . Case L THIRD Room Head-band: From the inside of an Athenian krater ... . Case |, Dailyiiesxnini Tail-piece: From the Etruscan chariot Case O FouRTH RooM AND EASTERN COLONNADE OF WING K Head-band: From an Athenian pyxis Pedestal P, Fourth Room Tail-piece: From a bronze handle . . CaseA FirTH Room Head-band: From the Erechtheion. . Case L Tail-piece: From a bronze mirror . . Case F SIXTH ROOM , Head-band: From the “Tholos” at Epi- dauros -. . 3 Tail-piece: From an Apulian plate. . Case T SEVENTH RooM Head-band: From a South Italian plate Case H Tail-piece: Antefix . . . On topoP@ases EIGHTH ROOM Head-band: Detail of a fresco from Bosco- reale 2 Se Tail-piece: From an Arretine bowl. . Case N CENTRAL HALL OF WING J Head-band: Cornice of a fourth-century gravestones. ..0 ene Number 48 Miah st RATIONS XI Tail-piece: Akroterion from a sixth-century et eONC te Number 32 CouRT AND COLONNADES OF WING K Head-band: From a fresco from Boscotre- ewe. = 6S * Southern Colonnade Tail-piece: From a fresco from _ Boscotre- oes. S| Outhern Colonnade SARDIS GALLERY Head-band: From a terracotta tile. . Case B Tail-piece: From a terracotta tile . . Case B JEWELRY Room Head-band: From a gold fibula . . CaseM Tail-piece: From a gold ornament . . Case M INDEX Head-band: From a Lydian vase Case A, Sardis Gallery Tail-piece: From a sixth-century kylix Case A, Third Room INTRODUCTION See EOE NT COLLECTION AND ITS ARRANGEMENT BEFORE 1905 the Museum owned only a few pieces of importance'—notably the Etruscan bronze chariot, purchased in 1903; the Boscoreale frescoes, purchased in the same year; a number of bronzes given by Henry G. Marquand in 1897; the Charvet Collection of ancient glass, also given by Henry G. Marquand; and the King Collection of engraved gems, presented by John Taylor Johnston in 1881. Besides these, we possessed only Bucchero vases, Hadra vases, a few pieces of Athenian pottery, and some miscellaneous objects, mostly of minor importance. Therefore our present collection has practically been created within the last twenty years. It has been formed by yearly purchases, mostly with the Rogers and Fletcher Funds, occasionally supplemented by generous gifts and loans. Of the gifts, the most important are a number of Greek bronzes and the Gréau Collection of Roman glass and pottery, given by J. Pierpont Morgan, a Greek marble 1This is of course exclusive of the Cesnola Collection of antiquities from Cyprus, which forms a separate and individual whole. X1V INTRODUCTION head given by James Loeb, and a collection of Cretan sealstones and other antiquities bequeathed by Richard B. Seager.! Originally our classical collections were exhibited ac- cording to material, that is, all marble sculptures were placed together, all bronzes, all terracottas, all vases, and so on. In Wing J a different plan was tried—that of a series of period rooms grouped round a sculptural hall. In each gallery were placed the bronzes, terracottas, vases, glass, gems, beads, and other pieces which belong to one and the same epoch, the only exceptions being the larger sculptures which were put in the top-lighted central hall, and the objects of gold and silver which were segre- gated for reasons of safety. This chronological arrangement has proved such a suc- cess that it has been retained in our new installation. Indeed its advantages are apparent. Not only does the variety of material add to the general attractiveness of the rooms, but the visitor can obtain a more comprehen- sive idea of the gradual development of classical art in all its branches. For as he passes from one gallery to another the story of Greek art unfolds before his eyes. He can watch the successive stages of this art—the early struggles, the full achievement, and the gradual deterioration—in all the objects before him, of whatever material they happen to be. He can see at a glance what special classes of products were in vogue at different times. And more important still, he is able to make comparative studies between the various materials in each room, and trace relations between them. He will find many points of 1The fine bronze portrait-head given by Benjamin Altman and a col- lection of Greek and. Roman pottery and glass given by Edward C. Moore belong to restricted collections and have had to be exhibited with them in Galleries K 33 and H 21 respectively. Pret OD UC TLON XV contact, for instance, between the figures on the Etruscan bronze chariot and those on the vases and the bronze statuettes in the same room, which will show him the de- pendence of Etruscan art on Greek models. He will learn how the bronze helmets and greaves were worn, by merely turning to the reliefs or to the vases in the same room, where warriors are depicted wearing them. He can see how certain fourth-century mirrors were used, by looking at a terracotta statuette in an adjoining case. And so on, in innumerable instances. The reasons why most museums have hitherto exhibited their classical collections by material rather than by period are easy to understand. Most of the important classical collections, those, for instance, in London, Paris, Berlin, and Munich, are so large that the material has become unwieldy. The vases, in particular, even if distributed, would swamp every gallery with their numbers. Some of the smaller collections, on the other hand, particularly in Italy, are often one-sided, being largely derived from special excavations. In our own classical collection, how- ever, conditions for period grouping were highly favorable. Though comparatively small, it is unusually representa- tive, having been formed largely by carefully selected purchases; so that it has been possible to arrange one or two rooms for each important period. The general plan, then, for the arrangement of our collection remains the inclusion of all our originals of Greek, Etruscan, and Roman art,! and the grouping of this material according to periods. But a number of shifts and adjustments have taken place. The Roman material has been moved to Wing K, where it occupies the central court as well as three of its colonnades. This includes the sculpture, glass, pottery, bronzes, and frescoes 1Except, of course, duplicates or careless, unimportant pieces. XVI INTRODUCTION (except those from Boscoreale). The picturesque sur- roundings bring out to a surprising extent the highly decorative character of Roman art. The fourth (eastern) colonnade is devoted to Greek works of the first half of the fifth century moved from the much crowded Fourth Room. Adjoining this colonnade is the new Cesnola Gallery arranged in a way similar to the former grouping, so that J. L. Myres’s handbook can still serve as a guide to the collection. In the northern corner, with a safety door, is our new room of classical jewelry, at last brought into connection with the rest of the department. In Wing J the central hall now contains only Greek sculpture, archaic and fifth-century pieces in the northern half, fourth-century and Hellenistic ones in the southern por- tion. The collection of prehistoric art occupies the vesti- bule leading into the sculptural hall in addition to its old quarters in the adjoining First Room. A few of the ob- jects in the Second Room have been moved to the new Sardis Gallery in Wing K, and some of the objects in the Third Room have been moved to the Fourth Room. The Fifth Room has been made habitable by the removal of the exhibition of Greek and Roman life (installed there since 1924) to makeshift but at least conveniently accessi- ble quarters north of the Eighth Room. The Eighth Room, which has been emptied of most of its Roman con- tents, has shown hospitality to some of the Hellenistic objects in the Seventh Room. A _ new feature is the distribution of the Ward Collection of coins (formerly shown in the old Gold Room) in the period rooms. To the general rule of chronological grouping a few ex- ceptions have had to be made, as before. In trying to divide certain classes of objects according to definite periods, the border lines are sometimes difficult to draw; for there always is some overlapping. Every change is SWOOYU JTVOISSVID AHL AO NV1Td ATA MSL TVOISSVT9 SNUdAD WOU SAILINOILNV AO NOILOATIOD VIONSAD Care eed aay AUMNLNAD HLdId JO JTVH LSUId SAILINGLLNY HITUD, AUMNLNAD HLAld JOAIVH LSUIA, WOO" HLYNOA Goldad NaqUD qomdd doldad ‘OIMOLSIHaUd | | MAINO ATUVI DIVHOUV WOOU LSYIs WOOY GNODAS WOO" GYIHL G SaUNLAINDS g ISNOANV1 [Z ‘e) “TADSIW QB O doludd MaquoO O DIMOLSIHAYd SAYUNLdINOS AFAUD TIVH TVULNAD ROMAN ANTIQUITIES SAILINOILNY NVWOU sgoludd NVWOU goldad AYUNLNAD - aNV MINIS HEA) lsiquys wows SLLSINATIaH DLLSINSTISH HLYNOd dO ATVH GNOOGS | SAILINOLLNV : woou HLHOIF woo’ HLNAAS woOOU HLXIS WoOU HLsld SaILINOILNY NVWOU XVI1L1 INTR ODUCT EON gradual; and often when a new type of vase or mirror or safety-pin has been introduced, the old ones linger on. In all these cases the objects have been placed in the period in which they were most in vogue, and of which they are the natural expression. In the Roman Imperial epoch it became the practice to make copies of Greek works of earlier periods. Though this applies chiefly to statues (see p. 245), it is also true of smaller pieces, especially of bronze statuettes. Where such copies are faithful reproductions of Greek originals, they have been included in the sections to which they stylisti- cally belong; only where the copyist introduced new ele- ments of his own have they been classed with works of the Roman period. | 3 All the objects in our collection exhibited in these two wings are originals. Casts and reproductions are shown in other parts of the building. In only one room was an exception made to this rule—in the First Room, which illustrates Greek prehistoric art. Circumstances make it difficult to obtain any important originals from Crete, where excavations have recently brought to light the remains of a wonderful early civilization. In _ order, therefore, adequately to illustrate this important period of ancient art we have had exact copies made of many of the more remarkable wall-paintings and other objects, and these form the main part of the exhibits in the First Room. To these are added a number of original terra- cotta and stone vases and engraved stones, obtained at various times. To prevent confusion, each case is carefully labeled as containing either originals or reproductions. As stated above, the Cesnola Collection of antiquities from Cyprus has been kept separate from the rest of the classical collections, inasmuch as Cypriote art has an en- Prk OD UGTION X1X tirely local andindividual character. It includes, however, a few important pieces which are clearly products of pure Greek rather than Cypriote art, and which were perhaps imported. [hese have been incorporated with the rest of our Greek collections. eee APPRECIATION OF GREEK ART It may be of interest, before giving specific descriptions of our objects, to consider briefly the value and apprecia- tion of Greek art. Why is it that Greek art occupies a unique position and is even to this day worthy of the ‘most detailed study? First of all, the Greeks, as has been well said, are our spiritual ancestors. It was they among all the ancient peoples that in politics, literature, philosophy, and also in art pointed the way which we have since followed, and thus laid the foundations of our Western civilization. For even though the classical civilization was lost during the Middle Ages, it was its revival in the days of the Renaissance which brought about that wonderful rebirth of culture on which we moderns have built our structure. Therefore, if we wish to under- stand our own civilization, and to know why it has taken the form which it has, we have to go to its originators, the Greeks. It is not only for historical reasons, however, that Greek art is an important study for us today. The Greeks were more than pioneers. In art and literature, at least, they achieved what may be termed perfection; and yet they started at the beginning. So, in seeing Greek art develop from its primitive origins, through many intermediate stages, to final excellence, we study the evolution of art; and this constitutes an artistic training of the first order. XX LDN TER'O DAG rehoOmN The chief value of Greek art, however, lies in its inherent beauty. The Greeks were one of the most artistic peoples the world has known, and there is no better way for the training of eye and taste than to spend some time in their company. They will supply a standard which will make us enjoy not only their art, but other arts, and which will help us to cultivate that discrimination between good and: bad which is essential in the training of both artist and student. Moreover, their conception of beauty is one of which we are much in need today. The calm remoteness which distinguishes their best works is in such contrast to the restlessness of modern life that it affects us like the quiet of a cathedral after the bustle and confusion of the streets. In order properly to appreciate Greek art we must also understand the Greek spirit. This is not difficult; for there is an essential likeness between the Greeks and our- selves. No such adjustment is necessary as in the study, for instance, of an Oriental and alien civilization. There are, however, certain differences which it is important to bear in mind. Perhaps the most prominent and far- reaching characteristic which distinguishes the Greek from us is that he was a “humanist.”” He humanized his religion and created his gods in human shape, of like passions to himself. He humanized nature and peopled the winds and rivers and fountains with creatures of human form. And he humanized life. In other words, to him “man was the measure of all things.” In his art this attitude is reflected in the importance siven to the representation of the human body and in the full realization of its beauty. It became the chief theme of the artist, and for several centuries its representation captivated his interest to the exclusion of almost all else. But this interest in physical beauty was not in any way PNERODUCTION XX1 material. The Greek conception of a good life was a harmonious, many-sided existence, in which mind and body found full scope for rich development; so that beauty of body and beauty of mind and character were to the Greeks almost inseparable. Kavos xayados, “ beautiful and good,” is their expression for what we should call a gentle- man. What a fine blending of physical and mental beauty this ideal produced we can see in the types preserved us from the Greek art of the best period. For here the Greek sense of beauty found full expression. It showed itself not only in the unsurpassed loveliness of its productions, but in the elimination of all that is abnormal and extrava- "gant. It is in’ this sense that the Greek artist was an idealist. He felt that in art, which to him was the creation of beauty, everything extraneous to this object must be avoided. Hence also the restraint and sense of fitness which pervade all his works. Another important quality in which the Greeks differ from us is their directness. Their representations are al- ways straightforward and simple. If they wished to rep- resent the birth of the goddess of wisdom from the brain of their chief god, they depicted Hephaistos cleaving the head of Zeus with an axe, and Athena emerging, fully armed. When they conceived their heroes fighting evil powers, they showed them in combats with lions, boars, bulls, and monsters. To try to explain Greek representa- tions on metaphysical grounds, and to read our own more complicated thoughts and emotions into them, is to mis- understand the directness and spontaneity of Greek imagination. And this directness saved the Greeks also from sentimentality. The conciseness of their epitaphs and the quiet scenes on their tombstones can teach us how deep feeling can be adequately conveyed by a restrained expression. ‘We are lovers of beauty without extrava- XXII IN TRODBUGTrLOm gance,’ is what Perikles said of the Athenians in his fa- mous Funeral Speech.! It is this ardent and yet sober love of the things of the spirit which is so exhilarating to us today. !'Thukydides, 11, 40. Pi HOw ISERIES STENT BIBLIOGRAPHY THIS BIBLIOGRAPHY IS NOT INTENDED TO BE IN ANY SENSE EXHAUSTIVE,IT INCLUDES ONLY THE MORE IMPORTANT BOOKS OF INTEREST TO THE GENERAL READER. ADDITIONAL IN- FORMATION ON OBJECTS IN OUR COLLECTION WILL BE FOUND IN THE MUSEUM BULLETINS PERIODICALS American Journal of Archaeology. From 1885. Annual of the British School at Athens. London, from 1894. Annual of the British School at Rome. London, from 1902. Antike, Die. Berlin and Leipzig, from 1925. Antike Denkmaler. Berlin, from 1801. Athenische Mitteilungen des deutschen archdologischen Instituts. Athens, from 1876. Ausonia. Rome, from 1906. Bulletin de correspondance hellénique. Paris, from 1877; Athens, from 1885. Dedalo. Milan, from 1920. Fondation Piot. Monuments et mémoires publiés par l’académie des inscriptions. Paris, from 1894. Jahrbuch des deutschen archaologischen Instituts. Berlin, from 1886; with Beiblatt, Archaologischer Anzeiger, from 1889. XX1V BIBLIOGRAPHY Jahreshefte des k. k. oesterreichischen archaologischen Instituts in Wien, with Beiblatt. Vienna, from 1808. Journal of Hellenic Studies. London, from 1881. Journal of Roman Studies. London, from 1911. Monumenti antichi pubblicati per cura della reale Ac- cademia dei Lincei. Rome, from 1890. Monumenti inediti dell’ Instituto di Correspondenza ar- cheologica. Paris, 1829-1885. Notizie degli scavi di antichita. Accademia dei Linceli. Rome, from 1876. Revue archéologique. Paris, from 1844. Romische Mitteilungen des deutschen azchaologischen Instituts. Rome, from 1886. LEXICONS Daremberg, C., Saglio, E., & Pottier, E. Dictionnaire des antiquités grecques et romaines. Paris, 1877-1918. Roscher, W. H. Lexikon der griechischen und rémischen Mythologie. Leipzig, from 1884. (In progress.) Smith, W. Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography, I-II. London, 1880. Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, I-III. London, 188o. Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities. Third edition. London, 1890. Walters, H. B. Classical Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, Biography, Geography and Mythology. Cambridge, 19106. Wissowa, G., & Kroll, W. Pauly’s Real-Encyclopadie der klassischen Altertumswissenschaft. Stuttgart, from 1894. (In progress.) BEB LIOGRAPHY XXV GENERAL WORKS Baumeister, A. Denkmaler des klassischen Altertums, I-III. Munich, 1884-1888. Baur 2 Yo... Centaurs in Ancient Art. . Berlin, 1912. Blimner, H. Technologie und Terminologie der Gewerbe und Kiinste bei Griechen und Roémern, I-IV. Leipzig, 1875-1887 (I, second edition, 1912). Cambridge Ancient History, The, I-IV. Cambridge, 1923-1920. Ducati, P. L’Arte classica. Turin, 1920. Fowler, H. N., & Wheeler, J. R.. A Handbook of Greek 7 Archaeology. New York, 1900. Gardner, P. The Principles of Greek Art. New York, IQI4. Harrison, J. E., & Verrall, M. deG. Mythology and Monuments of Ancient Athens. London and New York, 1890. Jex-Blake, K., & Sellers, E. The Elder Pliny’s Chapters on the History of Art. London, 1896 Livingstone, R. W. The Greek Genius and Its Meaning to Us. Oxford, 1912. Loewy, E. The Rendering of Nature in Early Greek Art, translated by J. Fothergill. London, 1907. Martha, J. L’Art étrusque. Paris, 1880. McClees, H. The Daily Life of the Greeks and Romans. New York, 1924. Michaelis, A. A Century of Archaeological Discoveries, translated by B. Kahnweiler. London, 1908. (Sec- ond German edition, Leipzig, 1908.) Minns, E. H. Scythians and Greeks. London, 1914. Overbeck, J. A. Die antiken Schriftquellen zur Geschichte der bildenden Kinste bei den Griechen. Leipzig, 1868. Griechische Kunstmythologie. Leipzig, 1871-1880. XXVI BIBLIOGRAPHY Perrot, G., & Chipiez, C. Histoire de l’art dans I’anti- quité, I-X. Paris, 1882-1914. Springer-Wolters. Handbuch der Kunstgeschichte. Twelfth edition. Stuttgart, 1921-1924. Tarbell, F. B. A History of Greek Art. Sixth Edition. New York, 1907. Van Hook, La R. Greek Life and Thought. New York, 1923. Walters, H. B. The Art of the Ancient Greeks. London, 1900. ——The Art of the Romans. London, 1911. Zimmern, A. E. The Greek Commonwealth. Oxford, IQII. The official publications of excavations, especially those of Aegina, Delphi, Ephesos, Epidauros, Olympia, Perga- mon, Priene. PREHELLENIC. GRE iter Baikie, J. The Sea-Kings of Crete. London, 1910. Blegen, C. W. Korakou, A Prehistoric Settlement near Corinth. Boston and New York, 1921. Bossert, H. T.. Altkreta. Berlin, 1920) Burrows, R. M. The Discoveries in Crete. London, 1907. Cambridge Ancient History, Il. Cambridge, 1924. Chap- ter XVI, Crete and Mycenae, by A. J. B. Wace. Dorpfeld, W. ‘Troja und Ilion. Athens, 1901. Dussaud, R. Les Civilisations préhelléniques dans le bassin de la mer Egée. Second edition. Paris, 1914. Evans, Sir A. J./ Scripta Minoa, I. Oxford, 1909. The Palace of Minos at Knossos, I. London, 1921. Excavations at Phylakopi in Melos, in Journal of Hellenic Studies, Supplementary Papers, No. 4. London, 1904. BIBLIOGRAPHY XXVIl Hall, E. H. Excavations in Eastern Crete, Sphoungaras, in University of Pennsylvania, The Museum, An- thropological Publications, III, 2, 1912, pp. 43ff. Hall, H. R. Aegean Archaeology. London, 1915. Hawes, C. H. & H. B. Crete, the Forerunner of Greece. London and New York, 1909. Hawes, H. B. Gournia, Vasiliki, and Other Prehistoric Sites on the Isthmus of Hierapetra, Crete. Philadel- phia, 1909. Maraghiannis, G. Antiquités crétoises, I-III. Candia, 1907-IQI1. Reisinger, E. Kretische Vasenmalerei vom Kamares-bis zum Palast-Stil. Leipzig, 1912. Rodenwaldt, G. Tiryns: Die Ergebnisse der Ausgrabung- en, II. Athens, 1912. Schuchhardt, C. Schliemann’s Excavations, translated by E. Sellers. London and New York, 1891. Seager, R. B. The Cemetery of Pachyammos, Crete, in University of Pennsylvania, The Museum, Anthro- pological Publications, VII, 1, 1916, pp. 1ff. Excavations on the Island of Pseira, Crete, in Uni- versity of Pennsylvania, The Museum, Anthropologi- cal Publications, IIl, 1, 1910, pp. 1ff. —FExplorations in the Island of Mochlos. Boston and New York, 1912. Tsountas, C., & Manatt, J. I. The Mycenaean Age. Boston, 1897. Wace, A. J. B., & Thompson, M.S. Prehistoric Thessaly. Cambridge, 1912. For reports on the Italian excavations at Phaistos and Hagia Triada, see Monumenti antichi, VI ff. XXVIII BIBLIOGRAPHY ARCHITECTURE AND TOPOGRAPHY Anderson, W. J., & Spiers, R. P. The Architecture ot Greece and Rome. Second edition. London, 1907. (A new edition in two volumes is announced, the Greek portion rewritten by Dinsmoor, W. B.) Benoit, F. L’Architecture, 1. Antiquité. Paris, 1911. Butler, H.C. Sardis, I], part 1. The Temple of Artemis. The American Society for the Excavation of Sardis. Leyden, 1925. Collignon, L. M. Le Parthenon: I’histoire, l’architecture et la sculpture. Third edition. Leipzig, 1910. D’Ooge, M. L. The Acropolis of Athens. New York and London, 1908. Durm, J. Die Baukunst der Griechen. Second edition. Darmstadt, 1802. Frazer, J. G. Pausanias’ Description of Greece, I-IV. London, 1808. Gardiner, E.N. Olympia: Its History and Remains. Ox- ford, 1925. Goodyear, W.H. Greek Refinements. New Haven, 1912. Hambidge, J. The Parthenon. New Haven, 1924. Harrison, J. E., & Verrall, M. deG. Mythology and Monuments of Ancient Athens. London and New York, 1890. Judeich, W. Topographie von Athen (Miller, I. Hand- buch der klassischen Altertumswissenschaft). Mu- nich, 1905. Koldewey, R., & Puchstein, O. Die griechischen Tempel in Unteritalien und Sicilien, I-II. Berlin, 1899. Lechat, H. Le Temple grec. Paris; 1602) Marquand, A. Greek Architecture. New York and London, 1909. BIBLIOGRAPHY XX1X Mau, A. Pompeii: Its Life and Art, translated by F. W. Kelsey. New York, 1904. Noack, F. Die Baukunst des Altertums. Berlin, 1g1to. Penrose, F. C. Principles of Athenian Architecture, Second edition. London, 1888. Poulsen, F. Delphi, translated by G. C. Richards. Lon- aon, 1920. Rider, B. C. The Greek House. Cambridge, 1916. Solon, L. V. Polychromy. The Architectural Record. New York, 1924. Vitruvius. The Ten Books on Architecture, translated by M. H. Morgan. Cambridge, Mass., 1914. Warren, H. L. The Foundationsof Classical Architecture. New York, 1919. POwise PK Arndt, P. Griechische und romische Portrats. Munich, from 1909. (In progress.) Arndt, P., & Amelung, W. Photographische Einzelauf- nahmen antiker Skulpturen. Munich, from 1893. (In progress.) Bernoulli, J. J. Griechische Ikonographie, I-I]. Munich, 1901. Romische Ikonographie, I-IV. Stuttgart, 1882- 1894. Brunn, H., & Arndt, P. Denkmaler griechischer und romischer Sculptur. Munich, from 1888. (In prog- ress.) Bulle, H. Der schdne Mensch, I. Im Altertum. Third edition. Munich, 1922. Chase, G. H. Greek and Roman Sculpture in American Collections. New York, 1924. Collignon, L. M. Histoire de la sculpture grecque. Paris, 1892-1807. XXX BEB b1O G RAP rex Conze,A.C.L. Die attischen Grabreliefs. Berlin, 1890-- IQI1. Delbriick, R. Antike Portrats. Bonn, 1912. Déonna, W. Les Apollons archaiques. Geneva, 1909. Dickins, G. Hellenistic Sculpture. Oxford, 1920. Fowler, H.N. A History of Sculpture. New York, 1916. Furtwangler, A. Masterpieces of Greek Sculpture. Edited by E. Sellers. London and New York, 1895. Gardner, E. A. Handbook of Greek Sculpture. Second edition. London and New York, 1915. Six Greek Sculptors. London, 1910. Gardner, P. Sculptured Tombs of Hellas. London, 1800. Hekler, A. Die Bildniskunst der Griechen und Romer. Stuttgart, 1912. (English edition. London, 1912.) Jones, H. Stuart. Select Passages from Ancient Authors Illustrative of the History of Greek Sculpture. Lon- don, ‘1895. Kekulé von Stradonitz, R. Die griechische Skulptur. Berlin, 1906. Lange, J. H. Darstellung des Menschen in der 4lteren eriechischen Kunst, translated from the Danish by M. Mann. Strassburg, 1890. ; Lechat, H. Au Musée de 1l’Acropole d’Athénes: étude sur la sculpture en Attique. Lyon, 1903. Lermann, W. Altgriechische Plastik. Munich, 1907. Lippold, G. Griechische Portratstatuen. Munich, 1912. Loewy, E. La scultura greca. Torino, 1911. (German edition, Leipzig, 1911.) ——Typenwanderung, in O6esterreichische Jahreshefte, XII, Vienna, 1900. Picard, C. La Sculpture antique des origines 4 Phidias. Paris, 1923. Poulsen, F. Greek and Roman Portraits in English PrLeLioOGRA PHY XXXI1 Country Houses, translated by G. C. Richards. Oxford, 1923. Reinach, S. Receuil de tétes antiques. Paris, 1903. —Répertoire de la statuaire grecque et romaine, I-IV. Paris, 1897-1904. ——Ré€pertoire de reliefs grecs et romains, I-III. Paris, 1909-1912. Robert, K. Die antiken Sarkophagreliefs, II-III. Berlin, 1890-1910. Schrader, H. Pheidias. Frankfurt a. M., 1924. Smith, A. H. The Sculptures of the Parthenon. London, 1910. _ Strong, Mrs. Arthur. Roman Sculpture from Augustus to Constantine. London, 1911. (Italian edition, I-II, Florence, 1923, 1920.) Wace, A. J. B. The Evolution of Art in Roman Por- traiture, in the Journal of the British and American Archaeological Society of Rome, III, Session 1905-1906. Waldmann, E. Griechische Originale. Second edition. Leipzig, 1923. Wickhoff, F. Roman Art, translated by Mrs. Arthur Strong. London, 1900. TERRACOTTAS Déonna, W. Les Statues de terre cuite dans l’antiquite. Paris, 1908. Hutton C. A. Greek Terracotta Statuettes. London and New York, 1890. Pottier, E. Diphilos et les modeleurs de terres cuites erecques. Paris, 1900. -_—lLes Statuettes de terre cuite dans l’antiquité. Paris, 1890. Pottier, E., & Reinach, S. La Nécropole de Myrina, I-II. Paris, 1887. XXXII BIBLIOGRAPHY ——Terres cuites de Myrina. Paris, 1886. Winter, F. Die Typen der figiirlichen Terrakotten, I-II. Berlin and Stuttgart, 1903. VASES Beazley, J. D. Attic Red-figured Vases in American Museums. Cambridge, 1918. ——Attische Vasenmaler des rotfigurischen Stils. ‘Ttubin- gen, 1925. Brauchitsch; J. von. Die Panathendischen Preisampho- ren. Leipzig and Berlin, 1910. Buschor, E. Greek Vase Painting, translated by G. C. Richards. London, 1921. (German edition, Munich, 1913.) : Caskey, L. D. Geometry of Greek Vases. Boston, 1922. Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum. Paris, 1922—. (In progress.) Dragendorff, H. Terra Sigillata, in Jahrbiicher des Vereins von Alterthumsfreunden im _ Rheinlande (‘Bonner Jahrbiicher’’), 96, 1895, pp. 18-155. Fairbanks, A. Athenian White Lekythoi with Outline Drawing in Matt Color on a White Ground. New York, 1914. Furtwanegler, A., & Reichhold, K. Die griechischen Vasen- malerei, I-IJ, III (in progress). Munich, 1900— Hambidge, J. Dynamic Symmetry: The Greek Vase. New Haven, 1920. Hartwig, P. Die griechischen Meisterschalen des strengen rothfigurischen Stils. Stuttgart, 1893. Hoppin, J. C. Handbook of Attic Red-figured Vases, I-Il. Cambridge, Mass., 1919. ——Handbook of Greek Black-figured Vases, Paris, 1924. : Prelioc RAPHY XXX] ——Euthymides and His Fellows. Cambridge, Mass., 1QI7. Klein, W. Die griechischen Vasen mit Meistersignaturen. Second edition. Vienna, 1887. ——Die griechischen Vasen mit Lieblingsinschriften. Second edition. Vienna, 1808. Kretschmer, P. Die griechischen Vaseninschriften ihrer Sprache nach untersucht. Giutersloh, 1894. Langlotz, E. Zur Zeitbestimmung der strengrotfiguri- schen Vasenmalerei und der gleichzeitigen Plastik. Leipzig, 1920. Mayer, M. Apulien vor und wahrend der Hellenisirung. Leipzig and Berlin, 1914. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Shapes of Greek Vases. New York, 1922. Pfuhl, E. Malerei und Zeichnung der Griechen, I-III. Munich, 1923. Masterpieces of Greek Drawing and Painting, trans- lated by J. D. Beazley. New York, 1920. Pottier, E. Douris and the Painters of Greek Vases, translated by B. Kahnweiler. New York, 19106. Reinach, S. Répertoire des vases peints, I-II. Paris, 1899-1900. | Riezler, W. Weissgrundige attische Lekythen, nach Furtwanglers Auswahl, I-II. Munich, 1914. Walterss=ti bb. History of Ancient Pottery, - I-11. London, 1905. GEMS Furtwangler A. Die antiken Gemmen, I-III. Leipzig, 1900. Osborne, D. Engraved Gems, Signets, Talismans, and Ornamental Intaglios, Ancient and Modern, New York, 1912. XXXIV BIBLIOGRAPHY COINS Gardner, P. Types of Greek Coins. Cambridge, 1883. Head, B. V. Historia Numorum. Oxford, 1911. Hill, G. F. A Handbook of Greek and Roman Coins. London, 1899. Regling, K. Die antike Miinze als Kunstwerk. Berlin, 1924. PAINTING Berger, E. Die Maltechnik des Altertums. Munich, 1904. Breitschedel, O. Zur Technik der roémisch-pompeyjani- schen Wandmalereil. Munich, 1911. Eibner, A. Entwicklung und Werkstoffe der Wandmalerei vom Altertum bis zur Neuzeit.. Munich, 1920. Gerlich, F. Die Technik der roémisch-pompejanischen Wandmalerei, in Neue Jahrbiicher fiir das klassische Altertum, X XI,.1908, pp. 127-147. Herrman, P. Denkmaler der Malerei. Munich. (in progress.) Laurie, H. P. Greek and Roman Methods of Painting. Cambridge, 1910. Mau, A. Geschichte der decorativen Wandmalerei in Pompeji. Berlin, 1882. Poulsen, F. Etruscan Tomb Paintings, translated by I. Anderson. Oxford, 1922. Reinach, S. Répertoire des peintures grecques et romaines. Paris, 1922. Rodenwaldt, G. Die Komposition der pompejanischen Wandgemialde. Berlin, 1900. Swindler, M. H. Ancient Painting. New Haven. (In press.) Daeo LOG RA PH Y XXXV GLASS Dillon, E. Glass. New York, 1907. Kisa, A. C. Das Glas im Altertume. Leipzig, 1908. Richter, G. M. A. The Room of Ancient Glass, Met- ropolitan Museum of Art. (A brief account of the chief varieties.) New York, 1916. FURNITURE Koeppen, A., & Breuer, C. Geschichte des Mobels. Berlin and New York, 1904. Richter, G. M. A. Ancient Furniture. With an appen-~ dix by A. W. Barker, Oxford, 1926. Williams (Ransom), C. L. Couches and Beds of the Greeks, Etruscans, and Romans. Chicago, 1905. ATHLETICS Alexander, C. Greek Athletics. New York, 1926. Gardiner, E. N. Greek Athletic Sports and Festivals. London, 1910. Jiithner, J. Antike Turngerathe. Vienna, 1806. Krause, J. H. Die Gymnastik und Agonistik der Hel- lenen. Leipzig, 1841. MiaPALR Es Bieber, M. Denkmaler zum Theaterwesen in Altertum. Berlin and Leipzig, 1920. Flickinger, R. C. The Greek Theater and its Drama. Chicago, 1918. DRESS Abrahams, E. B. Greek Dress. London, 1908. Heuzey, L.A. Histoire du costume antique. Paris, 1922. XXXVI BIB LPOG RoAYPRSy ~ RELIGION AND MYTHOLOGY Cook, A. B. Zeus: A Study in Ancient Religion, I-II. Cambridge, 1914-1925. Fairbanks, A. A Handbook of Ancient Religion. New York, 1910. Fairbanks, A. The Mythology of Greece and Rome. New York, 1908. Gardner, E.A. Religion and Art in Ancient Greece. London and New York, 1910. Harrison, J. E. Themis: A Study of the Social Origins of Greek Religion. Cambridge, 1912. Nilsson, M. P. History of Greek Religion, translated by F. J. Fielding, Oxford, 1925. CATALOGUES A. MUSEUMS AUSTRIA Vienna Masner, K. Die Sammlung antiker Vasen und Terracotten. Vienna, 1892. DENMARK Copenhagen Arndt, P. La Glyptothéque Ny-Carlsberg, les monuments antiques. Munich, 1912. EGYPT Cairo Edgar, C.C. Catalogues of the Greek Bronzes, Greek Vases, Greek Moulds, and Graeco- Egyptian Glass in the Cairo Museum. Cairo, 1903-1911. Bap LIOGRAPHY XXXVII ENGLAND London Smith, A. H. A Catalogue of Sculpture in the British Museum, I-III. London, 1892- 1904. Walters, H. B. Catalogue of the Bronzes in the British Museum. London, 1899. —-Select Bronzes, Greek, Roman and Etruscan, in the British Museum. London, 1915. — Catalogue of the Terracottas in the Depart- ment of Greek and Roman Antiquities, in the British Museum. London, 1903. Catalogue of the Greek and Roman Lamps in the British Museum. London, 1909. Forsdyke, E. J. Catalogue of Prehistoric Aegean Pottery, [, 1. -London, 1925. Walters, H. B., & Smith, C. H. Catalogue of the Greek and Etruscan Vases, I, 2, II-IV. London, 1893-1912. Walters, H. B. Catalogue of Engraved Gems and Cameos in the British Museum. London, 1920. Marshall, F. H. Catalogue of the Finger Rings, Greek, Etruscan and Roman, in the British Museum. London, 1907. Catalogue of the Jewellery, Greek, Etrus- can and Roman, in the British Museum. London, 1911. Oxford Gardner, P. Catalogue of the Greek Vases in the Ashmolean Museum. Oxford, 1893. FRANCE Paris Froehner, C. E. L. W. Notice de la sculpture antique du Louvre. Paris, 1860. ’ XxXVIll BIBLIOGRAPHY FRANCE (continued) Paris (continued) Ridder, A. de. Les Bronzes antiques du Louvre, I-II. Paris, 1913-1915. | Heuzey, L. Les Figurines antiques de terre cuite du musée du Louvre. Paris, 1883. Pottier, E. Catalogue des vases antiques de terre cuite du Louvre, I-III. Paris 1896- 1900. Babelon, E. Le Cabinet des antiques a la Bib- liothéque nationale. Paris, 1887. Babelon, E., & Blanchet, A. Catalogue des bronzes antiques de la Bibliothéque natio- nale. Paris, 1895. Ridder, A. de. Catalogue des vases peints de la Bibliothéque nationale, I-II. Paris, 1901- 1902. GERMANY Berlin Conze, A. C. L. Konigliche Museen zu Berlin, Beschreibung der antiken Skulpturen. Ber- lin, 1891. Friedrichs, C., & Wolters, P. Die Gipsabgiisse antiker Bildwerke. Berlin, 1885. Furtwangler, A. Beschreibung der Vasensamm- lung im Antiquarium, I-II. Berlin, 1885. K6nigliche Museen zu Berlin, Beschreibung der geschnittenen Steine im Antiquarium. Berlin, 1806. Cassel Bieber, M. Die antiken Skulpturen und Bronzen der koniglichen Museum fridericianium in Cassel. Marburg, 1915. BIBLIOGRAPHY XXXIX GERMANY (continued) Karlsruhe Schumacher, K. Grossherzogliche vereinigte Sammlungen zu Karlsruhe, Beschreibung der Sammlung antiker Bronzen. Karlsruhe 1800. Winnefeld, H. Grossherzogliche vereinigte Sammlungen zu Karlsruhe, Beschreibung der Vasensammlung. Karlsruhe, 1887. Mainz Behm, F. Romische Keramik mit Einschluss | der hellenistischen Vorstufen. Mainz, 1910. Munich Furtwangler, A. Beschreibung der Glyptothek. Second edition. Munich, 1910. Sieveking, J., & Hackl, R. Die konigliche Vasen- sammlung zu Minchen, |. Munich, 1912. GREECE Athens Stais, V. Guide illustré du Musée National d’Athénes: la collection mycénienne. Athens, 1909. — Guide illustré du Musée National d’Athénes: Marbres et bronzes. Second edition. Athens, 1909-1910. Collignon, M. L., & Couve, L. Catalogue des vases peints du Musée National d’Athénes. Paris, 1902; Supplement by G. Nicole. Haris, 1911. Dickins, G. Catalogue of the Acropolis Museum, I: Archaic Sculpture. Cambridge, 1912. Casson, S. Catalogue of the Acropolis Museum, I]: Sculpture and Architectural Fragments, — xl BRE LIOGrArA GREECE (continued) Athens (continued) with a section upon the Terracottas by D. Brooke. Cambridge, 1921. Schrader, H. Auswahl archaischer Marmor- skulpturen im Akropolismuseum. Vienna, 1913. Graef, B. Die antiken Vasen von der Akropolis zu Athen. Berlin, 1911. Ridder, A. de. Catalogue des bronzes de la Société Archéologique d’Athénes. Paris, 1894. ——Catalogue des bronzes trouvés sur l’Acropole d’Athénes. Paris, 1926. Svoronos, J. N. Das athener Nationalmuseum, Germanedition by W. Barth, I-III. Athens, 1908-1913. ITALY Bologna Pellegrini, G. Catalogo dei vasi greci dipinti delle necropoli felsinee. Bologna, 1912. Florence Amelung, W. Fuhrer durch die Antiken in Florenz. Munich, 1897. Milani, L. A. Il Reale Museo archeologico di Firenze. Florence,191 Naples Guida illustrata del Museo Nazionale di Napoli, I. Naples, 1911. Heydemann, H. Die Vasensammlungen des Museo Nazionale zu Neapel. Berlin, 1872. Northern Italy Ditschke, H. Antike Bildwerke in Oberitalien, I-V. Leipzig, 1874-1882. BIBLIOGRAPHY xll ITALY (continued) Rome Amelung, W., & Holzinger, H. The Museums and Ruins of Rome, I-II. English edition. New York, 1900. Amelung, W. Die Sculpturen des Vaticanischen Museums, I-III. Berlin, 1903. Helbig, K. F. W. Fuhrer durch die 6ffentlichen Sammlungen klassischer Altertiimer in Rom. Third edition. Leipzig, 1912-1913. Jones, H. S. (editor). A Catalogue of the Sculp- tures of the Museo Capitolino. Oxford, 1912. RUSSIA Petrograd Kieseritzky, G. von. Sculptures in the Hermit- age (in Russian). St. Petersburg, 1901. Stephani, L. von. Die Vasen-Sammlung der kai- serlichen Ermitage. St. Petersburg, 1869. SPAIN Madrid Alvarez-Ossorio, F. Vasas griegos, etruscos é italo-griegos que se conservan en el Museo arquelogico nacional. Madrid, 1og1o. Leroux, G. Vases grecs et italo-grecs du Musée archéologique de Madrid. Bordeaux, 1912. TURKEY Constantinople Mendel, G. Catalogue des figurines grecques de terre cuite aux Musées Impériaux-Ottomans. Constantinople, 1908. Catalogue des sculptures: grecques, romaines et byzantines aux Musées Impériaux-Otto- mans, I. Constantinople, 1912. xii BIBLIOGRAPHY UNITED STATES Boston Caskey, L. D. Catalogue of Greek and Roman Sculpture in the Museum of Fine Arts. Cambridge, Mass., 1925. Chase, G. H. Catalogue of Arretine Pottery in the Museum of Fine Arts. Boston and New York, 19106. Robinson, E. Catalogue of Greek, Etruscan and Roman Vases in the Museum of Fine Arts. Boston, 1893. New York Myres, J. L. Handbook of the Cesnola Collec- tion of Antiquities from Cyprus. New York, 1914. Richter, G. M.A. Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Bronzes in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York, 1914. Catalogue of Engraved Gems in the Metro- politan Museum of Art. New York, 1915. Ward, J. Greek Coins and Their Parent Cities; with a Catalogue of the Author’s Collection by G. F. Hill. London, 1902. | B. PRIVATE COLLEGTig CHARVET COLLECTION Froehner, C. E. L.W. La Verrerie antique: description de la Collection Charvet. Le Pecq, 1879. COLLECTION DE CLERCQ Ridder, A. de. Catalogue de la Collection de Clerg, ITI-IV, VI-VII. Paris, 1904-1911. BO BLIOGRAPHY xiii GREAT BRITAIN Michaelis, A. Ancient Marbles in Great Britain, translated by C. A. M. Fennell. Cambridge, 1882. | Tillyard, E. M. W. The Hope Vases. Cambridge, 1923. GREAU COLLECTION Froehner, C. E. L. W. Collection Julien Gréau, ap- partenant a J. P. Morgan. Paris, 1903. LoEB COLLECTION Sieveking, J. Die Bronzen der Sammlung Loeb. Munich, 1913. Die Terrakotten der Sammlung Loeb, I-II. Munich, 1916. Chase, G. H. The Loeb Collection of Arretine Pot- tery. New York, 1908. MorGAN COLLECTION Smith, Sir C. H. Collection of J. P. Morgan. Bronzes: Antique Greek, Roman, etc. Paris, 1913. Wicd Sa ieeallinl ale — SAS “ ioe See @ 2.2% O49 FIRST ROOM WITH ANNEX PREHISTORIC GREEK PERIOD! ABOUT 3500—I 100 B. C. IER excavations of the last half-century have revealed a civilization of great antiquity in Greek lands, an account of which will henceforth always have to form the opening chapter of any history of Greek art. Before these dis- coveries, the study of Greece was confined to the classical periods during the first millennium B.c.; and this history seemed complete in itself, for it recorded the primitive beginnings, the gradual rise and flowering, and the sub- sequent fall and disintegration of a homogeneous culture. But now we know that before the Hellenic people de- veloped the civilization we know as Greek, another people had dominated the Aegean world for more than two thou- sand years, and had evolved an independent culture and art of high standing. Our knowledge of this earlier Greek civilization we owe almost entirely to the work of the archaeologist. ‘There is no literature to help us, for the only written records are as yet undeciphered. And the classical Greeks knew 1My best thanks are due to A. J. B. Wace, who has read this section of the book in Ms., and who has helped me bring it up to date. 4 FIRST ROOM little of their predecessors; only a legend here and there harks back to this distant past. For this reason the gradual unfolding of that long-forgotten civilization is one of the most sensational as well as one of the most important feats of archaeology. The story of this feat reads like a romance. It has often been told, so we need only repeat here the salient points. The first actor in the drama was Heinrich Schlie- mann (born in 1822 in Mecklenburg-Schwerin), who con- ceived the idea of digging for the city of Troy. He had heard of Homer’s heroes, and had become convinced that Troy had really existed, and that its ruins must still be standing. He spent a youth of poverty and hardship, but afterwards amassed a fortune, and when of middle age was free to realize the dream of his life. After a few years of preparation, in spite of the skepticism of contemporary archaeologists, he started excavations in 1871. His faith and his enterprise were rewarded. He found not only Troy but, later, Mycenae and Tiryns. His discoveries, especially the famous shaft-graves at Mycenae, with their treasures of gold, astonished the world. The “heroic age”’ of Greece, heretofore regarded as a mere myth, became a reality. Soon other discoveries belonging to the same epoch were made at Vaphio and elsewhere by Professor Tsountas; and the chief concern of archaeologists then became to find the original home of this civilization. Un- mistakable clues pointed to the island of Crete. Since legends had proved to be such useful pathfinders, the stories of the sea-king Minos, with his Minotaur and Labyrinth, and of the birth of Zeus in the cave of Dikte, assumed a new aspect. Isolated discoveries on the island pointed in the same direction. For some time, however, no excavations could be undertaken, for Crete was under Turkish rule and in a constant state of revolution. As Piao ORC GREEK PERIOD 5 soon as conditions were more favorable, Dr. A. J. Evans (now Sir Arthur Evans), of Oxford, and Dr. Federigo Halbherr, of Rome, started on their quest. In 1900 Sir Arthur Evans began excavations on the site of Knossos, which he had secured some years before. His results were even more fruitful than the most sanguine expected. Within a few years he unearthed a large palace with spa- cious courtyards and numerous living-rooms, bathrooms, magazines, and staircases, of a plan so complicated that it might well be called a Labyrinth! In its finished appointments and its advanced methods of sanitation it furnished many surprises to those who had pictured _ to themselves the prehistoric Greeks leading a primitive existence. But more important yet was the harvest of art objects—the paintings from the walls of the palace, the colored reliefs and statuettes, the pottery and seal- stones, which all bore testimony to the originality and artistic sense of these early Cretans. In the meantime the Italian expedition under Halbherr had discovered two palaces at Phaistos and Hagia Triada in southern Crete. The finds, especially at Hagia Triada, were of great interest, confirming and enlarging the knowledge obtained at Knossos. Since then, other work- ers have continually added to our store of knowledge, notably Miss Harriet Boyd (now Mrs. C. H. Hawes) in her excavations of the town of Gournia, D. Hogarth and R. C. Bosanquet in the excavations of the British School at Zakro and Palaikastro, and R. B. Seager in his dis- coveries at Mochlos, Pseira, and other sites. More re- cently excavations in Greece proper, especially those by 1The word Labyrinth may not improbably be derived from labrys, double axe, which is a symbol frequently found at Knossos. In that case the first meaning of Labyrinth was House of the Double Axes, and later, on account of the intricate plan of the palace, it became synony- mous with a maze. 6 FIRST ROOM the American School under Carl W. Blegen at Korakou, Zygouries, and the Argive Heraion and by the British School under A. J. B. Wace at Mycenae, have made clearer the connections between Greece and the mainland. And since the soil of Crete, of the Greek mainland, and of the Aegean Islands has by no means been exhausted, we may expect a great extension of our knowledge in years to come; especially should a bilingual inscription be found, which would enable us to read the Cretan script. But we have enough at hand now to reconstruct on broad lines this civilization in its various stages. The Cretan civilization is essentially a product of the Bronze Age, that is, of the epoch when implements were no longer of stone, and not yet of iron, but were all of bronze. Its beginnings can indeed be traced to the Neolithic or Late Stone Age (see, e.g., the fine stone celts in Case U), but when it emerged into the daylight of a less primitive existence, the Bronze Age had been reached; and it was dur- ing the two thousand years covered by that era that this civilization had its rise, its culmination, and its fall; by the time the Iron Age was introduced, at the end of the second millennium B.c., Cretan civilization had played its part and disappeared. The objects in our collection illustrating this early epoch have been assembled in the First Room and in the adjoin- ing Annex (the vestibule leading into the Sculptural Hall). In examining these objects we must carefully distinguish between originals and reproductions, because here, for reasons stated above (see p. xvill), an exception has been made to our regular practice, and originals and reproduc- tions are exhibited together. The reproductions, which form by far the greater part of the collection, are the work of E. Gilliéron, of Athens, and of H. Bagge. The originals, consisting chiefly of vases, vase-fragments, and objects in Peers ORC’ GREEK PERIOD fi stone and bronze, have been acquired from various sources by gift or exchange. Recently an important bequest by Richard B. Seager of engraved sealstones and hand- carved stone vases has given distinction to our collection. It is important to realize that, like every other nation which has gained eminence, the Cretans passed through several stages of growth before reaching the culmination of their civilization. The chief characteristics of these periods have now been fairly well established by the careful work of the exca- wee valores. oir, Arthur Evans’s_ classifica- |@ — | tion into three main FIG. I. STONE VASES FROM MOCHLOS epochs, Early, Middle, and Late Minoan,! each with three subdivisions, is a convenient skeleton on which to recon- struct the history as we knowit. The following dating is 1The word Minoan, derived from the name Minos, is, strictly speaking, only appropriate for the Late Minoan period, during which King Minos lived. But since his brilliant reign typifies for us what we understand by “Cretan,” it would be difficult, in spite of this obvious anachronism, to find a more suggestive term. Recently, as excavations of prehistoric sites outside Crete have multiplied, the term Minoan is being restricted to objects found in Crete and the terms Helladic and Cycladic are being applied to the finds of the Greek mainland and the islands respectively. During the earlier periods the Helladic and Cycladic civilizations were of a much more primitive nature than the Cretan, until by the end of the Middle Minoan and the beginning of the Late Minoan period the Cretan culture spread over the whole Aegean world. Since most of the objects in our collection are Cretan we have adhered to the Minoan phraseology. 8 ELRSTO ROOM based on the minimum system of Egyptian chronology, now endorsed by most Cretan excavators: Early Minoan | About 3500-3100 B.C. Early Minoan I] About 3100-2600 B.C. Early Minoan II] About 2600-2200 B.C. Middle Minoan | About 2200-2000 B.C. Middle Minoan I] About 2000-1800 B.C. Middle Minoan III? About 1800-1600 B.C. Late Minoan | About 1600-1500 B.C. Late Minoan II? About 1500-1400 B.C. Late Minoan III About 1400-1100 B.C. EARLY MINOAN PERIOD ABOUT 3500-2200 B.C, The most important remains of the Early Minoan period (roughly synchronous with the Old Kingdom of Egypt) have been found in the eastern part of Crete, especially at Gournia, Vasiliki, Palaikastro, Pseira, and Mochlos. Con- ditions were by no means as primitive then as was once thought. The people were rich and prosperous, lived in comfortable houses, and apparently had communications with the outside world, especially with Egypt. In their crafts, some of which are of surprising technical or artistic excellence, we already notice certain marked characteris- tics, which were to distinguish Cretan work throughout its history. Such are, on the one hand, a tendency to experi- ment, observable especially in their pottery, and, on the other, a readiness to utilize foreign products and transform 1On some sites, the distinction between the later part of Middle Minoan Il and the early part of Late Minoan | is almost impossible to draw. *Late Minoan II is the special product of Knossos and elsewhere its place is taken by varieties of Late Minoan I. Peete oriC GREEK PRERIOD 9 them into their own independent creations. The latter quality can be seen in the beautiful stone vases found by Mr. Seager at Pseira and Mochlos, of which reproductions are exhibited in Case Y (fig.1) and several originals in Case P. These show marked Egyptian influence, in technique and occasionally in form, and yet are essentially different from their models.. Not only are a majority of the shapes Cretan, but the choice of color in the stones used shows a much greater variety than in similar stone vases from Egypt. (Compare the examples in the First FIG. 2.5 BARLY MINOAN POTTERY Egyptian Room, Cases I and L.) An interesting piece ts the steatite lid with the handle in the form of a dog (Case B). | Another class of artistic products found at Mochlos was gold jewelry. A selection of reproductions is shown in Case G and a few original pieces in Case U. They consist of hairpins in the shape of daisies and crocuses and sprays of leaves, of plain bands, delicate chains and pendants, not as a rule of very fine workmanship, but displaying a charming naturalism distinctive of Cretan work. A number of original pieces of pottery (fig. 2)—-vases and vase-fragments—belonging to this epoch are shown in Case S and the drawers of Case F. Four definite styles can be distinguished: (1) pottery of reddish clay, covered with a more or less lustrous black slip in imitation of the black, hand-polished neolithic ware; (2) dark-on-light geo- Stone Vases Cases.)
aa -*
pr
PiG.ol. -KRATER
DIONYSOS AND A SATYR
ward, his head raised in rapture over the music he is
making. A cup with Theseus pursuing the Minotaur is a
slighter work. The type of face—with long thin nose,
slightly pouting lips, and firm, rounded chin—1s character-
istic of this painter.
Two kylikes by the Colmar Painter have attractive,
animated scenes with warriors and banqueters. A leky-
thos with a flying Hermes is attributed to the Painter of
the Boston Tithonos.
In Case O are several fine vases of small dimensions.
An early piece is a kylix, on the middle shelf, with the
Case O
Case A
Case J
124 POU WH ROOM
signature of the potter Hegesiboulos: EAESIBOLOs
EP OIESEN (fig. 82). In the interior is an old man going
for a walk with his dog, while on the exterior are scenes of
revelers. Unfortunately the cup is discolored through
burning. A lekythos has an attractive picture of an
Athenian lady in her home. She is busy making skeins of
wool, a tame bird is walking on the floor, and on the wall
hangs her oil-bottle. It
is one of the: besteoiea
number of such. slight,
dainty works by the Paint-
er of the Bowdoin Box.
On a fragment of an oino-
choé is a satyr with jump-
ing-weights, that is, pa-
rading as an athlete,
attributed to the Painter
of the Harrow Oinochoé.
Another small, attrac-
tive vase, but unattrib-
uted, is a toilet-box with a scene from the interior of a
Greek house (Case A). A lady appears to be calling on
her friends, and finds them busily occupied spinning and
working wool. On the cover of the box is a beautiful
palmette pattern.
In Case J two fine vases deserve special notice. One is
a large bell-krater, unfortunately rather fragmentary, with
a representation of warriors; the other is an amphora, of
splendid preservation, with Herakles carrying off the Del-
phic tripod and Apollo swiftly pursuing the robber (fig.
83). Both are works by the Kleophrades Painter, perhaps
the most robust artist of this virile period. The figures
have the bigness of conception and that curious detach-
ment which distinguish this master’s work. The pursuing
FIG. 82. SCENE FROM A KYLIX
SIGNED BY HEGESIBOULOS
Peete OF VV CENTURY B.C. 125
Apollo, for instance, has a statuesque quality, heralding
the Olympia pediments. The drawing, moreover, shows
many of the stylistic peculiarities of this master, such as
the large noses, the black-bordered lips, the projection for
the lobe of the ear, and the hooked line for the ankle-bones.
The amazing certainty with which the long lines of the
folds in Apollo’s himation are
drawn can be paralleled by few
other painters.
In the same case are an am-
phora with a satyr pursuing a
maenad and a lekythos with a
- Nike carrying a prize hydria—
fine, deliberate figures by the
Providence Painter; also a column
krater with Dionysos and a
youth by the graceful but some-
what affected Myson. Another
Dionysos on a pelike is by the
Geras Painter, the artist of the
Louvre pelike with the remark- FIG. 83. AMPHORA
able picture of Herakles clubbing Sor oye kane as
old age. A kylix with a youth
standing before an altar is attributed to Apollodoros.
Though it is very fragmentary, we can still appreciate its
rhythmical composition and lovely flow of line. The drap-
ery with its long stacked folds and the nervous hand with
its slender cushioned fingers are characteristic features.
In Case G are two important vases—one is a lekythos Case G
with a dainty Nike holding an incense burner, a beautifully
composed work by the Dutuit Painter; the other a hydria
with Herakles strangling the serpents, surrounded by his
frightened family and his protectress Athena. The latter
has been attributed to the Nausikaa Painter.
Case Z
Case X
Archaic
and
Early
Free
Styles
126 FOURTH. ROOM
Further noteworthy pieces are in the cases on the west-
ern side of the room. In Case Z is a krater with an attrac-
tive orchard scene by the Orchard Painter (so called after
this vase) and two kraters with pursuit scenes by the
Painter of the Bologna Boreas. Two fine stamnoi in
Case X, one with scenes from the Danaé story, the other
with Eros pursuing Kephalos, illustrate the rather heavy
but strong and vivid style of the Painter of the Deepdene
Amphora. A krater by the Painter of the Girgenti Kalyx
Krater is specially noteworthy for its subject—Herakles
killing the Egyptian king Busiris and his attendants, who
were preparing to sacrifice the hero at the altar. Herakles
has seized one of the Egyptians by the shoulder and 1s bat-
tering him with his club, so that the blood is streaming
down his face. The others are fleeing right and left,
carrying the paraphernalia for the sacrifice. An amphora
and a hydria on the bottom of the case have single figures
by the Syleus Painter, a conscientious, able artist with a
good feeling for quiet posing. In Case V is an amphora
with scenes of Apollo and Artemis, and of an athlete with
his trainer, by the Eucharides Painter, which show his
ample yet angular style.
The second quarter of the fifth century witnessed the
final emancipation by the Athenian vase-painter of all
representational difficulties. He now learned to draw his
figures correctly in profile and three-quarter views and in
all sorts of new positions. His interest in such problems
of foreshortening is shown by his frequent attempts to
represent his figures in complicated attitudes. Neverthe-
less, in vase-painting this epoch and the succeeding one of
the second half of the fifth century B.c. do not mark the
climax of achievement, as they doin sculpture. The finest
work was done in the preceding period which we have just
considered. The design quality of the decorations suf-
Pere eeeiewdcy “OF V CENTURY B.C. 127
fered rather than gained by the spatial sense now being
introduced; and the most gifted artists appear to have
been diverted to the field of panel or fresco painting.
Naturally this change is only gradual. A number of “at-
tributed’’ vases of this period have been placed in this
room; and further (mostly unattributed) specimens will
be found in the East-
ern Colonnade of
Wing K. The story
is then continued in
the Fifth Room of
Wing J.
in ase. VY "are
three vases attrib-
uted to the Pen-
thesilea Painter—a
cup with bearded
men and youths and
two cups with pur-
suit scenes (satyrs
and maenads, and |
Eros and Kephalos). FIG. 84. DETAIL FROM A KRATER
The paintings ait DIONYSOS AND HIS RETINUE
the exuberant spirit
and the facile, rather careless drawing characteristic of
this artist. His three-quarter views of the satyrs front
and back illustrate his complete mastery of foreshortening.
Several other vases in this case are by imitators of the
Penthesilea Painter. On the top shelf of Case Q is the
neck of a large loutrophoros with representations of (a)
two warriors and (b) an old man bidding a young warrior
farewell by the Painter of the Brussels Oinochoai. An
interesting detail is the realistic rendering of the old man
with stippled beard and bald temples. The attempt to
Casev
Case Q
Pedestal U
Case V
Pedestal Y
Case W
Case G
Case M
128 FOURTH ROOM
indicate various planes in one foot of the bearded warrior
on (a) shows the interest of the artist in the problems of
the time. Two vases by the Villa Giulia Painter are
beautiful specimens of the early fine style and reflect in
some measure the lofty serenity of contemporary sculpture.
The bell-krater (Pedestal U) is decorated with tall stand-
ing figures in statuesque poses: Apollo, Artemis, and Leto
on one side, and on the other an old man with two women.
We note the able drawing of the eye with upper lid and
eyelashes in correct profile view. On the stamnos (Case V)
is a youth arming, surrounded by his family, another quiet,
beautiful picture, but with little animation or imaginative
interest. It is instructive to compare this scene with a
similar one on a krater of the ripe archaic style (Pedestal Y)
in which the same subject is treated much more graphically.
How eloquent, for instance, is here the sorrowing look of
the old father which suggests that the son is starting for
battle.
A large bell-krater in Case W is another good illustra-
tion of the new monumental style in vase-painting (fig.
84). The scene of the drunken Dionysos supported by
a satyr and surrounded by his retinue of maenads and
satyrs forms a striking contrast to the earlier representa-
tions. Instead of the wild, merry troop we have dig-
nified figures walking in solemn procession, as if for a
religious ceremony. The painting has been attributed to
the Methyse Painter called after a maenad on this vase in-
scribed Methyse.
Two finely preserved hydriai with scenes of Peleus pur-
suing [Thetis (Case G) are by the Painter of the Chicago
Stamnos. They are highly finished pictures, similar in
style to those by the Villa Giulia Painter, but sprightlier,
more graceful, and also less statuesque.
On the top shelf of Case M (center) is a bell-krater by
Peewee OF VY CENTURY B.C. 129
the Danaé Painter. The chief scene represents a woman
playing the lyre, while two of her companions stand before
her in rapt attention. The artist has shown his originality
in the unusual poses—one of the listeners stands with her
hands on her companion’s shoulders in a charmingly affec-
tionate attitude—and in the far-away
expression. Such emotional pictures are
rare and precious things in Greek vase-
painting. Two good examples of the
dainty work that was produced in this
period are two vases (Case O) decorated
by the Euaion Painter—ona kylix, asatyr
cooking his dinner, and on a jug, two
satyrs, with hands outstretched. The
figures are painted with astonishingly
fine lines in a graceful, precise style.
Besides this red-figured technique,
that of painting on a white background
was likewise developed during the first
hao beaitn century B.c. The
earliest examples show an interesting os
combination of the black-figured and FIG. 85.
red-figured styles, some parts being WHITE LEKY-
painted solid black with details incised, pee ee
; ESCAPING WITH
mh ones are teitin the white ground, 4545 weap oF
with details painted in black. Our col- MEDUSA
lection includes two excellent examples
of this phase (Case S). One is a lekythos on which is a
figure of Dionysos with a goat and a small satyr, the other
a lekythos with a scene taken from the legend of Perseus
and Medusa (fig. 85). Perseus has just cut off the head
of the monster and is making his escape as quickly as
possible, carrying his prize safely in a bag; from the neck
of Medusa springs the winged horse Pegasos. The next
Case O
Vases—
White-
ground
Case S
Case P
130 FOURTH ROOM
period, in which the whole scene is drawn in black glaze
lines, is illustrated on several small lekythoi, all with
single figures. Soon the vase-painters got tired of the
rather thin effect obtained by restricting themselves to
black lines on the white ground, and to liven up their
FIG. 86. COINS OF SYRACUSE
AND OF AKRAGAS
pictures they introduced solid washes in a variety of
colors. This technique is shown in several lekythoi in
this case, as well as in a pyxis (fig. 88), one of the finest
of its kind known, placed in Case P. The representation -
FG: a7. IMPRESSIONS
OF ENGRAVED STONES
on it is the famous judgment of Paris, at which Aphrodite
won the prize for beauty Hermes is shown leading the
three goddesses to the young shepherd. The scene is
treated in a light, humorous vein, with many individual
touches, which give it a special charm. The colors used
are, besides the black glaze, diluted in places, brown,
purple, and white. The effect of the whole is distinctly
Peewee Or Ve CENTURY B.C. 13]
pictorial and may give us some idea of the appearance of
the larger paintings which are all lost.
The art of engraving stones at this period is represented
in our collection by several examples, chiefly from Cyprus
(Case B). The most important is a carnelian with a
FIG. 88. WHITE PYXIS WITH SCENE OF THE
JUDGMENT OF PARIS
beautiful representation of Eros carrying off a girl in his
arms (fig. 87, center). Both in composition and in exe-
cution it is a masterpiece of Greek art. Its style places
it in the early fifth century. Other good Greek stones,
likewise from Cyprus, are a chalcedony with Hades and
Persephone (fig. 87, right), a plasma with a youth and his
dog, a carnelian with Herakles, a carnelian with a winged
female figure holding a flower (fig. 87, left), and a plasma
with a man standing between two prancing horses. Several
Engraved
Stones
Case B
Coins
Case R
132 FOURTH ROOM
pieces are of Etruscan workmanship inspired by Greek
models. In accordance with the Etruscan custom the beetle
on the back of the scarab is always carefully worked, and
the edge of the base on which it stands is decorated with
an ornamental pattern. How near to Greek work such
Etruscan engravings sometimes came is illustrated in a
carnelian with a young warrior stooping to pick up a hel-
met. Good examples are also an agate with Kapaneus
struck by Zeus’s thunderbolt, and two agates, lent by
W. Gedney Beatty, with representations of a disk-thrower
and Peleus.
In the coins of this period (Case R) we note an artistic
development comparable with that which distinguishes
contemporary products. Our examples include many of
the famous types, such as the Pegasos of Corinth and
the owl of Athens, the latter rendered in a persistently
archaic fashion. Among the finest examples are those
of Syracuse (fig. 86), a city noted for the splendor of
its coinage. The horses of the chariot group may be
compared with our bronze statuette of a horse in the
Eastern Colonnade (fig. 89). Other beautiful coins are
the stater of Metapontum with an ear of grain—an al-
lusion not merely to the fertility of the region but to
Demeter, the city’s goddess—and the tetradrachm of Gela
with a river god in the form of a human-faced bull. Inter-
esting representations of animal life are the crab (fig. 86)
and eagle of Akragas, the hound of Segesta, the bound-
ing hare of Messana, the wild boar of Methymna; all es-
sential details are given (even to the denticles on the crab’s
claws) but they never obscure the design of the whole.
To reach the Eastern Colonnade of Wing K, where
further objects of this period are exhibited, the visitor
must pass through the northern door and walk across the
Vestibule.
Pecan vy HALF OF V CENTURY B.C. 140
To show both the relief and the engraving, the relief has
had to be mounted on a separate modern disk. The relief
shows a male figure, identified by the lion’s skin tied under
his throat as either Herakles or Theseus, in violent struggle
FIG. 103. BRONZE MIRROR
with a woman; though fragmentary, enough remains to
show the beauty of the modeling and the spirited com-
position. The engraved design represents Herakles and
Atlas. Herakles has placed his club and quiver on the
ground, and is on the point of taking the weight of
heaven from Atlas.
The fourth mirror of this period has on its cover an a
jour relief of a conventional floral pattern (see tail-piece,
p. 166). Both the design and the execution are very fine,
Bronzes—
Miscella-
neous
Pedestal W
Pedestal Y
150 FIFTH ROOM
Every leaf and petal is modeled minutely, but without im-
pairing the freedom and animation of the whole.
A round ornament with the contest of a youth and a
criffin is another good example of bronze repoussé relief.
The strain of the combat is well represented in the tense-
ness of the muscles, and the composition is skilfully de-
signed to fill the round space allotted to it.
In the same case have been placed a number of other
bronze decorative pieces and a few utensils; among the
latter is a strigil, the instrument used by Greek athletes for
scraping the dust and oil off their bodies. (For other ex-
amples see the exhibition of Greek and Roman life, D 9.)
One of the most popular games in Athens appears to
have been the “kottabos.”” We see it represented in many
vase-paintings, and a number of specimens of the imple-
ments used to play it have been preserved; one of these is
included in our collection (east wall, Pedestal W). It
consists of a shaft terminating at the top in a male figure
balancing a disk, while another disk is inserted about half-
way up the shaft. The object of the game was to throw
a small quantity of wine from a cup at the top disk, dis-
lodge it, and make it fall on the lower disk, thereby pro-
ducing a resounding noise. The cup from which the wine
was thrown was of the kylix shape and was held by insert-
ing the first finger in one of the handles. The game ap-
pears to have been in vogue from the sixth to the third
century B.c. Our implement can be dated to the fifth
century from the style of the statuette.
A tall candelabrum, of Etruscan execution, is placed
against the same wall on Pedestal Y. It consists of a
slender shaft, surmounted by a short, moulded stem on
which is the figure of an athlete. From similar examples
we know that between the statuette and the moulded
stem there were originally spikes for the attachment of
iene OF VY CENTURY B.C. I5I
candles. How the candles were fixed on such spikes is
illustrated in an Etruscan painting.’
A terracotta piece of this period requires special men-
tion. It is a small mould for the lower part of a male
figure (Case F). The modeling is excellent, every detail
FIG. 104. BRONZE MIRROR
being rendered with great care, and there is the same large-
ness of treatment as in the best works of a more ambitious
nature. On the back of the mould can be seen the finger-
marks of the potter, impressed while the clay was still soft.
We have seen that by the middle of the fifth century
Athenian vase-painting entered a new phase. The period
of archaisms and experiments and strenuous endeavor was
1See Daremberg et Saglio, Dictionnaire des Antiquités, I, fig. 1086.
Terra-
cottas
Case F
Vases
Vases—
Red-
figured
Early
Free Style
Cases
Ket
152 Fo Foal He R-O:0m
definitely over, and one of easy accomplishment was at
hand. The artist no longer finds it difficult to represent
the human figure in action or at rest in whatever attitude
he wishes to place it; the laws of perspective have become
familiar and are easily applied. By this new knowledge
Greek vase-paintings at last convey the impression of the
third dimension and thereby come nearer to a painting in
the modern sense of the word than they ever did before.
But unavoidably they lose also in carrying power as design.
And since pots are more appropriately ornamented with
designs than with paintings, the decorative effect of the
whole is impaired. We have noted these changes on some
of the vases in the Fourth Room. The examples in this
room carry these qualities still further.
The vases attributed to known painters of this period
are assembled chiefly in Cases J and K. Two beautiful
examples are by the Painter of the Boston Phiale, an artist
distinguished for his harmonious poses and his vivid ren-
dering of action. On a tall lekythos (Case J, top) is a
scene of Poseidon pursuing Amymone, the latter identified
by the jug with which she has set out to get water at her
father’s bidding. Her attitude and the treatment of the
drapery are not unlike the “Iris” of the Parthenon, and
were evidently an accepted pose of the time for rapidly
moving figures. It combines in an extraordinary way the
feeling of motion with a statuesque quality.
Another lekythos in Case L with a scene of a youth and
women is a good example of this artist’s work in a quiet
vein. In the same case is a lekythos by the Achilles
Painter, so called after one of his chief works, the amphora
with Achilles in the Vatican. His pictures consist gen-
erally of one or two figures in quiet poses with very little
action, doing the obvious things of every-day life, but with
a repose and serenity which give them a monumental
is hy 2
eee eee OF V CENTURY B.C. 153
quality. [hey have in fact the same simple, lovely spirit
as the grave reliefs of the period. The scene on our leky-
thos—a woman offering a phiale to a bearded warrior—
is a typical example of his style also in the rendering of
details. The decorated
thick tunic worn by the
warrior occurs on several
other pictures by. this
master.
Several works by the
Meletos Painter, a close
associate of the Achilles
Painter, are placed in
Case J] (middle and bot-
tom). His pictures often
approximate those of his
master, but they lack the
latter’s sculptural quali-
ty, the figures being stiff
rather than self-com-
posed. Moreover, his
line is less delicate, as is
evident particularly in
the drawing of the hands.
That, however, he could
portray motion in a way FIG. 105. AMPHORA
that the Achilles Painter WARRIOR TAKING LEAVE OF HIS
at least never attempted, Cana
can be seen on our Nolan amphora (middle shelf, right)
with a vivid rendering of Eos pursuing Tithonos (or
Kephalos). A lekythos has a quieter picture of a
woman pouring a libation for Athena. On a sturdy
bell-krater a Nike is greeting a young huntsman on one
side, while on the other a long-haired man is conversing
PedestalV
Pedestal S»
154 FIFTH ROOM
with an old soldier. The face of the latter is painted with
a realism remarkable for this period, even the wrinkles
around the eyes being indicated. A bell-krater with a
kitharist playing to an audience 1s attributed to Polygnotos
(top, left). He is standing quietly striking the strings of
his instrument, completely absorbed in his playing. And
he has carried his listeners with him. One of them is
sitting on a chair, a far-away look on his face; the youth
behind him raises his hand in appreciation; another is
standing very quietly behind the player. It is a beautiful
rendering of response to music, finely felt and expressed.
And yet when we compare it with the kitharist of the Pan
Painter, we feel that much of the old life and vigor has
departed to give place to this quiet solemnity. On a
krater in Case X 1s a representation by the Marlay Painter,
in its quiet spirit akin to the Parthenon frieze.
One of our finest examples of this period is an amphora
on Pedestal V. It is decorated with a scene of a young
warrior, named Neoptolemos, bidding farewell to his family
(fig.105). His father, Antiochos, is holding his son’s hand;
while Kalliope, the wife or mother, is about to pour the
parting libation. ‘The picture has a feeling of quiet pathos
which gives the old familiar subject a new significance.
It is one of the most important works by the Lykaon
Painter and fortunately very well preserved. In spite of
the “heroic” style we note a meticulous rendering of de-
tails such as toe nails, finger nails, and the iris as distinct
from the pupil of the eye.
Another representative vase of this period is a krater
mounted on Pedestal S2 with a representation of Kadmos
and Harmonia, largely conceived but with little of the
early animation.
Besides this “monumental”’ style used generally on the
larger vases, there was developed, in the later part of the
Seton ALF OF V CENTURY B.C. 155
fifth century, a delicate, graceful style for which vases of
smaller dimensions were preferably chosen. In these the
fineness and richness of line-drawing reach their climax.
The folds of the soft clinging chitons are depicted in very
thin, delicate lines, and the attitudes and compositions
show a dainty elegance. Jo add to the richness of the
effect, the hair was now often drawn in single wavy locks
FIG. 106. SCENE FROM AN OINOCHOE
WOMEN FOLDING AND PERFUMING CLOTHES
on a background of diluted glaze, and on the later vases
the figures are often distributed on different levels over the
whole surface of the picture. The chief name associated
with this style is the Meidias Painter who decorated the
famous hydria signed by the potter Meidias in the British
Museum. A beautiful example (Case O; fig. 106) attrib-
uted to this artist is an oinochoé with two women in
richly embroidered garments, perfuming and _ folding
clothes. It is one of the daintiest, most delicate paintings
we have. Refinement of line and of composition could
go no further. Unfortunately, the appearance of the °
Vases—
Red-
figured—
Kipe ree
Style
Case O
Case K
150 FIFTH ROOM
picture is somewhat spoiled by the bad preservation of the
black glaze.
In the same case are several vases which show Meidian
influence. Such are a sadly mutilated hydria with a scene
of Thamyris, the famous Thracian lyre-player, surrounded
by the muses whom he has summoned to a musical contest;
a pyxis with a young girl balancing a stick; a lekythos with
a picture of a youth paying court toa lady; anda “lekane”’
or covered kylix with a scene of a bride receiving gifts from
her friends. An interesting subject will be found on a
kotyle or deep cup, in the same case, upper shelf. A
woman is here represented with a gilt basket on her lap,
surrounded by other women, an Eros, and a satyr. The
presence of a satyr in a scene with Athenian women is
unusual and suggests that it is to be connected with the
Dionysiac festival—one of the most important celebrated
in Athens—at which we are told “well-born maidens car-
ried baskets made of gold in which they placed first-fruits
of all kinds.’”’! (A similar gilt basket occurs on an oinochoé
in Case E representing Dionysos, “ Procession,’ and Eros;
so that the identification of the basket as one carried in
processions seems assured.)
A favorite shape at this period is a vase on a high foot,
with double handles, probably to be identified with the
“lebes gamikos”’ or marriage-vase (Case K). What its
original purpose was is uncertain. Two fine examples are
in our collection. On both is represented the Epaulia,
the day after the wedding, when it was customary for the
family and friends of the bride to go in procession to
the bridal pair, bringing their gifts. On each of our vases
the bride is seated in the center of the picture playing
on the harp, while from each side approach the gift-bearers.
Beneath the handles is the customary figure of the goddess
1Aristophanes, Acharnians, 242.
Peewee AL reGR V CENTURY B.C. 157
Of Dawn; for the ceremony took place in the early morning.
Though both these pictures are carefully painted, that on
the larger vase is by far the finer (fig. 107). Not only is
the drawing very delicate, but the artist has succeeded in
imparting to his scene an atmosphere of solemnity which
distinguishes it from the average representations. There
are few more finely felt figures in vase-painting than the
bride looking up with wonder at the little Eros who has
come to bring her his gift. It should be noticed that
FIG. 107. SCENE FROM A MARRIAGE-VASE
BRIDE RECEIVING GIFTS
while the principal figures on this vase are drawn with
great care, those at the back and on the foot are painted
in a poor, thoroughly conventional style—a not unusual
proceeding in Athenian vases. This vase has been attrib-
uted to the Washing Painter by whom are also a hydria
in this case with a woman having her sandal adjusted by
Eros, and one in Case U with a bride before the wedding.
Another hydria in Case J (bottom), also with women, is
attributed to the Orpheus Painter; a particularly attrac-
tive figure is a lady spinning. A hydria in Case X
has women holding chests and mirrors, one inscribed
XPYSIS $IAE, “dear Chrysis.”’ It is ascribed to an
Cases Li,
Six
Case O
Case K
Case N
158 FIFTH ROOM
artist named after this vase, the Painter of the Chrysis
Hydria.
We have seen that most of the subjects on vases of the
graceful style are taken from the life of women; for it is
in these that the artists of this school found their best
opportunities for depicting what their hearts delighted in
—dainty, graceful poses, and soft, rich draperies. But
mythological subjects, though not so frequent, also occur.
On a hydria in Case O is a
representation of the story of
Poseidon and Amymone.
Amymone, the daughter of
Danaos, is seated in the center
with the water-jar with which
she went out to fetch water.
The satyr who attacked her
is escaping to the right, while
on the other side 1s her rescuer,
the god Poseidon. The Eros
between them suggests the
CHILDREN Cree advantage which the god took
DIONYSIAC PROCESSION (?) of the situation. The return
of Hephaistos to Olympos, on
an oinochoé in Case K (upper shelf), is another interesting
mythological scene, as well as a masterpiece of delicate
drawing (fig. 109). Dionysos had been commissioned by
the gods to bring Hephaistos back to Olympos, so that
he might release Hera from the throne to which she was
chained. Dionysos succeeded by first making Hephaistos
drunk. Here the two gods are depicted riding on a
donkey, preceded by a gay little satyr and a seilenos
playing the flutes. On the same shelf is a small hydria
with the rare subject of Poseidon welcoming Theseus.
Anumber of diminutive oinochoai, placed in Case N, were
FIG. 108. TOY OINOCHOE
eee eetew re OF V CENTURY B.C. 1509
probably used as children’s toys; for many are decorated
with scenes of children at play, and we know that vases of
this type have been found in children’s graves. Most
interesting of all is a beautifully preserved little specimen
decorated with what appears to be a representation of
children at a Dionysiac festival (fig. 108). Three are
we
A yon
(SESS
is
Tes NST SIE STI
FIG. 100. SCENE FROM AN OINOCHOE
THE RETURN OF HEPHAISTOS TO OLYMPOS
carrying a tall stand with hanging fillets while others
are engaged with a cart in which an image of Dionysos
is seated in a chair. Perhaps it is a picture of children
acting out the ceremonies they have seen at a Dionysiac
festival in which a maypole and the yearly return of the
wine-god were prominent features. On the same analogy
as these oinochoai we may explain also as toys several
other diminutive vases in this case—among them a mar-
riage-vase. The subject on the latter is the same as that
on the larger specimens described above, viz., the bringing
of gifts to the bride the morning after the wedding. We
Cases X,U
Vases—
Red-
figured—
Late Style
Case E
160 FIFTH ROOM
may imagine that this vase was used by the Greek
children at the weddings of some of their dolls. Less
careful or less well-preserved specimens of this period
have been placed in Cases X and U; though here too
several fine pieces are included, such as a stamnos with
women ladling wine (Case X, center).
It will be noted that on
some of the diminutive
vases in Case N white and
other colors are freely
used. The introduction
of this florid style marks
the beginning of the de-
cline of Athenian vase-
painting, which set in at
the end of the fifth cen-
tury. The Athenian vase
industry had owed its phe-
nomenal success largely to
its extensive export trade,
particularly to Italy; and
FIG. 110. OINOCHOE WITH when political changes in
ce +9
DION 208i 29 ROCESS Italy and the long-drawn-
AND EROS
out hostilities of the
Peloponnesian war cut off this commerce, Athenian pottery
received a severe blow. But the manufacture of vases
lingered on during the fourth century for the supply of
home needs and some foreign markets, such as Kerch in
the Crimea. For the sake of convenience these late
Athenian products are also exhibited in this room.
Our best example of this late style is the oinochoé in
Case E (fig. 110) with Dionysos, “Procession”’ (inscribed
POMPE), and Eros. The picture is drawn with such
delicacy and with such copious additions of white, pink,
ieee lf SOF V CENTURY B.C. I6I
and gold that it resembles a miniature painting rather
than a vase decoration. Asa pot it is also a remarkable
product. The walls are so thin and the edges so sharp
that it seems more like a metal than a clay vase.
A number of other examples of this late style will be
found in Cases A, D, S. An amphora with a combat of
PiGae lle WHITE: LEKY THO!
Greeks and Amazons, on the bottom of Case S, has its
colors fairly well preserved. The three vases with angular
handles on the top shelf of Case A are not Athenian, but
Messapian (South Italian) products, showing Greek in-
fluence in the ornamental bands.
Side by side with the red-figured technique, painting on
a white engobe continued in favor, especially for a certain
class of lekythoi, apparently used exclusively as offerings
to the dead. The figures were, as before, painted in out-
line, in either glaze or dull color, and solid washes were used
for the garments and other details. Often these solid
Cases
Ass
Vases—
White-
ground
Case R
Cases P,Q
102 > FIFTH ROOM
colors have mostly or even completely disappeared, leaving
only the outline drawing.
Our collection includes a good series of these lekythoi
(Cases R, Q, P), in which a gradual development can be
observed. The earlier examples belong to the years 1m-
mediately preceding and following the middle of the fifth
century, and have the diluted black glaze used either for
the outlines of the figures, or for the palmettes on the
shoulder of the vase (Cases R and Q). Here we find the
same simplicity and dignity that we noted in contempo-
rary red-figured vases, while technically, both in quality
of the white slip and in delicacy of execution, they
show the high-water mark of this style. Four lekythoi
(Case R, top shelf) are among the best productions of this
kind (fig. 111); they are closely allied in style to the red-
figured lekythos in Case L by the Achilles Painter. Some
of the other paintings can also be ascribed to individual
artists,’ just as in the red-figured vases. Most of the scenes
on such vases show the departed and their relatives in the
house or at the tomb.” An interesting subject is a “pro-
thesis’’ scene, the laying-out of the deceased, with mourn-
ing women tearing their hair. On another lekythos is
a seated youth receiving or giving an apple to a woman;
the unusual experiment is here tried of painting the flesh
of the youth in color.
Another series of white-ground lekythoi, in part slightly
later than the preceding, shows the drawing entirely in
dull color (P and Q). The solid washes are generally
confined to one or two shades, preferably red and black.
Sometimes, however, especially in the examples of the last
two decades of the century, as many as four or five colors
*Cf. Buschor, Miinchner Jahrbuch der bildenden Kunst, 1925, pp. 14 fi.
That the departed is represented as the chief mourner at the grave
has been shown by Buschor, op. cit., pp. 1off.
Peep Lr OF V CENTURY B.C. 163
are employed, and a gay, highly decorative effect is pro-
duced thereby. We may note an especially fine example
lent by Albert Gallatin (Case P, bottom shelf). The
subjects of the scenes are confined almost entirely to
mourners at the tomb, among whom
the dead regularly appears, some-
times seated on the steps. Several
of our vases show variations of this
theme: one has a man and a woman
clasping hands; on two, Hermes is
escorting the dead to Charon’s boat;
on another, a mother accompanies her
child on the last voyage (fig. 112).
The child is standing on the bank,
dragging his toy cart at his side; he
is beckoning a last farewell to his
mother, who is wrapped in her hima-
tion. Charon stands expectantly at
the prow of his boat, ready to ferry
the little newcomer across to the abode
of the dead.
It is noteworthy that in these rep-
resentations dealing more or less eae Fe
: i 5 : WHITE LEKYTHOS
S
directly with death, there is oe COLE yaoi ef ale Pee spear a
restraint in expressing grief for the APPROACHING
departed. Prothesis scenes with the | CHARON’S BOAT
laying-out of the deceased and with
women tearing their hair are exceptional. Mostly, sorrow
is implied rather than depicted, or shown only in the
sadness of the mourners. It is the same feeling of reserve
that we notice on contemporary and fourth-century grave-
stones (see p. 258), which is characteristic of the Greek
love of beauty as against realism in art.
The art of engraving stones reached its height in the
104 FIFTH ROOM
Engraved Second half of the fifth century. Our collection includes
Aone several good pieces (Case H). The favorite shape em-
ployed is the scaraboid, which is generally large and thick
and is perforated lengthwise, so as to
be worn on a swivel either as a pend-
ant or on the finger; but other stones
also occur. A fine example of a
scaraboid is a carnelian engraved on
one side with a crane, on the other
with a nude woman standing by a
wash-basin. A burnt chalcedony has
an unusual subject—a man _ holding
FIG. 113. aloft the garment of a woman who
pete oe crouches in front of him (fig. 113).
The composition gives an extraor-
dinary effect of space, and the figures, small though they
be, have an almost sculptura! quality. Animals are pop-
ular subjects. Our specimens include representations of a
lion, astag, another crane, a dog, a bull, and a horse. On
the stone with the horse is inscribed
STHSIKPATHS, Stesikrates, prob-
ably the name of the owner. Several
Graeco-Persian gems show an inter-
esting mixture of Greek and Persian
elements. They were evidently made
by Greeks for Persians, the subjects
being Persian, the style and execution
wholly Greek. A chalcedony with a
Persian lady and an agate with a Per-
sian warrior are characteristic examples. A rectangular
agate with a Persian horseman spearing a boar and ani-
mals on the faceted sides is a loan from the American
Numismatic Society. Two others are lent by Edward T.
Newell, one an exceptionally fine chalcedony cylinder with
FIG. II4.
COIN OF AKRAGAS
FIG. 89. BRONZE STATUETTE OF A HORSE
Case H
134 EASTERN COLONNADE OF WING K
EASTERN COLONNADE OF WING K
A number of conspicuous examples of this period are
placed in this section where the spaciousness of the sur-
FIG, 90. FRONT VIEW
OF BRONZESSI ALU iis
OF A HORSE
roundings perhaps helps our
enjoyment of them. Foremost
among them is a large bronze
statuette of a horse (figs. 89-91),
artistically probably the most
important single object in our
classical collection (placed in
the center of the colonnade,
Case H). The horse is without
rider and is represented walk-
ing with head erect. It is well
preserved, the only serious loss
being the tail, which we con-
sciously need to complete the
harmonious composition. It is
difficult to describe in words
the beauty of this piece; for it
sums up, in a way, the beauty
of Greek art. If we can an-
alyze it at all we may say that
the composition is singularly
rhythmical, and the modeling
has just that combination of —
realism and stylization which
cives Greek art of the first
half of the fifth century its distinctive character. For
the modeling is naturalistic, or almost so, but it is sim-
plified, with no detail allowed to obtrude itself; and it
is stylized. The result for us is an astonishing combina-
tion of vivacity and rest.
The horse is full of anima-
Peers OF V CENTURY B.C, 135
tion. We feel it particularly in full-front view when he is
marching gaily toward us. There is here no abstraction
of a horse conceived merely as a decorative scheme, but
a living animal with a body that can function. And yet
it is much more than a living animal. The artist’s dec-
orative conception has endowed it with that additional
quality which is so essentially Greek—a quiet beauty
which removes it from
the individual to the
typical, from the per-
sonal to the imper-
sonal, and which
makes it so curiously
restful compared with
later creations, even
with such master-
pieces as Colleone’s
horse by Verrocchio,
Donatello’s Gattame-
lataae ore the. Degas
horses. We may date
it about 480-470 B. C., FIG. QI. DETAIL OF BRONZE
midway between the STATUETTE OF A HORSE
Akropolis horses from
the Persian debris (Nos. 700 and 697) and the horses from
the Olympia pediments. Whether it originally formed
part of a chariot group or had a rider it is now impossible
to say. The hole part-way down the neck suggests that
there was a bridle and the rendering of the mouth shows
that it was being pulled by reins.
A bronze hydria (fig. 94), another first-rate piece of this
period, has been placed temporarily in the Northern Col-
onnade (Case F). It was highly esteemed also in an-
tiquity, for it has an inscription, in Argive letters of about
Northern
Colonnade
Case F
1330 EASTERN COLONNADE OF WING K
460-450 B.c., stating that it served as a prize at the
games of the Argive Hera. Though there are many
beautiful Greek water-jars, this may be pronounced as
probably the finest. Fortu-
nately it is in excellent preser-
vation and we can enjoy it
today in every detail just as
the Greek artist made it; only
the color is different, for it
has assumed a lovely blue-
ereen patina. ‘The shape has
the sturdy yet harmonious
FIG. 92. STAMNOS proportions prevalent at this
period, and the decoration
is kept very simple, to conform with the quiet dignity of
the form. The only ornaments are a tongue pattern on
the shoulder, single palmettes and rosettes on the handle
attachments, and a pro-
tome of a woman rising
above the finely curved
vertical handle—the lat-
ter a valuable example of
presumably Argive sculp-
ture, The swore iso
great precision and finish.
We may note particularly
the delicate modeling of
the individual leaves of
the palmettes and rosettes FIG. 93. HYDRIA
and the incisions for
the hair. Another source of delight is the beautiful
interrelation of all the parts. The symmetry and pro-
portion of Greek design could find no more adequate ex-
pression.
SODUV LV SAWVD AHL WOUNA AZINd V
VINGAH AZNOUd ‘VO ‘Ols
Eastern
Colonnade
Case A
Case B
1380 EASTERN COLONNADE OFS
In the other cases of the Eastern Colonnade are a num-
ber of bronzes, vases, and terracottas which deserve special
notice. In Case A is a krater with interesting scenes of
Herakles visiting the Lower World, and the punishment
of Tityos by Apollo and Artemis. On a beaut fully pre-
served hydria of the end of the sixth century are two
yun I
4 4 y di ee)
i> poor ewe a
FIG. 95.. SCENES FROM A KRATER
BATTLE OF LAPITHS AND CENTAURS
BATTLE OF GREEKS AND AMAZONS
youths contesting with spears and shields to the music of
the flute (fig. 93). An amphora has a scene of consider-
able historical interest—a Greek warrior attacking with
his long spear a Persian soldier, who holds a-:sword and
a bow. It will be remembered that it was to the su-
periority of Athenian spearsmen over Persian archers
that the Greek victory at Marathon was largely due. A
fine example of the early free style is an oinochoé with
three Amazons starting for battle. (For one of the Ama-
zons see tail-piece of Introduction, p. xxii.)
Case B contains several moulded vases in the form of a
horse’s head, a bull’s head, a duck, a lobster’s claw, and
FIG. 960. KRATER
BATTLE OF GREEKS AND AMAZONS
FIG. 07. KRATER
HORSEMEN
140 EASTERN COLONNADE OF 3
the head of a woman. The technique of moulded vases
went on side by side with that of the thrown vases; but it
never became a mechanical output, for rarely more than
one specimen appears to have been made from one mould.
A dainty alabastron orna-
mented with palmettes is
the gift of Welles Bos-
worth. It is inscribed:
“Hipparchos [is] hand-
some indeed.” Another
piece of great charm is a
vase in the form of a
group of cockle-shells in-
scribed “handsome youth
indeed.” -.-The ‘shells; are
astonishingly naturalistic,
with the ridges and mark-
ings beautifully rendered.
On the bottom of the
case is a bronze lion-head
spout with remains of the
leaden pipe, found in Cy-
prus and part of the Ces-
nola Collection (for its
companion piece see No.
FIG. 98. BRONZE MIRROR 5016 in Gallery D 14).
It was used as a model for
the spout of our fountain in this court.
Two magnificent red-figured kraters have been placed
CasesE,K in Cases E and K. Their size and splendid proportions
make them impressive examples of Athenian pottery. In
the scenes represented—combats of Lapiths and centaurs
and of Greeks and Amazons (Cases E and K; figs. 95
and 96) the artist has seized the opportunity of depicting
Poteet ink OF V CENTURY ‘B.C, I4]
every kind of foreshortening and contortion. In one in-
stance he has gone so far as to represent an Amazon on
horseback in full-front view. In this, as in several other
figures, he came to grief; but his enterprise and boldness
are attested by the fact that he dared try such problems
—never before attempted in the history of art. In both
these compositions we note that instead of putting his
figures all on one level, he placed some higher, some lower,
FIG. 090. TERRACOTTA RELIEF
PHRIXOS ON THE RAM
the ground being indicated by undulating lines. This in-
novation is said to have been introduced by the great
painter Polygnotos, and it is very probable that the potters
copied this point from contemporary paintings.
The Greeks, like the Egyptians, used polished bronze for
their mirrors. They had several types which they deco-
‘rated in various ways. Our examples of this period are
placed in Case N. Two are of the form of a disk supported
on a stand in the shape of a statuette, with a number
of other ornaments introduced. One, of rare complete-
ness, was given to the Museum by J. Pierpont Morgan
(fig. 98). The stand on which the disk is mounted is in
the form of a female figure wearing a Doric chiton. On
Case N
142 EASTERN: COLONNADE (O33 yao
each side of the attachment connecting the disk with
its stand are two flying Erotes, and along the edge of the
disk are two hounds pursuing a fox and a rabbit; a siren
forms the crowning member. The richness of this decora-
tion can best be judged when it is compared with another
specimen in the same case, in which some of the ornamen-
tal motives have been lost and which looks rather bare in
consequence. A statu-
ette of a bearded male
figure was once part of
a mirror of this type.
By the middle of the
fifth century another
form of mirror became
popular, namely, the
disk with ornamented
cover, designed to be
held in the hand. The
example in this case is
FIG. 100. TERRACOTTA STATUETTE decorated on its cover
EUROPA ON THE BULL with a relief of a female
head in profile. The
rendering of the eye is neither in full front as on archaic
reliefs, nor yet wholly in profile. Two decorative bronze
strainers show the good taste in household utensils as well
as the use of bronze for all manner of utensils for which we
now employ other materials. ‘Two fine terracottas should
be noted. One is a relief of Phrixos on the ram (fig. 99).
Phrixos, a splendid, youthful figure, has seized the ram
by the horns and thus flies to safety over the sea. The
water is indicated by wavy lines and the presence of two
fishes. A statuette of Europa riding on the bull (fig.
100) over the sea to Crete is another charmingly direct
and simple rendering of a familiar story.
meteweeeaee OF V CENTURY. B.C. 143
A number of bronze and terracotta vases of rather
large dimensions are placed on separate pedestals in this
colonnade (cf. figs. 92 and 97). Their study will illustrate
better than many words the feeling for form and com-
position which distinguished Greek potters. Two large
bowls, one in bronze, the other in terracotta, will be found
in Case P; also a beautifully preserved krater with a scene
of Orpheus among the Thracians.
To reach the Fifth Room, the visitor must return to the
Vestibule and walk through the “Sardis Room” at its
western end.
Re
WY
}
{ H yV¥ WN
AN NY as N ‘y
N\ NF EN RIN’
SQN A AN
FIFTH ROOM
SECOND HALF OF V GENT Uist
Ga E full fruition of the great events which took place
in the early fifth century did not come until the middle and
second half of that century. Especially in Athens epoch-
making changes had taken place. She had founded an
empire by converting the Delian confederacy into a league
of states subject to herself, with its fleet an instrument of
her power and its treasury at her disposal. Increase of
trade had brought her additional wealth, which meant
more leisure and greater opportunities to many of her citi-
zens. The state was further democratized so that every
citizen took a direct share in the government of his coun-
try; and this in its turn raised the general intelligence of
the community. Thanks to the rapid progress of the pre-
ceding period, Greek art had now reached its maturity.
The occasion for great achievements had come, and with
it fortunately came great men. Perikles rose as a distin-
guished statesman, as a leader of the people, and as a
patron of the arts. The rebuilding of the temples and
porticoes sacked by the Persians was undertaken on a
magnificent scale, and Pheidias, the greatest of Greek
sculptors, was made chief overseer of all artistic under-
eevee OF VY CENTURY B.C. 145
takings. The most famous of these buildings is the Par-
thenon, which even now, in its mutilated and fragmentary
condition, is still accepted as the highest standard of art,
both in architecture and in sculpture. In Pheidias, in-
deed, the high promise of
Greek art found its fulfilment.
He expressed in his work the
idealism of his age, and to
dignity and simplicity of con-
ception he added a perfect
technique. But though he is
the greatest exponent of the
idealistic art of his age, he does
not stand alone. Of many
of his contemporaries we know
little more than their names,
but the praise bestowed on
them by the people who saw
their works makes us realize
our loss. And many a name-
less artist or artisan whose
work is preserved to us today
shows in spirit and execution
how widespread the influence
of the great masters had be-
come. Nor was artistic pro-
duction confined to Athens. a peghcop ree queers
Polykleitos, the Argive sculp- = statueTTE OF A YOUTH
tor, was hardly second in
fame to Pheidias. The differentiation, in fact, of Greek
art into a number of separate schools continued to be one
of its marked characteristics, giving it variety and life.
The Peloponnesian war, the life-and-death struggle be-
tween the two great rivals, Sparta and Athens, broke out
Marbles
Case i
Pedestal G
Bronzes—
Statuettes
Case M
140 FIFTH ROOM
in 431 B.c., and was not brought to a conclusion until the
year 404. It resulted in the breakdown of the Athenian
empire and the reduction of Athens to a second-rate power.
The effect which this change had on art will be seen in the
succeeding epoch; for the influence of historical events
often takes time to find expression, and just as the Peri-
klean age is the artistic echo of the war for Greek liberty,
so the fourth-century art is to some extent moulded by the
events of the last quarter of the fifth century.
The marble sculptures of this period, of which the
Museum owns several examples, are mostly exhibited in
the Central Hall and are described on pp. 243 ff.
The large gravestone placed against the east wall (Case
T), though it dates from the early fourth century, retains —
much of the fifth-century grandeur. It is described on
pp. 2506ff.
A small marble torso of a youth (Pedestal G), bequeathed
by Richard B. Seager, is a good Roman copy of an original
of this period. It is a lovely example of quiet, restrained
modeling. A fragment of a marble inscription (Case F)
has great historical interest. It is part of a tribute list
(other fragments exist elsewhere) recording the payments
to Athens by the members of the Athenian confederacy.
Our piece lists the assessments of Paros, Naxos, Andros,
Melos, Eretria, and Thera. The date is 425 B.c., when
the Peloponnesian war had lasted six years and Athens
was sending out the first Sicilian expedition. She was
beginning to be hard pressed and we note that the tributes
are double the amounts of former times.
Several important bronze statuettes belong to this
epoch. One of a youth, from Cyprus (Case M; fig.
101), shows a close affinity to the style of Polykleitos.
Both the pose and the proportions of the body—such'
as the square build, the short thighs, and the flatness of
Merete nkak OF Vo CEN DEURY -B.C. 147
the abdominal region—are characteristics of that sculp-
tor, as are also the shape of the skull and the treatment
of the hair and face (see the marble head, No. 16). The
execution is excellent, the modeling fresh and vigorous,
and all details, such as nails,
knuckles, and veins, are ren-
dered with great care.
A youth in a praying atti-
tude is probably a votive fig-
ure of the same period (Case
B; fig. 102). The influence of
Polykleitos is apparent in the
form of the shoulders and
the arms, but the rendering
of the chest and the abdomen
is different.
Several other bronze stat-
uettes of this period will be
found in Case L. They in-
clude two bulls, both fine
animal studies, and a dancing
satyr. With them is shown
a pair of handles from a large
volute krater. In the ae FIG. 102. BRONZE STATUETTE
case have also been placed PRAYING BOY
two marble fragments of
architectural ornaments. They are pieces of egg-and-dart
moulding (for restoration see head-band, p. 144) from the
Erechtheion, the building which probably best illustrates
the refinement of Greek ornament. One has a corner pal-
mette. The Greeks brought the development of architec-
tural ornament to a great degree of perfection. They
knew how to attain both simplicity and richness of effect,
and they lavished great care on the execution of every
Case B
Case L
Marble
Archi-
tectural
Orna-
ments
Bronzes —
Mirrors
Case F
148 FIFTH ROOM
detail. It is rarely possible to obtain large examples of
such architectural ornaments at the present time (see our
capital from Sardis, p. 323), but even these small frag-
ments will give a better appreciation of the delicacy and
crispness of Greek work than many books, photographs,
and casts.
We have already referred in the preceding section to the
type of mirror consisting of a polished bronze disk with
ornamented cover. Several fine examples of this period
are included in our collection (Case F). They are indeed
magnificent specimens of repoussé relief, showing the deli-
cacy and precision of workmanship which the Greeks at-
tained in this difficult art. On the cover of one is a female
head in three quarters front, with long, wavy hair (fig. 103).
The nobility of the features shows that this is an ideal
head, not a portrait, and probably represents one of the
sreater divinities. Among these Aphrodite is the most
likely, both from her appropriateness to serve as the
decoration of a mirror and from the action of the right
hand, which holds a lock of hair, a characteristic of some
representations of that goddess. In both execution and
preservation this is one of the most beautiful of all known
Greek mirrors.
Another mirror of exceptional beauty is ornamented
with the head of a maiden in full front, with her hair loose
and flying about her head in wavy locks (fig. 104). Heads
of the same general character with flying hair begin to
appear on the coins of various Greek cities about the end
of the fifth century, where they are associated with differ-
ent divinities and local nymphs, according to the place
for which they were struck.
Occasionally the mirror cover was ornamented not only
on the outside with a relief, but on the inside with an en-
graved scene. Such is the case in one of our examples.
Seopa ALF OF VY CENTURY B.C. . 165
a Persian horseman shooting an arrow at a lion. A stone
cylinder with a Greek warrior spearing a lion is bequeathed
by Richard B. Seager. Etruscan stones likewise reflect the
developed free style prevalent in Greece; but the scarab
is retained for shape. The best example in our collection
is engraved with a scene of Herakles throttling the
Nemean lion. Other representations are a winged Athena,
a female winged divinity, and acentaur shooting an arrow.
FIG. 115. COINS OF SYRACUSE
Among our coins of this epoch (Case C) is a series
of splendid. Syracusan decadrachms (fig. 115), struck
soon after the triumph of the Sicilians over the Athen-
ian navy. Ihe female head with surrounding dolphins,
and the quadriga on the reverse show the heightened
sense for interrelated composition which artists now at-
tained. The skilful manner in which four galloping horses
are represented abreast in relief is comparable to the similar
achievement on the Parthenon frieze. An unusual feature
is the artist’s signature, Euainetos in two cases and Kimon
in four. The youthful river god on the tetradrachm of
Selinus is represented in the easy, harmonious pose
familiar in contemporary sculpture. Two coins of Naxos
have a squatting satyr in front view, in which the artist
has dealt ably with a difficult pose and has admirably
suited his figure to the circular space. As examples of
Coins
Case C
166 FIFTH ROOM
animal sculpture on a small scale the eagle head on the
staters of Elis and the eagle devouring a hare on the coin of
Akragas (fig. 114) could hardly be surpassed. The reverse
of the tetradrachm of Amphipolis shows the decorative use
to which the inscription could be put. The handles of the
krater on the Theban coins are similar in type to the bronze
handles in Case L. The head of a lion on the Leontinoi
series is a punning allusion to the name of the city, a not
unusual feature. The tetradrachm of Ainos in Thrace,
with its head of Hermes and its goat, is a good example of
workmanship in outlying districts.
ONO SNS OiNONVOiOnvOvonvoveovear
Vi y Wry lp
OCF OI © HO
SIXTH ROOM
Pee OENTURY B.C.
THE Peloponnesian war had ended in the year 404
B.c. with the downfall of the Athenian empire. Sparta
had championed the Greek states in their fight for inde-
pendence and had been successful. But it was soon ap-
parent that she had done so only to humble her rival
Athens, and that she regarded herself as in control of the
former Athenian dependencies. ‘These states found that
they had merely exchanged one master for another and
that Spartan rule was much more offensive than the
Athenian had been; for Spartan garrisons were placed in
many of the cities and the democratic parties deprived of
their power. Moreover, Sparta did not even have the
excuse of protecting the Aegean world from Persian ag-
eression; for, in exchange for Persian recognition of Spar-
tan leadership over Greek states, she calmly abandoned
the Greek cities of Asia Minor to Persia.
The power of Sparta was not long-lived. She was de-
feated by Thebes in the battle of Leuctra in 379 B.c., and
the leadership of Greece then passed to Thebes. But
Thebes was no more successful, and when Epaminondas,
the great Theban general, was killed in 362 B.c., she too
was no longer able to maintain her position. It was clear
that the unification of Greece could not be evolved from
168 SIXTH “ROOM
within. Love of autonomy among the individual states
was too great, their jealousy of each other too strong to
make the formation of a United States of Greece possible.
Constant strife had, moreover, weakened the country,
and when at last a formidable enemy from without ap-
peared in the person of Philip of Macedon, she could offer
no effective resistance. Happily the Macedonians, though
looked upon as barbarians by the Greeks, were of a kindred
stock, to whom the Greek civilization readily appealed.
The conquest of Greece was therefore not an overthrow of
Greek civilization, but rather the reverse. When Philip’s
brilliant successor, Alexander the Great, conquered one
by one the old Oriental kingdoms and brought the whole of
Eastern Asia and Egypt under his sway, founding Greek
cities wherever he went, he spread-Greek influence over a
much vaster area than the most ambitious Greek could
ever have dreamed possible. This extension of Hellenic
culture far beyond the boundaries of Greece itself resulted
in the “ Hellenistic’? Age, which we shall consider in the
next section. |
The effect of these historical events on the art of the
fourth century is of great importance. Internecine wars
and local intrigues were not likely to call forth the same
high spirit of patriotism as had the war against Persia.
Hence the ideal of the state lost much of its former glam-
our. Moreover, the teachings of poets and philosophers
like Euripides, Sokrates, and the Sophists had taught peo-
ple to rely on their own judgment rather than blindly to
obey authority. All this tended to raise the interest in the
individual. It is just this difference which we observe in
the arts of the fifth and fourth centuries. Instead of the
idealism and impersonality of the fifth century, we find
now introduced a personal, individualistic element. This
individualism is not very marked, especially if judged by
Moe Ren GEN TUR Y- B,C. 169
modern standards, for the traditions of the Pheidian period
were still strong; but it is nevertheless unmistakable. We
are, in fact, on a different plane. The lofty conceptions
of the fifth century have been changed for more human
standpoints; and the products of the new epoch, though
they still satisfy our sense of beauty, no longer call forth
our reverence.
The larger marble sculptures of this period are exhibited
in the Central Hall and described on pp. 256 ff. On ac-
count of the lighting, however, an exception has been
made in the case of the head of an athlete, which is shown
in this room on Pedestal L, but is described on p. 270.
A number of smaller pieces show the charm and delicacy
of fourth-century work. A statuette of Aphrodite con-
ceived as bending down to loosen her sandal (Case H) is a
Roman copy of a famous fourth-century original. There
are many replicas preserved of this graceful motive. In
spite of the mutilated condition of our statuette it still
conveys the evanescent charm of the Praxitelean school.
We can reconstruct the original composition from a better-
preserved terracotta in this attitude (No. 23.160.20, Case
K, west end); but the marble Aphrodite must have had
an additional little Eros by her left breast—to judge from
the traces preserved here.
A small gravestone (Pedestal S) has a farewell scene in
low relief. A youth, Erasinos by name, as we learn from
the inscription at the top, is clasping the hand of his
mother. A little boy stands by his side and his dog is
jumping up at him. It is a slight work but it has a beau-
tiful simplicity and poise (compare the other gravestones
in the Sculptural Hall, pp.256ff.). ‘The finial and the lower
part of the slab have been restored in plaster. A relief of
Hermes and the nymphs (Case B) is another charming
product of this period.
Marbles
Case H
Pedestal S
Case B
Case G
Case V2
South
Wall
Case B
Bronzes—
Statuettes
Case K2
1'70 SIXTH ROOM
Several attractive pieces are placed in Case G. A
head of a youth, from Tarentum, perhaps formed part
of a metope, for the sketchy treatment of the left side in-
dicates that the head was originally seen in profile. This
applies also to a head from Athens with remains of a hand.
A small head, on the same shelf, is reminiscent of the
Hermes of Praxiteles. Though the workmanship is
sketchy, the artist has caught much of the charm of his
master. A fragment from the Tholos at Epidauros is
the gift of Philip Lydig. It 1s a piece of the frieze which
decorated the circular wall of the Tholos. The head-band
of this chapter (p. 167) shows the richness of the whole
composition of the frieze, while in our little fragment we
can appreciate the delicacy of the carving. A noteworthy
piece in Case V2 is a relief witha youth on horseback,
recalling in subject and style the relief No. 53 in the
Sculptural Hall (p. 274). A fragment from a relief, placed
on the south wall, shows a female figure sitting on a pillar,
in a pensive attitude. It is evidently part of a replica of
the well-known relief of Aphrodite persuading Helen to
join Paris, which exists in several copies. The figure here
shown is Peitho, Persuasion; we know from the other
copies that beneath the pillar were seated Aphrodite and
Helen, while opposite them stood Paris with Eros. A com-
parison with the relief in the Naples Museum, which is the
best-known replica, shows that the Peitho on our fragment
agrees in all details with the corresponding figure in that
relief. An interesting inscription (Case B) on a marble
slab records expenditures (for maintenance or repairs?) on
public buildings, including the Odeon and the Parthenon.
It can be dated in the first half of the fourth century.
A fine bronze statuette is placed in Casé) Ka. It
represents an athlete standing in a beautiful rhythmic:
pose (fig. 116). The finished execution of the graceful,
Peecekel rH CENTURY B.C. 171
slim body shows that a great master was here at work.
Its combination of restraint and natural grace is char-
acteristic of the fourth century B.c., and the propor-
tions of the body with the long legs and the small
FIG. 116. BRONZE STATUETTE OF AN ATHLETE
head point to the influence of the great sculptor Lysip-
pos. Ihe action was probably that of a diadoumenos.
In his right hand he held the short end of the fillet
while with his left he was winding the other, long end
round his head. The depression made by the fillet in
the hair is clearly marked, especially at the back, and in
the front part of the head is a hole for fastening.
Several other bronze statuettes of this period are in
Case G
Bronzes—
Mirrors
172 $1 XH ROOM
Case G. A beautifully finished piece represents a bearded
man standing with his right arm raised. Though the at-
tributes are missing, we can identify him, from his general
type, as Poseidon. Originally he must have held a trident
in one hand and perhaps a dolphin in the other. A
statuette of Hermes sitting in an easy attitude on a rock
is a beautiful, harmonious composition, reproducing preb-
ably a famous statue. The purse which he holds is an
FIG. I17. . SILVER PHIALE
PARCEL GIED
attribute of Roman origin, so that the execution must
date from that epoch. A statuette of Aphrodite is a Ro-
man reproduction of the Knidian type of Praxiteles.
In this case has also been placed a silver phiale or shal-
low bowl tastefully decorated with a rosette (fig. 117).
It is cast and chased, of massive silver, with effective parcel
silding. Such bowls were doubtless used for libations and
must once have been common enough, but few of them
have survived on account of the precious nature of the
material. The swing of the outline in our shape, the
crispness of the work, and the heavy weight suggest a
date in the fifth to fourth century B.c.
In the preceding section we have described a number of
Greek mirrors with covers ornamented with repoussé re-
liefs, and occasionally also with engraved scenes (see p.
148). Several examples of this type belonging to the
mere CENTURY BEC 173
fourth century are also included in our collection (Case E).
Of these perhaps the finest has a relief representing two
Pans engaged in a quarrel, with Eros intervening (fig. 118).
One Pan has seized the other by the arm and is pulling
him away against his will. Eros, who has apparently just
arrived on the scene, is about to strike a blow at the re-
monstrant. The locality is indicated as a mountain
FIG. 118. BRONZE GREEK MIRROR WITH COVER
EROS AND TWO PANS
side by the rocky ground and the flowering plants.
Both the composition of this group, which is skilfully
adapted to the circular field, and the execution are
excellent. The thick-set bodies of the Pans with their
coarse-featured faces are well contrasted with the slender
figure of Eros, and the physical exertion and intentness of
all three are splendidly portrayed.
Another mirror is decorated with a relief of a seilenos
and a manin Scythian costume. The seilenos is seated on
a rock, playing the double flutes. He has the usual snub
nose, animal’s ears, and tail, and he sits on a lion’s skin,
which serves him for a wine-skin. The youth seated oppo-
site him is characterized as a Scythian by his long trousers
and pointed leather cap. The subject of the scene is not
Case E
L774. SLI ROGM
certain. The seilenos playing the double flutes suggests
Marsyas, in which case the figure opposite may be the
Scythian slave who flayed Marsyas alive, as a punishment
for his presumption in challenging Apollo to a musical
contest. The subjects of the reliefs of two other such
mirrors are Dionysos and Ariadne, and the head of a
woman in profile. A relief which originally belonged to a
mirror shows Aphrodite seated on a rock, with two Erotes.
The graceful composition and the dainty postures of the
figures make this a typical example of fourth-century work.
A mirror cover, given by J. Pierpont Morgan, has on
its under side an engraving representing a toilet scene!
(fig. 119). Two women are sitting opposite each other;
one is in the act of doing her hair, while the other is hold-
ing up a mirror for her. The drawing is of great fineness,
the lines of the garments and of the hair and all details
being engraved with delicacy and freedom. As is often
the case in mirrors of this type, the figures were silvered.
The relief which decorated the outer side of the cover Has
disappeared.
Besides mirrors on stands and mirrors with covers, a
third type was prevalent in classical times, viz., mirrors
with handles. This form, which corresponds more nearly
to our own hand mirrors, was in common use among both
the Greeks and the Etruscans from the sixth to the third
century B.c. Though we have as yet no Greek examples,
except those which belong to the Cesnola Collection (in
Gallery D 14), the Etruscan type is well represented in
our collection. These Etruscan mirrors can be divided
into two classes: one is provided with a tang for insertion
in a wooden or bone handle; the other has a handle cast
in one piece with the disk. In this case are exhibited our
1This has been published by Furtwangler in Furtwangler und Reich-
hold, Griechische Vasenmalerei, Serie II, Text, p. 42, fig. 18.
bPouURtH CENTURY B.C. 175
examples of the former type, which is the earlier, being
prevalent at the end of the fifth century and throughout
the fourth century B.c. The backs of these mirrors are
decorated with engraved scenes. An examination of these
will show what a high standard the ancients attained in
this difficult art. The names of the various personages
represented are often
inscribed in Etruscan
letters, a custom prob-
ably borrowed from
Greek vase-paintings.
One of the finest ex-
amples in our collec-
tion is decorated with
a scene of Aphrodite
persuading Helen to
join Paris. Two other
beautiful specimens
ahs engraved with * FIG. 119. BRONZE MIRROR COVER
satyr pursuing a mae- TOILET SCENE
nad and Achilles slay-
ing Memnon. These three spirited scenes were undoubt-
edly closely copied from Greek originals. The subjects of
the designs on the other mirrors are Peleus surprising
Thetis at her toilet; Athena between Thalna and Sime;
Odysseus attacking Circe; Bellerophon slaying the Chi-
maera; and Admetos and Alkestis kissing each other. Both
the subjects and the style of the drawings show how closely
dependent the Etruscan artists were on Greece.
In the same case is a relief representing Eros standing
in an easy, graceful pose, with a jug in one hand and a bowl
in the other. The curved surface makes it probable that
it decorated a hydria. Two bronze ornaments, perhaps
from a vase, have effective palmette motives. A jug in
Bronzes—
Miscella-
neous
Case G
Tomb
Group
Case J
‘Lerra-
cottas—
Statuettes
176 SIXTH’ ROOM
Case G is decorated with a beautiful design in a jour relief,
of an inverted anthemion rising from akanthos leaves.
An interesting tomb group is shown in Case J. It con-
sists of objects in different materials, chiefly bronze, said
to have been found at Bolsena (see fig. 121). From the
fact that a large number of the pieces are toilet articles,
we may assume that the tomb was that of a woman.
Many are inscribed Suthina
(ANIOVM), in Etruscan letters,
a word not infrequently found on
Etruscan bronzes and apparently
signifying “tomb article.” Two
black-glaze vases definitely date
the tomb in the fourth to third
~ century B.c., and this evidence
is confirmed by some of the other
objects, which are decorated in
the Etruscan style of that period.
The chief interest of this group is
that it gives us a good idea of
the kind of articles placed together inatomb. The bronze
objects consist of a mirror with an engraved design repre-
senting the release of Prometheus, a patera with a handle
in the form of a winged Lasa, a bowl, a jug, a cista, and
a plate from an incense-burner. A dainty little box (fig.
120), a pointed amphora with scroll handles, and a strigil
are of silver. There are also a number of objects in iron
and clay, as well as a gold ring, which is exhibited in the
Jewelry Room, Gallery K4.
The changes which the individualistic conceptions of
the fourth century wrought in art are nowhere so convinc-
ingly shown as in the “Tanagra”’ statuettes... The lofty
FIGS 1202 SIEVERSPY ATS ci
1The reason these statuettes are commonly called “Tanagra”’ is that
figures of this type were first found about 1870 in tombs in the little
Peiort GCENTURY. B.C. 177
remoteness of the fifth century has here completely disap-
peared, and a purely human charm has taken its place.
We have before us no longer divinities whose sublimity
evokes worship. The women, youths, and children por-
trayed in these graceful little figures are as human as our-
selves; and it is probably this very quality which has made
them so popular today. They require no complicated ar-
ElGee 2.0 BRONZE VASES
PART OF A TOMB GROUP
chaeological explanation. What story they have to tell
they can tell themselves; for they represent the people of
their time as we might have seen them any day, only trans-
formed into works of art by their makers’ exquisite sense
of beauty.
Our collection includes many excellent examples of such
statuettes (see Cases A, B, K, L2, N; fig. 122). The most
_Boeotian town of Tanagra. Since then similar figures have been un-
earthed elsewhere, but the extensive discoveries at Tanagra make it
certain that they must have been particularly popular in that vicinity.
The provenance of the examples in our collection is not always known.
From their type many can be assigned to Tanagra, while others come
from Attica and other regions in Greece proper.
Cases
A Beek.
Lea N
178 SIXTH ROOM
successful are the figures of the women and girls. We see
them standing in restful poses, sometimes leaning against
a pillar, occasionally walking or sitting, but mostly quiet,
serene, and a little pensive. Only rarely are they por-
trayed in a definite action, such as doing their hair, carry-
ing a child, or playing games. Their garments consist of
a tunic (chiton) and a mantle (himation), generally
wrapped completely round their bodies and arms. Some
wear a pointed hat or a hood formed by pulling up the
mantle. Leaf-shaped hats were evidently popular, for
many of the women carry them, and baskets, tambourines,
and other objects sometimes appear. There is little in-
dividual interest; but it may be said without exaggeration
that womanly gentleness and grace have never been ex-
pressed more simply and more truly than by the artists
who made these clay figures. The children are equally
charming, and among them we must include the little
Erotes with their merry, mischievous faces; for there is
nothing godlike left in their conception; they are just like
human children except for their wings. The youths are
as a rule less successful, being generally conventional;
only occasionally, as in figure 122 (center top), do we finda
fine, dignified conception.
A company of fourteen actors, said to have been found
together in a tomb in Greece, is an unusual group (Case A).
The figures show a great variety of types and poses, but
all have the conventional insignia of the comic actor, such
as the mask, which is generally bearded, and the protrud-
ing stomach. The men wear trousers, a short chiton some-
times made of fur, and occasionally a mantle and cap; the
women (whose parts were of course taken by men accord-
ing to the Greek custom, and who are clearly recognizable
as such in our statuettes) wear long chitons and mantles.
A few of the figures are identifiable with specific réles; for
FOURTH 'CENTURY B.C. 179
instance, a ludicrous statuette of Herakles with his finger
in his mouth, an old nurse and a baby, andaslave. Some
of the women appear to wear no masks, but it is more
Bigs aio? TANAGRA STATUETTES
probable, since the custom of wearing them was so uni-
versal, that the masks of young women were very like
real faces. Whether such figures were used by children
to personify actors, like the burattini in Italy, or whether
180 SIXTH ROOM
they were votive offerings, placed, perhaps, in an actor’s
grave as an appropriate memorial, we have no means of
determining.
In order fully to appreciate the original appearance of
the Greek terracotta statuettes, we must remember that
they all were painted; and that instead of their present
drab surface they showed a rich and varied color-scheme.
We need only compare the seated boy in our collection
(No. 14.146.4 1n Case B), on which the paint is unusually
well preserved, with the figures on which it has mostly
disappeared to see how much of interest and life was added
by the coloring. The predominating colors used were
white, blue, rose-pink, and yellow, all light, delicate shades,
appropriate to the daintiness of the figures. The majority
of the statuettes were made in moulds. The vent-hole at
the back was of course added so that the moisture in the
clay could evaporate in the baking.
It has been said of the Tanagra figures that they are all
sisters but few of them are twins. And this is certainly
true. Considering the fewness of the motives, it would
have been natural from our point of view to reproduce the
same types over and over again. But the love of diversity,
so characteristic of the Greeks, prevented such mechanical
production. Though the same mould was used many
times, variety was achieved by such means as attaching
the arms in different ways, changing the pose of the head,
adding different attributes, and retouching. These slight
differences introduce a refreshing element of originality
and save the statuettes from ever being monotonous.
It has often been asked what was the purpose of these
little figures. Were they used merely as bric-a-brac, had
they a religious significance, or did they play a part in
funeral ceremonies? We must admit that we do not know
definitely. The majority have been found in tombs; but
Pit Re He GEN TU RY “B.C: 181
whether they were placed there because they were familiar
household articles, or for any religious or specifically fu-
nerary purpose, is difficult to decide. That they were, at
FIG. 123. FORGERIES OF “‘TANAGRA”’ STATUETTES
least in the majority of cases, purely genre figures, without
any mythological import, seems clear from their general
character.
These Tanagra and related figures can be assigned to the
182 S14 SOT HR OOM
fourth century and to the beginning of the third century.
Their development into other types characteristic of the
Hellenistic spirit will be discussed in the next section.
A special use of terracotta figures, which became popu-
lar at this period, was that
of ornaments for vases.
The examples in our col-
lection, placed in Case G,
comprise a groupof Boreas
carrying off Oreithyia, a
sphinx, and a female fig-
ure.
A word must here be
said about modern forger-
ies of Tanagra statuettes,
which are prevalent in
many private and even
public collections. When
the Tanagra figures were
first found, they immedi-
ately enjoyed a great pop-
ularity. As the supply was
soon less than the wide-
spread demand for them,
FIG. 124; CAMPANIAN VASE the temptation lay near to
3 replenish the stock with
forgeries. Accordingly, a flourishing industry of such for-
geries grew up, which deceived even experts for a consid-
erable time, until the truth came out.
Forgeries A number of such forgeries have been placed in Case P
Gain (see fig. 123). There is perhaps no better way to appreciate
the simple beauty of the Greek statuettes than to compare
them with these modern imitations. The large mytho-
logical groups are so wholly modern in conception and
Case G
FOURTH CENTURY B.C. 183
composition that they do not here come into consideration.
But many of the figures copy fairly closely the standing
or sitting types of the Tanagra figures; and yet, on closer
examination, their un-
Greek character is ap-
parent. Compared with
the simple naturalness
and quiet poise of the
Greek figures, these
moderncreations ap-
pear affected and thea-
trical. This 1s shown
both in the attitudes—
especially in the po-
sitions of the head and
arms—and also in the
expressions. Serenity
has given place to sen-
timentality. The dra-
pery is another criterion.
It is almost invariably
fussy and confused and
often lacks construc-
tion. Another difference
is the greater length of
the line from the waist
to the knees, which will be observed in many of the for-
geries. Sometimes the modern pieces are made from
moulds taken from ancient statuettes, in which case it is
occasionally difficult to pronounce judgment; for in those
cases the style is of course Greek; but even here a certain
indefiniteness in the contours and often the addition of in-
appropriate details betray the hand of the forger.
We have seen in the preceding section (see p. 160) that
FIG. 125. “‘ATHENIANIZING” VASE
Vases
Case R
184 SIXTH ROOM
by the beginning of the fourth century the great Athenian
vase industry was on the decline. Asa result new ceramic
centers came into being, of which the most important were
in southern Italy. We can distinguish first an “Athenian-
izing’’ ware which makes its appearance in the late fifth
century B.c., and then, in the
fourth century, more independent
styles, which though based on the
Athenian red-figured technique,
clearly show the tastes of a dif-
ferent time and place. These
fabrics correspond to the three
chief divisions of South Italy—
Apulia, Campania, and Lucania
—the products of each locality ex-
hibiting marked characteristics of
their own.
In our collection are several ex-
amples of the earlier phase, of the
end of the fifth or early fourth cen-
tury B.c., in which the Athenian
style is still dominant (Case R).
Foremost among these are two
vases of unusually good workman-
FIG. 120. ship. One is a large bell-krater,
betsy 2 i said to have been found in Sicily,
with Thetis’s visit to Hephaistos represented on one side
and an unidentified scene on the other. The second is an
amphora, reminiscent in shape of the “ Nolan” form, with
a representation of the departure of a young warrior (fig.
125). In both these vases the shapes, the fine luminous
quality of the black glaze, and the general style point toa
close connection with Athenian prototypes. Some details
in the costumes and decoration, however, and here and
POURTH iGENTURY B:C. 185
there the type of features, show the presence of a foreign
element.
The Lucanian, Campanian, and Apulian fabrics, which
belong to the fourth
to third century
B.c., are illustrated
in our collection by
a number of exam-
ples placed in cases
and on pedestals on
the east side of the
room. Of the first
two we have only a
few pieces (Case Z).
The Lucanian vases
are distinguished by
their comparative
simplicity of style,
rare use of acces-
sory colors, and a
certain largeness
and restraint both
in the drawing and
the composition.
The Campanian
ware is character-
ized by its brilliant
coloring, which gives it a markedly picturesque quality
(see fig. 124). By far the most numerous are the Apulian
vases. Ihe most distinctive in our collection are two
vases of large size, one an amphora with a representation
of the dispute of Persephone and Aphrodite concerning
Adonis (on Pedestal Y; fig. 126), the other a hydria with a
scene of Hades carrying off Persephone (on Pedestal W)
y
HED SSS te eo
FIG. 1277. APULIAN VASE
186 SIXTH ROOM
Several other vases of large size are painted entirely black
with occasionally the addition of a gilt wreath (on Pedes-
tals Q and U: and on the top of Cases T and X). In gen-
eral appearance they are perhaps the most successful of
the Apulian vases, since the beauty of the shapes is not
marred by too lavish decoration. A beautiful example of
this type from Kerch (Case F) is of Athenian execution.
A selection of our better painted specimens is exhibited
in Case V; among these the
most noteworthy are the
beautiful “lekane”’ in the
center of the top shelf (fig.
127), the lekythos, on the
deck of the case, with an
attractive scene of a little
girl in a swing, and a small
FIG. 128. APULIAN CUP cup with the head of a
woman (fig. 128).
In Case X (bottom shelf, to the right) should be noted
two large vases with funerary -scenes; the mourners
are represented as bringing offerings to a tomb, which is
in the form of a shrine with a representation of the de-
ceased, similar to contemporary marble tombstones (see
pp. 258ff.). It will be observed in general that the Apulian
vases show a great variety of shapes, but a marked poverty
of invention in the representations. Exchange of gifts
between two lovers, funerary scenes, single figures of Eros
and Nike, and female heads occur with monotonous
frequency. Mythological subjects are comparatively rare.
A comparison between these Graeco-Italian fabrics and
the Athenian vases will show important differences. The
black glaze has rarely the same rich, luminous quality; the
shapes are no longer borrowed directly from the Athenian
repertoire; and above all, the types of the figures, the
FOURTH CENTURY B.C. 187
generally crowded compositions, and the profuse use of
yellow as well as white as accessory colors, give these vases
an entirely different aspect. In the better examples the
elaborateness of shape and decoration makes an impres-
sion of richness and splendor which give them a value of
their own; but in the less successful vases this striving
toward effect does not hide indifferent workmanship and
inherent poverty of invention. In other words, this South
Italian style is like a last echo of the great period of Athe-
FIG. 129. COINS OF TARAS, OF TERINA
AND OF RHODES
nian ceramics. It is still beautiful in so far as it is reminis-
cent of former achievements; but there is a weakness at
the core which precludes the possibility of a great future,
and when the style died out in the third century, the red-
figured technique came definitely to an end.
We have only a few examples of Greek engraved stones
of this period (Case C). ‘The representations consist of
animals attacking their prey, and various deities. The
Etruscan stones are mostly of careless execution, being
roughly worked with the round drill, without any indica-
tion of detail.
In contrast to the gems, the coinage of the period re-
mains at a high level (Cases M andO). Such compositions
as the youth on the dolphin from Taras (fig. 120, left) the
seated Nike from Terina (fig. 129, center), and the goat from
Ainos show as yet no deterioration from former accomplish-
Engraved
Stones
Case Co
Coins
Cases
M,O
188 SIXTH ROOM
ments. The range of subjects becomes wider, approaching
occasionally even the genre. A coin of Herakleia shows
Herakles strangling the Nemean lion by means of a hold
well known to wrestlers; a stater of Aspendos, two wrestlers
engaging; one of Kelenderis, a rider sliding down from his
horse. The heads of Rhodes (fig. 129, right) and of Ainos
are interesting examples of an experiment in full-face ren-
dering, which was soon abandoned, for the wear to which
coins are subjected madeit impractical. OurcoinsofAlex-
ander the Great, with portrait head of Alexander as
Herakles, illustrate the great change which came aboutin the
character of coin types in the later part of the fourth cen-
tury. The loss of Greek independence is reflected in the
disappearance of city emblems, now largely replaced by
portraits of rulers. The head of Ptolemy Soter on the gold
stater of Egypt is the first instance on a Greek coin of a
portrait of a living man.
SEVENTH ROOM
meee ENNIS 1G» PERIOD
THIRD TO FIRST CENTURY B.C.
W itTH the conquests of Alexander the Great, Greece
entered upon a new phase of her history. She had sub-
dued the old kingdoms of the Orient and extended her
borders far beyond the confines of her own country. Her
history is henceforth bound up with that of the great Hel-
lenized world which she had created. This new world she
was unable to control politically. With Alexander’s death
the old Greek inability to combine reasserted itself, and
after long struggles between the Macedonian generals who
succeeded to Alexander’s empire, three separate kingdoms
—Macedonia, Syria, and Egypt—were finally established.
But presently quarrels arose among these also, and in a
long series of wars their strength was gradually sapped.
This was the more disastrous since a new power was in the
meantime rising in the West. Rome, from being merely
the chief city of a handful of Latin tribes, had gradually |
subdued most of Italy. She had in turn conquered the
Etruscans, the Gauls, and the Samnites. Only one rival
remained—Carthage. When Hannibal, the great Cartha-
ginian leader, invited Macedon to join him against Rome,
190 SEVENTH ROOM
the East, not recognizing that her own future was at stake,
failed to intervene. Hannibal was finally defeated in 202
B.c. Shortly afterward Rome defeated both Greece and
Asia, and thus became the controlling power in the Medi-
terranean. For some time she was content with this
indirect control rather than complete sovereignty, espe-
cially as constant civil wars at home demanded her atten-
tion. It was not until the time of Augustus (31 B.c.)
that the East and West were finally combined under one
sreat Roman empire, and with its establishment began the
Roman Imperial era, described in the next section.
Though politically Greece had shown her incapacity to
become a strong unified power, the greatness of her civili-
zation was such that it nevertheless conquered the whole
world. Not only did new centers of Greek art and learn-
ing arise all over Asia Minor and Egypt, but Rome herself
eagerly adopted Greek culture and modeled her literature
and art on those of Greece.
The question that concerns us here is: How was Greek
art affected by this expansion? First, it may be said that
it acquired a new lease of life. At a time when it had passed
its prime and a period of decline was bound to set in, the
infusion of new blood added several centuries to its career.
Its character, moreover, underwent a great change. The
aim of the artist was no longer idealism or pure beauty, as
it had been in the fifth and fourth centuries, but realism.
This realism was often tempered by the old idealistic
tendencies, and many works harking back to the former
styles were still produced, especially in Greece proper.
But in the new schools of Asia Minor the realistic spirit
was strong. It showed itself in various ways: the model-
ing became more anatomical and scientific, the sculptor
being anxious to copy nature in every detail; the interest
of the artist was broadened to include a larger variety of
Paola Nol So LL Ce-P EE RLOD IOI
subjects, and old people, children, and even caricatures
were studied with new insight; also, a certain love of dis-
play, the natural outcome of realism, began to assert itself.
But though in conception Hellenistic works do not reach
the former lofty standards, they often exhibit great vigor
of treatment and remarkable skill in execution. The
vitality of Hellenistic art is, moreover, shown in its inde-
pendence. In many of
its creations there is a
great fertility of inven-
tion; and even when it
borrows types from ear-
lier works, it often
transforms them socom-
pletely as to make them
its own.
The large marble
sculptures of this period
in our collection are ex-
hibited in the Sculp-
FIG. 130. MARBLE HEAD
turdiebiall (pp. 275. ff.). OF A BARBARIAN
Several smaller marbles
are shown in this room and in the adjoining Eighth Room.
Marbles
The head of a young girl in Case A shows the influence of Case A
the works of Praxiteles both in conception and in execu-
tion. It is full of gentleness and charm, and the surface
has a beautiful evanescent effect. There is, however, a
lack of definition and finish about the modeling wholly
different from fourth-century work. In other words, it
lacks the strength which early Praxitelean works always
show. At the top of the head is a large quadrangular in-
cision for the insertion of another piece. It is possible
that this consisted of a veil which covered both the top
and the back of the head. The head of a barbarian (Case
Case Q
Case D
Case T
Bronze
and Silver
Statuettes
Case K
192 SEVENTH ROOM
QO; fig. 130) with deep-set, expressive eyes is a Roman copy
of a fine Hellenistic type in a realistic vein. Two small
marble heads are in Case D. One is a remarkable repre-
sentation of a female Pan with head thrown back and eyes
half closed in evident ecstasy.
Six painted stelai, placed in Case T, are of special in-
terest. They were found at Hadra, near Alexandria, in
the same cemetery as the vases in Cases V and X, and like
them can be dated to the third century B.c. The inscrip-
tions show that they were erected over the graves of
Galatians. The paintings, executed in various shades of
red, blue, yellow, and mauve, represent the deceased as he
appeared during his life, or taking his farewell—just as do
the fourth-century grave reliefs.
The bronzes in our collection include a number of excel-
lent examples of this period, and well illustrate the various
trends of Hellenistic art. A statuette of an old bearded
man (fig. 131), to be identified perhaps with Hermarchos, 1s
probably the finest Greek portrait on a small scale now in
existence (Case K). The dignity of the pose and the life-
like rendering of the figure combine to make it a master-
piece of its kind. The subject is treated with a mingling
of idealism and realism. The features are very individual,
the skin where exposed is represented as shriveled by old
age, while the prominence of the abdomen is faithfully ren-
dered. But in spite of this marked realism with regard
to details, the figure as a whole is full of force and dignity,
and the general conception is more suggestive of full-
size sculpture than of a work of small dimensions. More-
over, the arrangement of the drapery in a few sweeping
folds contributes to the effect of quiet simplicity. The
figure was originally mounted on an Ionic bronze column
of which only the capital and the core of the shaft are
preserved.
FIG. 131. BRONZE STATUETTE
HERMARCHOS (?)
Case J
194 SEVENTH ROOM
The probable identification of the statuette as a portrait
of Hermarchos is based on its close resemblance to a bust
from Herculaneum in the Naples Museum, which is in-
scribed with his name (see Museum reproduction No.1047).
In execution, however, our statuette is greatly superior,
having all the spirit and animation of an original Greek
. work, while the Herculaneum
bronze is a somewhat indifferent
Roman copy. Our information
about Hermarchos is scanty,
none of his writings having sur- -
vived; but we know that he suc-
ceeded Epicurus (see pp. 281 ff)
as head of the Epicurean school
of philosophy about 270 B.c., a
date which would agree with the
general style of our statuette.
A statuette of the drunken
Herakles is an excellent product
of Hellenistic art {Casen}< ig,
133). He is represented reeling
backward, his head thrust for-
ria) eA eee ward, his legs wide apart. Both
LET WITH PENDANT arms are missing, but from a
better-preserved statuette of
this type in the Parma Museum, we learn that the right
arm was extended, the hand probably holding a cup,
and that the left was lowered. Such a subject, showing
the less heroic side of Herakles, would never have been
attempted by an earlier artist; but to the sculptor of our
statuette it was a theme full of new possibilities, and
well adapted to show off the strong, muscular body of
the hero—which, indeed, he did with great ability. It
should be noted, however, that the drunkenness of Hera-
HELLENISTIC PERIOD 195
kles is suggested only in the pose; there is nothing in the ex-
pression of the face to indicate it—and this is characteris-
tic of the mingled realism and idealism of Hellenistic art.
A silver bracelet with pendant (Case O; figs. 132 and 134) Case O
is a rare, exquisite piece. From
a chain of rather heavy double
links is suspended a pendant in
the form of a satyr playing the
syrinx. He 1s half crouching,
half sitting, with the hoof of
one leg tucked under the knee
of the other in a charmingly
lifelike attitude; and though
only a little over an inch in
height, is modeled with all the
care and finish one might be-
stow on an important statue.
Ueimeverimilictre body, the
shaggy hair on the goat’s legs,
and every feature of the face
are beautifully rendered; even
such a detail as the curved fin-
gers as they press on the pipes
of the syrinx is carefully indi-
cated—though it can hardly een Deniers tent dR
be seen with the naked eye. DRUNKEN HERAKLES
But most remarkable of all is
the expression of the face. The satyr is evidently ab-
sorbed in the music he is making and he is giving himself
up completely to his pleasurable sensation. The piece
was obviously intended to be seen from all sides, and was
composed so that it could be enjoyed from every angle as it
hung suspended from the wrist of a fortunate human being.
The preservation is excellent. [he most serious blemish
FIG. 133.
Case N
196 SEVENTH ROOM
is a small cut on the nose which gives it a flattened appear-
ance, and some black stains (on both the chain and the
pendant) caused by the oxidation of the silver.
A number of smaller bronze statuettes will be found in
Case N. The statuette of a grotesque figure, on the mid-
dle shelf, is a masterpiece of Hellenistic bronze work (fig.
135). The execution is both careful and spirited; and the
FIG. 134. ‘PENDANT OF THE SILVERKSBRACELET
SATYR PLAYING THE SYRINX
rendering of the face with its half-leering, half-pathetic ex-
pression gives a very human interest to this deformed crea-
ture. Moreover, technically it is of importance, illustrat-
ing as it does the care with which some ancient bronzes
were worked and decorated. Both forearms (now missing)
were evidently made in separate pieces and inserted.
The whites of the eyes are of silver; the irises and pupils
have fallen out, but were probably of some other material.
The two protruding teeth are of silver; the hair and whis-
kers are covered with a thin foil of niello, and the little
buttons on the sleeves of the tunic are also of niello.
Though the black niello can now hardly be distinguished
from the dark patina, it must originally have been most
Posie NISTIC.. PERIOD 1Q7
effective when contrasted with the golden color of the
bronze.
Two diminutive statuettes on the same shelf are worked
with astonishing freshness and vigor, considering their
small size. One shows Herakles struggling with the Ne-
mean lion, the other a dancing satyr, of the same type as
the famous bronze in the National
Museum of Naples. An actor is
represented in a dramatic pose as
if reciting. He wears the conven-
tional mask of tragedy, but that in
no way detracts from the realistic
impression of the acting, showing
how much can be expressed by the
attitude apart from the play of feat-
ures. Another figure also in a de-
clamatory pose but without mask
may also be an actor. The statu-
ette of Antiocheia, the personifica-
tion of the city of Antioch, is a re-
duced copy of a famous work by
the sculptor Eutychides.
In Case D are other noteworthy
bronzes. The range of subjects
shows the enlarged scope of Hellenistic art. The stat-
uette of a negro boy (fig. 136) with a mantle twisted
round his waist is a fine realistic study. The character-
istic features of the race—the slouching gait, the wide
mouth with thick lips, the short broad nose, and the woolly
hair—are rendered with a refreshing naturalism. The
statuette of a striding satyr of Pergamene type is a good
Roman copy of a Hellenistic work. The bust of a bar-
barian wearing a mantle and sword is a sensitively modeled
piece of great beauty (fig. 137). The group of wrestlers
FIG. 135
BRONZE STATUETTE
A GROTESQUE FIGURE
Case D
Bronzes—
Mirrors
198 SEVENTH ROOM
and those of youths carrying the dead body of a com-
panion are decorative handles from Etruscan cistae or
toilet-boxes.
In the same case with the statuettes, on the bottom
shelf, are shown examples of bronze mirrors of this period.
They are of the later Italic
type referred to above (see p.
174), with handle cast in one
piece with the disk and termi-
nating generally in the head of
ananimal. Such mirrors have
been found chiefly at Prae-
neste, and were therefore prob-
ably both invented and mainly
manufactured there. Though
in many respects to be distin-
euished from the earlier Etrus-
can ones (see p. 174), they must
still be regarded as intimately
connected with them. They
date from the end of the fourth
and the third century B.c.
The backs of these mirrors
are, as in the earlier exam-
ples, decorated with engraved
scenes, but these are mostly of
careless workmanship and the range of subjects is limited.
Favorite representations, repeated again and again, are
the two Dioskouroi, generally accompanied by two women,
and the winged goddess Lasa. Several such are in our
collection. By far the finest example we have is one dec-
orated with a scene of Aphrodite fishing, with Eros aiding
her. The landscape is suggested by the rocks on which
the goddess is seated, the palm tree between her and Eros,
FIG. 136. BRONZE STATUETTE
A NEGRO BOY
HELLENISTIC PERIOD 199
and the flowering plants. The drawing is graceful and
lifelike. This is undoubtedly earlier than the other speci-
mens, belonging probably to the fourth century, and if
not executed by a Greek artist, was certainly directly in-
spired by a Greek original. Inscriptions are much rarer
on these mirrors than in the ,
earlier Etruscan ones; and
they.are sometimes in Latin,
which was the current lan-
guage of Praeneste. This
is the case with one of our
mirrors with a representa-
tion of the union of Juno
and Hercules, in their char-
acter as deities of matri-
mony.
A silver mirror said tc be
from Olbia, South Russia, is
of anunusual type. It con-
sists of a disk surrounded
by an openwork border in
silver-gilt, the whole
mounted on a hemispherical wooden block. The wood
was probably originally covered with some fabric. The de-
sign of the border is very attractive. Palmettes, scrolls,
akanthos leaves, flowers, and birds are combined into a
rich and harmonious pattern, highly decorative in effect.
A bronze plaque of roughly triangular shape may have
served as a horse’s nose-piece. It has incised scenes in late
Etruscan style.
A few decorative bronze pieces will be found in Case B.
Especially noteworthy are two disks with finely worked
reliefs, one of a young satyr, the other of an old bearded
satyr (fig. 138), which originally served as decorations in
FIG. 137. BRONZE ATTACHMENT
BUST OF A BARBARIAN
Bronzes—:
Miscella-
neous
Case B
Cases R,S
Terra-
cottas
Cases
C, M, P
200 SE) Vin ve RO Oont
horse-trappings. They were found at Elis with six other
pieces now in the British Museum. _ The faces of the satyrs
are modeled with great realism, every detail being care-
fully rendered; the eyelashes, for instance, are indicated by
delicately incised lines on the lids. A pair of ornaments,
each in the form of a mule’s head, are also pieces of fine
workmanship. Such ornaments were used to decorate
the upper front corners of the
curved rests placed on couches
of late Greek and early Imper-
ial type. Several bronze and
silver cups have finely designed
handles.
The other bronze utensils
and implements of this period
are placed in Cases R and S.
They include an Etruscan can-
FIG. 138. BRONZE RELIEF E
AN OLD SATYR delabrum, Italian helmets of a
type found on the battle-field
of Cannae (216 B.c.), two cuirasses, a colander, and a meat-
hook.
The custom of fashioning small figures in painted terra-
cotta, which, as we saw, had become very popular in the
fourth century, was continued in Hellenistic times. The
chief center for their manufacture, however, shifted from
Tanagra to regions outside Greece proper. The little town
of Myrina in Asia Minor, for instance, has been rendered
famous by the extensive discoveries made there during ex-
cavations in the years 1880-1882. Tarentum in South
Italy likewise proved a particularly fruitful field.
Our collection includes specimens from Myrina, Smyrna,
Pontos, Herakleia, and especially from Tarentum (Cases
C, M, P). A comparison between these and the Tanagra
examples will show the differences which the Hellenistic
eae NS Fd CP ERT O.D 201
spirit produced in these little statuettes. Instead of the
quiet, gentle women, youths, and children of the preceding
epoch, we have mostly figures in lively attitudes, often of
mythological character (fig. 139). Some types are indeed
copied more or less directly from the Tanagra figures; but
even in these a new striving for effect is generally notice-
FIG. 1390. TERRACOTTA STATUETTES
ASIATIC TYPES
able. Among our Asiatic examples (Case M, north side)
the finest are a flying Victory in which the forward sweep
of the figure has an almost sculpturesque grandeur, and a
flying Eros lent by W.S. Davis. A little boy with a cock,
two comic actors, and a Priapos, the god of fertility, car-
rying an armful of fruit, are other noteworthy pieces.
From Tarentum we have about one hundred pieces,
including several tomb groups. These are not, as is. the
case in the other figures in our collection, selected ex-
amples; but they represent a fairly complete series of the
Top of
Case V
Pedestals
abe
Top of
Cases G, S
202 SE LVinUNe GH ROO.
most characteristic Tarentine types (see fig. 140). We
can see what kinds of objects were placed together in a
tomb (south side of Case P); and we note the great differ-
ence between careful work, in which details were gone
over with a finishing tool, and inferior products left as
they came out of their moulds. Among the finer examples
are included several draped female figures, some statuettes
of Aphrodite, and especially two dancing-girls (at west
end), who in grace and simplicity of pose almost rival
their Tanagra sisters. Besides statuettes there are a
number of antefixes, perforated disks, and various moulds
(chiefly in Case C).
An Etruscan frieze decorated with a brilliantly colored
relief is an interesting piece, dating probably from the third
century B.c. (top of Case V). The decoration consists of
a marine scene, with sea-horses and dolphins leaping amid
seaweed and shells. Below, a conventional wave pattern
indicates the sea. There are in all seven slabs, alike in
every detail, so that we may assume that they were made
from the same mould. The colors—red, blue, and yellow
—are still well enough preserved to give us some concep-
tion of the gay effect of the whole. The frieze probably
once ornamented an Etruscan tomb-chamber.
A number of Etruscan urns, used for holding the ashes
of the dead, are also included in our collection (Pedestals
F and-Y, and top of Cases G and S). Im shape theyiare
miniature sarcophagi, the cover being ornamented with a
recumbent figure, while the body has a gaily painted relief
decoration. The subjects have mostly some reference to
death, either directly, when a dying person 1s represented,
or indirectly, in mythological scenes of fatal combats.
The reliefs on the examples in our collection include two
combats of heroes (perhaps Eteokles and Polyneikes) and
two baitle-scenes of a hero fighting with a ploughshare.
PeteiieatN tol CGC PE RTO D 203
The latter may be Echetlos, who we are told by Pausanias
(I, 32) appeared in the battle of Marathon to help the
Athenians against the Persians and “slaughtered many of
the barbarians with a plough.’ One, which is of stone,
not terracotta, has a representation of a woman on her
death-bed. Several of the urns have Latin inscriptions in
Etruscan letters, giving the names of the deceased. The
FIG. 140, TERRACOTIA STATUETTES
TARENTINE TYPES
style of the reliefs is late Etruscan of the third century
B.c. The facts that many of the compositions occur over
and over again and that the work ts generally careless show
that they were regarded as rather cheap products. The
gaudy paint preserved on some of the examples makes
them more effective than they otherwise would be.
On top of Case S are the head of a youth, almost life
size, and a fine antefix, decorated with a relief of two goats’
heads butting, which rise from akanthos leaves and are
surmounted by a palmette (see tail-piece, p. 210). The
Vases
Case S
204 SEVENTH ROOM
surface of the leaves and the shaggy hair of the goats are
particularly well rendered. Extensive traces of paint are
still preserved.
We have seen how during the fourth century potters
walked more or less in the footsteps of their predecessors,
and produced painted vases on the same general princi-
ples, if not of the same quality, as the Athenian red-
figured ware. The Hellenistic potters, on the other hand,
tried new paths. The most important of these were the
use of other colors besides the black glaze covering the
surface of the vase; the painting of naturalistic decorative
designs over the black glaze or other body color, instead
of the figured scenes reserved in the red clay; and the use
of relief decoration in imitation of metal ware. All of
these techniques had already been practised before Hel-
lenistic times, but their general adoption for certain classes
of vases was new.
The description of a few of these classes represented in
our collection will give an idea of the general character of
the pottery of this epoch.
In Case S have been assembled most of the wares in
which the vases are entirely covered with black glaze.
On the three upper shelves of the left side of the case are
those commonly called Egnatian, since many of them
have been found in Egnaziain Apulia. Garlands, birds, fe-
male heads, masks, and similar decorations are painted in
white, yellow, and red over the black glaze (fig. 141). The
bodies of the vases are sometimes fluted, which suggests
their derivation from metal ware. On the bottom of the
same side of the case are vases decorated with stamped
and relief ornaments. Notable among them are several
“Jamp-feeders.”’ On the right side of the case, on the
wall, are several examples of the so-called Calenian vases.
These consist of cups entirely covered with black glaze
Pea NIL ST be oP E RIOD 205
and ornamented on the inside with a frieze or central
medallion. From the potters’ stamps which occur on some
of the vases (there are none among ours) we learn that they
were produced at the end of the third or the beginning of
the second century B.c. The subjects on our examples
include friezes of chariots with divinities, Herakles and
lolaos fighting the Lernaean hydra, a gorgoneion, a crab
and a frog, and female heads and busts.
A collection of nineteen vases in Case H is of special
interest as having been
found in one grave, prob-
ably at Teano, in Cam-
pania. They are likewise
covered with black glaze,
and are ornamented with
stamped and incised as
well as painted decorations
(see, e.g., head-band, p.
189). The vases consist of FIG. 141. EGNATIAN CUP
a large water-jug, a num-
ber of plates, deep and shallow, various jugs, and a cruet-
stand. They probably constituted a dinner service.
A class of Hellenistic pottery which is unusually well rep-
resented in this Museum is that of “ Hadra”’ vases (Cases
V and X; fig. 142). The name is derived from the fact
that they were first found in large quantities at Hadra,
the eastern necropolis of Alexandria. Contrary to the
regular custom in Greece they were used to contain the
ashes of the dead. An interesting feature is the addition
of inscriptions on some examples, giving the name of the
deceased and the date of his burial. From these we learn
that the vases belong to the third century B.c. and were
used for the burial of Greeks who died in Alexandria. The
majority of them are of the hydria (water-jar) shape.
Case H
Cases
VX
Tops of
Cases
as
Case G
206 SEVENTH ROOM
The decoration consists chiefly of ornamental naturalistic
motives such as sprays of ivy and laurel, grapevines, pal-
mettes, and flowers, and occasionally of Erotes and animals
—some of marked decorative quality. They are painted
either in blackish brown directly on the-natural clay, or in
tempera in a variety of bright colors on a coating of white
or yellow. The tempera designs have unfortunately largely
disappeared, owing to the delicacy of this technique. One
of the finest is a head of Medusa painted as a medallion on
the body of a vase (Case X).
FIG. 142. VASES FROM HADRA, EGYPT
A number of large ornamental vases, elaborately deco-
rated with reliefs and statuettes in the round, have been
found at Canosa and other places in southern Italy. They
form an extreme instance of the employment of plastic
decorations by Hellenistic potters. Three fairly complete
examples have been placed on top of Cases V, X, T (see
fig. 143). They are painted like contemporary statuettes,
that is, covered with a white coating on which the other
colors were applied. The sculptural decorations consist
of female statuettes of conventional types, fore parts of
horses, Nereids, and a spirited hunting scene.
Besides these three whole vases, we have four separate
reliefs from similar vases, representing scenes of combat
both on foot and on horseback (Case G, top shelf; fig. 144).
Meier N.S 0G PERIOD 207
They are remarkable for the vigor of their compositions
and the preservation of their colors. From them we can
learn the brilliant appearance of some of these vases.
In the same case are a number of vases of this period,
not all assignable to special fabrics, either painted in tem-
pera or left in the natural
color of the clay. A num-
ber of these have decora-
tions in relief, generally of
rough execution, designed
chiefly for general effect.
A conspicuous piece is a
large pyxis or toilet-box
(on the bottom of the right
side), with a relief on the
cover showing two lovers,
gaily painted in white,
pink, red, blue, and green.
A small bowl (on the
second shelf from the top,
right side) bears the mark
of the potter, C. Popilius.
It belongs to a group which
is generally regarded asan ._ FIG. 143. CANOSA VASE
Italian imitation of the
Greek “ Megarian Bowls.”” Several pieces are moulded in
the shapes of animals or human figures. Such are a
pygmy carrying a crane, a dog, a cock, and a duck. Two
graceful amphorae once painted and gilt are mounted on
Pedestals U and W. They are the gift of F. W. Rhine-
lander.
In the Third Room are shown a number of glass vases of
the type found in Greek and Etruscan tombs of the sixth
to fourth century (see p. 99). They are modeled by
Glass
Case E
Engraved
Stones—
Greek
Case B
208 SEVENTH ROOM
hand and decorated with variegated patterns incorporated
in the body of the vase. This same technique was con-
tinued during the Hellenistic period until the second or
first century B.c., when the invention of the blowing-tube
worked a revolution in the manufacture of glass. The
Hellenistic glasses (shown in Case E), though technically
identical with the earlier examples, can be distinguished
from them both by their
shapes and by their
coarser execution. They
are often supplied with
elaborate handles.
In the gems of this
epoch we can distinguish
two distinct classes: those
produced by Greeks in
the eastern Mediterra-
nean, and those produced
in Italy by the Romans.
The Greek gems exhibit the Hellenistic style familiar from
the other monuments of the period. Instead of the perfo-
rated scarabs and scaraboids of the preceding centuries, the
unperforated ring-stone, generally flat on one side and con-
vex on the other, became the accepted form. The choice
of stones is much larger than before, Eastern stones now
being imported in large quantities. Glass paste is a fre-
quent substitute. The specimens in our collection (Case
B) include figures of Apollo and Aphrodite of rather elon-
gated proportions, several representations of the Nereid
Galene swimming, and heads of Herakles and Serapis.
Some of the stones are still set in their original rings of gilt-
bronze.
A great technical innovation introduced in this period is
the cameo. The representation, instead of being engraved
FIG. 144. RELIEF
FROM A CANOSA VASE
Piet NSIC PERIOD 209
on the surface of the gem, was carved in relief. Such
cameos naturally did not serve as seals, like the intaglios,
but were used for the decoration of: vases, utensils, mu-
sical instruments, and jewelry. A fragment of a sardonyx
cameo of beautiful workmanship is our only example of this
period. It represents a Nereid riding ona Triton.
The Italic gems are of special interest to us in that they
form an important source of
knowledge for the early Roman
art of the Republican period. We
can distinguish two styles, one
imitating Etruscan art, the other
the Greek Hellenistic art, both
dating from the third and second
centuries Bc, The gems of the
former group show their depend-
: FIG. 145.
ence on Etruscan art in style COIN OF PRUSIAS I
and motive. Both the archaic
and the fully developed style are copied with more or less
success, but always in the dry, unimaginative manner
peculiar to Roman work. Ring-stones are in general use.
The subjects are largely borrowed from those which occur
on Etruscan scarabs. Heroes are particularly popular,
especially those from the Theban and Trojan legends.
Among our stones are representations of Ajax carrying the
dead Achilles, and of the Spartan hero Othryades writing
the word v1c1 (“I conquered”’) on a shield of the trophy
he erected before dying. Several show artisans at work.
Religious subjects also play an important part, particu-
larly sacrificial scenes and the consultation of oracles.
The inscriptions no longer refer to the person represented,
as in the Etruscan scarabs, nor do they give the name of
the artist, as in the Greek gems, but designate the owner
of the seal, generally in abbreviated form,
Engraved
Stones—
Italic
Coins
Case L
210 SEVEN TA, cROOas
The gems of the Hellenizing group are of a much
freer style. The subjects of the representations are
characteristic of their origin. The heroic and religious
subjects prevalent in the “Etruscanizing”’ group take a
second place, and Erotic and Bacchic figures now become
popular. Subjects taken from daily life, animals, and
simple objects and utensils are likewise common. Our
stones include several representations of Eros, heads and
masks, animals, and fantastic combinations commonly
called grylloi. An interesting scene is the Roman she-
wolf with the twins, Romulus and Remus, represented
under the fig-tree, with Roma and Faustulus watching
them. The inscriptions refer, as in the other stones, to
the owners of the seal.
In Hellenistic coins the subjects are usually, though
not exclusively, portraits of rulers on the obverse, with
figures of divinities, sometimes copied from statues, on the
reverse (Case L). In the portraits we note the same finely
realistic renderings as in contemporary sculpture. The
heads of Antiochos I1, Prusias I (fig. 145), and Philetairos of
Pergamon are some of the best examples in our collection.
On a gold octodrachm of Egypt are portraits of Ptolemies
I and II with their wives.
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EIGHTH ROOM
HELLENISTIC AND ROMAN IMPERIAL
Ra LO AB eS
Piece NbURY B.C. TO SECOND CENTURY A.D.
IN this room our exhibition of Hellenistic art is con-
tinued. There are included also a number of frescoes and
other objects of Roman date which show specially close
affiliation with Hellenistic models.
Two marble portraits are interesting examples of Hel-
lenistic portraiture. The head of Chrysippos (Case G;
fig. 146), which has been mounted on a cast of a mar-
ble figure in Rome, is perhaps the best extant repre-
sentation of this eager, argumentative exponent of Stoic
philosophy (280-207 B.c). The beautifully modeled face
with its fine skull, pensive eyes, and nervous mouth is a
masterpiece in both conception and execution. It 1s
not only a typical portrait of an intellectual, idealistic
thinker, but it is at the same time a vivid character study
of an individual human being. We gain an intimate
acquaintance with the “quick and sagacious”’ Chrysippos;
and at the same time we obtain a realization. of a typical
Greek philosopher—quick-witted, analytical, absorbed
in intellectual problems, and deriving therefrom a poise
Marbles
Case G
Case Q
Case C
212 EG HiHy RiGOmt
and idealistic quality transcending his own individual
characteristics.
The draped body (Case Q; fig. 147) is a replica of
an unidentified portrait, of which there is a complete
example in the British Museum. We have added a
plaster copy of the British Museum head to our statue to
complete the composition.
It is a good illustration of
how much the interest of a
portrait is increased by the
inclusion of the whole fig-
ure. The drapery is ar-
ranged in a few significant
folds, beautifully composed
with reference to a general
design and yet bringing
out in an admirable man-
ner both the chief forms of
the body and the heavy
quality of the material. It
is a treatment character-
FIG. 146. MARBLE HEAD istic of the Hellenistic pe-
OF CHRYSIPPOS riod and may be observed
also on our “ Hermarchos”’
(fig. 131) and the statue by Zeuxis (fig. 197). The inven-
tion of realistic portraiture used to be credited to the Ro-
mans. Examples such as these two figures teach us that
the Romans merely carried on the traditions of their
Hellenistic predecessors.
A marble krater of exceptional beauty is placed in the
center of the room (Case C; figs. 148, 149). It 1s deco-
rated with dancing women in low relief, in various atti-
tudes: on one side, one is playing the double flutes, while
two dainty figures are dancing to her quiet strains with
Pee AND ROMAN PERIODS. 213
moderated steps; on the other side one is playing the
castanets and her two companions are dancing with heads
tossed back in evident abandon to her lively music, one
wielding the thyrsos,
the other holding a
wreath. The feeling
_ of serenity and grace-
ful animation in some
of the figures is com-
parable only with the
Greek works of the
best period, and the
handling of the relief
technique, with the
suggestion of distance
in the farther planes,
could not be more
masterly. Though
each figure is an inde-
pendent design, not
immediately related to
another except for the
unity of action, the
composition of each
set of three figures is
harmoniously carried FIG. 147. PORTRAIT STATUETTE
out. And yet we know, WITH HEAD RESTORED
not only by a compar-
ison with other works, but intrinsically by its style that
this is a product not of Greek fifth- or fourth-century art,
but of the early Roman Empire. It belongs, in other
words, to the classicist revival of the first century when
taste reverted to the earlier Greek conceptions after the
restless exuberance of the intervening period. Since sev-
214 EIGHTH ROOM
eral of the sculptors who produced these works call them-
selves in their signatures specifically Athenians, their art
is generally referred to as Neo-Attic.
It should be noted that the surface of the vase was never
properly smoothed throughout, so that the grooves and
FIG. 148. NEO-ATTIC MARBLE KRATER
ridges produced by the depressed contour lines are rather
conspicuous. A similar roughness is observable in some
of the figures, especially on the necks and faces; and in the
flutist the artist while working on the figure changed the
position of the pipes and has not removed the traces of the
earlier design. Evidently the last finishing process was
never applied. A charming feature of this vase is also the
ewe Net G AND ROMAN PERIODS 215
little panel with nymphs mounted on a pilaster, above one
of the handles. A conventionalized fig-tree occupies the
corresponding space on the other side.
The head of a child, characterized as Dionysos by the
wreath of vine leaves and clusters of grapes in his hair, isa
FIG. 149. NEO-ATTIC MARBLE KRATER
(OTHER SIDE)
work of exceptional charm (Pedestal O). The round, soft
contours of the child’s face are rendered in a lifelike man-
ner, and the modeling of the cheeks and of the sensitive
little mouth is of great delicacy.
A bronze statuette of Aphrodite (Case L; fig. 151) in the
attitude of the Knidian Aphrodite of Praxiteles is an im-
Pedestal O
Bronzes
Case L
Case D
216 EIGHTH ROOM
portant piece on account of its fine execution and its un-
commonly large size (height, 1 ft. 82 in.). The graceful
proportions of the body and the delicacy of the face can
give us some idea of the powerful charm that was exer-
cised by its famous original. The surface, however, is
considerably corroded, so that the beautiful modeling
which can be seen on the better-preserved parts (such as
the left forearm, the under side of the right forearm, and
FIG. 150. BRONZE STATURITE
SLEEPING EROS
parts of the back) does not come out to its full value on
the rest of the statuette. The execution appears to be
late Greek.
A charming representation of the god Eros is a statuette
which shows him sleeping on a rock (Case D; fig. 150).
The complete relaxation of the child is well portrayed,
and the modeling, though not of the finest order, appears
to be fresh and careful Roman work. The conception of
a sleeping Eros originated in the Hellenistic period and is
characteristic of the more personal view of that deity
prevalent during that and later times. It was a favorite
device for tombstones, though its use was not limited to
this purpose.
feeetoalGceAND ROMAN PERIOD:S 217
A beautiful piece in terracotta is a large statuette of a
flying Eros (fig. 152) placed in the little adjoining room.
It has the easy grace and charm of such Hellenistic ren-
derings. Numerous traces
of its original colors are
preserved which add to its
attraction. The terracotta
head of a child satyr (Ped-
estal M) evidently comes
from a high relief of Ro-
man date.
In Case P are several
smaller pieces of interest.
A grotesque head and the
head of a satyr, both in
marble, are characteristic
examples of Hellenistic
realism. A terracotta stat-
uette of a sleeping negro is
a sympathetic study, rath-
er roughly executed. A
bronze mirror has on its
cover a representation of
Eros as a nude, chubby in-
fant of the Hellenistic
type with wings spread. A
marble vase from Athens
is a rare piece, worked in
two parts, the body shaped
FIG. I51.. BRONZE STATUETTE
APHRODITE
like that of a pyxis, the neck and mouth like those of an
oinochoé.
In our description of the art of the Greek classical
periods one important branch has so far been omitted—
the art of painting. We have been able to see only a faint
Terra-
cottas
Pedestal
M
Miscella-
neous
Case P
Paintings
218 EIGHTH ROOM
reflex of it in the vase-paintings and a few painted grave-
stones; but the wall decorations and panels, of which we
hear so much in Greek literature, are lost to us. When we
come to the Roman period we are more fortunate. A large
number of frescoes which served to decorate the plastered —
walls of houses have been preserved through the famous
eruption of Mount Vesu-
ViIUS: 11°70; ALD ee ee
eruption buried Pompeii
and the neighboring vil-
las with lapilli and ashes,
and thus saved them for
future generations.
Most of the Pompeian
frescoes are either still in
place or exhibited in the
Naples Museum; but by
some good fortune this
Museum has been able to
acquire a number of
splendid examples, exhib-
ited in this room and in
FIG. 152. TERRACOTTA statuETTE the Southern Colonnade
FLYING EROS of Wing K. From them
we can obtain an excel-
lent idea of the richness and brilliance of ancient house
decoration. The paintings here shown were discovered
in 1900 in a villa near Boscoreale, a village on the
southern slope of Mount Vesuvius, not far from Pompeii.
A plan of this villa can be seen in figure 153. It shows
us the typical arrangement of a Roman house in early
Imperial times. As we enter, we first pass into an open
courtyard from which branch off the several living-rooms,
a cubiculum or bedroom, the tablinum or sitting-room, and
Pena AND ROMAN PERIODS 219
the triclinium or dining-room. Of the last there are sev-
eral, a small one, a large banquet-room, and one reserved
for the summer-time. The villa rustica, or farmhouse,
which occupies the whole of one side, is an interesting
feature, showing that the owner of the villa took an active
interest in farming,
ohm
Ces A
e =
FIG. 153. PLAN OF BOSCOREALE VILLA
I, WiLLA Rustica (farmhouse) 7. CuBICULUM (bedchamber)
Room oF MusIcAL_ INSTRU- 8. TABLINUM pes. :
MENTS 9. SMALL Room adjoining tri-
clinium
AUCES
F ‘ 10. GRAND TRICLINIUM (banquet-
PERISTYLIUM (inner court open room)
to the sky)
COVERED PORTION OF THE
PERISTYLIUM
TRICLINIUM (dining-room)
SMALL Room near the sum-
mer triclinium
SUMMER TRICLINIUM (dining-
room)
The technique of ancient fresco painting! seems to have
differed somewhat from that in use today. The principle
of true fresco painting is the application of colors on the
1Our knowledge of ancient fresco painting is derived from extant ex-
amples and also from a valuable treatise on the subject by Vitruvius
(Architecture VII, 3). For modern discussions of the subject see the
works of Berger, Breitschedel, Eibner, Gerlich, and Laurie listed in the
Bibliography, p. xxxiv.
220 EGA HY RO On
wet plaster, when the colors penetrate into the plaster and
a crystalline layer is formed on the surface. As not all
colors are suited to this process, some have to be added
after the plaster has dried, egg or gum being then used
as a medium to bind the colors. In ancient frescoes the
plaster was very thick and consisted of a number of layers,
so that it retained the water for a considerable time, and
the painter could work leisurely over large surfaces, instead
of painting in small sections, as became customary later.
Moreover, by the vigorous beating of each layer, the plas-
ter became very dense. Another important characteristic
is the polish given to the brilliant background on which
the designs were applied. This produced a beautiful, lus-
trous surface not unlike polished marble, and greatly adds
to the elegance of the general effect.
It is difficult to gauge nowadays how extensive was the
debt which the Roman fresco painters owed to their Hel-
lenistic predecessors; for little from the earlier period has
been preserved. It 1s probable, however, that the Romans
copied extensively what they found ready to hand; for
during the whole period covered by Pompeian painting
(about 80 B.c. to 79 A.D.) we have hardly any development.
Different: styles can be traced, but, as with every eclectic
school, there is no continued growth. The style to which
our frescoes from Boscoreale belong is the Second or
“Architectural” (from about 80 B.c. to the end: of the
Roman Republic).
The subjects represented are life-size figures, archi-
tectural compositions, and decorative designs. Among
the figures—which decorated the dining-room of the villa
—the most interesting is that of a lady playing the cithara,
with a little girl—probably her handmaid—standing be-
hind her chair (north wall; fig. 154). The expression of
dreamy contemplation on the woman’s face is well ren-
Merve NTSTIC AND ROMAN PERIODS 22!
dered, and there is a quiet dignity about her which makes
this painting particularly attractive. The treatment of
details, on the other hand, is sketchy and even faulty.
The other life-size figures consist of a woman standing
upright and holding a shield in her left hand, and a group ak
of a woman and a man seated side by side (south wall). Ge
FIG. 154. FRESCO FROM BOSCOREALE
The latter is not well preserved, but that it was a specially
fine painting is shown by the splendid characterization of
the woman’s. face. Other figures from this room are in
the Museum of Naples. Inone scene there is introduced a
Macedonian shield. This has suggested an interpretation
of the figures as members of a Macedonian ruling family,
the nude male seated figure being tentatively identified
as Demetrios Poliorketes.!
Among the decorative compositions the most interesting
1Studniczka, Jahrbuch des deutschen arch. Inst. 1923-1924, pp. 95 ff.
Pottery
222 EV LGibl Toe ROG
are a painting from the tablinum, showing a marble wall
with a beautiful garland of fruit and leaves (east wall);
and a fragment from the peristylium with a festoon of
ripe grain and fruit suspended from a Corinthian column
(west wall). Near the latter is shown a fragment of an-
other fresco, not from Boscoreale, with a representation
of a satyr and the infant Dionysos; the subject is remarka-
ble, being apparently a free copy after the famous group
of Hermes and Dionysos by Praxiteles at Olympia.
While the frescoes so far described are mere fragments
and have had to be framed as such, the paintings from the
cubiculum (which appears to have been the chief bed-
chamber, at least on this floor) were almost completely
preserved, and could therefore be set up in a small room
of the size of the original bedchamber (on the west side of
the gallery; fig. 155). In the farther wall of -this room
the original window with its ancient grating has been
reproduced. The frescoes consist chiefly of architectural
compositions, such as many-storied buildings with high
portals, projecting balconies, and lofty colonnades. They
are of fantastic construction but give a pleasing impression
of spaciousness, and make the room appear larger than it
really is. On the right side of the window is one of the
most idyllic pictures that has come down to us from an-
tiquity. Above, in the distance, we see a garden with
a terrace overgrown with vines. In the foreground is a
rocky cave around which grows a spreading creeper.
Nearby is afountain, on the edge of which is perched a bird;
others are flitting about or momentarily resting on branches,
in evident enjoyment of the peaceful quiet of their retreat.
We have seen how in the Hellenistic period painted
pottery was gradually supplanted by pottery with relief
ornamentation. By the first century B.c. this change in
decoration had become practically universal. Metal
ATVANODSOT LV VITIA AHL AO WNITNDIGND AHL ‘SSI ‘OIA
Cases
B,. Kan
224 EIGHTH ROOM
vases served as natural prototypes both in the shapes and
in the decoration. Among the large mass of Roman ware
the Arretine pottery stands out as artistically preeminent
and the most clearly allied to Greek models. Our collec-
tion of this important ware—which is one of the best in
existence—is exhibited in this room; the other Roman
vases will be found in the Roman Court in Wing K. The
center of the Arretine pottery was the town of Arezzo,
the ancient Arretium, in northern Italy. The flourishing
period of the industry appears to have been in the cen-
tury between about 40 B.c. and 60 A.D. That the vases
were famous also during the time they were produced
is shown by their wide distribution, by the references to
them in ancient literature, and by the fact that they were
soon imitated not only in Italy itself but all over the
Roman world. The distinctive features of the Arretine
vases are that they were made from moulds and covered
witha brilliant reddish brown (alkaline) glaze. The decora-
tions consist of figures and decorative motives in relief,
executed with the greatest refinement and delicacy. Not
only are the designs beautiful in themselves, but the spac-
ing shows a highly developed decorative sense. The
artist probably followed closely, but not slavishly, Hel-
lenistic models. Our collection includes a few vases (Case
K), twenty moulds (Cases K and N), and five stamps
(Case B); and we can thus clearly see the three important
steps in the production. (Plaster impressions of some of
the moulds are on the top shelf of Case N.) The moulds
have the designs in the interior, impressed in the clay
by means of the stamps, so that they appear as intagli;
while the vases themselves show them on the outside,
in relief. Only the vases, of course, are covered with glaze.
The stamps which made up the designs were used in dii-
ferent combinations, considerable variety being thus pro-
Pees tie AND ROMAN PERTODS 225
duced with comparatively few stamps. Our five stamps
show the extreme delicacy of the artist’s original work,
which became somewhat blurred of course in the subse-
quent processes. They show a satyr playing the double
fluteseitig,156),.a Nereid on a sea horse, a dancer, a
youth from a symposium, and a winged genius. Four of
these figures actually appear on our moulds—slightly
smaller than on the stamps, for the moulds were stamped
in leather-hard condition and
have since shrunk in the firing.
The subjects on our moulds
include winged gent, Nereids
riding on dolphins and sea horses,
satyrs in a vineyard, sacrificial
and erotic scenes, dancers, and
wreaths. Most of the types are
familiar from representations on
other Arretine pottery, the slight
differences introduced being due
to that love of variety within ap-
FIG. 156.
parent uniformity which ani- see ey oe
mated the makers of these pots, SATYR PLAYING PIPES
as it did those of the Tanagra
statuettes (see p. 180). An interesting feature of Arretine
vases is the inscriptions of the potters which occur on them.
They are generally signed both by the proprietor and by
the workman of the individual piece. The best-known
master is M. Perennius, who must have been the head of
an important establishment; for his name occurs on many
of the best extant moulds and vases. Several of our
moulds and the two-handled cup with the hunting scene
bear his signature. A few pieces are inscribed Tigranes,
either part of Perennius’ name, or that of a workman in
Perennius’ establishment. The one-handled cup is signed
Gems
Cases A,E
220 EIGHTH ROOM
by Cornelius, another famous master. Philemon, Nicephor,
and Rodo are the names of the workmen recorded on our
examples.
Engraved gems enjoyed a great popularity in the Early
Imperial period, as is shown not only by the large number
of examples which have survived, but also from literary
sources. It is indeed natural that the fashion of wearing
private seals in a great variety of stones—which could be
obtained without difficulty from all parts of the empire—
should appeal to the cultured classes of Romans. The
subjects represented on these gems cover a wide range.
Our collection, which is fairly representative, will give
a good idea of the chief types and styles (Cases A and E).
Mythological subjects, scenes from daily life, portraits,
animals, and various objects and symbols are all of fre-
quent occurrence. The style is either strictly classical,
following the traditions of Greek art of the fifth and fourth
centuries B.c., or it shows the influence of Hellenistic art
in its quieter, more charming aspect. Many of the rep-
resentations of Eros, for instance, clearly reflect Hellenistic
conceptions, and some may indeed be later works of that
period. All the chief tendencies of Roman art are, in
fact, represented on the gems, and they thus give an
excellent idea of Roman art in general. The gems in
our collection are arranged according to subjects. The
name of the stone and the subject represented are indicated
on each label, so that a detailed description is here unnec-
essary. Special mention should be made of some of the
portraits, a field in which the gem-cutting of this period
reached its height. The finished elegance of Augustan art
has indeed nowhere found better expression. Some of the
gems bear signatures of artists..
By the second century a.pD. glyptic art had entered on a
decline. Of the large number of gems which have survived
Ponte Ns tl G. AND ROMAN PERIODS 227
only very few have any artistic
value. The great majority show
careless workmanship and monot-
onous representations. This de-
cadence is probably to be explained
by the fact that the gems had
ceased to be objects of fashionable
interest, and therefore no longer
attracted the best workmen. They
were now merely seals and espe-
cially amulets; for the belief in the
magic properties of certain symbols
had by this time become quite
general. Our examples are placed
in Case F. . The scenes represented
are those common in this period—
figures of deities, especially For-
tuna, Nemesis, and Victoria, and
all sorts of symbols; also a few por-
traits.
A number of gems of post-classi-
cal times are placed in the lower
part of Case E, for comparison.
After the Roman period there were
two epochs in which the art of gem
engraving again flourished, that of
the Renaissance and that of the
eighteenth and early nineteenth
centuries. The artistsof both peri-
ods borrowed freely from the an-
tique. Those of the Renaissance
were too full of their own individ-
uality to keep very closely to the
FIG. 157. ROMAN
PILASTER WITH
FOLIATED SCROLLS
I CENTURY A.D.
ancient spirit, and Renaissance works of classic subjects are
Case F
Case E
Coins
Case H
Architec-
tural
Pieces
Colonnade
228 PIGHLH 'ROOM
therefore seldom difficult to distinguish from ancient gems.
The gem engravers of the eighteenth century, on the other
hand, had little inspiration of their own, and consciously
tried to copy ancient work as exactly as possible. Though
at first this copying was done purely out of admiration for
the antique, it soon developed with unscrupulous people
ir.to an extensive output of forgeries. At times, especially
when designs instead of being imitations are actual copies
of ancient gems, it is extremely difficult to tell definitely
whether a certain piece is ancient or a faithful copy.
Mostly, however, the copyist betrayed himself by a slight
innovation characteristic of the spirit of his own times
rather than of the antique. And in a large number of
cases, notably in the famous Poniatowski gems, the spirit
and composition are so far removed from ancient work that
few people would nowadays be deceived by them.
In the coinage of the later Hellenistic period (after the
third century B.c.) the fabric becomes broader and flatter
and the field cluttered with inscriptions. Portraits of
rulers continue as the chief interest, though as time ad-
vances these become cruder and at last devoid of artistic
value. Two of the best examples in our collection (Case
H) are the heads of Antimachos and that of Eukratides.
In the northern doorway are two pilasters of cipollino
marble with an attractive decoration of ivy vines growing
from amphorae. Among the leaves and berries are insects
and birds. The date is Roman, of the first to second cen-
tury A.D. In later times they were recut and used as door-
jambs, upside down as indicated by the position of the
hinges. Another beautiful piece of Roman architectural
ornament is shown in the colonnade (D9). It is a pilaster
with a design of a cluster of akanthos leaves at the base,
from which rise foliated scrolls (fig. 157); besides the main
scrolls, separate little tendrils and flowers issue at various
Peewee AND ROMAN PERIODS 229
points, while birds, a lizard, and Eros are introduced in
the background. The style of the relief is closely allied
to that of the decorative pieces from the Ara Pacis of
Augustus; but the execution is not so delicate and crisp as
in that famous monument. Several pieces from the Forum
of Trajan are specimens of such architectural decoration
at a rather later period. A column of the Roman compos-
ite order is probably Hadrianic. Its decoration is almost
identical with that of the “Oecus Corinthius”’ of Hadrian’s
villa at Tivoli.
Adjoining the Eighth Room on the north side is an
exhibition of objects illustrative of Greek and Roman life.
It is described in a separate handbook, by Helen McClees,
entitled The Daily Life of the Greeks and Romans.
We pass through the Vestibule which serves as an annex
to the First Room into the Central Hall of Sculpture.
CENTRAL HALL OF WING J
GREEK SCULPTURE
SIXTH TO FIRST CENTURY B.C:
IN the absence of Greek paintings, which have practi-
cally all perished, and of architecture, which can rarely
be transported, sculpture is the only form of high art
practised by the Greeks which can be adequately shown in
a museum. A collection of Greek sculpture, therefore, as-
sumes great importance: it represents for us the highest
expression of the Greek genius. The gifts of the Greek
artist could indeed find no more natural outlet than in the
field of sculpture; for here he had full scope for his wonder-
ful sense of form, structure, and line, and he could express
his ideal of spiritual and bodily beauty.
The Greek sculptor tried his versatile powers on all
materials ready to his hand; besides marble he used
wood, limestone, bronze, terracotta, gold, silver, ivory,
bone. But a history of Greek monumental sculpture now
deals largely with marble works; for marble, being less
perishable, less easily portable, and having less intrinsic
value than some of the other materials, has stood the test
of time better than they, though the mutilated condition
of most Greek marble statues is eloquent testimony to
Powe SCULPTURE 231
the vicissitudes through which
they, too, have passed.
The marbles at the disposal
of the Greek sculptor—first
chiefly those from the islands
of Paros and Naxos, and later
(from about 500 B.c.) also
that from Mount Penteiikon
in Athens—were fortunately
of great beauty; so that he was
helped, not hindered, by his
material. He soon acquired an
extraordinary proficiency in
working it. In fact, his ability
to make this hard stone repre-
sent human flesh and soft dra-
pery has never been surpassed.
In our appreciation of Greek
marble sculptures, we must
also remember that they were
always painted. Only a few
traces of such paint have
SUrviveqw see, €.2., On our
exauinies NOs. 1,23, 32, 46,
56, 61); but they are enough
to prove the ancient practice.
This color must have added
greatly to the general effect;
for pure white marble in the
bright sunlight of Greece
would have been dazzling to
the eye, and much detailed
work would have been lost to
the spectator,
FIG. 158.
ATHENIAN GRAVESTONE
ABOUT 550-530 B.C,
No. 32
2 32 CENTRAL HALL OF (Wiaih
Our collection of Greek sculptures is exhibited in this
Central Hall; only a few pieces are placed in the side gal-
leries. The arrangement is roughly chronological, archaic
and fifth-century examples being placed in the northern
half, fourth-century and Hellenistic ones in the southern
portion. The pieces are described in the order of their
periods, so as to enable the visitor to study the develop-
ment of Greek sculpture. With each section should be
compared the other objects of the same period placed in the
side galleries. [he introductory remarks at the head of
each chapter describing these galleries apply equally to
the contemporary sculptures.
The numbering of the sculptures begins on the left as
one enters the north end of the hall. The numbers run
along the left-hand wall as far as the middle doorway,
returning on the opposite side, then passing to the sculp-
tures on the middle of the floor; and similarly with the
south half of the hall.
ARKRCHAICeR ERG
600-480 B.C.
The earliest marble sculptures in our collection belong
to the archaic period of the sixth century B.c., a time
when stylization took the place of the later naturalism.
They must not be judged therefore by the standard of cor-
rectness or truth to nature, but by their decorative quality.
And in this feeling for design—so important in any work of
art—they will be found superior even to the later products.
Foremost among our early pieces is an Attic grave
stele or tombstone, consisting of a tall, slender slab
mounted on a base and crowned by a finial (No. 32, in
the center of the hall; fig. 158). It is the largest and
probably the most important grave monument of this
foten SCULPTURE 233
epoch in existence. As was customary on the grave
monuments of this period, the front of the slab bears a
full-length representation in relief of the deceased. In-
stead of the usual single figure, however, there are two,
a youth and a young girl, probably brother and sister,
FIG. 159. DETAIL FROM ATHENIAN GRAVESTONE
They stand side by side in rigid attitudes. The youth
is nude and holds a pomegranate in his left hand, while
an aryballos, or athlete’s oil-flask, is hanging from his
wrist. ‘The girl is fully draped and holds a flower in her
left hand. A good deal of both figures is missing and has
been restored in an outline sketch from the analogy of
similar figures. The fragment containing the head and
hand of the girl is a reproduction in plaster of the original
piece which is in the Berlin Museum. The preservation
234 CENTRAL HALL OF WING J
of the surface, moreover, is uneven. The lower part of
both figures is much weathered; while the heads of the
youth and of the girl (in Berlin) are as fresh as when they
left the sculptor’s hands.
An interesting feature of this stele is the extensive re-
mains of paint which are preserved on it, both on the slab
itself (on the eye and hair
of the youth and on the
background) and more
especially on the finial.
The latter was decorated
with a painted design of
a palmette and _ scrolls,
which is still faintly visible
(see tail-piece, p. 283).
The finial was originally
crowned by a statue of a
lion or griffin, of which
only the paws have been
preserved. Another feat-
- ure which adds to the im-
FIG. 100. :
MARBLE HEAD, APOLLO type POrtance of this stele is
VI CENTURY B.C. the dedicatory inscription
on the base, part of which
is still extant. From it we learn that Me|gakles| dedi-
cated this monument to his son.
For the study of Greek sculpture the most important
part of this imposing monument is the head of the youth
(fig. 159), which is an admirable example of archaic work.
An analysis of it will help us to understand the aims and
problems of the sculptor of that period. The two chief
vehicles for expression in the human face—the eye and the
mouth—are also those most difficult of representation.
The archaic sculptor realized their importance and spent
See nwKe SCOLPTURE 235
his best efforts in their study. But instead of a natural-
istic rendering—which he had not yet attained—he had
recourse to highly decorative conventions. The eye,
though seen in profile, is represented in full front, with the
eyeball very prominent. The transition between the
corners of the mouth and the cheek instead of being
gradual is abrupt. Each feat-
ure is sharply outlined in
precise, effective fashion. The
hair too is beautifully stylized.
On the skull it is represented
as a slightly wavy mass, while
the ends along the forehead
and on the neck are rolled up
into two rows of spiral curls.
Added to his feeling for design
the artist had a fine apprecia-
tion of the softness and deli-
cacy of human flesh, and was
able to bring out the contrast
eee eee oC MOduIatIONS 5. (161. MARBLE HEAD OF
of the youth’s face and the youTH. BEGINNING OF
hard surface of the _ back- eR ec
ground.
Two heads in the round, one of marble (No. 4; fig. 160), Nos. 4,
one of terracotta (No. 5), both broken from statues of
the early “Apollo” type, show the same limitations and
decorative sense of the archaic artist. They are conceived
as strictly four-sided instead of rounded, each side being
kept more or less in one plane, with a resultant confusion
in the interrelation of the various features. Thus, the
eyes and the cheekbones are too prominent and the lips
instead of passing naturally into the plane of the cheeks
are brought up at the corners to form an “archaic smile.”’
2
No. 22
Nos.18,19
230 CENTRAL HALL OF Wiig
In the marble head the jawbones are concave instead of
convex. But the sharply defined contours and the con-
ventionalized hair give style to the whole. A fragment
of a third head, of terracotta (No. 22), is slightly larger
than life size and may come from a temple image. Even
in its fragmentary condition we can sense the majesty of
the figure. There are extensive traces of the original col-
oring—a cream engobe over the surface and black for the
eyelashes and the iris.
The development reached in the rendering of the head
PIG. s1Gg.
LIMESTONE BASE OF A GRAVE STELE
toward the end of the archaic period (after 500 B. c.) can be
nicely studied in two heads, one broken from a grave relief
(No. 19), the other from a statue (No. 18; fig. 161). The
planes are now better interrelated, the form is slightly
rounded, and yet the former sense of design is still very
apparent. In the head in relief the eyes were originally
inlaid in another material and are now missing. The sur-
face for the hair is merely rasped, while in the other head
it is kept flat. Both were dependent on color for the
differentiation.
The treatment of the body by the archaic Greek artist
can be best studied in the fragment from an Athenian
grave Stele (No. 1). This shows the lower part of a youth,
with one hand hanging loosely by his side, the other
Pere GUL. P TURE 2 37
grasping a staff. There are many obvious mistakes in
modeling, but the artist’s fine simplicity of treatment and
his feeling for beauty of contour give distinction to his work.
As on the other stele, the background is painted red; any
other colors that were originally used have now disappeared.
FIG. 163.
SPHINX FROM A GRAVESTONE
A third grave stele has a painted instead of a sculptured
representation (No. 20, west wall). Unfortunately, the por-
tion of the slab with the upper part of the figure is miss-
ing, and even on what remains the design is not in good
condition. We can still distinguish, however, the lower
part of a nude man in profile to the right, similar to those
on the stelai just described. The background is painted
red, against which the figure stands out white in the color
No. 20
No. 2
No. 23
238 CENTRAL HALL OF WiNaome
of the marble. That this was the original effect is not at
all certain; for the body may very well have been painted
a different color, which did not weather so well as the red,
and has therefore completely disappeared. For from the
remains of color on other stelai we know that the red paint
was by far the most durable. The akroterion or finial has
an ornament consisting of a palmette rising from volutes,
the leaves of the palmettes being painted alternately red
and grayish blue. The inscription on the base (which
is soldered to the slab with lead) reads ANTIAENEI:
PANAIS+ES:EP E®EKEN, “Panaisches dedicated this
to Antigenes.”” We may suppose that Panaisches was the
father of Antigenes and set up the monument to his son,
who died while still young.
A limestone base of such a stele (No. 2; fig. 162)
has a dedicatory inscription composed as an elegiac
couplet in Attic letters of the sixth century: “ Amphichares,
the dead youth’s father, mourning a good son, erected this
stone to Chairedemos. Phaidimos made it’’—a typical
Greek epitaph in its restraint and adequacy. In Athens
is another piece of Phaidimos’ work—the lower part of
a stele with parts of two feet and a dedicatory inscription.
Of two other grave monuments only the crowning mem-
bersare preserved. Oneis inthe form of asphinx surmount-
ing a four-sided capital and inscribed . . Awo wrynua eiue,
“T am the monument of [Phillinos’’ (No. 23; fig. 163).
She is in the early archaic attitude, the trunk and legs
in profile, the head in full front, similar to the fa-
mous sphinx from Spata in Attica. The feathers on
the breast and on the stylish, sickle-shaped wings are
incised (on the front only) and were originally painted in
brilliant blue and red colors of which traces still remain.
The modeling of the body is rather primitive, with mere
surface incisions for a few important muscles, hardly any
GREEK SCULPTURE 230
differentiation of planes; so that the date cannot be later
(and may be earlier)than the middle of the sixth century
B.c. We have here, then, an example of Athenian sculp-
ture of the sturdy type of the Akropolis Calf Bearer, before
the introduction of lonic influence. The sphinx was
evidently intended to be placed high, for the upper faces
of the plinth and of the wings are left unfinished. We
must imagine it, therefore, mounted on a tall slab, prob-
ably decorated with a “‘por-
trait” of [Phillinos, either
painted or in relief, similar
to the youths on our Nos. 1
and 20.
The other finial is in the
form of a four-sided capital
with a spreading curve sur-
mounted by an oblong
abacus (No, 3; fig. 164).
It is decorated with an
incised lotos ornament and ECON A KROTERION
rosettes, very effective in OF A GRAVESTONE
design, dating soon after
the middle of the sixth century B.c.
The draped female type is represented in our collection
by two statues. One is a torso from the island of Paros
(No. 24; fig. 165), of the same style as the famous “ Maid-
ens” in the Akropolis Museum.! Like them she is stand-
ing in a stiff attitude, and is wearing a chiton, or
undergarment, and over it a mantle arranged in elaborate
folds. One arm was bent at the elbow and must have
grasped an offering, while the other was lowered to hold a
fold of the drapery. In spite of the mutilated condition
1Colored reproductions in plaster of several of these Maidens will be
found in our collection of casts.
No. 24
No. 26
240 CENTRAL HALL. OF Wiha
of the statue we can still appreciate, especially on the back,
the fine understanding which the artist showed in the ren-
dering of his drapery. The treatment of the folds, though
conventional, is highly decorative, and the importance of
FIG. 165.
STATUE OF A WOMAN
VI CENTURY B.C.
having the figure felt through
the drapery is fully realized.
In this respect the statue is a
true precursor of the famous.
Nike tying her sandal, pro-
duced about a century later.
The other female statue,
probably from the neighbor-
hood of Laurion, represents a
girl standing in the same stiff
attitude, holding a rabbit in
one hand, a pomegranate in
the. other (No, 26;5iem160),
She wears only the chiton,
which is girt at the waist and
pulled out at the sides. The
skirt part is not allowed to
hang freely, but is drawn tight
with a fold of drapery tucked
through the belt. It will be
readily noticed that there is a
discrepancy in style between
the head and body. The head
is not genuinely archaic either
in features or in headdress; the rear view of the statue
shows that the head had originally long hair hanging
down the back. The present head is, however, neither a
modern work nor one of the familiar “archaizing’”’ works
of the Roman period. The only plausible explanation is
that the statue was damaged in ancient times and was
FIG. 166.
GIRL BRINGING OFFERINGS
No. 21
No..10
2A2 CENTRAL HALL |O FP (Wa eeee
supplied with a new head in the fifth century B.c., to
which period the style of the head-dress points. At the
same time a new left arm holding an offering was supplied.
Originally it was brought down to grasp the drapery, as
suggested by the evident reworking of this portion.
Both of these statues were probably erected as votive
offerings in a temple and represent women bringing gifts
to a divinity.
The sense for design of the archaic artist is beautifully
brought out in a limestone base (No. 21, west wall) deco-
rated on its four sides with riders on rearing horses—some
unfortunately very battered. The modeling is wholly
conventional but the decorative quality of the whole gives
it beauty. The upper surface shows a round depression
with two dowel-holes; so that the block must have served
as a base either of a statue with a round plinth or of a round
column supporting a dedicatory offering.
FIFTH CENTURWSp as
In the fifth century the march toward naturalism made
ereat strides but there was still inherent a strong feeling
for composition which gives to the works of this period
erandeur and detachment.
The nude male type of the fifth century B. c. is shown in
several beautiful examples in which a progressive de-
velopment can be studied. A fragmentary bronze torso
(No. 10, east wall; fig. 167) dates from about 480 B.c.,
the period just preceding the full fruition of Greek art.
Considering the rarity of Greek bronze statues (only an
accident preserved some from the melting-pot), even this
fragmentary piece is of great value. Enough remains of
the left side and of the back for us to realize and enjoy its
singular beauty. (In the front it is a little caved in and the
modeling here is therefore somewhat confused.) We note
Seren oe GUL P-TU RE 243
that the weight is distributed slightly unevenly, so that the
two sides are no longer identical as in the archaic Apollos,
and the bones and muscles are now correctly indicated,
the back and chest being properly curved and the waist
no longer too slim. We feel it is a human body that can
function. And with all these
improvements the sculptor
has not lost the fine, simple
conception which made
archaic art great. The re-
semblance of our piece to the
Harmodios of the Tyran-
nicides and to the Akropolis
youth No. 608 suggests that
it is an Attic work of about
480-470 B.C.
The upper part of a torso
of a seated man (No. 14, west
wall) is a work of about the
middie. of the century, a
beautiful piece of simplified
modeling. It stands midway
between the Olympia and the
Parthenon sculptures; forthe — Fic. 167. BRONZE TORSO
modeling is softer than in the OF A YOUTH
Olympia figures and yet
it has not the easy flow of the Parthenon pediment statues.
The torso of a boy, perhaps of a Niobid (No. 25; fig. 168),
shows the full development of the second half of the fifth
century. Complete freedom is now attained in both the
action and the modeling. But in spite of the violent move-
ment and the more naturalistic rendering the effect is
simple and restful; for throughout there is a tendency
toward broad surfaces rather than detailed elaboration,
No 14
No. 25
No. 28
No. 29
244 CENTRAL HALL OF WING J
The sculptor’s aim was in fact to represent the human
body perfectly and harmoniously developed without undue
accentuation of any of its parts. It is this feeling for
moderation and for pure beauty which gives Greek art of
this epoch its distinction.
Another important piece is a fragmentary figure of a
seated man, considerably
less than half life size (No.
28; fig. 169). While the
torso of the boy was rep-
resented in violent action,
this figure is in complete
repose. The modeling
shows the same subtlety
and restraint which we
noticed in the torso, and
the same sensitive differ-
entiation between the hard
and soft surfaces of the
body. The identity of the
figure is not certain. The
proportions are those of a
FIG. 108. TORSO OF A BOY man of mature age and
V CENTURY B.C. ideal type, such as are
usually associated in Greek
art with Zeus, whom it possibly represents. There are
indications that this figure is from a group which perhaps
decorated a pediment. On each side the drapery is in-
terrupted by an angular cutting which was evidently
made for the reception of another figure or large object,
and on the left side there is a dowel-hole which must have
served forattachment. The body is, moreover, turned to
the left, as though toward another figure.
A third male statue (No. 29) belongs to a different class
Poet CU LP T.U RE 245
from the two just discussed, inasmuch as it is not of Greek
workmanship, but a Roman copy of a Greek work; that
is, it was executed when Greece had fallen under the
dominion of Rome, and the Romans were not only import-
ing Greek originals from Greece, but copying Greek works
of all periods to beautify their houses and public places
(see p.286). As explained in the Introduction, such sculp-
tures, when faithful
copies of Greek origi-
nals, are included in the
section to which they
stylistically belong.
This statue represents a
delicately formed boy,
about two-thirds life
size. Though in frag-
mentary condition, it is
possible to reconstruct
the original motive. He
was standing with his
weight on his left leg,
; oe ;
the right hand resting —
on a pillar and the left FIG. 169. TORSO OF ZEUS(?)
hand laid on his back Vo SEBS ES
The place where the
pillar was attached is visible on the right thigh, while the
left hand is preserved at the back. The statue is a variant
of a well-known type generally called “Narkissos,” the
position being the same, only reversed. A large number
of extant copies testify to the popularity of the figure in
antiquity.! It is generally attributed to the immediate
circle of the great Argive sculptor, Polykleitos, and was
1For a list of replicas see A, Furtwangler, Masterpieces of Greek
Sculpture, p. 272, note 4.
No. 30
240 CENTRAL HALL OF WING J
probably executed by one of his pupils about 400 B.c.
The execution of our torso is unusually fresh and careful
for Roman work.
The statue of a youth, placed on the fountain in the
Roman Court (Wing K), isa Roman copy of a work dating
FIG. 170. RELIEF.” GODDESSES
WITH INCENSE BURNER
soon after the middle of the fifth century (fig. 171). The
head is preserved and it is otherwise in fairly good condi-
tion so that we can enjoy the composition more nearly
as a whole. Its exquisite poise and simplicity make
it one of the most attractive pieces in our collection.
Considerably later in date is another torso of a youth
(No. 30), standing in an unaffected simple pose, with
FIG. 171. MARBLE STATUE OF A BOY
No. 17
248 CENTRAL HALL OF Wig)
the same subtle gradation of planes as we noted in the
other examples, but somewhat softened.
Fifth-century drapery can be studied in several fine
reliefs and statues. The earliest represents two goddesses,
confronting each other
(the heads are unfortu-
nately missing), sprinkling
incense on an incense bur-
ner (No. 17, west wall;
fig. 170). Their similar-
ity to the Demeter and
Persephone on the famous
“Eleusinian Relief” in
Athens (middle of fifth
century) is immediately
apparent. The poses and
the arrangement of the
drapery are almost identi-
cal.” Andere sisetuc
same majesty in the bear-
ing of the figures, the same
statuesque style in the
draperies, the same won-
derful sense of composi-
tion in the distribution of
FIG. 172. GRAVESTONE light and shade. The
SECOND HALF OF V CENTURY B.C. chief variation is that in
our relief the incense bur-
ner takes the place of the Triptolemos and so the action
is different. Moreover, the execution of our piece is not
Greek but Roman, as is indicated also by the late form
of the thymiaterion.
Three Athenian gravestones with draped female figures
in relief can be assigned to the second half of the fifth
FIG. 173. ATHENIAN GRAVESTONE
SECOND HALF OF V CENTURY B.C.
No. 13
No. 6
250 CENTRAL HALL O-F > Weiiee
century B.c. One shows a young girl standing and hold-
ing up in one hand a pomegranate, while the other grasps
a bag (No 13, west wall; fig. 172). The simplicity of the
pose and the fine, broad treatment of the folds associate
this relief with the maidens on the eastern frieze of the
Parthenon, with which it is no doubt contemporary. On
another slab is a woman
seated in a chair and hold-
ing up an oil-jug, while
what appears to be a toilet-
box is resting on her lap
(No. 6, east wall; fig. 173).
We have noted in the ar-
chaic period the custom of
the Greeks of representing
on the gravestone the
deceased as he appeared
in every-day life. This
custom continued through-
out this and later periods.
FIG. 174. GRAVESTONE We must identify this fig-
END OF V CENTURY B.C. ure, therefore, with the
woman in whose memory
the stone was erected, holding the objects she commonly
used in her daily life.
To appreciate the progress made by Greek sculptors in
the rendering of drapery, it is instructive to compare this
figure with the two draped female statues of the sixth
century just described. The difficulties which the archaic
sculptor had to encounter have now been completely
mastered. The soft material of the chiton, its numberless
little folds, and the form of the human body beneath it,
have all been rendered with the greatest skill; the effect of
the whole is rich and varied, and at the same time simple
GREEK SCULPTURE o54
and dignified. Another characteristic feature is the easy
posture of the woman. She is seated in-her chair, but
entirely separate from it. That this quality was only
achieved after long struggle we shall realize if we compare
our figure, for instance, with the sixth-century seated
statues from Didyma (see casts
Nos. 1240-1243), where the
figure and the chair are as if
of one piece. The head of our
relief is missing. From the
style of the drapery, however,
which resembles that of the
Parthenon pediment sculp-
tures, we can date the relief
about 440-430 B. C.
On the third gravestone is
a seated woman, her chiton
arranged in soft, graceful folds
(No. 8, west wall; fig. 174).
In pose and general character
she recalls the well-known
gravestone of Hegeso in the
Dipylon cemetery at Athens
(see cast No. 618), and may
therefore be dated toward the
very end of the fifth century.
The head is missing.
The marked transparency of the drapery—a _ char-
acteristic of this period—is even more accentuated in a
statue of Aphrodite, an anonymous loan in memory of
Charles T. Barney (No. 31; fig. 175). It is a replica of
the famous “ Venus Genetrix”’ type, one of the most grace-
ful creations of antiquity. It was evidently popular also
in Roman times, for many copies exist, of which the best
FIG. 175. APHRODITE
“VENUS GENETRIX’ TYPE
Co
No. 31
No. 9
No. 12
252 CENTRAL HALL OF WING J
preserved is in the Louvre. Ours, headless and armless
and discolored by fire, nevertheless brings us perhaps
nearer to the original, for the execution is more sensitive.
We have several important heads belonging to this
period. The earliest is a Roman copy of the Harmodios
(No. 9, east wall; fig. 176) of the famous Tyrannicides
group by Kritios and Nesiotes. Though not so well
preserved as the replica in
the Naples Museum the
execution is at least equal.
Another head of a youth
(No. 12; fig. 177) belongs
to the more developed
period of the second half
of ~the fifth century.
Though it is of Roman
workmanship, the sculptor
has clearly caught much
of the spirit of the Greek
original. The youth is
characterized as an athlete
FIG. 170. MARBLE HEAD by the fillet in his hair,
DERE SRM De. which is the badge of
victory in an athletic con-
test. On the top of the head is a small square projection,
probably a support for an arm, indicating that the
youth stood with one arm resting on his head. He may
be interpreted therefore as a victorious athlete resting
after a competition. To illustrate the idealizing tendency
of fifth-century Greek sculpture we could hardly have a
better example; for the head represents in full measure
the Greek conception of the beauty of young manhood,
a beauty both physical and intellectual, in which the
dominant note is serenity. We can well believe that the
FIG, 77. ATHLETE
ROMAN COPY OF A GREEK WORK
OF THE V CENTURY B.C.
254 CENTRAL HALL OF W Uhre
Greeks who conceived this as their ideal of beauty also
adopted “moderation in all things” as the standard of their
conduct.
Besides our head, four other replicas of this type exist,
of which the best known is in the possession of Lord Lecon-
field at Petworth. The original statue was therefore, no
doubt, a famous work. Who the sculptor was it is impos-
FIG. 178. LION
END OF V CENTURY B.C.
sible to say with any certainty. The name Kresilas, a
Cretan sculptor who worked in Athens, has been suggested,
but the evidence is rather slender.
A head from a herm, representing a bearded male deity,
is another beautiful example of idealistic sculpture (No. 7,
east wall). It is slightly earlier in date than the head
just described, the treatment of the hair and the severe
type of face, with its fine dignity and repose, being char-
acteristic of Attic work of the middle of the fifth century
B.c._ It is not a Greek original, but a Roman copy. The
type is known from several other replicas. The special
deity represented is uncertain, as the type is equally char-
1See Furtwangler, Masterpieces, pp. 161ff.
Parekh oC U.P TURE 255
acteristic of Zeus and Dionysos, and besides the fillet
in the hair, which would be appropriate to both gods,
there is no attribute.
Two heads of youths (Nos. 16 and 17, west wall), both Nos. 16, 17
rather hard Roman copies
of Greek works, further
illustrate the style of this
period. No. 16 is evi-
dently a replica of a work
by Polykleitos, for it shows
his individual rendering in
the long angular skull, the
flat locks curling at the
ends, the narrow brow, and
the heavy eyelids.
The upper part of a
statue of Athena is another
Roman copy of a Greek
work (No. 11, west wall).
Several replicas of the type FIG. 179. DETAIL: HEAD
exist, of which ours is OF LION
perhaps the most sensi-
tive. The figure is clearly an adaptation of the great
Athena Parthenos of Pheidias, for the pose and the
arrangement of the drapery are remarkably similar; but
the face is oval instead of square, the forehead triangular,
the helmet was Corinthian instead of Attic, and the whole
has a younger, gentler aspect. It is therefore probably
a late fifth-century creation, directly inspired by the
Pheidian work, but as clearly the product of another
individuality. In our statue both arms and the top of the
head (which are missing) were worked in separate pieces
and attached, as so often in ancient sculpture.
The statue of a lion (No. 27; figs. 178, 179) isa splendid No. 27
No. 11
256 CENTRAL HALL OF WING J
specimen of Greek animal sculpture. He is represented
in a crouching position, with mouth wide open, and the
tail (now lost) lashing his sides. From the point of view
of superficial likeness it is in several points obviously
conventionalized. The head is too small, the mane is
treated in a stiff, unnatural manner, and the foliations of
the skin round the jaws are, as has been pointed out,
more canine than feline.t But these are details. The
chief characteristics of the lion, its fierceness, and the
strength of its supple body have rarely been better ex-
pressed. And in this respect many a lion of a later period
(and especially of our own time) which is more realistic
in details will seem lifeless and conventional by com-
parison.
Our lion is closely connected in-style with the lions
from the Nereid Monument, now in the British Museum,
though it probably did not form part of that monument,
since it appears to be of a different marble. There can be
no doubt, however, that it is a product of the same period
and school.
FOURTH CENT UR
We shall note as characteristic traits of fourth-century
sculptors a greater softness and gentleness than in earlier
work. Naturalism is winning a complete victory and is
gradually ousting the former feeling for design and compo-
sition.
Fourth-century sculpture is represented in our collection
by numerous examples. They consist of gravestones of
different types, male and female statues, heads broken
from statues, and reliefs.
Among the gravestones the most important is one in
the form of a shrine with the sculptured slab recessed
1See John Marshall in the Metropolitan Museum Bulletin, 1910, p. 210.
FIG. 180. ATHENIAN GRAVESTONE
258 CENTRAL HALL OF WINteag
between two pilasters (fig. 180). (Placed in the Fifth
Room on account of the better light there.) It probably
dates from the early fourth century, the figures retaining
much of the early majesty, while the drapery and the
developed form of the shrine point to the later date.
The pilasters are both miss-
ing and had to be restored,
but the cornice is largely pre-
served and bears the dedica-
tory inscription. From this
we learn that the monument
was erected to Sostrate,
daughter of Thymokles of
Prasiae in Attica. On the
relief are represented a seated
man with a girl standing in
front of him and another
woman behind him, holding
a child«by the hance 11s
clearly a family group. We
may suppose that the girl
standing in front is Sostrate,
probably the daughter who
has died, and that the others
FIG. 181. GRAVESTONE OF
AN ATHLETE are the father, the mother,
IV CENTURY B.C. and a younger sister. Sorrow
for the departed is shown
only in the quiet sadness of the faces, which imparts to
the scene anelement of pathos difficult to describe. This
note of genuine but serene sorrow appears regularly on
these grave monuments and shows us the Greek sculptor’s
conception of mourning as tranquil resignation rather
than unrestrained grief. This is the more remarkable
since we learn from Greek literature and representations
GREEK SCULPTURE 250
on some Greek vases that wild manifestations of grief,
with women tearing their hair, were well known in Greek
life; but the sculptor felt that such representations were
no fit subjects for art, and chose instead the quiet scenes
which make so strong
an appeal to us today.
It should be noted
that the child on this
relief appears more
like a diminutive
adult than a child.
The inability to repre-
sent children is general
in Greek sculpture of
this and the preceding
periods. It was not
until the Hellenistic
age that children were
properly studied and
represented ina lifelike
manner.
A stele of similar
type, but with the slab
not so much recessed,
was erected, we learn FIG. 182. GRAVESTONE WITH A
from the inscription, PEM Len tame
IV CENTURY B.C.
to Sostratos, the son
of Teisandros, of the deme of Paianiea: 2Q2TPATO® :
TEISANAPO : PAIANIEYS (No. 47, west wall; fig. 181). No. 47
He is represented in the act of scraping his body with a
strigil, according to the custom of athletes, to remove
the dust and oil from his skin. The slave boy by his
side is holding his garment and oil bottle. The scene
is a simple occurrence of daily life, but here again a certain
No. 49
260 CENTRAL HALL OF WING J
solemnity is imparted’to it by the dreamy sadness in the
youth’s face and the wistful expression with which the
boy looks up at his master. The cornice of the stele
is decorated at each angle with a sphinx, and in the center
with a mourning siren, beating her breast with one hand
and tearing her hair with the other. The workmanship,
though fresh and vigorous, is careless in detail and finish;
thus the left arm of the youth,
which is raised to his head, is
modeled only on the front,
where it would be seen by the
spectator. This carelessness
in execution is often to be
found in Greek gravestones
and is to be explained by the
fact that the majority of them
are the work of artisans
rather than sculptors. Grave-
stones had to be produced in
large numbers, and often for
people who could not afford a
FIG] OSs ees costly work. Conditions, in
OF A GRAVESTONE
IV CENTURY B.C. fact, were the same in this re-
spect as they are now; we too
should not expect to find the best contemporary sculpture
in cemeteries, save in exceptional cases. The fact, how-
ever, that Greek gravestones, even when not worked with
ereat care, always show harmonious compositions, beauti-
ful types of faces, and the restraint of which we have al-
ready spoken, is testimony to the high level of taste in
the whole community.
A third gravestone of this type is decorated with a rep-
resentation which is the most frequent on these monu-
ments—a farewell scene (No. 49, west wall; fig. 182). A
Perea K SCULPTURE 201
young woman is seated on a chair and is clasping the hand
of an older woman who is standing before her; between
them stands another woman carrying a casket. From the
prominence of her position, the seated woman 1s evidently
the deceased, while the one whose hand she is holding in
token of farewell is probably her mother; the latter has cut
her hair short as a sign of
mourning. On the entab-
lature above the relief are
inscribed the names Lysis-
trate and Panathenais:
AY 212 PATH?!: 7 ANAOH-
NAIS. The first is un-
doubtedly the name of the
person for whom the stone
was erected, that is, the
seated woman on our re-
lief. Panathenais may be
the name of the mother or
of another member of the
family who died subse-
quently and was buried in
FIG. 184. AKROTERION
the same plot, the name peice ptecToNE
being added at the time of IV CENTURY B.C.
the later burial. It should
be noted how skilfully the various planes of the relief are
handled and how clearly thereby the figures take their
place in a somewhat crowded composition.
Another type of stele represented in our collection and
common in Greece during the fourth century is that of a
tall marble shaft, crowned by a finial in the form of an
akroterion. Two excellent examples are included in our
1The tau after the second sigma has been left out, either accidentally
or through the illiteracy of the writer.
Nos. 36, 40
262 CENTRAL HALL "0 Foie
FIG. 185. ATHENIAN
GRAVE MONUMENT
collection (Nos. 36 and 4o,
east wall; figs. 184 and 183).!
The motive is the same in
both—an anthemion rising
from a bed of akanthos leaves
with a flower in the middle
(the stem was painted)—but
the composition varies as it
does in all these designs. For
in the many specimens of this
kind known we find always a
touch somewhere to show
that the lines of the compo-
sition are felt afresh and that
the piece is an original prod-
uct. Mass production of the
same design was unknown.
And in spite of the strict
formalization the feeling of
plant growth is always ad-
mirably conveyed. On the
back of No. 36 (fig. 184) a de-
sign similar to that on the
front is roughly sketched, the
original intention evidently
having been to repeat the
ornament front and back, as
we actually find it in the
akroterionin Boston (Caskey,
Catalogue, No. 45). A smaller
1The shaft belonging to this akroterion was preserved, but has appar-
ently been lost. The two are published together in Conze, Attische
Grabreliefs, No. 1539. The inscription on the shaft shows that the
stele was erected to one Timotheos and to his son Nikon, both of the deme
of Kephale.
FIG. 186. EIRENE
ROMAN COPY OF A GREEK WORK
No. 52
No. 50
264 CENTRAL HALL OF Wiig
specimen of this type has the anthemion in low relief in
one piece with the slab (No. 44, west wall). On the latter
is incised the name of the deceased: Kallidemos, the son
of Kalliades.
Besides such decorated slabs the Greeks used as grave
monuments marble vases, sometimes of large dimensions
and regularly ornamented with reliefs. The origin of this
custom is clearly derived from that of placing terracotta
vases on the tombs as offerings to the dead. A marble
lekythos in our collection (No. 52, west wall) is decorated
with a scene representing a man and a woman clasping
hands, and a seated woman holding out a bird to a little
girl (fig. 185). The monument was probably raised in
memory of a woman who is here shown in two aspects—
in her relation to her husband, to whom she is quietly bid-
ding farewell, and to her child, with whom she 1s playing,
as she might have been any day during her life. The exe-
cution is unusually delicate and careful.
Among our statues of this period two are monumental
pieces of importance. One is a statue of Eirene, the god-
dess of peace, and in its present fragmentary condition
(the head and both arms are missing) stands about six feet
high (No. 50, west wall; fig. 186). It is of Roman, not
of Greek execution, and is a copy of what must have been
a famous original; for we know of another Roman replica
in the Glyptothek in Munich, and of fragments from others
in the museums in Athens and Dresden. From the statue
in Munich, which is more complete than ours, and from an
Athenian coin on which the statue is reproduced, we learn
the original motive of our figure, viz., that she held in her
left arm the infant Ploutos, the god of wealth, and that her
right arm was extended and held a scepter. It was, in
other words, an allegorical representation of Peace, the
guardian of Prosperity. Such a group is referred to by
GREEK SCULPTURE 265
Pausanias, who tells us that it stood in Athens on the
Areopagus and was the work of Kephisodotos.! The exact
period of the original Greek statue has been the subject of
much discussion. The two dates assigned to it are 404
B.c. and 375 B.c., the years of the end of the Pelopon-
nesian war and the battle
of Leukas, respectively.
From the style of the
statue it appears to be a
work belonging to the
transition between the old-
er and the younger Attic
schools; for the treatment
of the drapery with its sim-
ple, massive folds, and the
splendid dignity of the
posture are reminiscent of
fifth-century sculpture,
while the gentle expression
of the face and the delicate
turn of the head show the
influence of new ideas.
The other large statue is
likewise a draped female
figure, of about the same
height, andits headisalso _‘F!S- 187. TORSO OF ERos
tee IN THE SAUROKTONOS POSE
missing (No. 46, west wall).
It belonged to the Giustiniani Collection and was presented No. 46
to the Museum by Mrs. Frederick F. Thompson in 1903.
Though not the work of a great master, it is an impressive,
dignified piece, typical of its period. The drapery has
the heavy, dense quality which followed the delicate,
transparent style of the end of the fifth century B.c.
1See Pausanias, IX, 6, 1, and I, 8, 2.
No. 57
No. 37
No. 39
266 CENTRAL HALL OF ithe
In the fourth century B.c. the nude female form came
into prominence with Greek sculptors. It had, of course,
been studied for a long time and represented underneath
transparent drapery and in statues only partly covered.
But now completely nude statues became common, the
delicate proportions and beautiful flowing lines of the
female body naturally appealing to the softened taste of
this epoch. The great sculptor Praxiteles appears to
have been one of the important pioneers in this direction,
and by the creation of his famous Aphrodite of Knidos
to have greatly influenced contemporary and later art.
A charming example of this type in our collection is a small
torso of Aphrodite (No. 57). The pose is familiar from
many other representations, so that the Greek original, of
which ours is probably a Roman copy, must have been a
statue of considerable fame. The goddess was represented
as raising both hands to hold her hair, as if to arrange it or
to wring out the water after the bath. Our fragment will
give an idea of the graceful lines formed by this movement
and also of the fine proportions of the delicate, yet well-
developed body.
Several figures of youths show the treatment of the
male body in this period. The life-size torso of a boy
(No. 37, east wall) 1s a typical example. The easy atti-
tude, soft, rounded forms, and harmonious curve of the
figure are characteristic of the work of Praxiteles, and it is
under his influence that the original of our Roman copy
was probably created. A comparison with the torso No.
25 will bring out strikingly the change toward softness and
elaboration that has taken place in Greek modeling. An-
other beautiful torso is in the pose of the famous Apollo
Sauroktonos of Praxiteles, but with wings at the back
indicating that it represented Eros (No. 39, east wall; fig.
187). It is evidently a Roman adaptation of the famous
SER KSCULPTURE 2607
Greek original, for though beautifully modeled it has not
the fluidity of Greek work. An Eros in this attitude oc-
curs on Roman coins from Prusa.
FIG. 188. STATUETTE OF A BOXER
A statuette of a boxer (No. 58; fig. 188) is a beautiful No. 58
Greek original. The lively pose with its graceful curves
and the soft play of light and shade on the surface make
it a very attractive piece. Especially fine is the modeling
of the back. That the statuette was a boxer is suggested
No. 48
No. 34
208 CENTRAL HALL OF WING J
by the swollen ears and by the action; both hands were
evidently occupied with the left ear (there are traces of
the right hand on the left chest and of the left hand on
the left ear), pulling tight the straps which pass over the
head, round the ears, and under the chin to protect the
chief veins, as do the bandages in duelling. Similar ar-
rangements of straps can be seen in a head in the Capi-
toline Museum.
For the study of the head during this period we have
a number of examples. The earliest is the head of a young
goddess (No. 48, west wall; fig. 189), considerably larger
than life size and evidently made for insertion in a statue.
It is a product of the early fourth century and belongs to
the transition period between the Pheidian and Praxitelean
periods; for it combines a fine dignity and simplicity with
delicate charm. There are few heads, indeed, in which
the Greek ideal of detachment and quiet serenity has found
better expression. Its colossal size shows that it was in-
tended to represent a goddess, and its youthful character
makes it probable that she was a maiden, not a matron.
The choice therefore appears to be between Persephone
and Hygeia.
A head of a girl, given to the Museum by James Loeb,
is a typical example-of fourth-century sculpture (No. 34,
east wall). Compared with the work of the preceding
period there is a greater softness, which tends to give it
individual charm in the place of the former more idealized
and severe beauty. This quality is obtained chiefly by
the delicate modeling of the surface and by the treatment
of the eye, which is deeper set than formerly and has the
lower lid only slightly accentuated. Another difference is
the more sketchy and consequently more lifelike rendering
of the hair. The general character of this head and the
1Brunn-Bruckmann, Denkmiler, pl. 527 and text.
GREEK SCULPTURE 269
fact that the back of the head and the left side of the skull
are only roughly worked suggest that it is from a figure on
FIG. 189. HEAD OF A GODDESS
IV CENTURY B.C.
a grave monument, intended to be seen nearly or quite in
profile, not from all sides. No. 51, west wall, is another No. 51
fourth-century example of a female head, unfortunately in
a mutilated condition.
270 CENTRAL SHALL OF @ Wig
In the male heads of this epoch the same changes toward
greater softness and individualization can be observed as
in the female heads. Our collection includes some works
of high merit, foremost among which are two, one related
to the style of Praxiteles, the other to that of Skopas. The
Praxitelean piece is the bust of a young athlete (fig. 191),
evidently a fragment of a statue, trimmed into its present
FIG. 190. HEAD OF A YOUTH
SCHOOL OF SKOPAS
shape in modern times (placed in the Sixth Room, on
Pedestal L). It is a work of remarkable beauty, and an
excellent illustration of the refinement and grace of fourth-
century conceptions. A comparison with the Hermes of
Praxiteles (see collection of casts, No. 691) shows that the
two have many common characteristics. Such are the
rounded skull, the oval contour of the face, the forehead
protruding in its lower half, and the dreamy half-closed
eyes. The rendering of the hair is rather different in the
two heads; but in ours it is no less beautiful, the row of
FIG. 191. HEAD OF AN ATHLETE
IV CENTURY B.C. ,
No. 33
272 CENTRAL HALL OF WING Sie
graceful little curls crowning the forehead being one of its
most attractive features. The modeling in our head shows
great delicacy, especially on the forehead, where it has
suffered less from the cleaning with acid which the marble
underwent at some time. It does not, however, approach
the wonderful subtlety of the Hermes; and it is just this
consummate treatment of the
surface which must have distin-
guished the works of the master
from the products of his pupils.
The head may be identified as
an athlete, rather than a divin-
ity or hero, from the swollen car-
tilage of the ears, which, as we
have seen, is the distinctive mark
of the boxer.
Skopas, a contemporary of
Praxiteles, was one of the most
individual of Greek sculptors.
He appears to have introduced
ae a new element into Greek sculp-
PORTRAIT OF HERODOTOS tUTe thal sOR titers meme
and energy. This quality be-
comes particularly noticeable when compared with the
calm, dreamy expression of the heads of Praxiteles. An
excellent example of this tendency in our collection is the
head of a youth, evidently broken from a relief (No. 33,
east wall; fig. 190). The expression of fiery energy is con-
veyed by certain peculiarities of technique. The lower
part of the forehead is made very prominent so as to pro-
ject beyond the upper half. The eyes thus appear very
deep set, an effect which is heightened by the abrupt tran-
sition from the brow to the socket of the eye; the outer
end of the upper lid is almost hidden by the overhanging
FIG. 193. HORSEMAN
END OF IV CENTURY B.C,
No. 41
No 53
274 CENTRAL* HALL OF “Wiig
brow. The eye itself is wide open and turned upward.
The shape of our head is broad and short, though its
squareness is not so marked as in the two heads from
Tegea, the chief monuments which have been attributed
to Skopas (see casts Nos. 716, 717). The treatment
of the hair with its short, massy curls is also character-
istic.
An interesting example of Greek portraiture is the bust
of Herodotos (484-430 B.c.), “the father of history”
(No. 41, east wall; fig. 192). It is a late Roman copy
of an original attributed to the fourth century and is
identified both by the inscription and by its resemblance
to the Herodotos of the famous double bust in the Mu-
seum of Naples (see the cast in our collection, No. 778).
Though the workmanship is hard and mechanical the con-
ception has nobility and brings before us in a sympathetic
way the personality of the great imaginative historian.
Our bust was presented to the Museum in 1891 by George
F. Baker and is said to have been found at Benha in
Lower Egypt.
One of the most attractive pieces in our collection is
undoubtedly a small relief representing a horseman riding
to the right (No. 53, west wall; fig. 193). He is pulling in
the reins of his spirited animal and is caressing it on the
head, as if to calm its nervousness. ‘The fine, spirited
bearing of the horse and the splendid proportions and firm,
easy seat of the rider remind us of the horsemen on the
Parthenon frieze; but the more detailed modeling of the
body of the youth and the more individual type of the face
place it not earlier than the second half of the fourth cen-
tury. From two other reliefs with this subject, one in
the Barracco Collection (see Collection Barracco, pl. LIT),
the other in the Medinaceli Collection in Madrid (pub-
lished by Hubner in Annali dell’ Instituto, 1862, pl. F,
GREEK SCULPTURE 275
p. 101), we learn that there was originally a second rider
behind the one preserved on our example. The execution
of our horseman is greatly superior to that on the other re-
liefs; so that while ours is certainly of Greek workmanship,
they appear to be replicas made 1n Roman times.
FIG. 194. FRAGMENT OF A FIGHTING GAUL
HELLENISTIC PERIOD
BeLEENISTIG- PERIOD
In the Hellenistic period we note a change from the soft
and gentle fourth-century art to sturdier and more flam-
boyant conceptions. The modeling now shows many
planes and sudden transitions, very different from the
subtle variations of fifth- and fourth-century sculpture.
The hair too is rendered in irregular tufts of considerable
depth creating strong shadows. But side by side with
this realistic trend works in the old idealistic manner are
produced, slightly modified to suit the taste of the age.
Our collection includes a number of first-rate sculptures
No. 54
No. 60
276 CENTRAL HALL “OF Wie
of this period, both of the new realistic and of the old
traditional school. First may be mentioned a fragment
of a statue of a fighting Gaul (No. 54; fig. 194). Only the
lower part of the torso and parts of both legs are preserved;
but even in its mutilated con-
dition it shows a great vitality
and force. It is, infact, an ex-
cellent illustration of a char-
acteristic of Greek sculpture,
that, even when broken, each
piece is beautiful and retains
the quality of the whole. The
statue represents a Gaul strid-
ing forward to attack an op-
ponent. He wears the tight-
fitting trousers and belt of the
Celtic soldier. But the clothes
in no way conceal the strong,
hardy body; the muscles are
shown at their utmost tension,
and yet they are not overem-
phasized, so that the effect is
one of unusual freshness and
energy. From the way the
FIG. 195. MARBLE STATUE left end of the base is worked
OF AN OLD FISHERMAN it is evident that it was origi-
nally joined to another base, on
which we may assume stood the man’s opponent. It
should be noted that our figure had a marble support from
the base to the thigh; this practice was common in Roman
times but is rare in the Hellenistic period.
The statue of an old market woman (No. 60; fig. 196) is
an excellent example of the realistic trend of this period.
A peasant woman, bent with age and toil, is offering her
WOMAN.
OLD MARKET
196
FIG.
‘
(2)
=
G
‘
II CENTURY B
278 CENTRAL HALL <0 Fo WiiNiog
wares for sale. By her side are some chickens and a bas-
ket of fruits or vegetables, while with her right arm
(now missing) she probably held some similar product, the
merits of which we may imagine her as proclaiming. The
ivy wreath encircling the kerchief on her head may indicate
that she is celebrating some Bacchic festival. It is a figure
taken from ordinary,
every-day life, such
as we still may see
moving about in the
market-places of
Italy and Greece to-
day. Nor isthe sub-
ject idealized. The
stoop of the body,
the old, weary face,!
the shrunken skin on
neck and chest, are
all copied directly
from nature. It is
only in the lower
part of the figure
that the old instinct
FIG. 197. FRAGMENT
OF A PORTRAIT STATUE for beauty asserted
itself. The legs and
feet might, in fact, belong to a young girl; while the dra-
pery, which consists of the familiar Greek chiton and hi-
mation, is full of graceful, rhythmic lines. It should be
noted that small traces of color are preserved on the
statue—a bright pink on the border of the himation and
a dark greenish on the sandal strap of the left foot. A
head from another replica of this statue is in a case in the
Vestibule leading to the Roman Court.
1The face has been partly restored.
GREEK SCULPTURE 279
The statue of an old fisherman (No. 35, east wall; fig.
195), unfortunately without head, forms so to speak a
companion piece to the market woman. He too is a
man in a humble walk of life, a simple workman pursuing
his trade; and he is represented in the same strikingly
realistic manner, with shrunken skin and bent body. It
is only in the drapery with its simple, effective folds that
the old traditions are still strong. The better-preserved
FIG. 198. TORSO OF HERAKLES
HELLENISTIC PERIOD
replica of this statue in the Conservatori Palace in Rome
(see case of comparative photographs) has been restored
as carrying a net over his left shoulder and holding a stick
in his right hand; and though we do not know that these
were the original attributes, we can identify the figure as a
fisherman by his round hat, which is characteristic of the
calling.
A fragmentary statue of Herakles seated on a rock and
leaning on his club (No. 57; fig. 198) shows the forceful
modeling of Hellenistic artists. The powerful, relaxed
frame of the hero is represented not only with thorough
knowledge of anatomy, but with understanding for the
No. 35
No. 57
No. 56
280 CENTRAL HALL .OF (Wie
soft texture of the flesh. Especially beautiful is the un-
dulating surface on the chest and back. The folds of
flesh just above the navel are a realistic touch character-
istic of the age.
Both in subject and in conception this statue may be
compared with the famous Belvedere torso in the Vatican
(see cast No. 841). Our torso is, however, an original
work, probably of about 300 B.c.; while the Vatican one is
acopy executed in the first century B.c. Thestatue came
from Valladolid, Spain, but we do not know whether it was
actually found there. The polish on the surface of the
statue is not original (it runs over the cuttings in the
shoulders), and since this sort of surface gloss is char-
acteristic of the cinquecento, it has been suggested! that
the piece was found centuries ago, perhaps in Rome, and
exported to Spain.
It became a general custom in the Hellenistic period
to erect statues in honor of prominent men. This gave
a new impulse to the art of portraiture. Our collection
contains several fine examples. One is a portrait statue
of a seated man wrapped in a large himation or mantle
(No. 56; fig. 197). The head, which was worked in a
separate piece and inserted, is missimg; but the costume
and the general treatment of the figure clearly show that
a special individual rather than a divinity or hero is repre-
sented. As a study in drapery this is one of the best
examples of Hellenistic art which has been preserved.
The lifelike rendering of the heavy material of the mantle
and the artistic effect of its simple, sweeping folds give the
statue an animation and distinction which is quite wonder-
ful, considering its fragmentary state. In general type
it may be compared with the famous portraits of “Me-
nander,” “Poseidippos,” “Aristippos,’ and “Anakreon”’
_ 4By John Marshall. %
Pere k. SCULPTURE 281
in Rome and Copenhagen (see casts Nos. 892, 893, 804,
891). On the front of the seat near the left foot is engraved
the signature of the sculptor: ZEY=l= ETTOHSEN,
“Zeuxis made it.” Nothing further is known of this artist.
The other marble portrait in our collection is a head of
FIG. 199. PORTRAIT OF EPICURUS
342-270 B.C.
Epicurus, the founder of the Epicurean philosophy (No.
38, east wall; fig. 199). It is probably the best of the No. 38
numerous portraits that have been preserved,! though
it too is a Roman copy, for the rendering of the hair and
especially of the beard is rather mechanical. As in most
of the other heads, he is shown in advanced age and bears
signs of the long physical suffering which we are told
1For these see Bernoulli, Griechische Ikonographie, II, pp. 122 ff.
No. 45
282 CENTRAL HALL OF WING J
he underwent in later life. But most conspicuous is the
nobility of the face, which, though individualized to repre-
sent the features of a certain person, could serve to typify
a man of thought and intellect.
Epicurus was born in 342 B.c. and died in 270 B.c._ It
is probable that the
original of this por-
trait was worked dur-
ing: his lifetime, that
is, in the early third
century sB.c. The
philosophy of Epi-
curus was founded on
the belief that happi-
ness 1s the chief end
of man; but by happi-
ness he meant the
peace of mind which is
attained by complete
independence of phys-
ical conditions—not
the sensualism prac-
tised by his later fol-
FIG. 200. CROUCHING APHRODITE
ROMAN COPY OF A III CENTURY STATUE lowers.
The realistic tend-
encies of Hellenistic sculpture are well illustrated in two
other heads of our collection—a bearded head of the same
type as the Farnese Herakles in Naples (No. 45, west
wall), and the head of a satyr with swollen cheeks and
puckered lips blowing the double flutes (No. 43, west wall).
Several pieces in our collection show close connection
with the older traditions of Greek art, though here also
a new spirit actuates the sculptor. A good illustration
of this is a fragmentary statue of Aphrodite, represented
GREEK SCULPTURE 283
as crouching in the bath (No. 59; fig. 200). There is no
trace here of the former conception of divinities; Aphrodite
is merely a beautiful woman in an attitude calculated to
show the human body in a graceful posture. Our statue
is not an original work of the Hellenistic epoch, but a copy
executed in Romantimes. The original, now lost, has with
considerable probability been identified with a work which
in Imperial times adorned the temple of Jupiter in the
portico of Octavia, and which was executed by Doidalsas,
a Bithynian of the third century sB.c. At all events,
the statue from which ours was copied must have been a
famous work, for there are a large number of reproductions
and variations of this subject.1 A comparison between
the various replicas will show that there was considerable
difference in the treatment of the subject. The famous
copy in the Louvre, found at Vienne, France (see Museum
cast No. 816), differs from ours not only in proportions, but
also in the modeling. The flesh is represented there as soft
and flabby, with thick folds round the waist, while the flesh
in our statue is firm and strong.
A female head, slightly over life size (No. 42, east wall),
is probably a work of the third century B. c. It was in-
tended to be inserted in a statue.
1See Klein, Praxiteles, pp. 270-272.
No. 59
No. 42
COURT OF WING K
GARDEN AND NORTHERN, WESTERN
AND SOUTHERN COLONNADES
ROMAN IMPERIAMSP Ein Texie
31 B.C.—FOURTH CENTURY A-D:
W ITH the triumph of Augustus over his rivals and his
accession to the head of the Roman state began the great
era of the Roman Empire. This empire embraced the
whole Mediterranean world from the Euphrates to the.
Atlantic. On the south it was bounded by the Sahara,
on the north by the Danube and the Rhine. Besides
Asia Minor and northern Africa, it included practically
the whole of Europe, except the countries now known as
Germany, Scandinavia, and Russia. Never before had so
many heterogeneous peoples been brought under one rule.
It was a task which Greece under Alexander the Great had
conceived, but not accomplished. Unlike Greece, how-
ever, Rome had all the qualities that make for empire-
building. Her genius found its expression in the art of
government, in organization, and in the making of laws.
Out of the chaos which had resulted from one hundred
years of civil war she succeeded in restoring peace and
order throughout her vast dominions. Even to this day
we can see traces of her labors. In the remote corners
of her empire we find remains of the strong walls and
A: DNIM-dO LUROD 5 FO? Ors
286 COURT (OF WIN Gane
fortresses which she built for protection against invasion,
of the aqueducts by which she supplied the cities with
water, and of the bridges, temples, gymnasiums, market-
places, baths, and amphitheaters, which she erected for the
benefit and amusement of the people.
It is not surprising that a people whose gifts lay in
capacity for organization and statecraft, whose characters
had been moulded by the hard life of the early Republican
days, did not excel also in artistic imagination. The two
fields are too fundamentally different to be often com-
bined. That Roman art and literature stand as high as
they do is chiefly due to the fact that they are modeled
on those of Greece; and the Romans deserve full credit
for recognizing the superiority of Greek intellect and art,
and of appropriating them for their own. This appro-
priation was accomplished in different ways. In literature
it consisted chiefly in borrowing both the outward forms
and, largely, the thoughts of Greek authors, and welding
them successfully into a prose and poetry of distinctly
Roman character. In art the process was not dissimilar.
First, Greek works of art were imported into Italy whole-
sale to adorn public places and private villas. Then, as
the supply of original products began to wane, Greek works
were copied, either as closely as the copyist could, or with
alterations and adaptations. Such works were produced
either by Greek artists, trained in the Greek traditions,
who came to Rome to work for Roman patrons, or by
native workmen following in the same footsteps.
With such an overwhelming weight of influence, it is
natural that the greater part of the art of the Romans
was largely an echo of that of their great teacher Greece.
And though we miss in their products the spirit and vitality
of Greek work, we must not forget that we owe to them
much of our knowledge of Greek art; for through them we
ROMAN PORTRAIT
202
REPUBLICAN PERIOD
FIG.
288 COURT! 0 Fi Wil NiGuee
have reproductions of many works which would otherwise
be entirely lost.
But in one branch of art, viz., that of portraiture, their
own native qualities made the Romans achieve real
ereatness. Helped by their instinct for realism and by the
importance they placed on character, they successfully
carried on the realistic portraiture introduced during the
Hellenistic age and achieved eminent results. The large
number of portraits which have survived shows that this
was a natural expression of their gifts. Another char-
acteristically Roman form of art was the representation of
historical events. Triumphal arches, columns, and mar-
ket-places were decorated with reliefs of processions,
incidents from campaigns, and sacrificial scenes, which
told the stories of Roman conquest and religion. Deco-
rative art, moreover, attained a high level in the early years
of the Roman Empire, though it never reached the mastery
of Greek design. It can be studied in marble reliefs, in
painted wall decorations, and in many products of pottery
or metalwork.
Our collection of Roman art is exhibited in the court
and vestibule of Wing K, except for a few pieces shown
in the Eighth Room. The court has been built as a
Roman peristyle surrounding a garden with a fountain
(fig. 201). The setting with its colored architecture and
growing plants and plashing water is meant to convey the
general atmosphere in which “antiquities’’ were origi-
nally seen; at least in Roman times, when much of the art
was made for the adornment of private houses. And as
we look at the Greek objects in the Eastern Colonnade
(described on pp. 134 ff.), they too form a legitimate part
of the picture, for it was just such spoils as the Greek
horse that the Romans liked to carry out of Greece to en-
joy in their own houses.
Powe N IMPERIAL PERIOD 289
The alphabetical lettering of the cases begins in the
Northern Colonnade, continues in the Western Colonnade,
and ends in the Southern Colonnade. The pedestals are
numbered and follow the same route, except that they con-
tinue round the court after the Southern Colonnade.
FIG. 203. ROMAN PORTRAIT
REPUBLICAN PERIOD
In the following description of our Roman sculptures Sculptures
only those are included which are independent products of
Roman art; that is, works in which the artist, though often
strongly influenced by Greek art, did not copy directly
from Greek models. Those pieces which are faithful
copies of Greek originals have already been described
within the periods to which the originals belong.
Portraits
2900 COURT (0. F “WON Gar
Portraiture, being as we have seen a natural expression
of the Roman genius, had an independent life and passed
through several stages of development. For a classifi-
cation of Roman portraits on chronological lines we have
valuable data at our disposal. We can determine their
stylistic development by a comparison between them and
the representations of Roman emperors on coins (a col-
lection of these is shown in Case We in the Southern
Colonnade). The shape of busts changed from time to
time, starting small and becoming larger as time pro-
gressed, so that for portraits in which the bust form is
preserved a convenient method for assigning dates is at
hand. Moreover, the fashion for men of wearing beards
and for women of dressing their hair varied from time to
time, a fact which supplies further useful external evidence.
Our collection of Roman portraits includes examples of
most of the important periods, so that it presents a good
picture of the evolution of that art. It was unfortunately
not always possible to place the portraits of one period
together, as the general appearance of the court and
especially the lighting had to be considered; for it seemed
desirable to put the most important examples in the most
conspicuous and advantageous places. In the following
description, however, the portraits of each epoch are
grouped together.
REPUBLICAN PERIOD (TILL 31 B.C.)
During the Republican era the influences which worked
most strongly on the Roman portraitist all acted in the
direction of realistic representation. He had before him
the portraits of Hellenistic sculptors with a strongly
realistic bent (see p. 211) and the Etruscan terracotta
heads, which, though inferior in style, were often of very
lifelike appearance; and he was familiar with the wax
Rowen IMPERIAL PERIOD 291
images set up by distinguished families in their houses,
images which appear to have been moulded over the face
after death and therefore necessarily realistic. And there
was also the influence of contemporary ideals. From all
we know of the Romans of the Republic, they seem to have
been simple, stern people, without much imagination, so
that temperamentally a realistic portrait must have
FIG. 204. ROMAN PORTRAIT
REPUBLICAN PERIOD
appealed to them much more powerfully than one with
idealizing tendencies. It is natural, therefore, that at the
start Roman portraiture was essentially realistic.
The style of the Republican period is splendidly illus-
trated in our collection in the portrait of a man of the
typical old Roman school (No. 35, Court; fig. 202). He is
represented as a person of firm will, a strict disciplinarian,
who spent his life, we may surmise, dealing successfully
with practical affairs, but with whom idealism played no
prominent part—the type of Roman, in short, to whose
energy and character Rome owed her greatness. It should
No. 35
No 8
292 CO.WRT. 0 F-IWel NaC
be noticed that the hair is represented as a slightly raised
and rasped surface, probably to be completed by paint.
Though the lower part of the bust is broken, enough re-
mains to show that it was small, including only the collar-
bone and the parts immediately surrounding it, which is
the form prevalent dur-
ing the late Republican
and early Imperial
periods.
The head of an old
man found in Egypt is
another excellent exam-
ple of the dry realism of
Republican portraiture
(No. 8, Western Colon-
nade; fig. 203). Itisa
“speaking likeness”’ of
a sober, rigid Roman
with allethesiitite
wrinkles and furrows
faithfully shownand yet
the personality of the
man finely brought out.
A head, about half life-
FIG. 205. ROMAN PORTRAIT size (Case E, Northern
AUGUSTAN PERIOD Colonnade), turned
sharply to the right,
represents a middle-aged man of alert, energetic personal-
ity. It is executed with great care and finish. A com-
parison between these heads and the Hellenistic portraits
of, for instance, our “ Hermarchos” and Chrysippos will
bring out better than many words the difference between
Hellenistic and Roman realism.
_ A fine basalt head of a man, apparently broken from a
FIG. 206. PORTRAIT OF CALIGULA
37-41 A.D.
No. 10
204 COURT *OF Wil Netra
statue, may be assigned to the end of the Republican era
(No. 9, Western Colonnade; fig. 204). He is represented
as a man full of energy and force and of a rather somber
temperament. The delicate modeling of the lower part of
the face, with its masterly treatment of fleshy surfaces,
is particularly note-
worthy, especially if we
consider the difficulty of
working so hard a stone
as basalt.
AUGUSTAN AND JULIO-
CLAUDIAN PERIODS
(31B.c.—68 A.D.)
With the Augustan
age Rome entered a new
phase of her history.
From a small city she
had at last become the
center of a vast empire.
The outlook had neces-
sarily immensely wi-
dened. She came in
FIG. 207. BRONZE PORTRAIT touch with a thousand
CALIGULA(?) outside influences and
sie gto ck exchanged the simple,
circumscribed life of her stern fathers for one of comfort,
culture, and appreciation of the arts. This change is re-
flected in our Augustan portraits. One of a young man
(No. 10, Western Colonnade; fig. 205), in exceptionally
good preservation, bears a general resemblance to the heads
of Augustus, as is so often the case in portraits of the Julio-
Claudian period. The face represents a great contrast
to the Republican heads, We have no longer the stern,
ROMAN IMPERIAL PERIOD 205
rather bourgeois type of the Republican Roman, but the
smooth, refined bearing of a cosmopolitan gentleman.
Moreover, the rendering of the features is more general-
ized, less literal than in Republican times, due to a con-
FIG. 208. BRONZE PORTRAIT
AGRIPPA(?)
,
scious return to earlier Greek “idealism.’”’ The modeling
is alive but rather hard. The small size of the bust is
continued from Republican times.
A bust of a young man is another unusually good work
of this period, executed in a beautiful piece of marble
(No. 29, Court; fig. 206). He is shown as a youth of fine
bearing and keen intellect, with the type of features
No. 29
Case G
Nos. 5, 6
No. 40
No. 32
296 COURT "OF. WIN Gee
characteristic of the Julio-Claudian house. We could
have no better representation of a young Roman aristo-
crat. The type has recently been identified as Caligula.
A bronze bust, about half life-size (Case G, Northern
Colonnade; fig. 207), may represent the same emperor, for
there is a marked resemblance between the two—both
have the same long, well-shaped nose, bulbous at the
tip, the protruding upper lip, the high, straight fore-
head, and the flat skull which we find also on the coins of
Caligula. An unusual feature of our bronze head is the
preservation of the inlaid eyes. They are made of bone,
with transparent glass for the irises through which we can
see the modeled pupils—a very effective device.
Two heads are portraits of Augustus (Nos. 5 and 6,
Western Colonnade), being easily recognizable by the high,
square forehead, the rounded, prominent chin, and the
well-known arrangement of the strands of hair over the
forehead, which recurs regularly on practically all identi-
fied portraits of Augustus. Both are good studies, giving
a fine conception of the serious, cold, but essentially noble
character of Rome’s first emperor. (Compare also the
small ivory head in Case O.)
A bronze portrait head (No. 40, Court; fig. 208) repre-
sents probably M. Agrippa, the illustrious friend and
general of Augustus. It was found at Susa near Turin,
and with it were unearthed fragments of a statue and
pieces of marble containing a dedicatory inscription to
Agrippa. The presumption, therefore, is that our head
was broken from a large bronze statue representing
Agrippa. |
The bronze statue of a boy (No. 32, Court; fig. 209) is
one of the most important examples of this period in our
collection. The great rarity of bronze statues that have
survived either from Greek or Roman times, and the high
FIG. 2090. BRONZE PORTRAIT
OF A ROMAN BOY
No. 34
Nos.12,13
208 COURT OF WING K
quality and beautiful preservation of this specimen com-
bine to make it a piece of first-rate importance. The
sculptor’s artistic sense is shown both in the conception
of the whole and in many delicate touches. The pose,
with the little tilt of the head and the slight curve of the
figure, is very graceful; and the boyish face has a sensitive-
ness and a charm rarely equaled in ancient sculpture.
The nude portions of the body, especially the back and
the shoulders, are beautifully modeled, with appreciation
of the delicate forms of a young boy. Moreover, the
drapery is rendered with unusual skill; it is rich and varied,
and still essentially simple in its lines.
The identity of this statue cannot yet be determined
with certainty. The head shows some of the characteristic
traits of the Julio-Claudian family; but the likeness to any
particular prince is not strong, and he maysimply represent
a private individual. The thoroughly Greek conception
of the statue shows that the artist was probably a Greek
who tried to keep alive the great traditions of the earlier
Greek sculpture.
The bust of a young man (No. 34, Court) is another
excellent work of this period. It is remarkable both for its
finished workmanship and for its excellent preservation.
The head of a boy in black basalt (No. 25, Court) is an
attractive portrait of a child. The childish nature is
well brought out in the rounded contour of the face and
the small, unformed mouth. The flesh parts are pol-
ished while the surface of the hair is left dull, the two
thus forming an effective contrast.
Two heads, a mother and a daughter (Nos. 12 and 13,
Western Colonnade), are sensitive studies, further showing
the general refinement of the Augustan period. They
are slightly under life-size and originally formed part of a
funerary relief.
RAINS PMP ERIAL PERIOD 2909
FLAVIAN PERIOD (69-06 A.D.)
The realism inherent in the Roman temperament was
too strong to be more than temporarily swamped by the
introduction of Greek idealism. It was not long before
the Roman spirit began to reassert itself. Thus, the por-
traits of the Flavian period show a successful combination
of the two tendencies of
realism and idealism. The
style is more individual-
ized than in the Augustan
period, and smoother and
less hard than in the Re-
publican epoch. Our col-
lection includes several
good examples. One rep-
resents a rather homely
man in middle age, witha
round, somewhat fleshy
face, and a kindly, genial
expression (No. 15, South-
ern Colonnade). Another
is a middle-aged man,
worked in a marble of a FIG. 210. ROMAN PORTRAIT
rich yellow tone (No. 23, FLAVIAN PERIOD
Court; fig. 210), while a
third represents an old man with upper lip drawn, as
if from wearing false teeth (No. 28, Court). The char-
acterization in these heads is simple, yet subtle. In
each case the sculptor has grasped the personality of
his sitter with keen understanding and has reproduced it
in a straightforward manner, without paying regard to
small, irrelevant details or striving for dramatic effect.
The result in each case is a lifelike portrait and a fine work
of art. The bust form during the period is slightly larger
Case K
No. 18
300 GO WRT “OoF ) WOLbNs Gee
than in the preceding, including the edges of the shoulders
and of the breast. A smaller work of about this time is
the bust of a man in Case K (Northern Colonnade), about
one-third life-size. He wears a paludamentum, or general’s
cloak, over his left shoulder.
TRAJANIC PERIOD (Q8~117 A.D.)
In the Trajanic period the style is still lifelike, but
less spirited than in the Flavian portraits. The bust form
is slightly larger, giving the whole outline of the shoulder
and including the armpit. This period is represented in
our collection by a fine portrait of a woman (No. 18,
Southern Colonade; fig. 211), similar in type to those
generally identified with Plotina, the wife of Trajan.
She has a sensitive, rather sad face, and evidently wore the
high coiffure which became prevalent in the preceding
period and lingered on during Trajan’s reign. In this
extravagant fashion the hair was worn in a diadem of
curls in front, and plaited and coiled in a knot at the back.
In our example the front piece was added separately, and
is now missing, only the iron dowels for its attachment
being preserved.
The head of a youth with thick hair, bushy eyebrows,
and somewhat heavy, insipid face (No. 2, Northern
Colonnade) may belong to this period or slightly later.
It is a good, effective piece of work, in an astonishing state
of preservation, but the rather decadent type of youth
contrasts strongly with the sturdy Republicans and the
intellectual Julio-Claudians. .
HADRIANIC EPOCH (117-138 A.D.)
All the emperors from Republican times to the reign of
Hadrian had been clean-shaven. Hadrian started the
fashion of wearing a beard, and this was continued to the
moO AMP E RIAL. PERIOD 301
time of Diocletian, with the exception only of Valerian.
Court circles evidently followed the imperial example,
and most of the portraits are now bearded. A Greek
element is apparent in the less individualized types,
FIG. 21I. PORTRAIT OF A WOMAN
TRAJANIC PERIOD
due probably to Hadrian’s patronage of Greek art. The
bust form is again enlarged and now includes a small
piece of the upper arm.
A colossal porphyry head (No 20, Southern Colonnade), No. 20
perhaps of a Roman general, may be assigned to this
period. It is a remarkable piece of work, especially if we
No. 24
Case H
302 COURT OF: Wl N Gea
consider the hard, brittle nature of the stone. The use
of porphyry in plastic works, though known in early
Imperial times, did not find favor until about this epoch;
it may readily be admitted that it does not lend itself to
sculptural work nearly so well as white marble.
An interesting monument of the Hadrianic period is a
cippus, or sepulchral monument, with three portrait busts
worked in relief and placed
in niches (No. 24, Court).
They represent a woman
of matronly aspect be-
tween two men, evidently
a mother and her two sons,
commemorated in a family
monument. The woman
is wearing her hair in a
new fashion, plaited and
coiled on top of her head.
A male bust, with a sword-
strap and a cloak on the
shoulder (No. 3, Northern
Colonnade), is another
good example of Hadrianic portraiture. A bronze portrait
bust of a bearded, middle-aged man, about half life-size, is
a beautifully worked piece in exceptionally good preser-
vation (Case H, Northern Colonnade).
FIG. 212. LUCIUS VERUS
161-169 A.D.
ANTONINE AND AURELIAN PERIODS (138-180 A.D.)
In the heads of the Antonine and subsequent periods
important technical changes became general. A certain
pictorial element was introduced by rendering the hair
in loose, flowing locks, worked with the drill so as to
create shadows. The surface of the face was carefully
smoothed and often highly polished, whereby its whiteness —
ROMAN IMPERIAL PERIOD * 303
contrasted vividly with the texture of the hair and beard.
The result of rather striking naturalness was heightened
by the treatment of the eye—begun in the Hadrianic
period—in which the outline of the iris was incised in the
shape of a segment of a circle and the pupil indicated by
two drill holes. This
greatly increased the
animation of the ex-
pression. Heretofore
the iris and the pupil
had been indicated
merely by color, which
in most cases has of
course disappeared.
The new style is
splendidly illustrated
in a head of the em-
peror Lucius Verus,
(161-169 A.D.) broken
from a relief (No. 14,
Southern Colonnade,
e212). tis a'typi-
cal portrait of the FIG. 213. ROMAN PORTRAIT
handsome but self- III CENTURY A.D.
indulgent successor of
Hadrian and co-ruler with Marcus Aurelius. The bust of
a middle-aged woman of somewhat bourgeois countenance
(No. 22, Southern Colonnade) shows the style in female
hair-dressing prevalent in the reign of Marcus Aurelius
and adopted by Faustina, the wife of that emperor.
The hair is parted in the middle, waved to the sides, and
fastened ina knot behind. The bust shows the enlarged
form now adopted, in which most of the upper arm was
included.
No. 14
No. 22
No. 16
304 COURT OF WING K
First HALF OF THIRD CENTURY
' The third century is by no means a time of decadence
in Roman portraiture, as it is in many other branches of
Roman art. A fine series of realistic portraits can be
assigned to this period. The technical innovations intro-
duced in the preceding century are retained, except that
the hair is treated differently. Until the time of the em-
peror Gallienus, 253 B.c.,
it is represented as very
short and curly, and ren-
dered by scratches over a
roughened surface. The
most important example in
our collection is the large
bronze statue in the Fifth
Avenue Hall, representing
probably the emperor
Caius Vibius Trebonianus
Gallus (251-254 A.D.). The
attitude and the whole
bearing suggest that he is
delivering a speech. The
face is a fine portrait study;
it shows a man of somewhat unattractive personality, and
of a coarse, wilful nature, which is what we should expect
from our knowledge of this emperor, who was murdered by
his own soldiers.
Another important example of this period is the bust
of a lady of gracious personality and refined features
(No. 16, Southern Colonnade; fig. 213); especially at-
tractive is the small, finely curved mouth, slightly turned
up at the corners. Her hair is elaborately dressed, wavy
in front, brought down on either side behind her ears,
and then plaited together and laid against the back of the
FIG. 214. ROMAN PORTRAIT
III CENTURY A.D.(?)
Rowe IMPERIAL PERIOD 305
head in a broad flat braid. It is the fashion prevalent at
the time of the Empress Otacilia (244 A.p.), and the large
size of the bust, which includes the entire upper half of the
figure, also conforms to the custom of that time. Though
impressive in a way, the conception of personality is really
superficial. It lacksa
living spirit, and we
soon tire of it.
GALLIENIC PERIOD
(253-268 A.D.)
In the Gallienic pe-
riod the hair was worn
fairly long, and it is
treated in the portrait
Bisteanea broad,
Sweeping manner,
which adds greatly to
the naturalistic effect.
A head of a young man
(No. 19, Southern Col-
onnade) is an excellent
example. The bust of
a man with dreamy
eyes and drooping 3
mouth and chin (No. 17, Southern Colonnade; fig. 214)
also probably belongs here. It is interesting to compare
this rather effeminate Roman general with the Republican
bust No. 35 to see what a difference two or three centuries
had wrought in the Roman character.
FIG. 215. HERAKLES AND THE
ERYMANTHIAN BOAR, ARCHAISTIC
CONSTANTINE PERIOD (305-337 A.D.)
Portraits of this period are rare. We possess only one
example, a considerably restored head of the Emperor
Nos.17,19
No. 21
Idealistic
Sculpture
No. 1
306 COURT OF WING K
Constantine from the Giustiniani Collection (No. 21,
Northern Colonnade). Its colossal size and strictly fron-
tal position—current at that period—give it a monumental
quality; but the execution is cursory and shows the deca-
dence that Roman art had reached by the beginning of
the fourth century A.D.
In the field of idealistic sculpture Roman art was frankly
imitative. We have al-
ready described those
pieces in our collection in
which the Roman artist
copied directly from Greek
models. In a large num-
ber of cases the works are
not direct copies, but adap-
tations.
Two pieces in our collec-
tion are examples of “ar-
chaistic’’ work, in which
the sculptor affected the
Greek archaic style. One
FIG, 210, SARE Leese is a relief of Herakles
OF ATHENA, ARCHAISTIC Z 5
carrying the Erymanthian
boar (No. 1, Northern Colonnade; fig. 215). As is natu-
ral when an artist of a late, sophisticated age tries to
express the limitations and vigor of early art, he was in-
consistent and introduced elements of later periods. Thus,
the head of Herakles is treated in the genuine archaic
manner, and something of true archaic sturdiness is shown
in the modeling of the right shoulder and arm. The ren-
dering of the body and legs, however, shows the facile but -
academic skill of a later age, when human anatomy was
no longer an object of absorbing study, but could be repre-
sented correctly even by minor artists. The device of
Rasuen VE P re RAL oP E RIOD 307
making the hind part of the animal disappear, so to speak,
into the relief, as well as the rendering of the tree stump,
are foreign to early art. |
A head of Athena is a beautifully modeled piece (No. 38, No. 38
Court; fig. 216), treated in the delicate, refined manner of
the best early work,
and in the rendering
of the features the
artist has caught
much of the archaic
spirit; only the mobile
mouth betrays the
later artist.
The bronze statue
OF-a.Gamiullus, that
is, a boy who assisted
at religious ceremo-
nies, 1S an attractive
piece of the earlier Im-
perial epoch (No. 31,
Cairicwie..217):; He
iserepresented .as
standing in an easy
pose, his right hand
holding a staff, while
the left probably
grasped an incense
box. He wears a tunic which falls in simple and effective
folds and is inlaid with narrow bands of copper.
Another important piece is the large bronze statuette of
an image of the great nature goddess Kybele on her pro-
cessional car, drawn by two lions (Case S, Western Colon- Case S
nade; fig. 218). The worship of Kybele in Rome dates
from the year 204 B.c., when, in obedience to a Sibylline
No. 31
FIG. 217. -BRONZE STATUS
A CAMILLUS
No. 36
308 COURT *