Burlington jftne Hrts Club. CATALOGUE OF OBJECTS OF GREEK CERAMIC ART. EXHIBITED IN 1888. PRINTED FOR THE BURLINGTON FINE ARTS CLUB. 1 888. From the Library of Frank Simpson Burlington jfine Hvts Club. CATALOGUE OF OBJECTS OF GREEK CERAMIC ART. EXHIBITED IN 1888. PRINTED FOR THE BURLINGTON FINE ARTS CLUB. 1888. iciiard Clay and Sons, Limited, london and hungay. LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS. HER ROYAL HIGHNESS THE PRINCESS OF WALES. *A. van BRANTEGHEM, Esq., F.S.A. *CHARLES BUTLER, Esq. *SIR WILLIAM DRAKE, F.S.A. *C. DRURY E. FORTNUM, Esq., V.RS.A. *HENRY HUCKS GIBBS, Esq. •J. STEWART HODGSON, Esq. ALFRED LAWSON, Esq. *C. BRINSLEY MARLAY, Esq. MRS. MULLER. THE MARQUIS OF NORTHAMPTON, K.G. W. PATON, Esq. W. S. SALTING, Esq. Right Hon. W. H. SMITH, M.P. *HENRY VAUGHAN, Esq., F.S.A. *0. C. WATERFIELD, Esq. HERMANN D.^ WEBER, Esq., M.D. The Contributors thus * marked are Members of the Club, The following Catalogue, together with the Introductory Notices, have been prepared for the Club by one of its Honorary Members, Dr. W. Frohner, late " Conservateur des Musees Imperiaux" in France. PAINTED VASES. INTRODUCTION. The vases here on view do not profess to illustrate every phase in the development of Greek ceramography. Nevertheless the principal epochs and stages of that art are, with few exceptions, represented, and that frequently by specimens of the first order. In particular the Exhibi- tion is rich to a very unusual degree in that rare class of vases which bear the signature of the artist who made or painted them. Viewed historically, the series begins with the class of vases known as Corinthian, and dating from the eighth century B.C., if they are not of even a higher antiquity. These vases may be recognized by the creamy ground on which the designs are painted, by clumsiness of shape, and by a peculiar choice of subject which recalls the fantastic figures of Oriental Art. The centre of the composition is mostly occupied by a double or quadruple palmette (Nos. 13, 118, 126), the meaning of which cannot be more precisely defined than that it is a sacred symbol. The palmette is accompanied by birds, wild beasts, or monsters. At one time we see eagles, cocks, or doves with female heads, which seem to watch the idol ; at another lions, sphinxes, or gryphons. The sphinx ..nd the female-headed bird have been borrowed B 2 from Egypt ; the gryphons and the heraldic disposition of the figures remind us of Asia, whence the Corinthian painters must have obtained their ideas. From Assyria was derived the conception of grotesque divinities with wings at the waist (No. 97), and the long pro- cessions of animals arranged in one, or more, friezes (Nos. 97, 119). But beside these traits borrowed from Oriental Art, the germ of Greek Art already exists. Towards the middle of the seventh century, some emigrants from Corinth, under the leadership of Demaratos, settled in Etruria, and there established potteries. A specimen of their industry may be seen under No. 97. At this stage, the Athenians, who as yet knew of no other decorative style than the purely geometrical, learnt to draw the human figure. Their first attempts were in imitation of Corinthian ware, and this fact is proved by an unpublished vase in the collection of M. van Branteghem (No. 1), the oldest known vase which bears the signature of an Athenian potter. From that point Athens, the metropolis of Greek genius, takes the initiative in artistic matters, and remodels to her own taste the principles of ceramography. The shapes of the vases are made more elegant, the friezes of animals are done away with ; subjects are taken from the myths of Athenian gods and legends of Athenian heroes ; the background is of a brighter and warmer colour — an orange-red — whilst the outlines of the designs gain in precision and ease. But these advances were not accomplished in one day. To the works of the archaic painters still cling the traces of a vanquished tradition. Look, for instance, at the large Panathenaic amphora (No. 1 14), and note the clumsy although powerful form of the vase and its awkward design. On a cup by the painter Tleson (No. 10 1), long horned goats mount guard before the sacred palmette ; and on a cup by Xenokles (No. 2), the Sphinx is seated motionless in all its ancient rigidity. We exhibit four amphora, by Nikosthenes, the most productive artist of the sixth century (Nos. 92, 93, 106, 107). In these the body of the vases is still 3 divided into bands ; the arrangement of palmettes is still used, but only as decoration ; one of the amphorae (No. 106) has not even a subject, properly speaking ; the ornament spreads in every direction, covering the whole surface as on the Corinthian vases. Nevertheless, apart from these blemishes, if such they may be called, skill of execution and elegance of design have already become conspicuous elements to a degree rarely excelled since then. An amphora contemporaneous with those of Nikosthenes (No. n i), again gives us the spectacle of a long procession of sacred animals, and the dove with a woman's head often appears in those paintings (Nos. 17, 111), where the colouring and design have already attained an extraordinary amount of purity and refinement. Amongst the vases which best exemplify the qualities of style of that period, the purity of the incised outlines, the minute care employed in marking the smallest detail, we may quote the vases by Hermogenes and Tleson, two master-draughtsmen ; the Attic cups found in Cyprus (Nos. 15 — 17), and the magnificent vases (Nos. m, 112, 113) lent by the Marquess of Northampton. At the end of the sixth century, towards the period of the fall of the successors of Peisistratos, the painters of Athens made a marked innovation when they replaced the black figures on their pottery by red figures. The black figures, which remind us a little of ombres chinoises, and the cheerfulness of which is very doubtful, were too opposed to the principles of the true and the beautiful to be any longer popular. They allowed of no expression in the faces. To indicate the anatomy, it was necessary to have recourse to the stylus and to incise the lines. The details could only be obtained by picking out in white or purple. This drawback disappears when the figures are in a light tone, and stand out from a black background. A mere stroke of the brush then suffices to trace the anatomical details or the folds of the costume. We owe the most admirable productions of Greek painting to the invention of the red figures. It seems, moreover, that the change was very speedily effected, for 4 the vases which combine the two styles — both the black and red figure styles — are very rare. We have vases of both kinds by several of the artists represented in this exhibition : Nikosthenes, Andokides (No. 108), Epiktetos (No. no), Pamphaios (No. 109). It is due to this circum- stance that we are able to fix their date. At the head of the painters in red figures stands Euphronios, the greatest of the Attic masters. His genius and skill have rarely been better displayed than on No. 8, an unpublished vase, almost unknown, lent by M. van Branteghem. Euphronios stood in the same relation to Greek Art as the artists of the fourteenth century stood to the Renaissance. In one respect he belongs to the old school, of which he retains certain traditions : the harshness of drawing, the fear of rounding the angles, and of filling up the forms of the body, and that laborious patience which neglects neither a curl of the hair nor a fold of the drapery. But his style is of incomparable breadth and so far beyond anything ever produced in pottery, that his hand may at once be recognized even on vases he has not signed. The personages are alive, the com- position is easy and natural with a slight search for grace ; he excels in variety of pose and in the play of expression. Kachrylion (No. 7), his fellow worker, Hermaios, and Hieron have not the same talent, but like him they know their business. In their hands the clay becomes as plastic as wax, the lines are as fine as a silken thread, and the outlines are drawn with wonderful precision. Our two vases by Hermaios (Nos. 5 and 6) have the double merit of being the only works by that artist now remaining to us, and of having been intended as companion pieces, a thing very difficult to meet with, even in ordinary vases. The subject of the cup by Hieron, our No. 9, which is one of the master's grandest dramatic conceptions, is remarkable for unity of action and diversity in the emotions described. Unfortunately, after the time of Perikles, artists rarely signed 5 their work. During the whole epoch of the severe style, which was the transition to the florid style, we know of hardly half a dozen names. The amphorse here exhibited under the Nos. 89 and 115 worthily represent the grandiose character of this period, anterior to the year 430, in which the pride of Art lay in the earnestness of subject and the nobility of the figures. They will find a great many admirers. The two vases (Nos. 10, 11) by an Athenian artist, Xenotimos, whose name is here recorded for the first time, and who deserves a place of honour in the history of vase painting, will be no less admired. The figure of " Philoktetes forsaken," which is to be seen upon an aryballos in the collection of Dr. Weber (No. 134) was conceived by an artist of the same epoch. Next to the vases with red figures, those which will most attract the attention of visitors are the vases with a creamy white ground, of which we have collected an important series. There is a whole group still connected with the ancient style : the Amazon beside a palm tree (No. 49), Dionysos seated between two Satyrs (No. 116), Odysseus leaving the cavern of Polyphemos (No. 95), and the lekythos representing the helmeted head of Athene (No. 135). The latter is one of the oldest examples of a new technique, as the face is merely outlined, and the features are not filled in with black. We again find the same process on a cup by Hermogenes (No. 104). A large lekythos (No. 51), found in Sicily, and belonging to the epoch of the severe style, already shows polychrome painting : the first example of this class hitherto known, wherein we see brilliancy of colour enhanced and consolidated by a layer of white enamel on the white ground. We cannot sufficiently draw attention to this extraordinary vase. The white lekythoi from Attica form a distinct group of their own. They are covered with a white coating similar to that used in frescoes and also applied to terra-cotta statuettes before colouring. On this white ground the subject is drawn in dark ink with a fine brush ; a paler ink marks the anatomical details. The draperies are painted in flat tints 6 with the brush. To form an idea of the beauty and refinement of these little pictures, we need only pause before the lekythos (No. 120), exhibited by Mr. Paton, one of the most beautiful in existence. It would be curious to know if Zeuxis, who also practised outline painting, would have disavowed this piece. The ordinary subject of the white lekythoi of Attica is the " Coronation of the Tomb," and the " Funeral Dirge," but rarely any episode of private life. No. 54, in which the deceased is seated before his stele, and No. 124 lent by Mr. Vaughan, in which the deceased has Psyche wings, are worthy of remark. The latter is a hitherto unknown variation of the usual type. The campaigns of Alexander and the powerful kingdoms of his generals naturally influenced art in the same way as they influenced literature. The treasures of the East fell like a shower of manna upon Greece, and the antique simplicity of the Hellenes soon gave place to a more luxurious life, which transformed their taste and their idea of the beautiful. The potter's art did not escape this change ; this was the period at which gilding became more general, and in which the form of the vases attained its greatest degree of elegance. Two Athenian aryballoi (Nos. 18 and 19), found in Thrace, where trade had exiled them, and lent by M. van Branteghem, will initiate us in the art of the century of Alexander. What will surprise at first is that the figures are placed on different planes ; but this progress had occurred long previously, and dates from the frescoes of Polygnotos. We have here no more ancient vase showing the commencement of this new practice. The drawing of the two aryballoi is of extreme refinement, the colouring very rich, and over all is spread a profusion of dazzling gold. Such gems of Greek ceramic art are not often to be met with. Beside them, we have their satellites, a fine series of flasks for perfume and boxes for cosmetics, of which the paintings are or were relieved with gold in the same way. Most of the paintings represent interiors — women occupied with their work or their toilet, and surrounded by Erotes who assist them. 7 Eros fills an important place in the lyric poetry of that epoch ; his presence in the " gyndcde" imparts a divine ray to these delightful little pictures in colour and gold, which gives them light and warmth. A whole series of vases of the same family have children's games as their sub- ject, and seem to be connected with the Feast of Anthesteria, the Children's Feast. We now come to a creation of the potter's art, the origin of which is as ancient as pottery itself — the vases with plastic decoration. We shall find some of every kind in our cases. The oldest are four enamelled aryballoi (Nos. 80-82 and 140) from Cyprus and JEg'ma ; next a female recumbent sphinx (No. 125), and a dove (No. 127), the symbol of the Syrian Aphrodite. The question of style and date now concern the history of sculpture as well as that of painting. However it is easily ascertained that a lekythos in the shape of a helmeted head (No. 71) is anterior to the vases with black figures on a red ground, whilst an amphoriskos shaped like the head of a woman (No. 72), and a small ram's head (No. 62), are contemporaneous with this style of painting. Nothing is more amusing than to look at one after another of the forms we exhibit : shells, almonds, heads of gods, goddesses, animals ; a foot shod with a sandal ; then the busts, the statuettes, the groups ; the child pursued by a dog (No. 77), the rape of Ganymedes by the Eagle, the rape of Oreithyia by Boreas. The most important piece, a crocodile devouring a negro, (No. 78), comes from Italy ; but there is no doubt that the subject originated in Egypt. We have so little information with regard to the Greek artists who worked at Alexandria, that we are glad, from time to time, to be able to attribute something to them. Pottery in relief, imitating bronze or silver vases, is only represented in this exhibition by two examples : a cup from Megara (No. 79), finely moulded, and a curious patera from Campania (No. 138), setting forth the adventures of Odysseus. We are richer in vases of Magna Grsecia. Apulia shows its sympathy 8 for brilliant and striking colour on two grand ky dries (Nos. 86, 87), and on a skyphos (No. 137), of which the decoration appears to be inspired by Etruscan art. It is also in the south of Italy, but rarely in Greece, that we find vases with colours applied upon the glazed ground. We have several ; above all an aryballos from Tarentum (No. 59), which certainly is the best of this family, of which there are as yet very few examples extant. In practising this new method, the painter has endeavoured to avoid the flat colours, and to make a real easel picture by showing the modelling of the body. Many other curious things detain us in this part of the exhibition. A black hydria (No. 88), lent by Sir W. Drake, is ornamented by the most exquisite fluting, and has the neck encircled by a gilded wreath of olive leaves. The factory of Capua to which we may attribute this vase could not be better represented for purity of taste and superiority of technical treatment. The same can be said of the enamelled Roman pottery, of which Mr. Drury Fortnum has lent an exquisite speci- men (No. 90). CATALOGUE. The Vases numbered 1 to 82, and divided into Eleven Classes, are exhibited by A. van BRANTEGHEM, F.S.A. I. ATTIC PAINTED VASES, BEARING THE SIGNATURE OF THE ARTIST. 1 CUP BY OIKOPHELES. Interior— Around a mask of Medusa, with protruding tongue and prominent teeth, is a frieze composed of four different subjects : (a) Female sphinx, seated, the wings expanded, the head turned back. In the field, on either side of the head, is suspended a wreath. 9 (b) Satyr conversing with a nymph. Above them are two square objects painted black. A similar group is found on the early silver coins of the town of Lete. (c) Combat of Herakles and a centaur. The hero wears the lion's skin, and is armed with a sword held in his right hand. The centaur, who has shaggy hair, holds a large fragment of rock, but the struggle appears to have been of short duration, as he already takes to flight. (d) A hunter, armed with a club, his chlamys hanging like a shield over his right arm, pursues a large hare, in front of which stands a second huntsman, holding a net and brandishing a javelin. A hound runs behind the hare, and in the air flies a bird of prey. Around the lip is placed a necklace of beads, bearing the following inscription, painted in black upon the natural surface of the clay : kkfeDAM&VS&A' EJMEJ OIKOcd&UISS OIKOoUSS {sic) &A9Afc©S&/v (sic). This inscription gives us the name of the artist Oikopheles, as both potter and painter : e/cepafievcrev ifjue OiKwcpiXr}^, Ol/ca>(p[e]\r]<; e/i eypayjrev. The word icepafj,eveiv (to work in potter's clay) has never before been found on Greek vases. To judge by the form of the letters, Oikopheles must undoubtedly have belonged to the seventh century B.C. The D (— p) is especially characteristic of this period, as well as the ^ (by the side of the form £), and the O which replaces by mistake the more recent form of the p in the word eypaijrev. The S is borrowed from the cursive form, and cannot be compared with the $ of the lapidary. In the whole of Attic epigraphy, one inscription alone is more ancient than this : the graffito of a Dipylon vase (Roberts, Introduction to Greek Epigraphy, p. 34), but this cup is the most ancient vase bearing the name of an Athenian artist, and is much anterior to the Francois vase, which has the white colour laid upon a black glaze, whereas here it is found, like the other colours, painted directly upon the clay. It has been known for some years that the Athenian potters of the seventh century B.C. relinquished the geometric style in order to imitate the Corinthian vases. In this vase we have before us a new example of this change, showing at the same time the freedom with which the motives were appropriated and combined. The choice of subjects is above everything interesting because, by the side of the mask of the Gorgon, the seated Sphinx, the combat of Herakles, and the chase, that is to say the four subjects most familiar to the Corinthian potters, there is a new one, more especially Athenian, the Satyr and Nymph. This cup was found at Peristeri (Attica), and is unpublished hitherto. [Painting, black upon pale clay, relieved with white and purple ; outlines incised.] m. m. D. CTI22. H. OO59. c IO 2 CUP BY XENOKLES. Interior — Female sphinx seated, the head turned back, the wings drawn back, one of the fore paws raised. In the field a lotus flower. The whole within a tongue-pattern border. Exterior — (a) Combat between two centaurs. One is armed with large stones, and the other brandishes the branch of a tree. Below, the inscription : -KEA^OkUE* : EPOIESE/^: (b) Panther and hind confronted. Same legend, but without the final punctuation. The handles have at either side a palmette (or honeysuckle) ornament. Found at Caere, and mentioned in Klein, Vasen mit Meistersignaturen 2 , p. 81, No. 12, but otherwise unpublished. [Painting, black upon yellow clay, relieved with white and purple; details incised.] m. m. D. 0-151. H. 0-109. 3 CUP BY HERMOGENES. On either side of the exterior is a guinea-fowl, and below it the signature HEPA/ 1 OAE/^E* EPOIESEA'. At the insertion of each handle are two palmettes. Archaic style, design and colouring very careful. Found at Gela (Terranova), Sicily. Unpublished. [Painting, black upon orange-coloured clay, relieved with purple ; outlines and details incised.] m. m. D. 0-220. H. 0-144. 4 CUP BY HERMOGENES. Upon either side of the exterior surface is a hoplite stepping into a quadriga (to the left). The charioteer holding the reins and the kentron is already at his post. He wears a long cliiton and a helmet without a crest. Upon the shield of the hoplite, a tripod. Below, HEP^OAE^ES EPOIESEA'. At the insertion of each handle are two palmettes. Same style as No. 3. Found in Etruria, at Capodimonte (Lake of Bolsena), and described by Helbig, Mittheilungen des rom. Instituts, 1886, p. 22 (Klein, Meistersignaturen 2 , p. 83, No. 16.) [Painting, black upon orange-coloured clay, relieved with white and purple ; outlines and details incised.] m. m. D. 0-198. H. 0-133. 5 CUP BY HERMAIOS. Interior — Dionysos bearded, holding a rhyton and a long branch of ivy, walks rapidly to the. right, his head turned back towards the female seen upon the following vase (No. 6). He is crowned with ivy and clad in a chiton and mantle. His beard is pointed ; his hair falls in a cluster upon his back, and in long tresses upon his shoulders. Around, in purple letters, are the words: HEPMAIOS FPOIESEA 7 . Design of archaic style. 1 1 Only one other vase of this master has hitherto been known. It was found at Vulci, and is figured in the Elite des monuments ceramographiques, Vol. III. PI. 73, but what has become of it is not known. Found at Arsinoe' (the ancient Marion), Cyprus, and cited by Klein Meistersignaturen 2 , p. 221. Unpublished. [Painting, red upon black ground, relieved with purple.] m. m. D. 0-195. H. 0-078. 6 CUP BY HERMAIOS, forming a pendant to the preceding number. In the Interior — A female figure bending forwards and lifting with both hands a bowl with four handles, which rests upon a small lion-footed tripod. She is nude, but her hair is confined by a stephane and an embroidered sakkos, ter- minating in a point, over which is a wreath of leaves. Around, in purple letters: HEPMAIO* EPO!E*EK Of the same style, and found in the same place as the preceding number. (Klein, p. 221.) Unpublished. [Painting, red upon black ground ; relieved with purple.] m. m. D. 0-195. H. 0*078. 7 CUP BY KACHRYLION. In the Interior— A Maenad playing the krotala. Clad in a chiton without sleeves and a panther's skin, she runs to the left, turning her head backwards. She wears earrings, and her hair, encircled by a purple band, falls in tresses in front and is gathered together at the back in the usual manner of the period to which this vase belongs, the end of the sixth century. Around, in purple letters: +A+PVUO/ v EPOIESEK Found at Arsinoe (the ancient Marion), Cyprus, in 1886, and mentioned in Klein, Meistersignaturen 2 , p. 221. [Painting, red upon a brilliant black ground ; relieved with purple.] m. m. D. 0195. H. 078. 8 CUP BY EUPHRONIOS. Interior— Two bearded male figures wearing wreaths of flowers : the one, wearing his mantle as a scarf, plays the double flute, and steps in time with his music ; the other, without drapery, but wearing shoes, turns round leaning upon a long knotted staff held under his left arm. His right hand is placed upon the top of his head. The flute-case, of spotted hide, is suspended in the field to r. On the left is written in retrograde characters (in purple) EVCDRONIOS EPOPIESEN (sic), and on the opposite side HO PAIS. The exterior design represents a procession of eleven Athenians coming from a banquet. All are bearded and crowned with flowers ; some are nude, others have the chlamys, and six of them carry staves. The two first appear to be dancing, the third, quite drunk, walks with difficulty, and fearful of c 2 12 dropping his lyre hands it to the figure preceding him, who carries a drinking vessel [kotyle). Farther on another dances before a dog which appears to bark at him. The next man carries a bowl. The following group is composed of two men, the first of whom, naked and drunken, in the effort to preserve his balance, seizes the arm of his companion, who is so well able to control his own gait that he carries a cup at the extreme length of his left arm without upsetting it. Finally come a dog, a flute-player, and a man carrying a kotyle ; last of all, an overturned ampJwra lying upon the ground, upon which are traces of the word tca\6s. Inscribed, PAA'AITIOS KAUO?, in retrograde letters ; and the same repeated written from left to right, but with both sigmas formed <>. In the excavations of the Acropolis at Athens, in 1835, was found a fragment of a painted platter, anterior to the rebuilding of the Parthenon by Perikles, upon which was the same subject as that decorating the interior of this cup (Ross, Arch. Aufsatze, Vol. I. pi. 10; Klein, Euphronios 2 , p. 52). This discovery would be sufficient of itself to indicate the date of Euphronios ; but a marble pedestal, recently found on the same spot, which bears the inscription [EjYCDRO/^IO^ K]ERAMEV$, confirms the presumed date, and fixes it definitely to a period between the time of the sons of Peisistratos and of the first archons, and the year 480 B.C., in which the Akropolis was destroyed by the Persians (Studniczka, Jahrbuch des Instituts, 1887, p. 144). Our cup appears to be one of the last works of this master, because by the side of the archaic form of the sigma (with three bars) the more modern form (with four bars) is also employed. This combination is also seen upon the cup at Berlin (Klein, Euphronios 2 , p. 241). In any case, this is one of the best examples of this master, both for style, merits of design, and minute care of execution, while at the same time its dimensions exceed the ordinary measures of Attic cups. Found near Viterbo, in 1830, by Pietro Saveri, and acquired by Mrs. Hamilton Gray. Gerhard, in the Bidlettino dell' hist., 1830, pp. 233 and 243, gave the first notice of its discovery, from a letter addressed to him by Camilli : " in una bella coppa dipinta . . . havvi il nome d'un artista, cioe EVK^ONIOS EPOIESEN." Klein (Euphronios 2 , pp. 9-1 1) has tried without success to identify the cup mentioned by Gerhard with one of the published vases. In her work, Tour to the Sepirichres of Etruria in 1839 (3rd edit. 1843, London), Mrs. Hamilton Gray speaks of this vase several times. At page 52, we read, " It was not without pride that we observed no tazza, even here (in the Pope's collection), superior to one in our own possession found at Viterbo, either as to size, form, subject, elegance of design, or beauty of workmanship." And at page 56, " Our grand Viterbo tazza, which I have already mentioned, had been mended before its inter- ment, a circumstance which was discovered by De Dominicis to his infinite 13 surprise and satisfaction, and which enhanced its value in our eyes. It has a small cylinder of iron run through the bottom of the tazza to join it with the stalk." The presence of this cylinder has been ascertained by Mr. W. Talbot Ready, who has repaired the cup with his well-known skill ; at the same time it was observed that one of the cracks passing through the fourth letter of the word EV4>RONIO£ and slightly damaging it had probably occasioned the false reading given by Camilli. Up to 1887, this vase formed part of the Hamilton Gray collection, and was exhibited at the Bethnal Green branch of the South Kensington Museum. Painting, red figures upon brilliant black glaze ; relieved with purple.] m. m. D. 368. H. 0-129. 9 CUP BY HIERON. Interior — The abduction of Tithonos. The young hero is crowned with a riband, and wears a chlamys in such fashion as to leave the whole front of the body uncovered. He endeavours to escape, turning his head towards Eos, who has seized him by the right hand and shoulder. Eos, with expanded wings, is about to rise. She is clad in a long chiton, and an upper mantle folded like a scarf. She has earrings, and her hair, worn in small curls, is confined in a sakkos. Above the group, written in purple letters, is the word KAU05. The exterior design represents (according to a happy conjecture of Mr. van Branteghem) the family of Tithonos, who are present at the abduction, and look towards the sky with gestures of fear and surprise. At the time when the young shepherd is carried off by Eos, a sacrifice is being celebrated. An altar (placed below one of the handles) is lighted, and ten persons assist at the ceremony. Towards the altar runs a bearded male figure, holding a staff in his hand, and raising his right arm in an attitude of astonishment. He is followed by an aged man, a youth wearing a garland, and an old bald-headed slave carrying an askos on his shoulder. A tree is placed between this personage and the one following, who wears a riband, leans upon a long staff, and turns his head backwards. Beyond the second handle of the cup, is seen a hoplite, his foot placed upon the trunk of a tree ; he also gazes upwards ; he is armed with a helmet, lance, sword, and a circular shield, upon which is the fore part of a horse. Behind him, four other figures run rapidly to the left, their right arms extended. The first of these figures probably represents the father of Tithonos, another is that of a youth, and the two others are bearded men. The signature of the artist is incised upon the side of that handle which has the altar beneath it : HIEROA / EPOIE^EA 7 . Hieron was a contemporary of Euphronios. This fine cup, rendered more interesting by the new explanation of the exterior design, comes from Vulci, and once belonged to the historian Schlosser. It 14 is published by E. Braun in the Monumenti dell' Instit, Vol. II., pi. 48, (Annali, 1837, pp. 209-218) ; in the Wiener Vorlegeblatter, Serie A, pi. 2, and by Klein, Meistersignaturen 2 , p. 170, No. 16. [Painting, red upon brilliant black ground ; relieved with purple.] m. m. D. 0-328. H. 0-108. 10 CUP BY XENOTIMOS. Interior— Upon a chair of graceful form is seated a bearded man in pensive attitude to right. He wears a petasos, a short chlamys, and sandals. His left arm is supported by two spears, and his right hand rests upon his knee. An inscription painted in white letters, gives us his name, Peirithous (TEPIOOS) the friend of Theseus. Exterior — (a) In the centre of the design is seen an altar, ornamented with volutes, on which are a large egg and a crow. To left, an old man, crowned with laurel, leans upon a sceptre and gravely regards the bird, which seems to be about to crack the egg. This old man is the husband of Leda, Tyndareos, called TEVAAPE-^£ in an inscription placed over the altar. Behind him stands his daughter Klytaemestra (KAVTAI ME?TPA), whom we wrongly call Klytaemwestra, raising her right hand with a gesture of astonishment. On the opposite side of the altar is seen Leda (AEAA), who takes to flight with outstretched arms, looking round at the altar and at the miracle which is taking place. We already know of five vases which represent, with more or less variation, the same subject; but the absence of explanatory inscriptions upon them has rendered the interpretation difficult. Stephani {Compte Rendu, 1861, pp. 134-144) was the first to suggest the myth of Leda as the motive of the design, and his conjecture receives from the vase here published a brilliant confirmation. It is true, that the general signification of the scene is not very clear, and ancient authors do not throw any light upon it ; but it must be admitted that the event takes place at Amyklai, before the altar of Apollo, whose favourite bird, the crow, is present. {b) A young girl, called Phylonoe (<$>VAONOE), her foot resting upon a rock, extends her right hand towards another young girl, Kleotra (KAEOTPA), who seems to be speaking to her. Behind this group stands a third girl, turned towards the principal scene, the egg of Leda. It is probable therefore that the whole of the six figures seen upon the exterior of this cup form a single subject. Under the handles are palmettes, and near the one to the right the artist has put his signature : ZENOTIMO? EPOIEIEN (BevoTt/j,o<; €7rotr]aev). This is written in two lines and in the manner called crToi^rjSov, that is to say, that each of the letters of the under line is placed directly beneath one of those of the upper. The foot is flat, and covered with a black glaze ; in the centre is a red disc, on which are small black circles. Xenotimos, whose name appears here for the first time, must have lived at the end of the fifth century, during the Peloponnesian war. His style 15 is the fine one which belongs to this period, and the Attic alphabet which he employs still retains some of the archaic vowels (E for ec and rj, and o for ov) ; although he already uses the s\ } and the new forms of the consonants A, Z, and i. Upon the following vase (No. u) he writes the i|r as \P ; and the H which still serves him in some cases as spiritus asper, has already the value of r] in the word ^vXi/Mevrj, although in others t] continues to be repre- sented by E. These facts definitely establish the date of the painter, and place him in the period of transition between the early and later alphabets. Found in Magna Grsecia ; unpublished. [Painting, red figures upon a brilliant black ground ; relieved with white.] m. m. D. 0-165. H. 054. 11 SKYPHOS BY XENOTIMOS. (a) Nereus (NEPYS, sic) is seated upon a rock between two Nereids, Eulimene (EYAIMENH) and Eileithyia (HIAIOVA). He is represented as an old man with white hair and beard, holding in his right hand a sceptre. He wears a riband, a long sleeveless chiton, and a mantle which covers the knees only. Eileithyia, standing before him, offers him a dolphin ; Eulimene, behind, raises her left hand, and is adjusting her himation. (b) On the opposite side are three other Nereids ; Ploto (p A-^-T-^-). standing to left, offers a rabbit to Psamathe (^AMAOE) who is seated upon a rock, and stretches out her hands to receive the gift. Behind this group, Thetis (OETIS), carrying a crown of leaves and berries. This vase can be attributed with certainty to the artist who has signed the preceding vase. Not only were they discovered together, but their technical treatment is exactly the same, and the similarity is seen in the treatment of the smallest detail of the ornamentation. m. m. D. 0-154. H. 0-093. 12 CUP, bearing the name of Leagros. Interior — A naked youth wearing a red diadema, runs (to the left) in pursuit of a hare. Legend in red letters : UEAA[RO]£ (retrograde) KAU05, and below, written from left to right, HO PAIS KAU05. Border of meanders. On the exterior is a procession of youths leaving a banquet. All are crowned with flowers, two of them wear the chlamys, two others hold kotylai, and several other kotylai are placed upon the ground. Legend [u]EAAR[0$] KA[U]05. Below the design a meander border. The occurrence of the name of Leagros on this vase connects it with the works of Kachrylion and Euphronios, on whose signed vases the same name is found. i6 The so-called "names of favourites" upon painted vases have not yet been satisfactorily explained. Studniczka wishes to identify them with celebrated Athenians ; and concerning Leagros, recalls the name of the Athenian strategos who died about B.C. 467 (Jahrbuch des Instituts, 1887, p. 161). We believe that they refer rather to youths victorious in the great Panathenaic games, and if this is so, analogies are to be found in Roman antiquity. First half of the fifth century before the Christian era. Found at Caere in Etruria. Unpublished. [Painting, red upon black ground, relieved with purple ] m. m. D. 0-230. H. 094. II. ARCHAIC VASES OF CORINTHIAN FABRIC. 13 BOMBYLIOS (or Aryballos). A double palmette, which resembles very closely a winged thunderbolt, is placed between two eagles in flight. In the field, rosettes ; at the base and around the lip, floral ornaments. Found in Attica. [Painting, black upon pale clay, relieved with purple and white ; details and outlines, incised.] m. H. 01 66. 14 ARYBALLOS (spherical form). Between two youthful cavaliers, confronted, is a bearded male figure holding the bridle of one of the horses. All the figures wear a short chiton, coloured red, and two of them have a band around their heads. At the back is an eagle in flight. In the field are crosses and clusters of ivy berries ; around the neck and lip, floral orna- mentation ; upon the handle, squares of alternating colour ; and at the base, a circular ornament with crescents arranged around a central disk. Found at Thebes (Bceotia). [Painting, black upon pale clay, relieved with purple and white ; details and outlines, incised.] m. H. 01 16. III. VASES OF EARLY STYLE, FOUND AT ARSINOE IN CYPRUS. 15 KYLIX. Exterior — (a) Lion to left, (b) Draped male figure standing behind a lion running to right. His chiton is ornamented with a diaper in white (arly/bbara). The execution is very careful, and is as fine as that of the vases of Xenokles and Hermogenes. i7 [Painting, black upon orange-coloured clay, relieved with purple and white ; details, incised.] m. m. D. 0-136. H. o-8o. 15a KYLIX. Exterior— (a) Ram to right, (b) Ram to left, the skin spotted white. m. m. D. 0-136. H. 0-86. 16 KYLIX. Exterior— (a) Youthful horseman to right, (b) Same subject. m. m. D. o - ii6. H. 0-77. 16b KYLIX. Exterior— (a) Lion walking to right, (b) Same subject. m. m. D. 0-136. H. 078. 17 KYLIX. Exterior— (a) Dove, with a woman's head, facing a female sphinx. Underneath: +AIPE KAI PIEI EY ("enjoy yourself, and drink well"). (b) Same subject and inscription. At the bases of the handles, palmettes. m. m. D. 0146. H. o-ioo. %* The technique of these vases, Nos. 15 A to 17, is the same as that of No. 15. IV. VASES ORNAMENTED WITH GILDING. 18 LARGE ARYBALLOS, found at Apollonia in Thrace. The Gathering of the Incense. A youthful Eros, wearing a riband and two bands placed cross-wise over his chest, holds a cup in his right hand, and descends a ladder, at the foot of which is a female seated to left, dropping grains of incense upon a thymiaterion. This female, who is probably Aphrodite, has the bust and the arms bare. Standing before her, a second female, whose arms and legs are uncovered, holds a crown of golden beads, and a large cup similar in form to that held by the Eros. These two figures have crowns of gilt foliage, and wear necklaces, earrings and bracelets of gold. Another youthful Eros kneels behind the chair and appears to gather flowers. In the field above him, a female figure, seated upon a mound to r., plays a tambourine, and turns her head towards the principal scene — the sacrifice and the gleaning. Her tambourine, painted purple, has a border of golden beads. Farther on, a draped female figure leans forward to take wine from a krater placed upon the ground. On the opposite side, a draped female seated to /., on a chair without a back, is first seen ; she, also, turns to watch the religious ceremony which is being carried on. A female playing the double flute, and wearing a long chiton with sleeves, and a kerchief upon her head, finishes the scene. Above, a dove in flight. D i8 This picture is painted on a large aryballos, of delightful purity of form. A frieze of petal-like ornaments encircles the neck ; above and below the design are borders ; the upper, composed of alternate palmettes and lotus-flowers, is supported by a line of gilt beads ; the lower consists of a band of meanders, broken by squares of a checkered pattern. From under the handle springs a large cluster of palmettes, spreading out on either side. Gilding is profusely used in the decorations, not only for the jewellery worn by the figures and for the wings of the Erotes, but also for the cups, the ladder, the thymiaterion, and the border of palmettes. All the gilding is placed upon an ochre-coloured paste slipped upon the clay. To explain this subject, we adopt provisionally an idea of Dr. Furtwangler, who thought he recognized in it the ceremony of the incense-gathering. The ladder should be resting against a tree — the tree from which the incense was obtained, and which figures in some Egyptian frescoes amongst the objects that the King of Punt sends to the Egyptian monarch as tribute (Brugsch-Bey, Hist, of Egypt under the Pharaohs, Vol. I., 353 et seg.). The Greeks spoke of the incense tree as \c/3avo<; iep68a/cpv\%V%h '. The ornamental decoration is the same as that of the preceding vase, but the edge has a row of palmettes placed upon a double dotted line. 43 Found at Caere. Bull, dell' Institute), 1866, p. 182. Klein, Meistersignaturen'"', p. 58, No. 16. [Same technique.] m. H. 0-325. 94 KYATHIS. Theseus slaying the Minotaur. Crowned by a sash, clothed in a short cJiiton without sleeves, and a nebris, the hero holds his sword in his right hand, and in the other he catches hold of one of the horns of the monster. The Minotaur has the head and tail of a bull; the skin' spotted. He has fallen on his knees, and a triple stream of blood flows from his wound. Around this a vine and two eyes. At either side of the handle is a sphinx, turning its heads towards the principal group. Archaic style of the decadence. [Painted black on a red-orange ground ; white and purple reliefs ; details incised. The interior of the vase, and the exterior surface of the handle, are painted black. H. 0-130. 95 LEKYTHOS, with design upon a white ground. Two rams issue from the cavern of Polyphemos, carrying under them Odysseus and one of his com- panions. Odysseus is bearded, and brandishes his sword. The other is a youth. They are fastened to the rams by means of two red ribbons. In the back-ground are two apple-trees, and in the field some vines. The picture is framed in a frieze of foliage and a double row of berries. Black palmettes beneath the neck ; radiate collar. Ancient style. Fabric of Magna Graecia. [Painted black ; purple reliefs ; details incised ] m. H. 260. 96 SMALL OINOCHOE, fashioned in form of a plastic group. The group represents Boreas carrying off Oreithyia. The young girl is draped with a peplos, wears a necklace of beads, and is crowned with a double wreath of flowers. Boreas, represented with the features of a youth, holds her in his arms, and spreads his large eagle-like wings. His cklamys, blown by the wind, leaves his body uncovered ; he wears a wreath formed of a single row of flowers ; his feet are encased in endromides. On each side of the group are floral scrolls bearing rosettes in relief. The back is covered with a cluster of palmettes placed above a tongue-pattern border (red on black). [Traces of colouring.] H. 0-180. O 7. 44 The vases numbered to 100 are exhibited by MRS. MULLER. 97 LARGE OINOCHOE OF CORINTHIAN STYLE. Two male figures, the one bearded, the other beardless, facing each other and crouching in similar position, extend their arms towards a cup placed on the ground between them. Both have for their only garment a white perizoma. Above this group a wreath is suspended from the wall. Behind the bearded figure, comes running a god having two large wings at his waist and winged boots, his left arm stretched towards the group. On the opposite side runs a youth, his arms extended horizontally and his head turned backwards. Two lions, looking towards the handle of the vase, terminate the ends of the frieze. The lower band, separated from the upper by a wreath of ivy, has a female sphinx seated to left, and a procession of animals and monsters : a lion, a sphinx, a griffin, and two panthers. Underneath is a radiate frieze and a line of meanders intermixed with dotted cross-like ornaments. Under the neck a ring of tongue-shaped ornaments ; on the caps of the handle, flower-shaped crosses. This vase, found at Vulci in the excavations of Campanari, has been made in Etruria by a potter of Corinthian origin. [Painting, black upon orange-red back-ground, relieved with white and purple ; details incised. Handle fluted.] m. H. 0-285. 98 PYXIS. Upon the lid a female head to left, wearing a sphendone, an embroidered sakkos, and a necklace of pearls. A double circle, deeply incised, forms a border. The vass contains some broken egg-shells. Found at Siana (Rhodes). [Painting, red upon black ground. m. H. 046. 99 KANTHAROS in form of a female head wearing a black sakkos. Upon either side of the neck a Silenus pursuing a draped woman. One of the satyrs wears his pardalis as a mantle, the other crowned with ivy, carries it upon his left extended arm. In the field the word repeated several times. An Attic vase of the first half of the fifth century ; the head (painted black upon orange coloured clay) of archaic style, — the neck of fine style, red on black without graffiti. We are ignorant of the name that should be given to this female head ; it is often found coupled with a mask of a satyr, and may therefore be connected with the bacchic thiasos. Found in Magna Graecia. [Painting relieved with purple and white.] m. H. 215. 45 100 AMPHORISKOS in form of an almond. The handles and neck are painted red ; the body has the natural colour of the clay. Found at Siana (Rhodes). m. H. 0-136. The vases nutnbered 10 1 to 117 are exhibited by THE MARQUESS OF NORTHAMPTON, K.G. 101 CUP BY TLESON. Interior — In a circular border, formed by godroons and concentric circles, are two goats, standing on their hind legs, and facing as if to butt each other. Between them a palmette. The style exactly resembles the heraldic style of the lions from Mycenae, and of some coins of the earliest epoch, and the design is admirably delicate in its outlines. On both sides of the exterior, the signature of the artist : TUE^OA 7 HO A^EAPXO EPOIESEA'. At the insertion of each handle are two palmettes. The drawing is of extreme delicacy, as it is on the two succeeding cups. Quoted in the Arch. Zeitung, 1864, p. 237* (Conze), and 1881, p. 302 (Furtwiingler). — Klein, Meistersignaturen 2 , p. 74, No. 29. [Painted black on an orange-red ground, white and purple reliefs, details incised.] m. m. D. 205. H. 0-142. 102 CUP BY TLESON. Exterior— On either side, a cock to the left in polychrome (white, black, and purple). Underneath: TUESOA' HO /^EAPXO EPOIE^E/^. At the insertion of each handle are two palmettes. In the interior a central disc (red on black) ornamented with a dot. Quoted in the Arch. Zeitung, 1846, p. 341 (Birch), and 1864, p. 237* (Conze), — Klein, Meistersignaturen 2 , p. 74, No. 20. [Background orange-red, details incised.] m. m. D. 0-292. H. 0-154. 103 CUP BY TLESON. Exterior, on either side, a goat grazing to the left. Underneath : TUE^O/^ HO /^EAPXO EnOIESE/^. At the insertion of each handle are two palmettes. Inside, a dot in the centre of a red disc. Quoted in the Arch. Zeitung, 1846, p. 341 (Birch), and 1864, p. 237* (Conze). — Klein, Meistersignaturen 2 , p. 74, 19. [Same colours and same technique.] m. m. D. 0-240. H. 0160. 4 6 104 CUP BY HERMOGENES. Exterior— On either side, the bust of a woman to the left, merely outlined, the artist's signature underneath : HEPMOAE^E* EPOIESE^, once with the complement EME. In this inscription the most archaic letter is the M of which the fourth stroke is as short as the two preceding ones. The bust is crowned with a purple sash and draped in a purple chiton. The necklace is a row of pearls, the eardrop a triglenon. The hair, curled on the forehead, falls in a chignon on the neck. The iris of the eyes is painted white. Each handle has two palmettes below it. In the interior a simple central disc (red-orange) with two concentric circles. Quoted in the Arch. Zeitung, 1864, p. 237* (Conze) and 1881, p. 302 (Furtwangler). — Klein, Meistersignaturen 2 , p. 83, No. 1 1. [Painted in black on an orange-red ground. White and purple reliefs. Some details incised. The foot upon which M. Furtwangler had read a graffito is in plaster.] m. m. D. OT97. H. 0-141. 105 CUP BY HERMOGENES. Upon either side of the exterior surface is a quadriga (to the left). The charioteer, bearded and crowned by a sash, wears a long red chiton, he carries a buckler on his back and a sword hanging to his cross belt, and holds the kentron and the reins of the horses Behind the car, a bearded hoplite, armed with a lance and with a circular round buckler the episema of which is a tripod. The inscription presents a curious peculiarity, as on one side there is written : HEPMOAE^E* EPOIESE^ EME (the M in the proper name is already made in the ordinary way), whilst on the other side EPOIESE/^ EME occurs twice. Both handles are flanked by two palmettes. Quoted in the Arch. Zeitung, 1846, p. 341 (Birch) 1864, p. 237* (Conze), 1881, p. 302 (Furtwangler). — Klein, Meistersignaturen 2 , p. 83, No. 14. m. m. D. o 204. H. o - 145. 106 AMPHORA BY NIKOSTHENES. This vase, admirable in form and in preservation, belongs to the category of those which have no actual subject. The body of the vase is surrounded by two circles in relief, separated by a row of palmettes which alternate with lance-shaped leaves and rest on a line of dots. Above there is a black band, a crown of flowers and of berries, then, after a narrower band, a radiate zone. Above, on each side, a large eye is placed between the palmettes flanking the handles Another circle in relief separates the neck from the body of the vase, and near it may be read the signature of the artist, M\