Yale University Library

39002013899589

''::v:%

-

YALE
UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

A GUIDE i7

TO THE

DEPAETMENT

GREEK AND ROMAN ANTIQUITIES

IN THE

BEITISH MUSEUM.

WITH ILLUSTRATIONS, MAPS AND PLANS

LONDON:
PEINTED BY OEDEE OF THE TEUSTEES.
1899
Price Sixpence.

A GUIDE

TO THE

DEPAETMENT

GREEK AND ROMAN ANTIQUITIES

BEITISH MUSEUM.

LONDON:
PEINTED BY OEDEE OF THE TEUSTEES.
1899

LONDON :
HUNTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AXD SONS, LIMITED,
STAatVOltp sru.EtT AND CHAGIUG CBOSS.

PREFACE.

Tnis Guide is intended to give in -,i brief form a description of the
Greek and Roman Antiquities in the British Museum, stating such
facts as are essential to a proper understanding of each class of
Antiquities, and noting whatever is specially interesting in regard
to separate objects. The illustrations have been selected with this
purpose in view.
The preparation of this Guide has been entrusted to Mr.
Arthur H. Smith, M.A., Assistant in the Department of Greek and
Roman Antiquities.

A. S. Murray.

Bbitish Museum,
June, 1899.

CONTENTS.

TAGE
Introduction  1
GROUND FLOOR.
Room of Archaic Greek Sculpture. (Fragments, from Mycenae —
Soulptures from Branchidae and Ephesus — Friezes from Xanthos—
Harpy Tomb— Strangford Apollo — Casts from Selinus, iEgina,
Delphi, and Olympia)  2
Ante-room. (Statues of Choiseul-Gouffier Apollo and Demeter of
Cnidns)  11
Elgin Room. (Introduction — Sculptures and architectural marbles
from the Parthenon at Athens— Casts from the Temple of Theseus
and the Monument of Lysicrates — Bust of Pericles, etc. — Caryatid
and other remains from the Erechtheion) ... .12
Phigaleian Boom, (Frieze from the Temple of Apollo at Phigaleia
— Frieze and casts from the Temple of Wingless Victory at Athens
— Sepulchral reliefs, etc.) . .  43
Nereid Room. (Sculptures of the Nereid Monument at Xanthos) . 51
Mausoleum Room. (Large Lycian Tombs — Sculptures of the tomb of
Mausolos at Halicarnassos — Sculptures from Priene— Colossal Lion
from Cnidos)  .55
Room of Greek and Roman Monuments. (Later Greek and
Roman reliefs — Roman sarcophagi) ...... 64
North-West Staircase. (Mosaics from Halicarnassos and Carthage) . 67
Ephesus Room. (Temple of Artemis (Diana) at Ephesus — Other sculp
tures from Ephesus — Monument of Thrasyllos, etc.) ... 68
Third Graeco-Roman Room. (Graeco-Roman' sculptures, including
Apotheosis of Homer, " Clytie," Farnese Mercury, etc.) ... 72
Graeco-Roman Basement-Room with Annex. (Figures and
reliefs of Graeco-Boman or Roman period — Tesselated 'pavements
and mosaics from Carthage and Halicarnassos — Etruscan tombs and
sarcophagi — Roman water- wheel) ...... 78
Second Graeco-Roman Room. (Discobolos — Pourtales Apollo —
Towneley Venus) ...... . 81
First Graeco-Roman Room. (Statues, heads, and busts of deities
and heroes of the Graeco-Roman period— The Diadumenos, etc.) . 82
Roman Gallery. (Busts and statues of Soman Emperors and of Roman
personages) . . . . . . . . . . '84
Room of Greek and Latin Inscriptions. (Selected inscriptions
—Miscellaneous Graeco-Roman sculptures) ..... 86
UPPER FLOOR.
Room of Terracottas. (Archaic Greek statuettes and reliefs —
Tanagra statuettes — Graeco-Roman terracottas — Toys — Moulds —
Lamps) ........... 93
Etruscan Saloon (South Wing). (Graeco-Roman terracottas — Mis
cellaneous objects of daily life) ....... 98

Contents.

l'AGE

Room of Gold Ornaments and Gems (with Corridor). (Greek
and Roman silversmith's work — The Portland Vase — Gold orna
ments, Greek, Phoenician, Etruscan, Roman — Finger rings —
Engraved Gems (Greek Island gems — Scarabs — Scaraboids —
Intaglios — Cameos— Pastes)) .... . . 102
Etruscan Saloon (continued). (Introduction — Italo-Etrusoan primitive
work — Polledrara Tomb — Etruscan candelabra and bronze work —
Armour and weapons — Helmet of Hiero of Syracuse — Cervetri
sarcophagus — Black ware — Statuettes — Bronze vases and caskets —
Mirrors — Archaic terracottas, reliefs, etc. — Sepulchral chests —
Sarcophagus of Seianti Thanutiia— Painted terracotta panels) . 119
Bronze Room. (Introduction — Greek and Roman bronzes — Head of
Aphrodite — Select statuettes and reliefs — Bronzes of Siris, etc. —
Larger bronzes — Inscribed tablets — Instruments, pumps, etc. —
Gallo-Roman statuettes — Select bronzes — Stamps — Leg of Heroic
figure — Apollo — Inscriptions— Weapons — Bronzes of Paramythia —
Candelabra— Graeco-Roman statuettes— Prow from Actium, &c.) . 130
Introduction to the Vases. Shapes of Vases . . .140
First Vase Room. (Early wares — Pre-historic — Mycenaean — Dipylon
— Phaleron — Cypriote — Rhodian — Corinthian — Naucratite — Terra
cotta sarcophagi — Oriental porcelain— Macmillan lekythus, &c.) . 145
Second Vase Room. (Introduction: The Black-figure Style— Vases
from Daphnae, Naucratis, Boeotia, etc. — Etruscan imitations —
Athenian black-figure vases) ... ... 158
Third Vase Room. (Introduction : The Red-figure Style. The White
Vases — Athenian red-figure vases — White sepulchral lekythi, etc.) . 174
Fourth Vase Room. (Introduction— Later Panathenaio vases— Late
Athenian and South Italian styles — Campanian ware — Black glazed
ware — Lucanian and Apulian vases) .... . 187
Appendix I. Index of Signed Vases  195
Appendix II. Table of the Greek and Roman collections, historically
arranged.
LIST OF PLATES.
Plate I. The Three Fates (p. 21).
II. 1. Sepulchral Stele. Mother and Child (p. 48).
2. Sepulchral Stele of Xanthippos (p. 49).
III. Votive Relief of Artemis Bendis (p. 50).
IV. The Chariot Group of the Mausoleum (p. 58).
V. Base of Sculptured Column, Temple of Artemis, Ephesus (p. 09).
.. VI. 1. Head of a Gaul (p. 73).
2. Head of ' Clytie ' (p. 75).
,. VII. 1. Head of Julius Cassar (p. 84).
2. Head of the young Augustus (p. 85).
,, VIII. Greek Terracottas (p. 95).
„ IX. The Portland Vase (p. 105).
„ X. Etruscan Terracotta Sarcophagus (p. 123).
„ XI. 1. Head of Aphrodite ( ?) (p. 131).
2. Head of Hypnos or Sleep (p. 134).
„ XII. Map of Italy.
„ XIII. Map of Greece and Western Asia Minor.

GRENVtLLE
HALL, n LIBRARY

TO BASEMENT

O O O O O O O
OOO o o o o

Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities, British Museum.
Plan of Ground Floor

A GUIDE

TO THE

DEPARTMENT

GREEK AND ROMAN ANTIQUITIES.

Scope of the Guide. The present guide may roughly be
described as dealing with such material remains of the civilisations
of ancient Greece and Rome as are in the possession of the Trustees
of the British Museum.
To define its scope more precisely several exceptions must be mentioned.
Thus, Roman objects found in Britain are kept apart, because their primary
interest is as illustrations of an early stage of national history. The coins of
all places and periods are most conveniently kept together in the Department of
Coins and Medals. The Greek papyri, including works of Hyperides,
Aristotle, Herodas, Bacchylides, and others, are grouped with other manu
scripts of a later period. Where the streams of later Egyptian and Greek
histories mingle, it is impossible to make a complete separation of tho
two. The glass of all periods is collected in the Glass and Ceramic Room,
to show its continuous history. Some of the finest pieces of Roman
silver plate have been placed in the Early Christian Room. The objects
lately bequeathed by Sir A. Wollaston Franks are for the present kept
"together. Method of the Guide, The method followed, so far as the
arrangement of the collections permits, is that of tracing the
historical progress of each class of objects. (A table is annexed to
show the chronological relations of the various classes.) For con
venient use the objects in one room are generally described
together. Sometimes, however, the visitor is taken through rooms,
•on his path, to which he is brought back later, to study their
contents. Thus, from the Entrance Hall, we pass through the
Roman Gallery (p. 84) and Graeco-Roman Rooms (p. 72), and
"begin with the sculptures in the Archaic Room. B

2 The Archaic Room.
THE ARCHAIC ROOM.f
SUBJECT:— THE BEGINNINGS OF GREEK SCULPTURE,
In this room, the progress of the art of sculpture on Greek soil is
shown from its early beginnings to the time of the Persian Wars-
(early fifth century B.C.), which mark the division between archaic
and fully developed sculpture. Most of the objects in the room
belong to the sixth century B.C., while a few belong to the close
of the seventh century, and one group, the sculptures from
Mycenae (below, nos. 1-6), are of an uncertain, but perhaps-
considerably older date.
The sculptures are grouped according to their places of origin.
They will be found to illustrate the various characteristics of an
early stage of art, which may be briefly summed up as follows.
Among the oldest works are purely decorative patterns (as those
from Mycenae) worked with the precision that comes of long
tradition. The next step was towards the rendering of figure
svibjects ; and here the artist is seen struggling with imperfect
training and incomplete mastery of the mechanical difficulties.'
Nature is copied in a naive and direct but somewhat gross manner.
(See the sculptures of Branchidae and Selinus.) More rapid
progress is made with the forms of animals than with those of
human beings. (See the friezes from Xanthos.) In attempting
to avoid grossness the artist is occasionally too minute, and some
what affected in the rendering of the mouth, the hair, and the finer
drapery. In aiming at truth in his study of the figure he makes
his work too pronouncedly anatomical. (See the pediments of
Aegina.) 1-6. Sculptures from Mycenae. — The earliest period of
Greek civilisation of which we have any sculptural remains is that
which has been known, since the excavations of Dr. Schliemann at
Mycenae, as the ' Mycenaean Period.' It was the time of a well-
marked culture which is now known to haye_±ifien wideiy-gpTgad
through Greece an3 the regions adjacent. This cuiture~was 'dis
turbed, though not altogether interrupted, by the political changes
at the beginning of the historical period of Greek history. A
special interest attaches to its remains if they are regarded as the
authentic memorials of a period of which the Homeric poems only
preserve a faint tradition.
The principal products of these periods preserved to us are small
objects found in the tombs (see p. 106) ; and larger sculptures are
rare. The most important are the well-known ' Gate of Lions '

t For a full description, see the Catalogue of Sculpture, Vol. I. (3a.), Part I.
(Part I. is sold separately at 6c!.).

Sculptures from Mycenae. 3
at Mycenae, and (1-4) the Doorway of the 'Treasury of
Atreus ' at Mycenae. The latter is a vaulted tomb formed in a
hill-side, approached by a long horizontal passage. It once had
a sumptuously decorated doorway of red marble and green lime
stone, with geometrical patterns in low relief. This is now broken
and dispersed, only fragments such as those in this Museum being
extant. The annexed restoration of a capital gives an idea of the
general character.
5, 6. Fragments of an animal frieze of the same early
period. 7-18. Sculptures from Branchidae.— The ten massive seated
figures (7-16), the recumbent Lion (17), and the Sphinx (18) once

fig. 1.— Restored Capital from the ' Treasury of Atreus.' (Af;er Futfistein.)

stood at intervals along the Sacred Way of Branchidae as dedica
tory offerings to Apollo. The Branchidae were a priestly clan,
who held from time immemorial the temple and oracle of Apollo at
Didyma, near Miletus, in Asia Minor. The name of the priests
thus came to be used for that of the place. The temple was
destroyed by the Persians, probably by Darius, on the suppression
of the Ionian revolt, in 496 B.C., and it was not rebuilt before the
time of Alexander. It is therefore certain that the sculptures of
Branchidae are not later than 496 B.C., and probably they fall
between 580 and 520 B.C.
In these statues the human forms are heavy and conventional,
and such details as the lower edges of the drapery are treated in a
traditional way. Progress, however, towards refinement can be
traced (contrast no. 16 with no. 9). both in respect of the forms,
B 2

4 The Archaic Room.
and still more in such matters as the treatment of the folds of
drapery on the knee.
No. 10 is inscribed ' Eudemos (?) made me.' The cushion has a
pattern of stars and maeanders to represent embroidery.
No. 14 is inscribed
Xapijs ei/u 6 KAe(i)o-iog Tti^io(ij)o-(o-)rJS apxos . ayaA/ta to(v)
'AttoaAwj/os.
' I am Chares, son of Kleisis, ruler of Teichioussa. The statue is
the property of Apollo.'
No. 17, Lion, is studied from nature in its pose, but the mane
is strictly conventional. The inscription, now hardly legible,
runs : —
ta^^mata,taa£a1v/e:©$ca/voiqptBAA^OiexqAVU^lArUOWOj kA\PA[l*/AB*KA iam{AN£PO^A|£Y
AlOTv|ST( |3&$ 031|2:AV\AlA^3oia
To. ayak/jLara TaSe ave$€<rav oi 'Cip-
¦ iWos TraiSes to(t!) ap^ij-yo(i)), ©0X775
Kai IIao"wcAf/s /cat 'Hyr/o-ai'Spos «[a]i Ev-
/8tos Kai 'Ava£i'Ae<os, 8£[kix]ti7v t<3 'A-
?roA(A)wc.
' The sons of Orion, the governor, Thales, Pasicles, Hegesander,
Eubios and Anaxileos dedicated these statues as a tithe to Apollo.'
In these inscriptions the older form of the Greek Eta, B, is used
in nos. 10 and 17, and the later form, H, in no. 14. This chano-e
is believed to have taken place about 550 B.C., and we thus obtain
a date about which the figures must be grouped.
24-48. Archaic Sculptures from Ephesus.— The remains
of the great temple of Artemis (Diana) at Ephesus are exhibited
elsewhere (p. 68), but the Archaic Room contains reconstructions
of portions of an older temple, the fragments of which were found
built into the substructure of the great temple. As regards the
history of this earlier temple, we know that it was begun early in
the sixth century B.C., by the architects Theodoros, Chersiphron
and Metagenes, was in course of construction during the reign of

Sculptures from Ephesus. 5
Croesus, king of Lydia, about 550 B.C., and was burnt by
Herostratos on the night of Alexander's birth (356 B.C.). The
later temple, the remains of which are exhibited in the Ephesus
Room, was then built to replace that which had been burnt ; and
the excavations have proved the interesting fact that the most
remarkable features of the later temple were borrowed from its
predecessor. 29. Base of sculptured column. The column has necessarily
been reconstructed from various fragments, which cannot be
proved to have belonged originally to the same column, but the
combined fragments serve to give a general idea of the appearance
of the base, and show that the older temple anticipates the use
of columns sculptured with high relief, which are such a marked
feature of the later temple.
Immediately below the sculptures is a moulding which contains
fragments of an inscription which has been restored as Ba[o-iAeus]
Kp[oio-os] av[£0riK\f.v. ' King Croesus dedicated (the column).'
It is known from a statement of Herodotus that Croesus gave
most of the columns of the temple at Ephesus [Herod, i. 92].
1*. An Ionic capital, restored from fragments in the same
manner, stands opposite.
46. The cornice of the archaic temple, which has been built
up from small fragments, like the base and capital, is certainly
accurate in its general outlines, although the result is quite unique
in form. In place of the small cornice with floral decorations,
common in later temples, the archaic temple of Artemis was
surmounted by a lofty cornice, 2 ft. lOf in. high. Lions' heads
projected at intervals, and drained off the rain water. The
intervals between the lions' heads were occupied by metope-like
compositions, carved in a delicate early style. It is impossible
to reconstruct the separate groups with much certainty, although
the subjects can, to a certain extent, be conjectured. An
attempted restoration of a combat between a Lapith and a
Centaur is exhibited. The frieze also included chariots and
horses ; warriors in chariots, and on foot ; and perhaps scenes
with Harpies.
80-97. Sculptures from Xanthos. — The following sculp
tures are the archaic portion of the collection of sculptures from
Xanthos, a town some ten miles from the sea, in the south-west
of Lycia. They were discovered in the successive journeys of Mr.
(afterwards Sir) Charles Fellows, who visited Lycia in 1838, 1840
and 1842. In the latest year a naval expedition was employed to
ship the Xanthian marbles for transport to England.
The people of Lycia were themselves a non-Hellenic race, and
in 545 B.C. they were conquered by Persia. The sculptures,
however, of Xanthos are distinctly archaic Greek works, though
not without traces of Oriental influence (cf. no. 86). In the most
important remains, especially in the Harpy Tomb (no. 94) we

6 The Archaic Room.
trace the influence of the Ionian School of Asia Minor, whose
chief characteristic is a certain voluptuous fulness of form and
languor of expression, contrasted with the muscular vigour of the
Doric sculpture, and the delicate refinement observed in a part
of early Attic work.
The greater number of this important group of archaic sculptures
may be assigned to the period shortly preceding the Persian
conquest. 80. Sepulchral chest, adorned with reliefs on the four sides.
This tomb was made of a single block of hard coarse limestone.
It was found by Fellows in its original position, on a shaft, which
appears to have been about 9 feet high. On the top of the chest
there is a rebate to receive the lid, which formed a separate block
and has not been found. On the sides are subjects in low relief,
namely, a horseman with attendant, a man contending with a lion,
and a seated figure. The animal groups in high relief at the ends
are difficult to distinguish. At one end is a lion. Between the
paws of the lion is seen the head of a bull, which has been thrown
over by the lion, and is seized by the throat. At the other end is
a lioness playing with cubs. A cub is seen, with its forepaws
across the paws of the lioness, and with its hind quarters to the
right ; a second cub lies on its back, over the first. There is
some reason for thinking that this monument is the oldest of the
Lycian sculptures.
81. Frieze of Satyrs and animals, found built into the walls
of the Acropolis at Xanthos. The Satyrs are forced into strange
positions, since the inexperienced artist has not understood the
necessary relations of the height of the figures and the height of
the frieze.
82. Frieze of cocks and hens. Eight cocks and five hens
represented as standing still, picking up food, or fighting. The
work is carefully studied from nature.
86. A frieze representing a procession moving from left to
right. The company consists of persons in chariots, on horseback,
and on foot. The principal figure appears to be the venerable old
man, who is seated in the second chariot, and holds a flower and,
perhaps, also a cup. In various details, such as the treatment of the
crests and tails of the horses, and the use of whisks by the standing
figures, we are reminded of the East, and are led to infer that the
relief is later than the Persian conquest. It is clear from the
square holes that occur at intervals of 4 ft. 8 in., that stone beams,
imitating wood construction, must once have projected, and from
the raised border round the holes it is seen that this was the inten
tion of the artist. It is probable that the frieze belonged to a
tomb, and represented a funeral procession. On the left is a slab
(no. 87) on which are seen the feet of a figure who has been
stretched on a couch as a corpse.
89, 90. Gable end of a tomb. On each side of a doorway is a
seated Sphinx, and above the lintel are two lions. Like many of

The Harpy Tomb. 7
¦the Lycian sculptures, these rehefs were brilliantly coloured when
-they were discovered, with red, blue, yellow, etc., but only faint
traces can now be detected.
93. Gable end of a tomb. In the centre of the relief is a low
column, with an Ionic capital, of peculiar form. A Siren stands
•to the front, on the column, and on each side are seated figures of

itf&^wSsr

Fig. 2.— View of the Harpy Tomb at Xanthos. No. 94.
(After a drawing by George Scharf.)
old men. This relief, like those above mentioned, retained its
¦colouring when discovered.
94. The Harpy Tomb. — The monument known as the Harpy
Tomb is one of the most important and elaborate works of archaic
art that have survived.

8 * The Archaic Rooml
The four reliefs, as may be seen in the illustration, formed the
sides of a sepulchral chamber, placed on a high shaft, and sur
mounted by a massive coping-stone.
1. West Side. — This relief is divided into two unequal parts by a,
small doorway which formed the entrance to the tomb. The door
way may have been filled up with a slab of stone, resembling a
Greek tombstone, and the idea thus suggested was further carried
out by the sculpture above of a cow giving suck to a calf. Two
stately female forms, who ought perhaps to be regarded as seated
side by side, are enthroned. To one of these, three women approach
as if bringing offerings.
2. North Side. — An old man is seated on a chair ; with the right
hand he receives a crested helmet which is offered to him by a
young warrior, who stands before him.
At each side of this group, but disconnected from it, are figures
formerly known as Harpies, from which the monument derived
its name. Their type is rather that of Sirens. In their arms and
talons each gently carries a diminutive draped female figure, that
makes a gesture, as of affection.
At the right corner of the relief a draped figure crouches on
the ground in an attitude of deep grief, and looks up to the flying
figure above.
3. East Side. — A venerable bearded man is seated on a throne.
A boy offers a cock, and three other persons stand in attendance.
4. South Side. — Another enthroned figure is attended by a person
holding a dove, and with the right hand raised in a gesture of
adoration. On each side of the main group, but disconnected from
it, are the winged figures with their burdens, as already described.
Interpretations. — On the first discovery of these sculptures they
were supposed to represent a definite myth, the rape of the
daughters of Pandareos, king of Lycia, by the Harpies (Homer,
Od. xx., 1. 66), but for many reasons this view is untenable. It is
obvious from the ' Harpies,' from the figures that they carry, and
the crouching mourner, that the subjects are connected with death
and the tomb. It is doubtful, however, whether the enthroned
personages are deities connected with the lower world — such as
Demeter and Persephone on the west side — or whether they are
figures of the heroified dead, receiving offerings. It is possible
that no clear distinction between the two was present to the mind
of the sculptor. •
Style and Period. — Iu the Harpy Tomb we have a fine example
of the work of the Ionian School, which may be placed soon after
the middle of the sixth century. The sculptor, while wanting
ease of execution, has given great care to the decorative accessories.
Note on the west side the Sphinx, ram's head, and swan's head of
the thrones, and on the east side the recumbent Triton.
The reliefs were also elaborately painted, though to-day the
colour must be inferred from the inequalities of the surface of the-
marble, due to the unequal protecting powers of the different

Casts of Archaic Sculpture. 9»
colours. There were an egg and tongue pattern on the lower
moulding, a maeander pattern on parts of the upper moulding, and
palmettes on two of the thrones. Ornaments were also added in
bronze, for which rivet-holes remain in the marble.
100-127. Sculptures from Naucratis and Rhodes. —
The architectural fragments belong to the first and second temples
of Apollo at Naucratis, a city in the Nile Delta, which was granted
by Amasis (564-526 B.C.) to Greeks trading in Egypt. The
fragments found were scanty, owing to the scarcity of building-stone
in the Delta. In the smaller sculptures (in the table-case and shade)
we have a series of Greek archaic works, with many traces of
Egyptian influence in the subjects, costumes and ornaments.
Some early statuettes from Rhodes, which also show a strong
Egyptian influence, are in the same table-case.
130. Fragment from Delos. — Fragment of a foot of a
colossal statue of Apollo, together with a part of the plinth in
the same block. This is a fragment of a colossal statue, which is
known, by the inscription still extant, to have been dedicated by
the Naxians at Delos. The fact of its having been accidentally
overthrown is mentioned by Plutarch.
205. Figure of Apollo (?) standing. From Boeotia.
206. Figure of Apollo (?) standing. From Lemnos (?). From
the collection of Lord Strangford.
There has been some controversy with respect to these figures,
and others of the same class, whether they represent Apollo or
athletes, or simply figures for a tomb. But no doubt the type was
used for any of the three purposes. In more fully developed
sculpture the artist learnt to distinguish. The forms of his gods
became softer, and those of his athletes more muscular.
208. Head of Apollo. The sharply cut outlines of the features,
and the wiry character of the hair, suggest that this head is a copy
of an archaic work in bronze.
3*. A female (?) head, a remarkable specimen of archaic Greek
sculpture. It is probably the work of an Attic sculptor of the end
of the sixth century B.C. It is of uncertain origin, but was pro
bably brought from Greece by the traveller Philip Barker Webb
early in the century. Presented by R. W. Webb, Esq.
Casts of Archaic Sculpture. — The Archaic Room contains a
small series of casts of archaic sculpture, to supplement the
originals. 135-137. Casts from Selinus.— Selinus, a colony of Megara,
in. the south-west of Sicily, was founded about 628 B.C. The

10 The Archaic Room.
temple (<3oinmonly known as C), from which the sculptures,
nos. 135-137, were obtained, is the oldest temple on the acropolis of
that town, and it is therefore probable that its construction was begun
not long after the foundation of the city. The earlier sculptures are
therefore assigned to the beginning of the sixth -century B.C.
They represent a chariot group ; Heracles carrying off the robber
dwarfs, the Kerkopes, tied to his bow ; Perseus cutting off the
head of the Gorgon Medusa. In the last, the sculptor attempts, to,
express two successive events in one scene, for Medusa clasps in her
arms the horse Pegasus, which did not spring into existence till
after she was decapitated.
138-139. Casts of two metopes, from a somewhat later temple
at Selinus, with subjects taken from the war of the gods and
giants. 160-183. Casts of Sculptures from Aegina. — The large
groups on the walls of the room are casts from the figures that
once filled the pediments (or gables) of the temple of Athene at
Aegina. They were excavated in 1811 by a party of English and
German explorers, and the sculptures discovered were purchased in
1812 by the Crown Prince of Bavaria. The principal figures were
restored at Rome by Thorwaldsen and J. M. Wagner. In 1817
the collection was placed in the Glyptothek at Munich.
The Aeginetan sculptures belong to the latest stage of archaic
Greek art, and are the most important extant works of that period.
They are assigned to about 480 B.C. A minute analysis of the
sculptures shows that the east pediment is distinctly more
advanced than the west in the expression of emotion, in the
rendering of drapery, of the features, the beards, the veins ; and
in the general proportions. In each pediment the subject is a
¦contest for the body of a fallen warrior, waged between Greeks
and Trojans. In the west pediment the kneeling archer is
probably Paris. In the east pediment, Heracles is fighting with
the Greeks, and it is therefore thought that the scene is a battle
in the war which Telamon of Aegina, aided by Heracles, waged
against Laomedon, king of Troy. In each case Athene was
standing in the middle, as if presiding over the combat. It may
be noted that there is an archaic formality in her pose and in the
oomposition of the drapery, which shows that the artist has adopted
a traditional type of temple-image.
2*. Cast from Delphi.— Bronze charioteer, found by the
French excavators at Delphi, in May, 1896. A part of the
inscription on the base was also found, stating that the dedication
was made by Polyzalos. This was no doubt the brother of the
Syracusan tyrants Gelon and Hieron, and the date of the statue
must be placed between 482 and 472 b.c. The sculptor is
unknown, but the name of Calamis has been suggested. The
statue is an admirable example of ripe archaic art. The long

Casts of Archaic Sculpture. 11
-flowing robe is the characteristic costume of charioteers. Compare
¦the friezes of the Parthenon and the Mausoleum.
190-192. Casts of Sculptures from Olympia.— On the
west wall are casts of two metopes from the temple of Zeus, at
Olympia, erected about 460 B.C. The subjects are : (190) Heracles
subduing the Cretan bull. The main parts of this metope were
discovered by a French expedition to the Morea in 1829.
•(191) Heracles supporting the vault of heaven in the place of
'the Titan, Atlas, who was relieved of his load by Heracles in order
that he might fetch the golden apples of the Hesperides. This
metope was found in the German excavations of 1876.
192. Cast of a statue of Victory, by Paionios of Mende. Victory
:is supposed to be moving forward through mid-air. One foot rests
lightly on the back of an eagle, beneath which is a rock. On the
pedestal was an inscription recording that the Victory was offered
as a tithe of spoil to Olympian Zeus by the Messenians and
Naupactians, and that the author was Paionios of Mende.
Pausanias was inclined to think that the inscription referred to a
war of the Messenians against the Acarnanians (452 B.C.) ; but the
Messenians of his time supposed that the statue was erected soon
after the defeat of the Spartans at Sphacteria in 424 B.C. Dis-
• covered by the German excavators at Olympia, and now in the
Museum at Olympia.
[Between the Room of Archaic Sculpture and the Ephesus Room
is a small Ante-Room leading into the Ephesus Room, and thence
into the Elgin Room.]

ANTE-ROOM.f
209. In. this Ante-room archaic sculpture is represented by a
.statue of Apollo, formerly in the collection of Choiseul-Gouffier,
for many years French Ambassador at the Porte. The missing left
hand held some attribute, perhaps a branch, for which there is a
niark of attachment by the left knee. The right hand, which rested
on the stump beside the right leg, seems to have held a strap.
Apart from its somewhat formal beauty, this statue is interesting,
because it is one of several replicas of a lost original, presumed to
be the work of some famous sculptor — perhaps Calamis. Two
replicas of the head are exhibited at the side of the statue.
1300. On the opposite side of the ante-room is a seated statue
•of Demeter (Ceres), found by Sir C. T. Newton in the sanctuary
•of Demeter at Cnidos. The artist appears to have sought to repre-
f See the Catalogue of Sculpture, Vol. I., Part I., and Vol. II. (in preparation).

12 " . Ante-Room.
sent the sorrow of the goddess for the loss of her daughter Perse
phone (Proserpine). The statue is of singular dignity and beauty.
It is obvious that it belongs to a much later period than the tore-
going, and it is usually assigned to the middle of the fourth
century B.C. ,
Some votive pigs, dedicated to Demeter, and found in the same
place, are shown in one of the wall-cases.
1506. Behind the Demeter is a male head (from Cyrene),
interesting for the treatment of the eyes. The whites of the eyes
remain, as inlaid pieces of marble, surrounded by plates of bronze.
The pupils, now wanting, were inlaid in a different colour.
The wall-cases on either side of the Apollo contain (1) sculptures,
of a small size from the excavations at Cyrene ; (2) miscellaneous
statuettes. [We pass through the Ephesus Room (see p. 68) and next
examine the contents of the Elgin Room.]

ELGIN ROOM.*
SUBJECT .—THE SCULPTURES OF THE PARTHENON,
AND OTHER ATHENIAN BUILDINGS.
The Elgin Room is thus named in honour of Thomas Bruce,
seventh Earl of Elgin (1766-1841), whose collection forms a
large part of its contents. Lord Elgin was appointed British
Ambassador to the Porte in 1799. On his appointment he resolved
to make his time of office of service to the cause of art, and
accordingly engaged a body of five architects, draughtsmen and
formatori, under Lusieri, a Neapolitan portrait painter, to make
casts, plans and drawings from the remains in Greece, and more
particularly at Athens. While the work was in progress Lord
Elgin became aware of the rapid destruction that was taking place
in the sculptures of Athens. The success of the British arms in
Egypt having made the disposition of the Porte favourable to the
British Ambassador, a firman was obtained which sanctioned the
removal of the sculptures.
The whole pollection formed by Lord Elgin's agents was, after long negotia
tions and an enquiry by a Select Committee of the House of Commons, purchased
of Lord Elgin for £35,000 in 1816. It consists of sculptures and architectural
fragments from the Parthenon, the Erechtheion, and other Athenian buildings ;
casts, which have now become of great value, from the Parthenon, the Theseion',
and the Monument of Lysicrates ; a considerable number of Greek reliefs and
inscriptions, principally from Athens ; fragments from Mycenae and elsewhere ;
drawings and plans.
% For a full description of this room see the Catalogue of Sculpture, Vol. I.
(3e.), Parts II., III. (sold separately at la. each).

¦The Parthenon.

13

14 Elgin Room.
If it is necessary to justify the conduct of Lord Elgin, in respect of action*
which have from time to time been severely censured, it must be pointed out that-
the Parthenon marbles were suffering daily injury, and that there was no
prospect of better care being taken of them. In the fifty years immediately
before Lord Elgin four figures had entirely disappeared from the west pediment,
and others had been much injured. The frieze was suffering m the same
manner, and the Athenians of that day thought that they heard the sculptures-
that were removed groaning for the fate of those that were left behind.
A further justification of his action is supplied by the additional deterioration
which the sculptures that were left in position have suffered since Lord Elgin's
time. If the visitor will examine the two series of casts of the west frieze of
the Parthenon (p. 35. Exhibited behind the east pediment) he will have
conclusive evidence on this point. The upper series of casts were taken from
the frieze in 1872, and the lower series were taken by Lord Elgin. The later
series are the better casts, but the earlier series contain so much that has since
perished that they are now of great value. (For further details see p. 35.) A
careful comparison of photographs made in 1897 with the casts taken in 1872
shows further lamentable injuries — partly in the loss of particular fragments,
and partly ia tbe scaling away of the original surface.
It may be added that Lord Elgin's agents refrained to a large extent from
taking sculptures whose removal would involve injury to the surrounding-
architecture. For this reason they took casts of the west frieze, and left the-
south-west angle metope in its place. The only concomitant injury suffered by
the Parthenon was the loss of "some of the cornice above the metopes of the
south side, and at the south end of the east pediment.
THE PAKTHENOTT.
The sculptures of the Parthenon illustrate the style of Pheidias,.
the greatest of Greek sculptors.
Pheidias, son of Charmides, the Athenian, was born about 500'
B.C. He was a pupil of the sculptor Ageladas, of Argos, or, accord
ing to others, of Hegias or Hegesias, of Athens. His youth was
passed during the period of the Persian wars, and his maturity was
principally devoted to the adornment of Athens, from the funds
contributed by the allied Greek states during the administration of
Pericles. Among the chief of the works of this period was the Parthenon,
or temple of the virgin Goddess Athene. The architect was
Ictinos, but the sculptural decorations, and probably the design of
the temple, were planned and executed under the superintendence
of Pheidias. The building was probably begun about B.C. 447
(according to Michaelis, B.C. 454). It was sufficiently advanced to
receive the statue of the Parthenos in B.C. 438, and was probably
completed either in that year or a little later. There are traces of
a similar, but somewhat smaller, temple on the same site. It is a
matter of controversy, however, whether these are the remains of a
temple which was burnt in the sack of Athens by the Persians,
B.C. 480, or whether they belong to a structure begun but never
completed after the Persian wars. Like the earlier temple, the
Parthenon was of the Doric order of architecture, and was of the
form termed peripteral* oc tastyle ; that is to say, it was surrounded
by a colonnade, which had eight columns at each end. The
architectural arrangements can be best learnt from the model

iA

S M -L I d V "1

a nv

5-
3

swlloia swaisnaara

s x o i a v H 3

^>jnvxN33 53JOX3

A U -I V A W 0

o

1 •

• <

!•"-•— •--

¦

ul0.

•
-iu o
z 2
S
j
O
1- o:
•
h
4 4
«
<
:
1 •
• <
b---o— « y
VICTIMS TRAYS felC- ELDERS CHARIOTS
PITCHERS IANS 
CAVA
O lo
QUJ O
o
°-oa ¦*>,
z*o
UJ t\)
Z
S
Zm<n °
Z:"- i
16

Elgin Room.

which is exhibited in this room. A view is given in fig. 3. See
also the plan (fig. 4) and the sectional elevation (fig- 5). The
principal chamber (cello) within the colonnade contained the
¦colossal statue of Athene Parthenos, now only preserved to us in
copies of insignificant size (see below, nos. 300-302). The place
occupied by the statue is marked ' Athene Parthenos ' in the plan.

Tig. 5.-Sectional view of the East End of the Parthenon. (After G. Niemann.)

-/n^rS^1 5ewati°n^-tl>e outside°f «le building were:
<1 (The East and West Pediment groups which filled the
pediments or gables at the ends of the building (2) The Metrmpa
•or square panels, adorned with groups in very high relief • these

? The Parthenon. 17
served to fill up the spaces between the triglyphs,. or sets of vertical
bands, which are supposed to have once represented beam-ends.
(3) The Frieze, a continuous band of low relief which ran along
the side walls of the cella, and above the two rows of six columns
immediately attached to it. (See figs. 4, 5.) The whole was
executed in marble obtained from the quarries of the neighbouring
hill, Pentelicus. These several groups of sculpture are described
below. Later History of the Parthenon.
The statue of the Parthenos is known to have been in existence
about 430 a.d. ; but not long after this date the figure was removed,
and the Parthenon was converted into a Christian church. After
various changes, it was converted in 1460 into a Turkish Mosque,
like the Church of St. Sophia at Constantinople and the Gothic
Cathedrals of Cyprus.
From this date it probably suffered little until 1687, when Athens
was taken by the Venetian General, Morosini. In the course of a
bombardment of the Acropolis, the besiegers succeeded in throwing
a shell into a powder magazine in the Parthenon, and caused an
explosion that destroyed the roof and much of the long "sides of the
building. Further injury was done by Morosini, who made an
attempt to take down the central group of the west pediment,
which was still nearly complete.
Fortunately, many of the sculptures had been drawn by a skilful
artist before the explosion. In 1674, a painter in the suite of
the Marquis de Nointel, French ambassador at the Porte, commonly
supposed to have been Jacques Carrey, made sketches of large
portions of the frieze and metopes, and of the then extant portions
of the pedimental compositions. These drawings are preserved in
the French Bibliotheque Rationale, and are constantly referred to
in discussions of the Parthenon sculptures.
In 1688 Athens was restored to the Turks, and from this date
to the end of the last century the sculptures of the Parthenon
were exposed to constant injury. Some of them were made into
lime, or built into walls by the Turkish garrison; others were
mutilated by the travellers who from time to time obtained
admission to the Acropolis, and broke off portable fragments of the
sculptures. In 1749, when the west pediment was drawn by R. Dalton, many
figures still remained in position which had disappeared before the
time of Lord Elgin. Several portions also of the frieze, which were
seen by Stuart (1752), had disappeared at the beginning of the present
century. On the other hand, the east pediment, being inaccessible,
suffered no important change between 1674 and 1800. An account
has already been given above of the proceedings of Lord Elgin's
agents at the beginning of the present century.
Several portions of the sculptures of the Parthenon have been
discovered since the time of Lord Elgin on the Acropolis and its
c

18 Elgin Room.
slopes, or in various parts of Europe, to which they had been
taken by travellers. These are represented as far as possible in
the British Museum by plaster casts.
The following aids to the study of the Parthenon will be found
in the Elgin Room : — •
Model of the Athenian Acropolis, showing the results of the
recent excavations.
Model of the Parthenon. The model was made by R. C. Lucas,
on a scale of a foot to 20 feet, and represents the state of the
temple in 1687, after the explosion, but before Morosini had
attacked the west pediment.
Carrey's drawings of the pediments. Photographic reproductions
of the originals are exhibited. (See also figs. 6, 7.)
A restored view of the Athenian Acropolis. By Richard Bohn.
View of the Parthenon in 1802. By Sir R. Smirke.
[A series of facsimiles of Carrey's drawings, and other materials
are also kept in the Elgin Room. For permission to use them,
visitors should apply to the Keeper of the Department.]
STATUE OF ATHENE PARTHENOS.
The colossal statue of Athene Parthenos by Pheidias was placed
within the central chamber of the Parthenon. The figure was
made of gold and ivory, and was, with its base, about 40 feet high.
Athene stood, draped in chiton and aegis. In her left hand she
held her spear and shield. Between her and her shield was the
serpent Erichthonios. On her outstretched right hand was a
winged Victory, six feet high, holding a wreath. The helmet of
the goddess was adorned with a Sphinx and Gryphons, two figures
of Pegasus, and a row of small horses. All available spaces were
covered with reliefs. In particular there was a battle between
Greeks and Amazons (see below, no. 302) on the outside of the
shield. 300. Cast of a statuette, copied from the Athene Parthenos.
This figure, which was found at Athens in 1880 (and from the
place of its discovery is usually known as ' the Varvakion Athene ')
gives a fair idea of the general form of the colossal figure.
301. Another cast of a statuette copied from the Athene
Parthenos. This figure, which was found at Athens in 1860 (and
is usually known as the Lenormant copy), is unfinished, but gives
rough indications of the reliefs, namely, the battle of Greeks and
Amazons on the shield, and the birth of Pandora on the plinth
l «Q, , p ^ castTof *he %fUre is taken from a torso discovered in
1897 at Patau. Judging from what remains, this would have
been the most important of the three copies, if it had been more
complete. 302. Fragment of shield supposed to be a rouo-h coov from
the shield of the statue of Athene Parthenos. A comparison with

The Parthenon.

19

the last number and with other copies makes the origin of this
T-elief (called after its previous owner, Viscount Strangf ord, ' the
Strangford shield ') fairly certain. It is even possible to identify
two of the figures — a bald-headed figure with
¦a battle-axe, and a Greek with face half
hidden — as those which later Greek tradition,
preserved for us by Plutarch, called Pheidias
and Pericles, and connected with a charge
said to have been made against Pheidias of
impiety in placing the portraits in so sacred
a place.
THE SCULPTURES OF THE
PARTHENON.
The marbles of the Parthenon are ac
counted, by the consent of artists and critics,
"to be the finest series of sculptures in the
-world. In the art of Pheidias complete
-technical mastery has been acquired, and
sculpture is freed from its archaic fetters. It
3s, however, still pervaded by a certain grave
dignity and simplicity which is wanting in the
more sensuous, more florid, or more conven
tional works of a later time.
EASTERN PEDIMENT OF THE
PARTHENON.
303. We know from Pausanias (L, 24, 5)
"that the subject of the composition in the
Eastern Pediment had relation to the birth.
•of Athene, who, according to the legend,
sprang forth, fully armed, from the brain of
.Zeus. As all the central part of this com
position was . already destroyed when Carrey
made his drawing of the pediment, we have
no means of ascertaining how the subject
¦was treated, though a certain amount of
¦evidence as to the grouping of the figures
can be obtained from marks on the floor of
the pediment.
It can hardly be doubted, however, that
figures of Zeus and Athene occupied the
middle of the pediment, and from analogy
with other representations of the incident it
is likely that Zeus was enthroned, and Athene standing erect, in
full armour, while Hephaestos (see below, H) was starting back,
.after cleaving the skull of Zeus. r 9

20 • Elgin Room.
Though the central group is missing, a general view of the
pedimental figures shows the skill with which the groups are com-
posed to harmonise with the raking Unes of the upper cornice ot the
pediment. It must also be observed that there is a subtle
gradation in the emotion and interest shown by the figures taken
in order from the middle outwards. In this way, although vigorous
action was represented in the middle of the pediments, the artist
has been able, by introducing figures in deep repose, to prevent an
effect of undue restlessness, and to make the whole monumental.
If we confine our attention to the extant pedimental figures, we
find wide differences of opinion as to their interpretation. The
figures in the angles are the only ones as to which there can be no
doubt. On the left the sun-god, Helios, rises from the ocean,
driving his car, and on the right the moon-goddess Selene sets
beneath the horizon.
These two figures may be interpreted as marking the boundaries
either of Olympos or of the universe. It has also been suggested
that they indicate the hour at which the birth took place. This,
according to Attic tradition, was at sunrise.
As to the remaining figures, numerous interpretations have been
suggested, but none are certain. They may be divided into two
classes, according as they regard the figures as definite mythological
persons, such as Theseus, or personifications of parts of the natural
world, such as Mount Olympos.
Taking the figures of the East Pediment in order, we have : — •
303 A, B, C. Helios, the sun-god, rising with his horses from
the waves, which are shown rippling about the group. Bronze
rivet-holes show the original positions of the metal reins and horse
trappings. Helios must be regarded as standing in a four-horsed
chariot, with arms outstretched to hold the reins. Two of the
horses' heads are still in place in the pediment.
303 D. This figure is commonly known as Theseus, though'
there is in truth very little probability that the name is correct.
He has also been called Heracles, or Dionysos, or (as a personifi
cation of nature) Mount Olympos. He reclines, in easy position on
a rock, covered first with a skin, perhaps of a lion, but probably of
a panther, and secondly with a mantle. In the hands, now lost, he
may have held a long staff (in the left), and a cup (in the right).
He shows no consciousness of the events passing in the centre of
the pediment.
From this figure, more than from any other that is preserved to
us, we obtain an idea of the serene grandeur and simple power of
sculptures of the school of Pheidias.
303 E, F. Two female figures seated on square seats. They are
grouped in a way that suggests affectionate intimacy. The figure
on the right seems to be learning the news of the birth of the
goddess with emotion and surprise. The names commonly given
to this pair are Demeter and Persephone (Ceres and Proserpine)

East Pediment of Parthenon. .21
F being the mother and E the daughter. They have also been
taken for two of the Horae, or Seasons, who, so Homer tells us
{II. v., 749; viii., 393), were the wardens of the cloud-gates of
Heaven. 303 G. Iris (?) — This figure is moving rapidly away from the
central group. The left arm was probably extended; the right
was bent nearly at a right angle. Both hands probably held parts
of the mantle, of which a remnant floats behind, bellied out by the
resistance of the air to the rapid movement of the figure. The
arms of this figure are small in proportion to the strength of the
lower limbs, and the breasts undeveloped like those of a young girl.
This would be consistent with the type of Iris as the swift messenger
of Zeus and Hera. From the rapid movement of the figure in a
direction turned away from the centre of the composition,
archaeologists have been nearly unanimous in thinking that the
figure is Iris on her way to announce the event of the birth to the
world outside Olympos. But according to the usual language of Greek
art, the action is that of one starting aside in alarm, rather than of
steady flight. Moreover, the wings of Iris are wanting, and for
these reasons various alternative names have been proposed* such
as Eileithyia, the goddess who attends on birth, Hebe, or simply
an alarmed maiden.
303 H. Cast of a torso of Hephaestos or Prometheus.
We have now reached the central group, ' as to which all is
uncertain. This powerful torso (exhibited under the frieze) was
found on the east side of the Parthenon. The action of the
shoulders, and of the muscles of the ribs and back, shows that the
arms were raised. Perhaps both hands held an axe above the
head, and we may suppose that the personage would not have been
omitted through whose act of cleaving the head of Zeus with an
axe the birth of Athene was accomplished. In the most generally
diffused version of the myth this was done by Hephaestos, but
Attic tradition preferred to attribute the deed to Prometheus.
303 J. Nik&, or Victory. Torso of a female figure, moving
rapidly to the front, and to our left, with the right arm extended
in the same direction. On each shoulder-blade is a deep oblong
sinking, which can only have served for the insertion of the wings.
It may be inferred from the size of these sinkings that the wings
were of marble, not metal.
It has generally been taken for granted that this figure belongs
to the eastern pediment, and it is said to have been found at the
east end of the temple. It has, however, been occasionally
identified with a figure (N) drawn by Carrey beside the car of
Amphitrite, in the west pediment. In such a position it could
hardly be a Victory, an interpretation which the wings make
probable. Moreover, the left arm, when complete, must have been
raised higher than that of Carrey's figure (see fig. 7, N).
303 K, L, M. (Plate I.) Group of three female figures (or, per
haps, a group of two, with a third figure less closely associated, the

22 Elgin Room.
figure K being made of a different block from L and M). la
this beautiful group, commonly known as ' The Fates,' we have
the same subtle gradation of interest in the central event that has.
been already observed in the figures D, E,- F. The 'figure K half
turned her head towards the centre (see Carrey's drawing) ; L
appears about to spring up, and the motive forms a contrast to
that of the reclining figure (M), whose right arm rests in her
companion's- lap, and whose tranquil attitude and averted gaze,,
shown by Carrey's drawing to have been directed towards the
angle of the pediment, seem to indicate that the news of the birth
has not yet reached her.
In the absence of any distinctive attributes it is impossible to
name the figures with certainty. The chief reason for calling them
the Fates is, that the Fates occur on a representation of the myth,
now at Madrid. Some interpreters have taken them for personifica
tions of the dew, or of the clouds. Those writers who regard K as
separate from L and M have called K Hestia, the hearth-goddess,
while L and M have been called Aphrodite in the lap of Thalassa,
(the Sea), or of Peitho, or Thalassa in the lap of Gaia (the Earth).
The 'traditional name seems to have at least as good a claim to
acceptance as the suggested alternatives.
303 N, O. Selene (cast) and one of her horses. The moon-
goddess, driving her team (two heads still remain on the pediment),
sets below the sea, while the sun rises on the opposite horizon. An.
alternative name suggested for this figure is Nyx (the Night), on the
ground that Selene is usually a rider, in art of the fine period.
The horse's head presents, as might have been expected, a marked
contrast in motive to the pair in the opposite angle. The heads of
the horses of Helios are thrown up with fiery impatience as they
spring from the waves ; the downward inclination of the head here
described indicates that the car of Selene is about to set. This
horse's head (0) is counted the finest rendering of the subject that
survives in ancient art.
WESTERN PEDIMENT OF THE PARTHENON.
304. The subject of the Western Pediment of the Parthenon,
according to Pausanias (i., 24, 5), was the strife of Poseidon with
Athene for the soil of Attica. This contest, according to tradition,
took place on the Acropolis itself. Athene on this occasion showed
her power by making the soil produce the olive-tree; Poseidon,
striking the ground with his trident, produced a salt spring, or,
according to another and later version, a horse. The victory in the
contest was adjudged to Athene. The spot where this double
miracle took place was marked in subsequent times by the joint
temple of Erechtheus and Athene Polias, within the precincts of
which were the sacred olive-tree produced by Athene and the salt-
spring of Poseidon.
In the time of Carrey the composition in this pediment was

West Pediment of Parthenon.

23

nearly perfect, and to understand the torsos which remain referenoe
should be made to Carrey's drawing or to the wax reconstruction of
the figures, after Carrey, on the large model of the Parthenon.
The great destruction of the west
ern pediment since it was seen by
Carrey may have been partly due to
the explosion during the siege, but
was chiefly the work of the Venetian
General Morosini'. After taking the
Acropolis he tried to lower the horses
of the car of Athene, but the tackle
he used broke, and this matchless
group fell to the ground. If the
fragments had been then collected
and put together, much of this
beautiful design might have been
saved ; but they remained on the
spot where they fell for more than
a century, during which the destruc
tion was in constant progress.
All that remained in position in
the western pediment when Lord
Elgin's agents came to Athens were
the figures B and C in the north
angle, and in the south angle the
lower part of the reclining female
figure W ; and these are still in
their original position, being repre
sented by casts in the Elgin collection.
The central figures are undoubt
edly Athene and Poseidon, and the
figures in the angles are generally
regarded as river-gods ; but all the
rest are doubtful. It is commonly
thought that the figures to the left
of Athene are Attic deities or heroes,
who would sympathise actively with
her in the contest which is the sub
ject of the pediment, while those to
the right of Poseidon are the subor
dinate marine deities who would
naturally be present as the supporters
of the Ruler of the sea.
Another system of interpretation
(Brunn) seeks to show that the west
pediment contains a personified representation of the whole coast
of Attica, from the borders of Megaris to Cape Sunium.
More recently it has been suggested that the supporters of
.Athene are Cecrops and his family, while Erechtheus and his

24 Elgin Room.
daughters are on the side of Poseidon (Furtwa'engler), and the two
early Attic heroes are thus associated with the two deities. The
main objection is that only one figure (that of Cecrops) can be
identified with any degree of certainty.
304 A. Ilissos or Kephissos.— This figure, reclining in the
angle of the pediment, is generally considered to be a river-god,
and is popularly known as the Ilissos, though it may equally well
represent the Kephissos. The figure, when complete, may have
been represented as turning its head towards the central scene and
in the act of rising. It has been long and deservedly celebrated
for the perfection of its anatomy.
304 B, C. Cecrops and Pandrosos (cast). — This group
still remains in the pediment at Athens, though much injured by
exposure to the weather. It consists of a male figure grouped with
a female figure, who has thrown herself in haste on both knees,
with one arm round the neck of her companion. Her action
expresses surprise at the event occurring in the centre of the
pediment. On the ground between the pair is a convex mass, which
has been recognised to be part of the coil of a large serpent. The
remainder of this serpent may be seen at the back of the group,
passing under the left hand of the male figure. In front of this
hand is a marble fragment of the serpent from the Elgin collection.
The close association of the serpent with the male figure suggests
the earth-born Cecrops, who in literature, and often in art, is
represented as himself half serpent. According to the myth he
acted as judge in the contest between Athene and Poseidon. If we
adopt this attribution, then the female figure so intimately asso
ciated with him would be one of the daughters of Cecrops, perhaps
Pandrosos. 304 D-G. Of the following figures shown in Carrey's drawing
only slight fragments remain. [See the Catalogue of Sculpture, I.,
p. 122.] The figure G, who acts as charioteer to Athene, has been
generally recognised as Nike (Victory). The only fragment which
can be attributed with any probability to this figure is a head,
obtained from Venice by Count de Laborde (no. 339, 1). A cast
is exhibited (p. 37).
304 H. Hermes (?). — In the background, between the figure
G and the horses, Carrey gives a male figure (H), who looks back
at the charioteer, while he moves forward in the same direction as
the horses. The figure drawn by Carrey has been generally recog
nised in the torso in the Museum, which has lost the head and
lower limbs since Carrey's time.
304 L, M. Athene and Poseidon. The Athene of which
L is the remnant is drawn by Carrey moving rapidly to the left;
her right arm, broken off above the elbow, is advanced horizontally
in the same- direction, while her head was turned back towards
Poseidon. The torso of Poseidon now consists of three parts, of which the

Metopes of Parthenon. 25
upper part is the original fragment from the Elgin collection, while
the lower part is cast from two fragments at Athens. It appears
from Carrey's drawing that Poseidon was starting back in a
direction contrary to that of Athene, while he also was looking
back towards the middle of the pediment.
Though we know from Pausanias that the strife between Athene
and Poseidon for the soil of Attica was the subject of the western
pediment, the exact action represented by the central group cannot
be determined. Probably the two gods have each produced their
respective tokens— an olive-tree and a salt spring — and are drawing
slightly apart, while their looks are directed inwards.
On the right of the central scene was, first, the figure N, perhaps
a Nereid, now entirely lost, unless we identify it with the supposed
Victory of the east pediment. (See no. 303 J.)
304 O. Torso of the charioteer of Poseidon, either Amphitrite,
his queen, or perhaps a Nereid. It should be noted that this figure
was not seated, as Carrey has drawn it, but must have been
standing with the body thrown back and the arms extended in
front, like the charioteer (no. 33) in the north frieze. .
304 P, Q. Of the complicated group of figures that folio* in
Carrey's drawing little now remains except the lower part of the
draped female figure (Q) with the boy (P) standing beside her. Of
this boy, the upper part was only lately identified, having been
previously taken for a fragment of a metope. If we assume that
she is a marine goddess, the name Leucothea seems the best
attribution, and the youth at her side would then be Palaemon.
It has lately been suggested that she is the Attic maid Oreithyia,
between her two sons by the wind-god Boreas (Furtwaengler), but
there is very doubtful authority for supposing that a young Boread
would have been represented without wings.
304 V, W. Like the figure on the left (A) these two are
usually taken for river-gods, such as Ilissos, or Kephissos, and
Callirrhoe the celebrated Athenian fountain, but the arguments in
favour of the interpretation are weak. Both are casts, the originals
being at Athens.

305-323.— METOPES OF THE PARTHENON.
The Metopes of the Parthenon are sculptured blocks which were
inserted in the spaces, metbpae, left between the ends of the beams
of the roof. These ends were represented by slabs, called triglyphs,
from the three parallel vertical bands cut in them. Reference to
the model of the Parthenon will show the relative position of the
metopes and triglyphs.
The Parthenon had originally ninety-two metopes, thirty-two of which were
on each of the long sides, and fourteen at each end. Many of these are now
only preserved in the drawings by Carrey, having been destroyed in th& great
explosion. Unfortunately, however, Carrey was only able to sketch the metopes

26 Elgin Room.
of the south side. Forty-one metopes still remain on the temple, but are for the-
most part so decayed through time and weather that there is great difficulty in.
making out their subject. The British Museum possesses fifteen original
metopes brought from Athens by Lord Elgin. His contemporary, Choiseui-
Gouffier, while ambassador at Constantinople, obtained one more (no.,313),
which is now in the Louvre. These sixteen metopes are all from the south side
of the Parthenon. The first metope on the south side, reclaming from the south
west angle, is still in position on the temple; the second on the temple is the-
first of the series of fifteen in the Museum. The relation of the metopes in the
Museum to the building is shown on the ground plan (fig. 4).
The subjects of the metopes in the Museum are taken from the=
contest between the Centaurs and Lapiths at the marriage-feast.
of PeirithoSs.
The sculpture is in the highest relief attainable in marble, '
large portions of some of the figures being carved in the round!
so as to stand out quite free of the background. There is a.
remarkable inequality of style in the sculpture. Thus, for example,.-
nos. 319, 320 show traces of archaic feeling, and while no. 309s
appears to be the work of an indifferent artist, nos. 310, 316, 317
are admirable.

Fig. 8.— Metopes 308, 309, from Carrey.
305. The Lapith throttles the Centaur.
307. The heads of both the figures are cast from originals at-
Copenhagen, whither they appear to have been sent by an officer
serving at the siege of the Acropolis in 1687.
308, 309. The action of these metopes is explained by a
reference to Carrey's drawing. The cast of the head of the
Centaur, in no. 308, was added in 1897. The original is- at-
Wurzburg. 310. This spirited metope, like no. 307, illustrates the scattered.
condition of the Parthenon sculptures. The original head of the-
Centaur is at Athens, and that of the Lapith is in the Louvre.
312. The Centaur has the advantage. The Lapith is thrown.
down over a large wine vessel; the Centaur has grasped his left-
leg with his left hand, rolling him back on the jar.

The Parthenon Frieze. 27
313, 314. Casts. The originals are in the Louvre, and at
Athens, respectively. Between 314 and 315 followed thirteen
metopes which were drawn by Carrey. They were in the part of
the temple that was overthrown by the explosion, and only a few
fragments now survive.
315. The Centaur's hands are raised to strike with some
weapon, perhaps the branch of a tree.
318. The Centaur carries off a Lapith woman. Carrey's draw
ing shows that his right hand grasped her right arm at the back of
his head.
322. Cast from a metope of the north side, still in position at
the north-west angle of the temple.
323. Cast from the first of the metopes of the west side. The
figure may be a mounted Amazon.

THE FRIEZE OF THE PARTHENON.
The Frieze of the Parthenon is a continuous band of sculpture in
low relief, which encircled and crowned the central chamber or
cella of the temple, together with the smaller porticoes that
immediately adjoined each end of it.
The frieze is nearly 3 ft. 4 in. high. The length of each end was 69 ft. 6 in. f
the length of each long side was 191 ft. 11 in. The length of the entire frieze
was therefore 522 ft. 10 in.
The frieze, which was nearly complete in the time of Carrey, suffered greatly
in the explosion, particularly about the middle of the two long sides. The-
drawings of Carrey are unfortunately only of partial assistance in the recon
struction of the missing portions, since he only had time to draw a little more
than half of the entire frieze.
Of the entire frieze, the British Museum possesses about 241 ft. 2§ in. (or
46-l per cent.) in the originals, and 171 ft. 11£ in. (or 32-9 per cent.) in casts;.
62 ft. 3 in. (or 11 -9 per cent.) is preserved in drawings only, and 47 ft. 5 in. (or
9 • 1 per cent.) is entirely lost. The slabs are arranged as far as possible in their
original order, but it is necessary to bear in mind that, owing to the absence of a.
considerable portion, several slabs, not formerly connected, are here brought into-
juxtaposition, and that the effect of the whole frieze is in one sense reversed, by
being made an internal, instead of an external, decoration. The relation of the-
various parts of the frieze to the plan of the building is shown on the ground
plan (fig. 4).
The precise occasion of the incident shown in the Parthenon frieze
is a matter of discussion, but it is manifest that it represents a
formal and ceremonial procession, in which the Greeks, and more
particularly the Athenians, took a passionate delight. In the
presence of a company of spectators, seated (and no doubt divine)
and standing, we see a long retinue of maidens, cattle, musicians,
elders, chariots and horsemen. Each part of the procession seems
to move in the manner suited to its own character, the maidens-
with graceful ease, the elders with slow dignity, and the cavalry in
a prancing tumult, while an unrivalled measure of life and beauty
pervades the whole.

28 Elgin Room.
The subject of the frieze of the Parthenon is generally considered
to be the Panathenaio Procession at Athens.
The Panathenaio festival, held in honour of Athene Polias, the
tutelary deity of the Athenian Acropolis, had been celebrated from
remote antiquity. A solemn sacrifice, equestrian and gymnastic
contests, and the Pyrrhic dance, were all included in the cere
monial ; but its principal feature was the offering of a new robe,
peplos, to the goddess on her birthday. The peplos of Athene was
a woven mantle renewed every four years. On the ground, which
is described as dark violet and also as saffron-coloured, was inter
woven the battle of the Gods and the Giants, in which Zeus and
Athene were represented. It was used to drape the rude wooden
image of Athene.
The festival was originally an annual one, but after a time it was
celebrated once every four years with more splendour and solemnity.
On the birthday of the goddess the procession which conveyed
the peplos to her temple assembled in the outer Cerameicos, and
passed through the lower city round the Acropolis, which it ascended
through the Propylaea. In this solemn ceremony the whole
body of Athenian citizens were represented. Among those who
are particularly mentioned as taking part in the procession were the
noble Athenian maidens, Canephori, who bore baskets (kanea), with
implements and offerings for the sacrifice; the Diphrophori, who
attended the Canephori with stools (diphroi) ; the Scaphephori,
resident aliens, whose function it was to carry certain trays (skaphae),
containing cakes and other offerings ; the aged Athenian citizens
who bore olive branches, and were hence called Thallophori. It
has also recently been ascertained that the selected maidens who
prepared the peplos took part in the Panathenaic procession. An
Attic decree of 98 B.C. records that these maidens had performed
all their duties, and "had walked in the procession in the manner
ordained with the utmost beauty and grace," and had subscribed
for a silver cup which they wished to dedicate to Athene.
At the Greater Panathenaia each town in which land had been
assigned to Athenian settlers contributed animals to the sacrifice,
perhaps a cow and two sheep. The colonies also appear to have
sent envoys who had charge of the victims.
Special chariots, used only for processions, and an escort of
Athenian cavalry and heavy infantry, completed the show. The
whole procession was marshalled and kept in order by special officers
and heralds.
When, with a knowledge of these facts, we examine the composi
tion of the frieze, we may recognise in its design the main features
of the actual procession. On the east side (see the plan, fig. 4)
a solemn act (commonly supposed to be the delivery of the peplos)
is being performed in the presence of an assembly of deities,
separated into two groups interjected among the heads of the pro
cession who have arrived and stand waiting. These deities are
supposed to be invisible, and doubtless in a picture they would have

Parthenon Frieze — East Side. 291
been placed in the background, seated in a semicircle and. looking
inwards. In the narrow space of a frieze a combined arrangement
was necessary, such as we see here. Next we see the persons
receiving the procession on each side of the middle ; at each end of
this side, and in companies occupying corresponding positions on the
two long sides (as if the procession had reached the temple, and
parted to right and left to come along the sides of it), are
Canephori, victims with their attendants, Scaphephori, musicians,
chariots, and cavalry.
On the west side, the procession is still in a state of preparation,
but its general direction is northwards, and it must therefore be
regarded as a continuation of the north side.
All through the frieze are magistrates and heralds marshalling
the order of the procession. It has been objected that many features
which we know to have formed a part of the original ceremony, as,
for instance, the ship on which the peplos was borne, are not found
on the frieze ; but Pheidias would Only select for his composition
such details from the actual procession as he considered suitable for
representation in sculpture, working, as he here did, under certain
architectonic conditions. East Frieze of the Parthenon.
324. 1. A man standing on the return face of slab xliv. (South
Frieze), looks back as if to make a signal to the procession approach
ing along the 'south side, and thus makes a connexion between the
south and east sides of the frieze.
2—16. Maidens, walking in pairs, at the head of the procession,
with bowls, jugs, and sacrificial implements of uncertain use, perhaps
the stands in which turned the ends of the spits used in roasting
the sacrifice. This would explain the ring at the top. The full
number of the maidens was sixteen, but one is lost.
17-22. A marshal heads the procession, and approaches a group
of five men, who await it. With the corresponding group of four
men (nos. 42-45) they may represent the nine Archons, or perhaps
the Athlothetae, who controlled all the arrangements.
23-29. First group of deities. The youthful elastic figure to the
left (23) must be Hermes, of whom the high boots, and the broad-
brimmed hat spread on his knees, are specially characteristic. His
right hand is pierced and has held a metallic object, probably the
herald's staff, caduceus.
24-25. For this pair of figures the names of Dionysos and
Demeter are perhaps to be preferred, since the torch is a definite
attribute of Demeter, and Dionysos would be her natural companion.
Alternative names proposed are Apollo and Artemis.
26. This is probably Ares. The somewhat negligent attitude is
that of a person tired of sitting on a seat without a back, and
clasping his knee with his hands, to relieve the spine of the weight
of the head and shoulders.
27-29. The bearded figure (no. 29) on the left of the central

30 Elgin Room.
group is distinguished from the rest by the form and ornaments of
his chair, which has a back and a side rail which is supported by a
Sphinx, while all the other figures are seated on stools. It has been
generally admitted that this deity is Zeus. It is therefore reason
able to suppose that the goddess seated next to him (no. 28) is
his consort Hera, attended by the messenger Iris. The head of
Iris, which was discovered in 1889 in the excavations on the
Acropolis, is admirably perfect. The left hand raises a mass of the
hair as if to coil it on the head. The head was broken off at an
early period, and built into a wall. It thus escaped the mutilations
suffered by the remainder of the slab.
30-34. Between the group of gods just described and the corres
ponding group on the right side of the centre, we have a group of
five figures.
We must suppose that these figures are in front of the two groups
of gods who sit in a continuous semicircle.

Kg. 9. — Slave with seat.
No. 30 is a maiden holding an uncertain object, perhaps a casket,
in her left hand, and supporting on her head a seat covered with a
•cushion, not unlike the seats on which the gods are, but smaller.
She has a small pad on her head to make the weight easier to bear.
The cut (fig. 9), showing one of the slaves of Cepheus carrying a
stool with a cushion, is taken from a vase in the British Museum
No. El 69.
No. 31 is another maiden, advancing slowly to the right, carrying
a similar seat. She is confronted by a matronly woman,' probably
a Priestess, who raises her right hand to take the chair. '
The elderly bearded man (no. 33) who is probably a Priest is
engaged with a boy. The two figures between them support a lar<»e
piece of cloth, supposed to be the peplos, folded once lengthwise
-and twice breadthwise, ° '.

Parthenon Frieze — East Side. 31
From the peculiar way in which the boy grips an angle of the folded cloth
'between his elbow and his side, while his hands are otherwise occupied, the act
¦of folding the cloth square seems to be represented. The portion nearest to the
spectator is being dropped down till its edges are parallel with those of the lower
part, so that the two parts should be exactly doubled.
The natural and obvious explanation of this incident is that it represents the
delivery of the new peplos, whose 'conveyance was the original motive of the
whole procession. The only difficulty in the matter was that the aotion of the
priestess with the maidens ought to be of co-ordinate importance, and something
more than the receiving of a chair for her own use. Such a significance is given
-to the action, if we accept a suggestion lately made (Furtwaengler and E. Curtius)
that the seats are to be set out in ceremonial manner, for the gods who are
invited to be present to watch the procession. The two groups of deities show
their supposed spiritual presence, and the episode with the seats shows the
¦ceremony that was actually performed to symbolise it.
35. We now reach the second group of deities, seated to the right
of the central scene. The first figure is clearly that of Athene.
•She sits in a position corresponding to that of Zeus, and the Goddess
•of Athens is thus put in the same rank as the supreme God.
36. Next to Athene is an elderly bearded figure, who is usually
known as Hephaestos. It is supposed ¦ that his lameness may be
indicated by the awkward pose of his right foot, and by the staff
on which he leans.

Fig. 10.— East Frieze of the Parthenon, Nos. 39-41.
37-47. Slab vi. This slab has been sadly mutilated since the
time of Carrey. 37-39 were found at Athens. A considerable part
is taken from a mould made in the last century. Small portions of
what is broken away have been re-discovered at Athens and at
Palermo. 37. This figure is probably Poseidon.
38. This figure has of late years been called Apollo or Dionysos,
while the figure No. 24 takes the alternative titles of Dionysos or
Apollo. 39-41. The winged boy with a parasol is undoubtedly Eros, who
must be the companion of his mother Aphrodite. The other
seated figure has been called Peitho, Demeter, or, perhaps better,
Artemis. 43-45. On the right of the gods is a group of four figures corre
sponding to the five (nos. 18-22) on the left. They seem to_ be
engaged in conversation while awaiting the arrival of the procession.

.1 Stuart,

Carrey,

Athens.

IV 7

Athens and Carrey.

15 16 VII

Athens,

Athens. Stuart. Athens. Carrey.
Fia. 11.— The North Fhiejie of the Parthenon (Slabs I.-vii.) Kbstobed,

Coto

fe!

Parthenon Frieze — North Side. 33
46. The next figure (no. 46) is an officer, more immediately
concerned with the procession. It is evident from the way in
which his head is thrown back and his arm raised that he is not
addressing the group beside him, but is making a signal to some
person at a considerable distance, while the next figure (no. 47),
a similar officer, faces the advancing maidens.
48-60. The remainder of the east side is given to two officers
and the procession of maidens. No. 48 has a bowl, nos. 55-56
carry between them an incense burner. Nos. 48-55 (slab vii.) are
casts from the original in the Louvre. After 60 were two maidens
on the return side of the first slab of the north frieze, now lost.
North Frieze of the Parthenon.
325. At the head of the procession on the North side we meet
a troop of cows and sheep, led by an escort. Each cow is led
by cords held by two youths, one on each side ; each sheep is led
by one boy. There are some grounds for the conjecture that the
Athenian colonies contributBd each a cow and two sheep to the
festival, while the Athenians are not known to have sacrificed any
thing except cows. It is therefore presumed that the victims on
this side of the frieze, on which alone sheep are represented, are
some of the colonial offerings.
1—9. Cattle with escort. The illustrations (fig. 11), in which
the extant fragments are combined with drawings by Carrey and
Stuart, give an idea of the complete composition, which is now in a
fragmentary state.
11-15. Youths carrying trays of offerings (only one of three is
extant) and pitchers of wine.
16. We see the arms of the first musician, the remainder being
lost (see fig. 11). The band of musicians consisted, when complete,
of four flute players and four lyre players, but is now very
imperfect. 19—30. The musicians were followed by a troop of sixteen elders,
conversing and moving slowly along. The last two look back to
the chariot procession.
31-53. The chariots. This part of the frieze, which is in very
fragmentary condition, consists of a series of four-horse chariots,
each with a charioteer, and a heavily armed soldier (known as the
apobates), who performed a variety of exercises, such as mounting
and dismounting the chariot, and running beside it. There is also
a marshal to each chariot group.
54-109. From this point to the north-west angle of the frieze we
have a continuous procession of Athenian cavalry. The horsemen
advance in a loose throng, in which no division into ranks or troops,
nor indeed any settled order, can be made out. They ride, with
five, six or seven, nearly abreast. The general effect of a prancing
troop of spirited horses, held well in check by riders with a sure
hand and easy seat, is admirably rendered. The efl'ect is particu-
D

34

Elgin Rcom.

Parthenon Frieze — West Side. 35
larly fine in slabs xxx.-xlii., where it has not been marred by
mutilation. The reins and bridles were in nearly every instance of
bronze, indicated by rivet holes behind the horse's ear, at his mouth
and in the rider's hands. Marble reins are seen in the right hands
of nos. 98, 103.
107-110. On the last slab of the north side the procession is
still in a state of preparation, and the transition to the west side
is thus assisted. At the right of the slab is a rider (no. 109)
standing by his horse, and in the act of drawing down his chiton
under his girdle in front, while a youthful attendant (no. 110)
assists him by pulling it down behind, or perhaps by tying the
lower girdle over which the folds were drawn. The attendant-.
carries on his shoulder a folded chlamys, probably that of his
master. It should be noted that in every case the figure at the end of • a
side is stationary, and an effect of architectural stability is thereby
secured. West Frieze op the Parthenon.
326. The West side of the frieze contains a continuation of the
procession of the north side, but here the procession is mainly
in course of preparation, and the scene may be supposed to be
laid in the Cerameicos. Doubtless, on account of the character
of the subject, in this part of the frieze there is less continuity of
composition than elsewhere. The subjects are disconnected, and
are usually on single slabs, and seldom carried over a joint.
Slabs i., ii. are originals brought by Lord Elgin. The remainder
of this side (with the exception of no. 27) is cast from the original
slabs, which are still in position on the temple.
Two sets of casts of this frieze are exhibited in parallel lines.
The upper series is taken from moulds made from the original
marble in 1872 ; the lower series from moulds made at Athens, at
the time of Lord Elgin's mission. A comparison of these two sets
of casts shows how much the frieze suffered from exposure to
weather during some seventy years. No. 4, for example, has lost
his arms ; no. 5, the horse's head and his face ; no. 6, his hands ;
no. 10, his arm and face ; no. 15, his face, and so on.
1. The single figure at the north-west angle is evidently a herald
or marshal directing the start of the cavalry. His right hand
probably held a staff of office, as the bent fingers are not closed.
This figure is repeated in a plaster cast. We now have scenes of
preparation, such as bridling the horses. The mounted knight
{no. 11) is distinguished from all the figures. in the frieze by his
richly decorated armour. On his head is a crested helmet, on the
-crown of which is in relief an eagle with outstretched neck. A
hole a little behind the temple shows where a wreath has been
inserted. His body is protected by a cuirass, on the front of
which is a Gorgon's head in relief, intended as a charm, to avert
¦wounds from the most vital part ; on the shoulder-straps are lions'
D 2

36 Elgin Room.
heads, also in relief. Between the breast-plate and back piece > ot
the cuirass is an interval at the sides, which is protected by flexible
scale armour. No. 12 is tying his boot. The mutilated figure
no. 25 seems to be pressing his right foot against the heel ot his
horse's right foreleg to make him extend himself so as to lower his
back for mounting. No. 27 tries to master a rearing horse, who
threatens to escape from his control. In the upper portion of this.
figure a fragment from the original marble is adjusted to the cast.
This fragment was brought from Athens many years ago, and
presented to the Museum by M. J. J. Dubois in 1840.
South Frieze of the Parthenon.
327. In following the procession along the South side from west
to east, we pursue one branch of the procession which corresponds
in the main with that on the North side. The chief difference is
that on the south the victims consist of cows only, while on the
north there are sheep as well as cows. It may therefore be the
case that this side represents the victims offered by the Athenians
themselves. 1—12. The first four slabs are partly in marble and partly cast
from originals still on the Parthenon. They give the beginning of
the procession of horsemen up the south side.
Exigencies of space have made it necessary to interrupt the
sequence by placing three slabs on the projecting pier. Their true
places can be found by their slab numbers, xiv., xv., xx.
13-56. The horsemen. For the most part, this side of the frieze
is in poor condition compared with the northern half of the pror
cession. 58-68. The horsemen are immediately preceded in the procession
by the chariot-groups.
Carrey draws eight chariots, of which four partially survive and four are-
totally lost. On the other hand, a part remains of two groups (slab xxix.), of
which there is no trace in Carrey's drawings. These, therefore, must probably
be placed in a break in a sequence of slabs indicated by Carrey. Originally there
must have been not fewer than ten chariot groups.
In each the charioteer is accompanied by an armed warrior ; but
here the armed figure is not like the apobates of the northern frieze
in the act of stepping out of the chariot in motion, but stands either
in the chariot or (if it is not in motion) by its side. Each chariot
group when complete was accompanied by a marshal.
The armed figure (no. 66) wears the -Corinthian helmet, which
does not occur elsewhere on the frieze. The handle of his shield
was of bronze, of which a small portion still remains in the rivet
hole. Other rivet holes on the crests of the horses show that the
reins and the pin for attaching the yoke to the pole were also of
bronze. The horses' heads, which are treated with more freedom
on this slab than elsewhere on the frieze, are of extraordinary
beauty.

Parthenon Fragments. 37
70-79. These slabs give a part of the crowd of elders, who are re
presented by Carrey as advancing slowly, in a closely pressed throng.
The remainder of the south frieze is occupied with the procession
of victims for the sacrifice. Cows only are here represented, and,
as has been observed, this may indicate that we have here the
native Athenian part of the procession.
Each cow is escorted by two youths, one on each side, and a
third figure, perhaps a marshal, at the head. Those of the escort
who are on the side of the spectator are represented in vigorous
action, guiding and restraining the animals by ropes, which may
have been painted on the marble.
On the return face of slab xliv. is the marshal, who forms the
first figure of the east frieze, and makes a connexion between the
two sides, by looking back, as if to the advancing procession.
FRAGMENTS FROM THE PARTHENON.
Numerous fragments known or conjectured to have belonged to
the Parthenon, which cannot be adjusted in their own places, are
shown in the Elgin Room, in wall-cases or otherwise. They are
partly original fragments, mainly from the Elgin collection, and
partly plaster casts.
The most noteworthy are : —
328. Fragment of colossal head. [Shown with the sculptures
of the west pediment.] This fragment was found built into a
Turkish house at the west front of the temple, and was formerly
thought to have belonged to the figure of Athene. It is, however,
worked in a hard, conventional style, which does not agree with
that of the pediments.
339. 1. Colossal female head (cast), slightly turned to its right.
{Beside the door to the Nereid Room.] The hair was confined in a
plait round the head, and also by a wreath or band of metal. The
nose and mouth have been restored ; but the grand style of the
antique parts of the head agrees with that of the Parthenon
pediments. It is impossible, however, to determine to which
figure the head belongs.
This head (commonly known as the Laborde head) was found at
Venice in the house of the San Gallo family, one of whose members
was secretary of Morosini, and may well have brought the head
from Athens, in 1687.
350. The capital and uppermost drum of one of the Doric
columns of the north side. [Between the two halves of the east
pediment.] 353. Cast of a lion's head from one of the angles of the pedi
ment. The subject is treated with the conventionalism that is most
suited to a purely decorative piece of sculpture.
357, 358. Two fragments of moulding. [Near the door to the
Phigaleian Room.] These fragments, though no colour remains,

38

Elgin Room.

show that they were once decorated with maeander patterns, by the
traces left on account of the unequal exposure to the weather of the
painted and unpainted parts of the surface.
In addition to the marbles of the Parthenon, the Elgin Room
contains several fragments and casts, taken by Lord Elgin's'agehts
from other Athenian buildings of the fifth century B.C.

Fig. 13.— Disposition of East Frieze of Theseion. (F,om Baumeister.)
CASTS FROM THE THESEION.
On the East wall are casts from sculptures still decorating the
so-called temple of Theseus at Athens, a building thought to have
been erected about twenty years earlier than the Parthenon lie
about 465 b.o.) to commemorate the removal by Kimon of the bones.
ot lheseus from the island of Scyros to Athens.
400-402. Casts of three of the Metopes, reoresentino- ir™iMu<.
Of Theseus, namely, (400) Theseus standing above f£ Jobber

Miscellaneous Sculptures. 39
Periphetes, whom he had overthrown; (401) Theseus gripping
the Arcadian, wrestler Kerkyon ; (402) Theseus and the sow of
Crommyon. 403. Casts from the West frieze of the Theseion, which repre
sents a series of combats between the Centaurs and Lapiths.
(Compare the Metopes of the Parthenon.)
In the middle we have a group of two Centaurs, rearing up, and
heaving together a rock wherewith to crush the invulnerable
Lapith, Kaineus, who is half buried in the ground between them,
and who endeavours to defend himself with his shield uplifted on
his left arm. Another rendering of the same subject occurs on the
Phigaleian frieze (see below, p. 45).
404. Casts from the East frieze of the temple of Theseus.
The principal subject consists of a battle, fought in the presence
of six seated deities arranged in two groups. In one part of the
frieze the combatants are hurling great rocks. This is the special
characteristic of the Giants, in ancient art, and it is best to find an
interpretation of the scene which takes this fact into account. On
this ground the subject has been called the war of Theseus with the
sons of Pallas, a giant-like son of Pandion, king of Attica.
The illustration (fig. 13) shows the architectural arrangement
of the East frieze. That of the West frieze is rather different, since
it terminates above the pier, and does not bridge the space between
the central chamber and the colonnade.
CASTS FROM THE MONUMENT OF
LYSICRATES.
430. Near the floor, below the East frieze of the Parthenon, is
a series of casts, taken by Lord Elgin, from the " Choragic Monu
ment of Lysicrates " at Athens.
This is a small edifice, dated by its inscription immediately after
335 B.C. It was erected- to support a bronze tripod, dedicated to
Dionysos by one Lysicrates, who had provided a successful chorus
for a dramatic competition, and is one of the earliest examples of
the use of the Corinthian order in Greek architecture. See the
annexed illustration (fig. 14) of the restored monument.
The subject of the frieze is the victory of Dionysos over the
Tyrrhenian pirates who had kidnapped him from Chios with the
intention of selling him as a slave. The god revenged himself
by transforming the pirates into dolphins. In the frieze we ^ see
Dionysos and his attendant Satyrs, and the pirates at various
stages of their transformation.
MISCELLANEOUS SCULPTURES.
Three fine busts are exhibited in the Elgin Room.
549. Bust of Pericles, the Athenian statesman, under whose
administration the Parthenon was erected and adorned by Pheidias

40

Elgin Room.

and Ictinos. The subject is identified by the inscription IIcpiKAiJs,
and may be derived from a contemporary portrait by the sculptor
Cresilas (fig. 15). , .
Plutarch explains the presence of the helmet by saying that it
was worn to conceal the ugly shape of the head of Pericles (Plutarch,

Fig. 14— The Choragic Monument of Lysicrates. (After Stuart.)

Pericles, 3). It is, however, more probable that the helmet merely
denotes military rank.
504. Head of Hera (?). Ideal female head wearing a lofty
diadem. The hair was brought to the back of the head where it
,was tied in a knot, now lost.

Bust of Pericles.

41

It is thought possible that this head may be derived from the
Ai-give statue of Hera by Polycleitos.
550. Head of Asclepios (?). Colossal ideal bearded head. A
iheavy metal wreath was formerly attached by numerous rivets,
which still remain. The type of the head would serve for Zeus, as
well as for Asclepios. It was, however, discovered in 1828, in a
-shrine of Asclepios, in the Island of Melos. A votive offering to
Asclepios (no. 809), which was found with it, is shown in a wall-
«case, near the Parthenon model.

Fig. 15— Bust of Pericles, No. 548.
On each side of the door from the Ephesus Room are casts of two
rmarble chairs, which still occupy their original positions in the
"Theatre of Dionysos at Athens.
G. 1. The more ornate of the two chairs is declared by its inscrip
tion to have been that of the Priest of Dionysos Eleuthereus. It
^illustrates in an interesting way how Asiatic themes, conventionally
'treated, were sometimes introduced by the Greeks, for a purely
- decorative purpose.
G. 2. The second and less ornate of the two chairs was one
of those assigned to the ten Athenian chief magistrates called
:Strategi. The wall-case near the Parthenon model contains a series of
•votive reliefs (compare p. 50) from the Pnyx at Athens, dedicated
?by persons suffering from ailments in various parts of the body.

42

Elgin Room.

It also contains : — ¦
798. Votive relief (fig. 16) with two plaits of formally twisted.
hair, dedicated to Poseidon by Philombrotos, and Aphthonetos,
sons of Deinomachos. The custom of dedicating hair to a divinity
was frequent among the Greeks, especially on the part of youths,
reaching manhood.
[We leave the main portion of the Elgin Room and pass to the
extension at its Northern end.]

uZ-

=%:

Jr

Fig. 16.— Relief with votive plaits of hair.
407-430. FRAGMENTS FROM THE
ERECHTHEION.
The Erechtheion, or Temple of Erechtheus, is an Ionic-
temple of a peculiar form, which stands near the north side of the
Acropolis of Athens. It embodies in a structure of the end of
the fifth century the shrines about which the Athenian religion
had centred from time immemorial, and to this fact the anomalous
character of the plan must be ascribed. Its form is oblong with a
portico of six columns at the east end, and two unusual additions:
at its north-west and south-west angles ; the one a portico of four
columns, the other a porch supported by six figures of maidens
known as Caryatids. The structure has been imitated in St.
Pancras Church, London. The building must have been finished
about the close of the fifth century b.c. An extant inscription.
(in the Room of Inscriptions, No. 35 ; cf. p. 88) contains the detailed.
report of a commission appointed to survey the half finished
building, 409 B.C.
The principal fragments in the Museum are :  ¦
407. So-called Caryatid, or Canephoros, one of the six female-

Fragments from Erechtheion. 43-
figures which served as columns in the southern portico of the
Erechtheion. In the survey of the building these figures ore called Korae, "maidens."
The name of Canephori has been given to them, but there is nothing iu reality
that specially connects them with the Canephori, or persons who bore the sacred
baskets on their heads. By some writers they have been called Caryatids, on
account of a statement of Vitruvius (i., chap. 1) that women of Carya (Caryae),.
a town of Arcadia, were represented as architectural supporls — a punishment
which they incurred for betraying the Greeks to the Persians.
This statue is admirably designed, both in composition and
drapery, to fulfil its office as a part of an architectural design.
While the massiveness of the draped figure suggests the idea that.
the support for the superimposed architecture is not structurally
inadequate, the lightness and grace of the pose suggest that the-
maiden bears her burden with ease.
408. Ionic column from the north end of the eastern portico
of the Erechtheion. This being a column from an angle of the:
building, the volutes occur on two adjacent sides, so as to present
themselves both to the east and north view.
409. Capital of one of the pilasters (antae) and part of necking
or wall-band from the east wall of the Erechtheion, with a palmette
pattern, in relief, of great delicacy and beauty.
413—415. Three pieces of architrave and corona of cornice
of the Erechtheion, here combined into one, as in the original
order. The space of two feet between the corona and the architrave ^
was occupied by the sculptured frieze. This consisted of marble
figures in relief attached by metal cramps on a ground of black
Eleusinian marble. A few fragments are extant at Athens.
[We leave the Elgin Room by the door at the North end, and.
enter the Phigaleian Room.]

THE PHIGALEIAN ROOM.*
SUBJECTS .-—TEMPLE OF APOLLO AT PHIGALEIAj
TEMPLE OF WINGLESS .'.VICTORY ; SEPULCHRAL.
RELIEFS.
THE TEMPLE OF APOLLO AT PHIGALEIA.
The Temple of Apollo Epicurios, at Phigaleia, in Arcadia, stands.
in a slight depression on the side of Mount Cotylion, above the
valley of the river Neda. It was discovered towards the end of
* For a full description of this room, see the Catalogue of Sculpture, Vol. I..
(3».)> Part III. (sold separately at 1«.)

44

The Phigaleian Room.

the eighteenth century, but on account of its remote position it
was seldom visited before 1811. In that year the party of
explorers, who had previously discovered the pedimental sculptures
of Aegina, began excavations which were completed in the following
year. The sculptures found were purchased for the British
Museum by the Government in 1814.
The temple was visited by Pausanias, who specially commends
the beauty of its material, and its fine proportions. He adds that
the temple was dedicated to Apollo Epicurios (the Helper), because
'the god had stayed a plague at Phigaleia in the time of the
Peloponnesian war. The architect was Ictinos, the builder of the
Parthenon (Paus. viii., 41, 5). The date of the temple is therefore
fl-bout 430 B.C., although it is doubtful whether the plague in
Arcadia was connected with the more celebrated pestilence at
Athens.

N

OOO

o

nnrtro

%\J\SlJflS^

Q O O O O O

O Q O O O O

0

Fig. 17.— Plan of the Temple of Apollo at Phigaleia.

The building consisted of a central chamber (cella) surrounded
by a colonnade, having six Doric columns at the ends, and fifteen
along the sides. The outside appears to have been devoid of
sculpture, having neither pediment groups nor metopes.
At each end of the cella were two Doric columns, between piers,
and these were surmounted by metopes. (See below.)
The cella contained ten Ionic columns and one Corinthian column,
which supported the frieze. (See below.)
The Phigaleian frieze was therefore originally intended for an
internal decoration, unlike the friezes of the Parthenon and other
temples, which are necessarily reversed when they are placed in a
gallery. The temple image stood in the cella, but appears to have
been placed in a peculiar manner, so as to have looked to the east,
towards a side door, the orientation of the temple beinc- nearly
north and south. It has been thought that this arrangement may
show that an ancient shrine was embodied in the later temple

Phigaleian Frieze. 45-
Th e Frieze.
The frieze is arranged on the four sides of the Phigaleian Room,
so that the two long sides are on the East and West sides, while the
two short ends are on the North and South ends of the room. The
frieze is complete, and has been arranged in accordance with such
data as remain, and so as to make the four sides of their correct
lengths. To a considerable extent, however, the arrangement is
conjectural. The style of the relief is peculiar. Many of the types employed
occur in Attic work, but the style of the work, with its somewhat
florid high relief, is un-Attic, and perhaps shows the hands of local
sculptors. The reliefs of Phigaleia are interesting as the earliest-
extant Greek sculptures in which there is a decided attempt to
express the pathos and emotion connected with scenes of combat.
The subjects represented are : — -
(1) The battle between the Centaurs and the Lapiths — a
subject that we have already seen on the metopes of the
Parthenon, and the frieze of the Theseion.
(2) The battle of the Greeks and Amazons.
Each subject occupied two sides (nearly) of the frieze, but the
latter is the longer of the two, and must have had one slab running
over into the Lapith and Centaur sides.
520-528. West Side. Scenes of combat between Centaurs:
and Lapiths. In 522 the Lapith woman has a child on her arm.
In 523, 524, Apollo and Artemis (who drives a chariot drawn by
stags) come to the rescue of two suppliant -women. One of the two
stretches out her arms with a gesture of entreaty. The other-
embraces a statue, a stiff, archaic, doll-like image. In 525, the
woman again carries a boy.
529-531. North Side. Slabs 529, 530, have scenes of combat
between Centaurs and Lapiths, while 531 belongs to the Amazon
series. In 530 two Centaurs together lift a great stone to crush
the invulnerable Lapith, Kaineus, a subject also represented on the
west frieze of the Theseion. (See above, p 39.)
532-539. East Side. Combat of Greeks and Amazons-
In 535, an unarmed Amazon has taken refuge at an altar, from
which a Greek tries to drag her away. In 539, a Greek, killed in
battle, and perhaps stripped, is borne off the field, while another,.
who has been badly wounded in the right leg, leaves the field
supported by a companion.
540-542. South Side. In 541, the middle of the central slab
is occupied with a hot combat between Heracles (identified by his-
club and lion skin) and an Amazon.
Immediately above the south side of the frieze are : —
The Metopes.
510-519. Fragments of the Phigaleian metopes. The combhv

¦46 The Phigaleian Room.
ation of the fragments, as here arranged, is mainly conjectural, and
there is therefore no certainty as to the subjects represented. In
510, a figure seems to be playing on a lyre. In 517, is a scene of
rape. Architectural Fragments.
505. Two fragments of the very graceful cornice, with a
palmette pattern, which surmounted the pediments. 506, 508, are
fragments of the Doric and Ionic capitals, of the exterior and
interior colonnades respectively.
Fragments of the Temple Statue of Apollo.
A few small fragments of a colossal male statue were discovered
during the excavations. Two of these, namely, (543) part of a foot
and (544) part of a right hand, are shown below one of the table-
cases. From the way in which these fragments were attached with
joints and dowels, it may be supposed that the statue was acrolithic, ¦
i.e., that the extremities only were of marble, while the rest of
the figure was made of wood or other inferior material.
TEMPLE OF "WINGLESS VICTORY.
In the South- West corner of the room are some slabs of the frieze
¦of the temple of Nike Apteros (Victory without wings), or more
correctly Athene Nike. This building was a diminutive Ionic
"temple, with four columns at each end, which stood on a projecting
terrace on the right hand as you ascend the Propylaea, to enter the
Acropolis of Athens.
The building, which survived till the close of the seventeenth
¦century, was then destroyed by the Turks, and the materials were
used to form a bastion. In 1835 the bastion was taken down and
the temple was reconstructed. A sufficient amount of the lower
part had remained undisturbed to make the operation possible.
The friezes, however, whieh had been built into a wall near the
Propylaea, had been already removed by Lord Elgin.
The date of the temple, and its relation to the adjoining wing of
the Propylaea, has been the subject of much controversy. The only
¦external evidence is contained in an inscription lately found (in
1897) of about 450 B.C., which orders the erection of a temple to
Athene Nike, by Callicrates, an architect who is known to have
been employed in public works under Pericles (Ephemeris Archaiolo-
<nke, 1897, pi. 11). If the temple was put in hand at the time of
the inscription, it would be about twenty years older than archaeo
logists had been inclined to suppose.
421-422. Two slabs of the West frieze, with scenes of combat,
between Greeks and Greeks. In 421, a trophy has been erected, .
-consisting of a helmet, shield, and cuirass, attached to the trunk of
a tree.

Greek Sepulchral Reliefs. 47
423-425. Three slabs (one a cast) from the North and South
friezes, with scenes of combat between Greeks and Persians.
The Persians are distinguished by their oriental dress, with long-
sleeved tunics, and close-fitting trousers.
Casts from the Balustrade of the Temple of Wingless
Victory.
The temple of Nike Apteros stood on a lofty projecting bastion,
as may be seen from the model of the Acropolis. This bastion was
surrounded for safety with a breast-high parapet, consisting of a
frieze of sculpture in relief, facing outwards, surmounted by a bronze
screen. 426—429 are casts of selected slabs from this frieze, which
represented a series of Victories, in various actions, and is dis
tinguished for its lightness and grace. In these portions we have
Victories (426, 428) decking a trophy ; (427) adjusting a sandal ;
(429) leading a bull to sacrifice.

GREEK RELIEFS, SEPULCHRAL AND VOTIVE.
The remaining objects exhibited in this room are principally
single rehefs, the intention of which was either sepulchral or votive.
(For the latter class, see below, p. 50.)

SEPULCHEAL RELIEFS.
It will readily be seen from a study of the grave reliefs collected
in the room that all degrees of merit are present, and that Greek
tombstones may be either elaborate and beautiful sculptures, or
slight and hasty sketches representing a well-worn theme.
When we see them together in great numbers, as in the Museum
at Athens, we feel that there is a want of variety, and that much
of the work is of inferior merit. At the same time, however, the
grave rehefs, even when of minor interest, are nearly always
pervaded by a sentiment of quiet and reticent melancholy, which
appeals with force to the modern spectator. They show also the
instinctive grace and skill of subordinate Greek craftsmen, even in
hastily executed and unimportant works.
These monuments are of several fairly distinct types.
1. The tablet (or stele) crowned with an ornament. The simplest
and earliest form of gravestone is a plain flat tablet for the names of
the deceased and of his father. Such a stone is naturally completed
with decoration at the top, which sometimes becomes elaborate.
See for examples : —
599. Stone of Smikylion, son of Eualkides, with a palmetto
springing from a base of acanthus leaves.

48

The Phigaleian Room.

605. Stone of Eumachos, son of Euthymachos, of the deme of
Alopeke, with a central palmette, and two half palmettes, springing
from acanthus leaves (fig. 18). ;
600. Stone of Hippocrates, and Baukis, surmounted by »
palmette in low relief. The flat surface below the stone may have
been painted.
2. Tablets, with scenes from the ordinary life of the deceased.
These tablets are usually set in an architectural frame, which, it is
suggested, may represent the portal of Hades.

f& Y /A A X O %
BY© Y-AVA.X O

Fig. 18. — Sepulchral stele of Eumachos, Xo. 605.

The finest and most pathetic of this class are those of women.
See for examples : —
619. Cast of the relief of Hegeso. A lady, Hegeso, is seated on
a chair, with a footstool. She appears to be taking a necklace from
a box which is held by a servant standing before her.
This relief, which is unequalled for its grace and delicacy, appears-
to belong to the close of the fifth century B.C. The original, of
Pentelic marble, is at Athens, where it was discovered in 1870.
620. Cast of the relief of Ameinocleia. A lady is engaged with
a girl, who is adjusting a sandal on her left foot. The original, of
Pentelic marble, is also at Athens.
5*. Stone of Glykylla. The seated lady is putting on a bracelet,
which she has taken from the box held by her maid (fin-. 19). ¦
6*. Stone of a lady (her name is not inscribed) who appears to
have died leaving a young child to the care of a nurse (Plate II..
fig. 1). ^

Greek Sepulchral Reliefs. 49
Among the subjects from the daily life of youths and men, see for
examples : — -
626. Stone of Tryphon, son of Eutychos. He carries his strigil,
an instrument used for scraping' off the oil and sweat of the
gymnasium. 627. Stone of a youth, who carries a pet bird in his left hand.
628. Stone of Xanthippos (Plate II., fig. 2). An elderly figure
seated on a chair holds a foot in his right hand. A diminutive
woman and girl raise their hands with gestures of surprise.
Various attempts have been made to explain this singular subject,
and while some interpreters explain the foot as a votive foot,'
commemorating some remark
able cure experienced by
Xanthippos, others take it to
be a shoemaker's last, and »
symbol of the calling of the
deceased. 629. Stone of Jason, a
physician, who is seated, ex
amining a patient, a boy who
is shown to be suffering by his
swollen belly and wasted legs.
3. Vases, in the round, or in
relief These are a common
form of monument at Athens.
Their origin is probably derived
from the vessels of pottery placed
upon the tombs.
681. Plain sepulchral vase
(lehyihos) in low relief.
4. Figures clasping Hands.
In Attic reliefs, chiefly of the
fourth and subsequent centuries,
the two principal persons are

Fig. 19.— Sepulchral stele of Glykylla.

often represented clasping right hands together, and such scenes are
commonly known as Scenes of Parting. It is, however, not clear
that the clasped hands refer to the long separation of death.'
The gesture probably makes allusion to intimate friendship rather
than to separation.
689. Part of a sepulchral vase, with relief. Two women,
Callistrate (?) and Demostrate, stand with right hands joined.
Behind them are a girl and boy, making gestures of grief (fig. 20).
In many examples, as in the above, the type of figures clasping
hands is combined with the sepulchral vase.
680. In the middle of the room is a figure of a bull, lying
down, executed in the round, which probably crowned an Athenian
monument.

50 The Phigaleian Room.
760-766. On the walls are casts of reliefs from Lycian rook-
tombs. 761-4 are casts of reliefs from the portico of .a tomb at
Pinara in Lycia, with curious views of a Lycian town, with walls,
towers and gates.
VOTIVE RELIEFS.
A votive" offering is, in its essence, a present made to a god or to
a superior being, in order to secure some favour in the future, or to
avert anger for a past offence, or to express gratitude for a favour
received. The last purpose includes offerings made in fulfilment of
a vow, the vow being a kind of contract between the individual and
the god. Votive reliefs are usually of the latter kind. Those

Fig. 20.— Sepulchral Relief, No. 639.

exhibited in this room are offerings made by victors in athletic and
other contests. [A group of votive offerings of a more personal
kind, for cures to diseased parts of the body, etc., are shown in a
wall-case in the Elgin Room, see p. 41. See also p 89 1
» 7V Y,^T ttt^ ^ hono1P of the Thracian goddess, Artemis
Bendis (Plate III.). The goddess stands on the right, and receives
the adoration of two elderly men, one of whom carries a torch, and of
a company of youths. The former are probably persons who had
charge of the festival or who provided and trained the victorious
company in the torch race, who now stand behind them the
relief is a well preserved example of a rare subject, and there is an

Greek Votive Reliefs, 51
admirable freshness and variety in the poses of the youths. The
date is the first half of the fourth century B.C.
The festival of Artemis Bendis is described in the opening
chapters of Plato's Republic. Socrates tells how he had gone down
to the Piraeus, to pray to the goddess, and to see the new-fashioned
processions in her honour. He was starting to return home when
he was pressed by friends to stay and sup with them. " 'What,
don't you know,' said Adeimantos, ' that there will be a torch race
¦on horseback in the evening, in honour of the goddess?' 'On
horseback ? That is a novelty. Do you mean that they will have
torches, and pass them one to another while racing with their
horses?' 'Yes,' said Polemarchos." The competition was prob
ably one of squad against squad, and thus the whole band of
youths would have been victorious.
814. Votive tablet in commemoration of a victory in the chariot
race. A draped charioteer drives a chariot, drawn by four horses,
which move to the left in spirited action . Over them floats in the
air a winged Victory extending a wreath, now wanting, towards the
charioteer. Beside the door to the Elgin Room are two busts, namely — ¦
8*. Aeschines, the opponent of Demosthenes.
9*. An unknown philosopher.
[We return to the middle of the Elgin Room, and leave it by
a door in the middle of its East side, which leads to the Nereid
Room.]

THE NEREID ROOM.
SUBJECT:— THE NEREID MONUMENT.^
The building known as the Nereid Monument was discovered
at Xanthos, in Lycia, by Sir Charles Fellows. Its remains were
(excavated and brought to England by a naval expedition in 1842.
The monument stood on the edge of a low line of cliffs, immedi
ately above the main approach to the city. The whole of the
building, exoept a part of the solid substructure, had been shaken
down by ah earthquake, and when discovered the remains were
scattered round the base and down the slopes of the hill.
The general appearance of the whole is shown in the model
exhibited, which was made under the direction of Sir C. Fellows (see

t Fully described in the (foithccming) Catalogue of Sculpture, Vol. II.
E 2

52

The Nereid Room.

fig. 21), although later investigation has modified some of the details.
It may be generally described as a small Ionic building, of the form of
a temple, standing on a lofty base, whose surfaces were relieved by
two bands of frieze. In the original structure they were separated
by a plain band about thrice the width of that which separates the
two bands as now exhibited, on the reproduction of one of the ends

Fig. 21.— The Nereid Monument, as restored by Sir C. Fellows.
of the building. The building had four columns at the ends, and
six at the sides (not five, as shown in Fellows' model).
The building was probably the tomb of some prince. The cycles
of subjects represented (battles, hunting scenes, scenes of banquet)
occur on smaller tombs, such as those in the Mausoleum Room.
(see p. 55).

The Nereid Monument. 53
The date and occasion of the building have been much discussed,
but it is usually assigned to the end of the fifth centiry r.c, and to
sculptors greatly influenced by contemporary Athenian work.
The First Frieze.
On the First or principal Frieze, which surrounded the lower part
of the base, as shown in the model, we have scenes of combat
between Greeks and barbarians, aided by Greeks. The Greeks are
either in heavy armour, in light armour, or nude. The latter must
be supposed to be composed according to the conventional heroic
"type, since it is unlikely that any combatants of historic times went
nude into battle. The barbarians wear the Persian bonnet, long
close-fitting tunic, mantle, and trousers. The cavalry appear to be
only on the side of the barbarians, but this is not certain.
850-854. Scenes of combat. In 850 the figure of the fallen
barbarian is curiously twisted, so that we see the face and breast,
but also the back of the legs. In 854 the Greek has thrust Jws enemy
through the head with his spear, and now seeks to withdraw it,
while he treads down the head of his foe with his foot.
855. An archer, with a piece of cloth fastened to the lower
edge of his shield — an appendage often seen in works of art from
Asia Minor.
857. A wounded Greek, supported and defended by a com
panion. This was a favourite theme with Greek sculptors. (Com
pare the friezes of Wingless Victory and of Phigaleia, nos. 421
and 540 in the Phigaleian Room).
861. The rider seems to be wounded, and dismounts with
difficulty, assisted by two comrades, while the horse kneels down in
a way practised in antiquity. The Second Frieze.
The Second Frieze has more the character of an historical record
than the first. In each we have a representation of warfare, but
the one may be compared to the battles of the Homeric poems,
while the other is more like the warfare of Herodotus. In the
larger frieze we have scattered combats and nude heroic figures.
In the smaller frieze we have the disciplined movements of well-
drilled bodies of troops. With one exception (874) there are no
nude figures. The narrative is more elaborate, and instead of a
series of combats, four distinct episodes of a campaign are clearly
told, the meaning of the whole being made plain by detailed repre
sentations of landscape and architecture. In the large frieze,
locality is only suggested by a few pieces of rock on the ground.
The second frieze is also distinguished from the first by the absence
, of cavalry. It has been compared with the Assyrian reliefs, but it
has little in common with them except the broad fact that it repre
sents a series of events with minute and copious detail. Not only in
artistic style, but also in its treatment of perspective, landscape and

54 The Nereid Room.
composition, our frieze is far removed from those of Assyria, with
their conventional perspective and primitive arrangement of the
figures. It is, however, one of the best examples of a local Lycian
style. 868-870. A sortie from a walled city. Behind the battle
ments are seen the heads and shields of some of the defenders.
A woman also throws up her arms in distress.
871 B, 872. These two slabs (which ought to be in one line)
show an assault on the city with scaling ladders. The storming-
party have planted their ladders against one of the walls beside the
city gate.
876 B,-878. Parley. We have a view of the city walls and
buildings. In 877 is a high Lycian tomb, surmounted by a,
winged Sphinx, flanked by two lions. The defenders seem to be
holding a discussion, and a messenger, who has come on a mule,.
addresses them.
879-880. Surrender. Two elderly citizens try to make terms
with the victorious commander, who is enthroned and covered with
an umbrella, held by an attendant.
884 A. Four captives, unarmed, bareheaded, and with hands-
bound, are led away by soldiers.
The Third Frieze.
The Third Frieze stood immediately on the capitals of the columns,,
without the interposition of the usual architrave. It contains
scenes of battle, field sports and offerings of gifts, subjects such.
as naturally occur on the. tomb of a man of rank, and suggest
the leading occupations of his life. There are no data for the
arrangement, but it may be supposed that the slabs were grouped
according to their subjects. The Fourth Frieze.
The Fourth Frieze is believed to have surmounted the upper
walls of the central chamber externally. It contains scenes of:
banqueting and of sacrifice. . The order of the slabs is uncertain,
but two sides seem to have been given to each subject.
908. This slab is unfinished, and illustrates the sculptor's
method of work. The field is first sunk to the required depth,.
leaving the figures in outline, of the height of the original surface..
The figures are then worked in the round.
The Nereids.
The monument derives its name from the graceful figures half
running, half flying, which stood in the intervals between the
columns. They seem to be scudding along the surface of the
waves. Below 909 is a sea-bird floating on the water ¦ below
910 a large fish, and so with others. Hence, the name of Nereids-

The Nereid Monument. 55
was given to the figures soon after their discovery, and, though
various other interpretations have been suggested, it is still most
generally accepted. The Pediments.
Parts are preserved of each pediment (or gable) group.
924 (over the door of the Mausoleum Room) is incorporated in
its architectural setting. The ancient fragments on which the
restoration is based can readily be distinguished. In the relief,
worshippers do reverence to two stately, enthroned figures, one of
each sex. If the whole monument is a tomb, and therefore to be
interpreted by the analogy of other sepulchral rehefs, the two
enthroned figures are the heroified dead, who are approached by
worshippers. 925. Relief from the left half of the west pediment, with a
combat of foot soldiers against cavalry.
926 (above the restored pediment) ; 927, two groups, which
stood each on the apex of one of the pediments. In each case
a nude youth was carrying a female figure in his arms. The groups
are much mutilated and the subjects uncertain. 927 has been
called Peleus with Thetis, or one of the Dioscuri (Castor and Pollux)
with a daughter of Leukippos. The Lions.
Parts were found of four lions, which were probably symmetrically
disposed, with reference to the central chamber. Two of these
(929, 930) are fairly complete. They have manes of an archaic
and conventional form, but otherwise the* animals are female.
[We leave the Nereid Room by the North door, and descend the
staircase, to the Mausoleum Room.]

THE MAUSOLEUM ROOM.f
SUBJECT:— TWO LARGE LYCIAN TOMBS ; MAUSOLEUM;
SCULPTURES FROM PRIENE; CNIDOS LION.
On each side of the staircase are two large Tombs from
Xanthos, which should be studied in connexion with the Nereid
Monument. 950. From the inscriptions in the Lycian character, this struc
ture is known as the Tomb of Payava. The inscriptions also mention

t Fully described in the (forthcoming) Catalogue of Sculpture, Vol. II.

56 . The Mausoleum Room.
a Persian Satrap who authorized the tomb, and who may perhaps be
identified with a Satrap, called by the Greeks Autophradates,
who may have held power at Xanthos, between about 380 and
362 B.C.
1-2. On each side of the roof is a relief, with an armed figure
and a charioteer drawn by four galloping horses. A curious feature
is the wing which is attached to each chariot, beside or upon the
wheels. The pairs of projecting lions' heads on each side are archi
tectural additions, and have no relation to the relief. Above the
ridge are reliefs ; on one side, a combat of warriors mounted and on
foot ; on the other hunting scenes. In the western gable is a small
door for introducing the body of the person buried in the tomb.
On the principal frieze round the base of the tomb are the
following : — -
5. Battle of cavalry and foot soldiers in a rocky place. Two
figures are partly seen among the rocks. The Lycian inscription
above is to the effect that Payava built the tomb.
6. The elderly figure seems to be placing a wreath on the head
of the youth.
7. A seated Persian Satrap seems to be receiving a deputation.
The Lycian inscription above contains the name of the Satrap,
probably Autophradates.
8. Two armed figures, and an inscription to the effect that
Payava ordered the tomb.
In general form this monument, like its companion, and like
many of the Lycian tombs, is remarkable for its frank, and probably
conscious, imitation of a wooden building, the frame of which is
morticed together, according to a simple system of carpentry. The
ends of the beams are left projecting, and the mortices are in some
cases made firm with wedges.
951. Tomb on the West side of the staircase known (from the
Lycian inscription) as the Tomb of Merehi or Chimaera Tomb.
On one of the sides of the ridge is a battle scene between warriors
on foot ; on the other a banquet, a figure crowning an athlete, and
a group of aged figures conversing. Below these reliefs is, on each
side of the roof, Bellerophon in a chariot, accompanied by a
charioteer. He attacks the Chimaera, a fabulous monster of Lycia,
part lion, part goat, and part serpent.
THE MAUSOLEUM.
The principal contents of this room are the remains of the tomb
of Mausolus, Prince of Caria, a work of such beauty and splen
dour that it was ranked by the ancients among the Seven Wonders
of the world. Its name, Mausoleum, came to be used in a general
sense, and in modern usage, by a process of degeneration, it denotes
any building of a somewhat elaborate character, designed to hold
the dead.

Tlte Mausoleum. 57
On the death of Mausolus, which is assigned to the year 353 B.C.,
his wife and sister, Artemisia, succeeded to his throne. She only
reigned for two years, and is said to have died of a wasting illness,
caused by sorrow for the death of her husband. During her short
reign she celebrated his memory by rhetorical and dramatic contests,
but chiefly by the construction of a splendid tomb, at his capital city
of Halicarnassos. It is recorded that there was not time to finish it
•during the reign of Artemisia, and according to Pliny's account it
was completed by the artists as a labour of love.
The architects employed were Satyros and Pythios, who described
the building in a book which is now lost. The sculptors are said to
have been, on the east side, Scopas ; on the north, Bryaxis ; on the
south, Timotheos ; and on the west, Leochares. Vitruvius mentions
Praxiteles in place of Timotheos. Pythis, usually supposed to be
identical with the architect Pythios, made the chariot group on the
summit. For many centuries the building was intact, and then but partially
ruined. At length, however, in the year 1402, the Knights of St.
John took possession of Halicarnassos, and began to build the castle
of St. Peter, from which was derived the Turkish name of Budrum.
For their purpose they used the ruins of the Mausoleum as a quarry
for building materials. We have an account, derived from a state
ment by one of the Knights, who took pari in the repair of the
castle in 1522, of how they found a platform, widening out like a
pyramid, and containing in its midst two chambers, splendidly
adorned, and a white marble sarcophagus. The latter was broken
and pillaged by unknown hands during the absence of the Knights.
The smaller fragments they burnt for lime, the larger stones were
used for building. Parts of the frieze and some of the lions were
used to adorn the castle of St. Peter, and were thus preserved.
In 1846, Lord Stratford de Redcliffe, then British Ambassador
at the Porte, obtained a firman from the Sultan authorizing the
removal of the reliefs from the castle, where they had been seen
from time to time by travellers, and presented them to the British
Museum. Attention was thus drawn to the subject of the
Mausoleum, and in 1856 the late Sir C. Newton, who was then
acting as Vice-Consul at Mytilene, was empowered to search for the
site, and to carry on excavations on behalf of the Foreign Office.
Notwithstanding the success of Sir C. Newton's . excavations,
materials are still wanting for a complete restoration of the
Mausoleum. By a comparison of Pliny's description (N H., xxxvi., 30) with the
extant remains, it is ascertained that the Mausoleum consisted of a
lofty basement, on which stood an oblong edifice surrounded by
thirty-six Ionic columns and surmounted by a pyramid of twenty-
four steps. This was crowned by a four-horse chariot group in
white marble. The total height is given by Pliny as 140 feet,
according to the usually received text ; by fiyginus (fab. 223) as
80 feet. The edifice which supported the pyramid was encircled by

58 ¦ The Mausoleum Room.
a frieze richly sculptured in high relief, and. representing a battle of
Greeks and Amazons. Remains have been found of three other
friezes, but their place on the building has not yet been ascertained.
The monument was further adorned with statues and groups, and
with a number of lions, which it has been supposed may have stood.
round the edifice as guardians of the tomb. The material of the-
sculptures is Parian marble, and the whole structure was richly
ornamented with colour.
At the South end of the room the following attempted restorations are-
exhibited : —
(1) Sir C. Wren's design, based on Fliny.
(2) A model by C. R. Cockerell, based on Pliny, and the dimensions of the-
frieze, but made before the exieavation.
(3) A drawing (by F. Cockerell) Heveloping a sketch by C. E. Cockerell,.
also made before the excavation.
(4) A restoration by Newton and Pullan, giving the results of the excava
tions, but taking an impossible dimension for the substructure. A.
view is also shown of the castie of St. Peter at Budmm.
Architectural Remains.
980. The colonnade of the Mausoleum is represented by an
Ionic column, which has been erected on the West side of the-
room (but without its base) surmounted by original pieces of the^
architrave, frieze and cornice, and showing part of a coffered
ceiling stretching back to the wall of the room, the lacunaria or-
coffers (sunk panels) being richly ornamented. On the opposite
side of the room are the base and lowermost drum of the column,
which are necessarily separated, for want of height.
981-985. Various architectural fragments from the Mauso
leum, including (981) an Ionic capital from one of the angles of
the colonnade. Its position is shown by the volutes occurring on
two adjacent sides. Compare the column of the Erechtheion in
the Elgin Room.
986. (Near North-East corner.) A part of the cornioe (compare
980) with the lions' heads and a frieze of palmettes and acanthus.
987. A group of the steps of the pyramid that crowned the
colonnade. The upper step belonged to the top of the pyramid..
The roughly worked depression on its upper surface was made for
the insertion of a part of the chariot group. A fragment with
a hoof of one of the horses has been inserted to show the-
arrangement. The Chariot Group.
1000-1004. In the middle of the room the sculptures which.
are believed to form a part of the chariot group on the top of the-
pyramid, have been arranged, as far as possible, in the relative-
positions that they originally occupied (Plate IV.). It is not ex
plicitly stated by Pliny that statues stood in the quadriga, but-
when excavated by Sir C. Newton, the remains of the chariot group-
and of the two figures were found together, lying in a confused heap,.
as they had fallen.

The Mausoleum. 59'
1000. Mausolus, a majestic portrait statue. On his left side-
projecting folds of the drapery have been chiselled away. This is.
thought to have been done when the statue was being adjusted to>
the side of the chariot.
1001. Colossal female figure, probably Artemisia. The figure-
was at first described as a goddess, but the proportions compared
with those of Mausolus, and the portrait character of the head are
better suited to Artemisia. The head-dress is also of a portrait.
character. The arms are broken below the elbows. Both were advanced,
with the right forearm lowered, and the left forearm raised. Their
position corresponds sufficiently with that of a figure holding reins,
when the horses are at rest. There are holes for a ' bronze
attachment on the drapery below the left arm.
1002. Part of a colossal horse, with the original bronze bit..
1003. Hinder half of a similar horse. 1.004. One wheel of the
chariot, restored from several fragments.
Sculptures in Relief.
The works in relief found on the site of the Mausoleum consist
of portions of three distinct friezes, viz., the frieze of the Order,.
the Centaur frieze, and the Chariot frieze, and of a series of reliefs in*
panels. Of these the most important is the frieze of the Order,
that is the frieze that surmounted the exterior colonnade.
The Frieze of the Order.
1006-1031. Of this frieze the British Museum possesses
seventeen slabs, twelve of which were removed from the castle of
St. Peter in 1846, and four more were discovered in 1856-59 on_
the site of the Mausoleum.
One other slab of this frieze, No. 1022, was formerly in the Villa di Negro at
Genoa, to which place it was probably transported from Budrum by one of tlie-
Knights of St. John, some time in the fifteenth or early in the sixteenth
century, and was purchased from the Marchese Serra in 1865. The entire-
length of these slabs is 85 feet 9 inches, the height 2 feet 11$ inches. The
slabs do not follow in regular sequence,, but are taken from various parts of the-
series ; nor have we any evidence as to the sides of the building which they
occupied except in the case of those found in situ (1013-1016), which arc
probably from the eastern side, that is from the Bide assigned by Pliny to the-
sculptor Scopas.
The* subject of this frieze is the war of the Greeks and.
Amazons. The Amazons are represented some on foot, others on.
horseback. Their weapons are the battle-axe and the sword.
From the action of several of those on horseback, it is evident-
that they were represented using spears or bows ; but as no trace
of these weapons appears at present on the marble, they may have
been painted on the ground of the relief ; or in some cases made
of metal and attached to the marble.
All the Greeks are on foot; some of them are represented

60 The Mausoleum Room.
naked, others wear a tunic reaching to the knees, or a cloak
twisted round the arm. Their weapons are the sword and the
javelin, together with helmets and round bucklers.
In the composition, the groups and figures are disposed in more
¦open order than in the Parthenon and Phigaleian friezes, leaving
larger spaces of the background free. The relief is exceedingly
high, the limbs being constantly sculptured in the round • bold
foreshortening is sometimes used. The outlines are marked with
extreme force, and in some of the slabs the figures are singularly.
elongated in their proportions.
1008. One of the male figures on this slab is about to strike
with his club an Amazon who has fallen on both knees, and whom
he drags towards him by her hair grasped in his left hand. He
wears a lion's skin knotted in front, and though the face is nearly
obliterated, the outline of a beard may be traced ; it is therefore
probable that this figure represents Heracles. 1010. The
mediaeval inscription which has been added to the shield of one
of the figures has not been deciphered. In 1013 the left leg of the
kneeling warrior is an example of bold foreshortening. The
apparent inequality in the lengths of the thighs is due to an optical?
deception. In 1015 is a mounted Amazon, whose horse is galloping.
to the right. The rider has turned round so as to face the horse's;
tail, and is drawing her bow, after the Parthian fashion, at an
enemy behind her.
1016. The position of the horse and rider greatly resembles that
of the equestrian group in the round (no. 1045). 1017. This
fragment had somehow found its way to the Imperial Museum. at
Constantinople, and was presented by His Majesty the Sultan,
1022. This slab was purchased from the Marchese Serra of Genoa,
to which city it had probably been sent at an early date. The
upper moulding has been cut away, and other retouchings have
been made — doubtless by an Italian restorer. On the ground of
these differences the connexion of the slab with the frieze has been
questioned, but without valid reason. 1023. The principal
fragments of these figures were found at Rhodes.
Centaur Frieze.
1032-1035. Slabs and fragments of a frieze with a battle of
Greeks and Centaurs. The original position of this frieze on the
building is uncertain. It has sometimes been considered to be the
frieze of the Order, but for this its mouldings are less suitable than
those of the Amazon frieze. Chariot Frieze.
1036. Nearly a hundred fragments were found of this frieze,
which evidently represented a chariot race. Out of the fragments
about twenty chariot groups have been partly made up.
1037. (On the West wall). Charioteer from the chariot frieze
(where it is represented by a cast). Of the chariot a part of the

The Mausoleum. 61
wheel and part of the rim of the chariot rail only have been pre
served; in the centre of the nave a hole is drilled for a metal
ornament. The charioteer's body is thrown forward, and his
countenance and attitude express the eagerness of the contest.
The features, which are beautifully sculptured, have an anxious
look. Groups in Panels.
1038-1042. Fragments of groups in relief, in panels. The
destination of the panels is uncertain. In the restored Order,
no. 980, they have been taken to be the covering slabs of the
coffers of the ceiling of the colonnade. The subjects are too frag
mentary to be made out with certainty. In no. 1041 the subject
may, perhaps, be Theseus overthrowing the robber Skiron.
Miscellaneous Sculptures from the Mausoleum.
Besides the chariot group, and the sculptures in relief already
described, the site of the Mausoleum yielded numerous sculptures
that probably formed a part of its decorations, though" they cannot
be assigned to definite places. Among these note especially : —
1045. Torso of an equestrian figure, much mutilated. The
rider sits a bare-backed prancing horse : he wears close-fitting
trousers, a dress characteristic of Asiatics generally in ancient art,
over which falls a tunic with sleeves. The left hand holds the
reins with a firm, nervous grip, strongly though roughly rendered
by -the sculptor. The upper part of the rider was a separate piece.
Notwithstanding the great mutilation which this torso has
received, it must be considered an admirable example of ancient-
sculpture. The body of the horse is a masterpiece of modelling :
the rearing movement affects the whole frame. Equal skill is shown
in the representation of the firm but easy seat of the rider.
1051. (In the gallery at the North end of the room.) Colossal
female head, with the hair arranged in the manner . of the
Artemisia. This head is remarkable for the largeness and
simplicity of treatment, in the manner of Scopas.
The Lions.
1075, etc. A numerous series of lions was found, partly in
the castle of St. Peter, and partly in the. excavations. They are
all posed in a similar and formal fashion, with their heads turned
either to right or left. They were evidently disposed, with archi
tectural symmetry, as emblematic guardians of the tomb, but their
position cannot be determined. Alabaster Vase.
1099. At the North end of the room is an alabaster vase,.
inscribed with the name of Xerxes. The inscription is in four
languages, namely, Persian, Median, Assyrian and Egyptian, and
each is translated " Xerxes the great King." This vase is one of a

'62 The Mausoleum Room.
.group, of which several examples are extant. It is conjectured
that these vases were distributed as royal presents by the Persian
monarchs, and that the specimen found in the Mausoleum may
have been a valued heirloom in the family of Mausolus.
LION FROM CNIDOS.
1350. In the middle of the room, behind the chariot group, is a
Colossal Lion, which was found lying overturned on a lofty
^promontory, about three miles to the east of Cnidos. On the site
where it was lying were the remains of a Greek tomb, which con
sisted of a square basement surrounded by engaged columns of the
Doric order and surmounted by a pyramid. It was evident, from
the position in which the lion was found, that it had once sur
mounted the pyramid whence it had been thrown down, probably :
Vby an earthquake.
The position of the monument on a promontory was thought by
Sir C. Newton to indicate that it was connected with a naval
victory, and he suggested a victory gained off Cnidos by the
Athenian Admiral Conon Vver the Lacedaemonians in 394 B.C. "as
that commemorated. It is evident, however, that both suggestions
-are very conjectural.
The style of sculpture in this lion is very large and simple, and -
well suited for its original position on a monument 40 feet high,
¦ overlooking a headland with a sheer depth of 200 feet, and with a
wild rocky landscape round it. The eyes, now wanting, were
probably of glass or vitreous paste, or, perhaps, of precious stones.
Pliny tells (N. H, xxxvii., 6) of a marble lion, on the tomb of a
¦prince in Cyprus, with emerald eyes so bright that the fish were
terrified until the stones were changed.
SCULPTURES, ETC., FROM PRIENE.
[In the North-West corner of the room, and between the Cnidos
lion and the chariot group.]
These sculptures were found in the course of excavations which
were carried on by the Society of Dilettanti, on the site of the
temple of Athene Polias at Priene. The transport of the marbles
to England was provided for by the liberality of Mr. John Ruskin,
and they were presented to the British Museum by the Society of
Dilettanti. The temple of Athene Polias is named and dated by an inscrip
tion on one of its piers (in the Room of Inscriptions, see p. 87),
; stating that King Alexander (that is Alexander the Great)
dedicated the temple to Athene Polias. The date of the inscription
is probably 334 B.C.
The temple was of the Ionic order, with eleven columns on the
flanks and six at the ends, making thirty in all, besides a pair of
columns fronting the piers at either end 'of the central cella. [For
-a view and restoration see the screen behind the Cnidos lion.T

Sculptures from Priene. 63
1125-1142. The architectural remains include: — (1125) An
Ionic capital from the colonnade; (1127) a partly -restored capital
of one of the piers at the end of the cella, with a highly ornate
system of mouldings and acanthus patterns. This cap may have
crowned the inscribed pier, mentioned above. (1131) Fragments
irom the cornice of the temple, with lion's head waterspouts,
connected by acanthus scrolls. (1134, 1135) Two square pedestals,
adorned with Gryphons and other reliefs. These cannot be placed
in the architectural order of the temple, or, so far as is known, in
that of any other building, and it is therefore likely that they were
used as isolated pedestals. Sculptures from Priene.
1150. Fragments of a colossal statue, including parts of each
foot, a left upper arm (which has been put together from ninety-
three fragments) and a left hand. These may have belonged to the
statue which stood within the temple, and which is praised by the
traveller Pausanias. A date is furnished by the fact that several
silver coins were found under the supposed pedestal of the statue,
bearing the hitherto unknown portrait of the king Orophernes who
msurped the throne of Cappadocia, b.c. 158, and who, it has been
argued (Hicks, Hellenic Journal, vi. p. 268), was probably the
original of the Holofernes in the Apocryphal book of Judith.
1151. A colossal female head, broken off from a statue, is very
similar to that already mentioned (no. 1051), found on the site of
the Mausoleum. This head seems to be of an ideal, rather than of
a portrait, type, and is therefore probably the head of a goddess.
1165-1176. On the wall are fragments of a frieze, representing a
battle of gods and giants. Beneath the figures, a roughly-dressed
margin of stone of variable height indicates that the frieze cannot
have been a part of the order of the temple. It is more likely that
the lower margin was intended to be sunk in some pavement — in
which case the variable depth of the margin would be unimportant
— and tfce frieze would, in that case, serve as a balustrade. No
traces, however, of such a balustrade were found on the floor of the
temple, and the relief may, therefore, have belonged to some
adjoining building.
Among the subjects that can be recognised are, (1168) Helios,
the sun-god, in a car drawn by four horses; (1169) a god, perhaps
Dionysos, accompanied by a lion, who seizes the giant; (1170)
Cybele on a lion at full gallop; (1173) a kneeling figure of a
winged giant, whose legs terminate in snakes.
MISCELLANEOUS SCULPTURES.
Near the restored, column of the Mausoleum is a fine head of
Hermes, or perhaps Heracles from the Aberdeen collection. This

64 Room of Greek and Roman Monuments.
head, which has a striking resemblance to the Hermes of Praxiteles
(see p. 70), has lately been claimed as another original work by
the hand of that sculptor.
In the raised gallery at the end of the room are some selected
busts, namely : —
10*. Young Dionysos (or Bacchus), wearing long hair and a,
wreath of ivy. The hollow eyes were filled with composition. A
beautiful head, sensuous and dreamy.
11*. Aphrodite, from the Pourtales collection, of a broad,
ideal type.
12*. Head in Asiatic attire (bust restored). A similar head-.
dress occurs on the Nereid monument, the tomb of Payava, etc.
1051. Head from the Mausoleum, mentioned above.
Bust of Sir C. Newton.
[A door in the West wall of the Mausoleum Room leads to the
Room of Greek and Roman Monuments, or Mausoleum Annex,
for admission to which application should be made to the Com
missionaire on duty.]

ROOM OF GREEK AND ROMAN
MONUMENTS.!
SUBJECT ':— LATER GREEK AND ROMAN RELIEFS.
This room contains sculptures in relief, generally of a sepulchral
character, but partly also votive. In both classes the Greek reliefs
must be regarded as supplementary to those exhibited in the
Phigaleian Room immediately above.
Among Greek sepulchral reliefs, note —
712-744. A series of reliefs of the type known as The
Sepulchral Banquet. In a normal example of the fully developed
type, the chief figure is that of a man recumbent on a couch,,
holding a cup. Before him is a table with food. A woman,
according to Greek custom, is seated upright at the foot of the
couch. Boys or attendants are seen drawing wine. The head of
a horse is often seen at the back of the relief. A snake is frequently
introduced, and often drinks wine from a cup held by one of the
figures. Further, a group of adorant figures, usually on a small
scale, may be represented about to sacrifice at an altar, near the

t The Greek reliefs are described in the Catalogue of Sculpture, Vol. I.,
part 3 (price Is.).

Later Greek Reliefs.

65

foot of the couch. It seems probable that we have in these reliefs
symbolic representations of offerings made by living relations or
¦descendants for the pleasure and sustenance of the dead. Such
offerings of food and drink made by the living at the tomb are
-common to all primitive peoples.
713. Relief with Sepulchral Banquet (fig. 22). In this example
two men are seated together at the table.
Among Greek votive reliefs, note —
771-773. Three reliefs, in which a male figure receives a wreath
irom the hand of Athene, whose figure is in its general outlines
copied from the Athene Parthenos of Pheidias (see above, p. 18).
From a comparison of these reliefs with other similar compositions
¦from Athens, it is probable that they are the headings broken oft
from honorary decrees of the Athenian people by which crowns
were conferred on some city or individual for services.

Fig. 22. Sepulchral Banquet. No. 713.
789. A relief which appears to represent offerings to Eilei-
ithyia, the goddess of childbirth. A seated figure is approached
bj women, holding closely swathed babies in their arms. From
Sigeum, near Troy.
813. A fragment of a votive relief, shown by the inscription
to have been dedicated by a victor in a torch race. The relief is of
interest as illustrating the much more perfect specimen in the
Phigaleian Room (see above, p. 50).
On the floor of the room are also —
14*. A fine pair of Roman medallion portraits, of a man and
woman named in the inscription as Lucius Antistius Sarculo,
and Antistia Plutia.
15*. Sarcophagus, found at Sidon, sculptured in high relief
with a battle of Greeks and Amazons.
16*. Sarcophagus from Hierapytna in Crete, with four scenes
F

66 Room of Greek and Roman Monuments.
from the life of Achilles, namely : (1) Achilles being- taught a
pugilistic exercise by the Centaur Cheiron, to whom his father,
Peleus, had entrusted his bringing up. (2) Achilles, disguised as a
maiden and concealed among the daughters of Lycomedes, is recog
nised by Odysseus. A sudden call to arms had been arranged by
Odysseus in order that Achilles might reveal himself. (3) Hephae
stos (Vulcan) forges the armour of Achilles. (4) Achilles drags '
the body of Hector round the walls of Troy.
17*. Sarcophagus, found at Genzano, with reliefs representing
the Labours of Heracles. The subjects taken in order are : (ore
the front of the lid) the infant Heracles with the serpents ; Heracles
and the Erymanthian boar ; the cleaning of the Augean stable ; the
shooting of the Stymphalian birds ; the capture of the bull of
Marathon ; the combat with the triple Geryon. On the right he
receives a wine-cup from Victory. Below, on a larger scale, on the
body of the sarcophagus are : Heracles and the Keryneian stag ;
Heracles and Cerberus ; Heracles and the Amazon ; Heracles and
the golden apples in the garden of the Hesperides ; Heracles
subduing the horses of the Thracian Diomede ; Heracles strangling
the Nemean lion ; Heracles and the Lernaean Hydra.
The sculptures round the walls of the room are mostly parts of
late Roman sarcophagi, and sepulchral urns. Among these may be
noticed : —
18*. A long slab with figures of the nine Muses.
19*. Another slab with Apollo, Minerva, and the Muses, the
latter wearing each a feather plucked from the Sirens, when the
Muses had overcome them in a contest of music.
20*. A relief representing the Roman marriage ceremony of
joining hands.
21*. A sarcophagus front with the recognition of Achilles (see
1G* above).
22*. A bust of a young boy asleep, with lips slightly parted —
a very beautiful rendering of the subject.
23*. A relief of a poet reading, and a Muse standing by him
with a tragic mask.
24*- A relief, in which a party of fishermen have drawn to
shore in their net a part of the body of a comrade, together with a
shoal of fish. The fishermen make gestures of sorrow and surprise,
while a young wind-god (?) blows a conch-shell in the background.
This very singular relief may be compared with an epigram in the
Greek Anthology (Anth. Pal. vii. 276) on some fishermen, who
drew up a half-eaten body in their net, and buried the body and the
fish in one grave.
25*. Frieze, from the cover of a sarcophagus, with seated
Amazons. 26*. Part of a sarcophagus representing some of the labours of
Heracles, including the Keryneian stag, the horses of Diomede, the
Amazon Andromache, the cattle of Geryon, and Cerberus (?).

Mosaics. 67
27 . Front of a sarcophagus with a Dionysiac procession.
Dionysos and Ariadne, seated on a car, are drawn by a pair of
Centaurs, and accompanied by Pans, Satyrs and Maenads.
[From the door at the east end of the gallery in the Mausoleum
Room a passage leads to the North- West Staircase, which may be
conveniently visited from this point.]

THE NORTH-WEST STAIRCASE.
SUBJECT .-—MOSAICS.
On the wall of the lower part of this staircase is placed a series
of Mosaics obtained in 1856 from the rooms and passages of a
Roman villa at Halicarnassos. From the rude character of the
drawing, execution, and material, together with the late forms of
the Greek letters employed in the inscriptions, it is believed that
these Mosaics belong to the third century a.d. The designs include
a series of medallions representing rosettes, birds, fish, masks ; a
bust personifying the city of Halicarnassos and inscribed with that
name ; part of a border of dolphins and of animals of the chase ;
a winged female bust, from the corner of a large Mosaic, represent
ing Spring, whose name aiap ( = clap) was inscribed on it when
discovered ; Dionysos dancing, accompanied by a panther, and
having the name inscribed. The Mosaics on the wall of the first
landing include Meleager, mounted, spearing a wild animal, and
Atalanta, also mounted, drawing a bow. Both the figures are
identified by the inscriptions.
The Mosaics on the upper part of the staircase were mostly
obtained from excavations at Carthage and Utica in 1856-8.
These Mosaics also belong to the Roman period. The subjects on
the second flight include a fountain, with deer drinking ; fishermen
in a boat, fishing with lines and surrounded by marine creatures ;
a perch and two lobsters ; Victory holding a tablet, on which is a
partially preserved Latin inscription relating to the dedication of a
building, and two figures beneath holding up wreaths ; a hunting
scene on the shores of a lake, on which are two boats, with men
hauling in the ends of a net to enclose wild animals.
Above the second landing is placed a Mosaic representing a
Triton which was found in 1872 in a Roman building within the
circuit wall of the temple of Artemis at Ephesus.
F2

68 The Ephesus Room.
On the wall of the third flight of stairs are parts of an important
Mosaic from Carthage. The whole composition consisted of figures
of the months, radiating from a common centre, and surrounded by
a square ribbon border. Medallion busts of the seasons were in the
angles, and the remaining space was occupied by highly decorative
floral scrolls (see the diagram from Archaeologia xxxviii. pi. 9,
exhibited on the wall). The extant portions of the composition
include figures personifying March, April, July, and probably
November, with busts personifying the seasons of Spring (associated
with April) and Summer (associated with July). Summer is a
swarthy female head ; she wears a gold tore and earrings, and has
her hair decked with ears of corn.
Above the top flight is a series of hunting scenes, one of which
represents a mounted huntsman leaving his castle, and another a
mounted huntsman who has lassoed a stag.
[Adjoining the head of this staircase is the First Vase Room (see
p. 145), but for continuing the study of the sculptures we return by
way of the Egyptian Gallery, Nereid Room, and Elgin Room to the
Ephesus Room.]

THE EPHESUS ROOM.f
SUBJECT -.—THE TEMPLE OF ARTEMIS AT EPHESUS.
OTHER SCULPTURES FROM EPHESUS, ETC.
THE TEMPLE OF ARTEMIS.
The sculptures and architectural members in this room were for
the most part found by the late Mr. J. T. Wood, in the course of
excavations on the site of the Temple of Artemis (Diana) at
Ephesus, during the years 1869-1874.
The great temple of the Ephesian Artemis, which, like the
Mausoleum, ranked among the Seven Wonders, was built to take
the place of an older structure which had been burnt. The fire
was kindled by Herostratos, an Ephesian citizen, in order to make
his name immortal ; and it is said that this happened on the night
of the birth of Alexander the Great, in the summer of 356 B.C.
[For the remains of the archaic temple, exhibited in the Archaic
Room, see p. 4.]

t The Ephesian sculptures ere described in the (forthcoming) Cataloaue of
Sculpture, Vol. II. " '

Temple of Artemis at Ephesus. 69
The work of reconstruction was begun forthwith. Portions of
the older temple were used as materials in the foundations of the
new building, which stood on the same ground. Its columns were
sold by auction ; the men contributed their property and the women
their ornaments towards the cost of rebuilding. It is said that
Alexander (probably about 334 B.C.) offered to the Ephesians to
bear the entire cost, if he were allowed to have an inscription, and
that the offer was declined. The older temple, however, had the
dedicatory inscription of Croesus (p. 5), and fragments remain of
similar inscriptions on the later temple. We know also that Priene
had no such scruples in the case of Alexander (see the inscribed
pilaster in the Room of Inscriptions).
The temple was probably finished towards the end of the fourth
century B.C., and continued in use till the decline of paganism.
The importance to the town of the worship of the goddess in the
first century a.d. is vividly shown by the account of St. Paul's stay
at Ephesus (Acts xix).
The extant remains of the temple are so fragmentary, and in
some respects so peculiar, that the restoration is largely conjectural.
Its most striking architectural feature is the use of sculptured
columns, an arrangement which we know to have been adopted
from the archaic temple.
According to the present arrangement, the square sculptured
piers are surmounted by circular sculptured drums, being the lowest
drums of the columns.
This combination is suggested by the fact that the square bases have been
prepared on their upper surfaces to serve as the beds of circular drums, and as
the circumference of the prepared bed coincides with that of the best preserved
of the sculptured drums, it has been inferred that the two were placed in
contact. See the exhibited plans and restorations by Messrs. A. S. Murray and
E. C. Watt, according to which the piers stand on one of the lower steps of the
platform, so that their upper surface is level with that of the stylobate. The
sculptured drums by which they are surmounted are thus exactly level with the
corresponding drums which rest on the stylobate.
Beginning at the left, or South end of the piers, we have : — ¦
1200-1203. On the base Heracles and an Amazon in
combat (?) ; on the drum, parts of four figures in Persian costume.
1204-1206. (Plate V.) On the base, a combat between two
powerful figures. No attributes are preserved, but the forms of
the figures would be appropriate to a combat between Heracles
and the giant Kyknos.
On the drum, a scene commonly thought to represent an incident
in the story of Alcestis, wife of Admetos, who consented to die on
behalf of her husband, and was rescued from the clutch of Death by
Heracles. See the Alcestis of Euripides (translated by R. Browning,
in Balaustion's Adventure). If so, it represents a version of the
story of Alcestis rather different from that of Euripides. The
central woman is Alcestis. Hermes is about to escort her to the
upper world, with the assent of Pluto and Persephone, the figures

70 The Ephesus Room.
on the right. The winged figure is Thanatos (Death), who has
been vanquished by Heracles (the watching figure on the left), and
makes a sign to Alcestis to start on her way.
1207-1211. On the base, Nereids riding on Hippocamps or
coa-horses. On the drum, a group of standing figures. There is no
clue to the subject represented.
1212-1213. On the base, Victories leading animals to sacri-
fice, namely, on the front face a ram, and on the second face a bull.
On the drum a series of seated and standing figures, not identified. :
The more strictly architectural remains of the temple include the
following : —
1220 (in the east half of the room). Base, with stylobate and
lowest drum of an unsculptured column. These fragments were
found in situ by Mr. Wood, and have been re-erected as found.
They came from the column which was near the middle of the south
(long) side of the temple.
1223. Ionic capital, placed on the top of a shaft, partly re
stored in plaster. The eye of the left hand volute is left plain and
unfinished, and shows the lines and compass points used in setting
out the volutes.
1224. Restored Ionic capital, combined with the upper
part of the flutings, and surmounted by a piece of the architrave.
This is presumably a part of the architrave of which Pliny reports
that it was raised to its place up an incline of bags of sand. The
central slab refused to fall into its place, and the architect went to
bed meditating suicide. The goddess appeared to him in a vision
and assured him that she had settled the stone. In the morning it
was found in its place.
1233. Fragments of the cornice having an acanthus ornament,
sculptured in bold relief, and deeply undercut. The lion's head
adjoining is equally bold work.

MISCELLANEOUS SCULPTURES.
Along the wall on the West side of the room are also some of the
sculptures which were found at Ephesus by Mr. Wood in the course
of his search for the temple of Artemis. They include —
1248-1249. Parts of a frieze from the front of the stage of the
Great Theatre, with reclining Satyrs.
1253. Unfinished relief of a Triton, blowing a shell. The
subject is roughly blocked out, but is nowhere worked to its final
surface. 1288. A piece of unfinished palmette moulding, showing how
the pattern was marked out, and then worked in detail.
On this side of the room is also (28*) a cast of the statue of
Hermes carrying the infant Dionysos (Bacchus) by Praxiteles

Miscellaneous Sculptures.

71

<3§0 B.C.). The original was discovered in 1877 in the temple of
Hera at Olympia, where it had been seen by Pausanias. This is
the only extant sculpture which we can directly assign on ancient
authority to one of the great sculptors of Greece.
29*. Beside the door is a head of Venus (?) from Rome, which
retains to a marked extent the flesh tints with which ancient
sculptures were probably often covered, although in most cases it
does not survive.

On the east side of the room are : —
30*. A fine portraithead of Alexander the Great (fig. 23),
probably of contemporary Greek work, found at Alexandria. This

Fig. 23.— Alexander.

head shows finely the points recorded as characteristic of Alexander,
namely, a lion-like mane of hair rising up from the forehead, a
swimming eye, and a slight inclination of the neck to the left
shoulder, in consequence of a wound. 432. A colossal draped
statue of Dionysos, seated, which formerly surmounted the
monument dedicated by Thrasyllos to commemorate a victory in
a dramatic contest. Erected after B.C. 320 on the south slope of
the Athenian Acropolis.
179 A. A fragment of a relief, with a spirited group of four
•galloping chariot horses from the Pourtales collection.

72 The Third Graeco-Roman Room.
31*. A head of Perseus, with pathetic and intense expression.
He wears a winged helmet, but the left wing was separately
attached and is now wanting.
32*. Torso of a Triton from Delos. . Its style, with its high
relief and colossal scale, may be compared with that of the sculp
tures from the great altar at Pergamon, now in Berlin (second
century B.C.).
33*. Torso of a Muse, finely draped. The moulded base oh
which the statue stands is said to have been found with it. If so,
the inscription records that the statue was erected by the people in
honour of Theodoros, and that the sculptor's name was Apollodoros,
son of Zenon, of Phocaea. Found at Erythrae.
34*. Portrait head, probably of a poet, wearing an ivy wreath.
An interesting example of half idealized portraiture of the Alex-
.Etndrine period.
35*. Scylla, terminating in dogs' bodies, below her waist, from
Bargylia. An unusual subject in sculpture.
1302. Persephone (under the glass shade) from the enclosure
of the deities of the lower world at Cnidos, the site whence the
Demeter in the adjoining room (see p. 11) was obtained.
1510. Sculptured capital, from Salamis (in Cyprus) with the
foreparts of winged bulls. Between the bulls is a 'female figure,
who terminates below the waist in acanthus stems and leaves. This
use of the bull as an architectural member was derived by the
Greeks from the East, and particularly from Persia. The figure
terminating in acanthus scrolls is a common decorative theme in
later Greek art, but this appears to be the only case in which it is.
combined with the winged bulls.
[From the Ephesus Room we pass through the Ante-room (p. 11)
and Archaic Room (p. 2) to the Third Graeco-Roman Room.]

THE THIRD GRAECO-ROMAN
ROOM.f
SUBJECT :— GRAECO-ROMAN SC ULPTURES.
The sculptures exhibited in this and the following rooms are of
the mixed class that is known as Graeco-Roman. For the most
part they have been found in Italy, and it is probable that the
t Most of the numbers at present attached to the sculptures in the Graeco-
Roman Galleries refer to Sir C.Newton's Guides to the Craeco-Eoman Sculptures,
Part I. (1879) and Part II. (1876). In a few instances they refer to the more
recent Catalogue of Sculpture.

Graeco-Roman Sculptures. 7$
majority were made during the first centuries of the empire for
Roman purchasers. In most cases they are not original works, but
copies of works by the great Greek masters, as is shown by the-
numerous examples extant in different museums, of the favourite
types. Hence the Graeco-Roman sculptures are marked by facility
and technical excellence of work, rather than by the originality of
an artist working at first hand.
The task of grouping the copies of each type, and of tracing and'
naming the lost originals from which they are derived, has for a
long time exercised the ingenuity of archaeologists, but it is only in
a few instances that fairly certain results have yet been obtained.
In examining the Graeco-Eoman sculptures, the visitor must bear in mind that
they have been considerably restored, in accordance with the custom formerly-
prevalent in Italy, and in particular that many of the hands, feet, noses, and
attributes are recent additions. Such additions, which can usually be detected!
by differences in the colour and texture of the marble, must be mentally sub
tracted before one statue is criticised or compared with another. In many cases
also the surface of the marble has been worked over. This latter practice was
especially mischievous, since it increases the difficulty of distinguishing Graeco-
Boman works from original Greek sculptures transported by the Eomans from .
Greece to Italy, and obliterates the sculptor's finest touches.
We enter from the Archaic Room, and turning to the left, note-
the following : —
36*. Ganymede, Jove's cupbearer, standing with the eagle ¦
beside him. The head is restored.
165. Actaeon devoured by his hounds. He had discovered:
Artemis bathing, and in punishment was torn to pieces by his own
hounds, who took him for a stag. The transformation is suggested!
by the stag's horns (which are, however, in this case, a restoration).
163. Mithras slaying a bull. Mithras was the Persian sun--
god, whose worship became popular at Rome at the close of the
Roman Republic. The bull whom Mithras sacrifices in these -
groups, and the other accessories, are symbolical of animal life anch
reproductive power.
127. Figure of Jupiter, with the eagle of the Olympian divinity
and the Cerberus of the Infernal god. A mixed type, such as-
became common in late Roman art.
43. Head of a Gaul, broken off from a statue. (Plate VI., fig..
1). Various attempts have been made to identify this head as an
historical portrait, but it is simply the usual Gaulish type.
159. A tablet in relief (fig. 24), representing the Apotheosis of
Homer. In the upper part of the scene are Jupiter, Apollo, and
the nine Muses on a hill in which is a cave. In the lowest line of
the relief, Homer is enthroned between kneeling figures of Iliad and-
Odyssey ; behind him, with a wreath, are Time and the World ;.
before him History makes an offering at an altar, assisted by Myth,.
Poetry, Tragedy, Comedy, who make gestures of adoration ; Nature,
Virtue, Memory, Faith, Wisdom, stand in a group on the right-
These figures can all be identified by the inscriptions. The relief is.
inscribed with the name of the sculptor, Archelaos of Priene.

74

The Third Graeco-Roman Room.

201. Cupid asleep, holding in his hand the poppies which are
the attribute of the god of sleep. A pipe once fixed in the jar
on which his head rests, shows that this figure was part of a
fountain. 140. Bust of young Dionysos, wearing a broad diadem.

Fig. 24.— Apotheosis of Homer.

37*. Figure of an athlete standing, preparing to throw the
•disk. Several replicas of this figure are extant, which point to a
well known original, but the sculptor has not been determined.
The torso of this figure is ancient, but most of the rest is restored. V
503. Head of Amazon, slightly inclined to the left and look-

Graeco-Roman Sculptures. 75
ing down, with an expression of pain on the face. The sharp
parallel lines in which the hair is worked suggest that the head is
copied from a bronze original. It belongs to the type which various
archaeologists have assigned to Polycleitos. The complete figure is
that of a wounded Amazon, leaning with the left arm on a pillar,
and having the right hand resting on the top of the head.
152. Statuette of a seated Muse, playing upon a lyre.
129. Unknown female head of a barbarian type.
38*. Bust known as ' Clytie,' the portrait of a woman of great
beauty, with a slightly aquiline nose (Plate VI., fig. 2). The bust
rises from the midst of the petals of a flower, and hence Mr. Townley
called it Clytie, the name of a deserted love of the sun-god Helios,
who was changed into a flower (Ovid, Metamorph. IV., 255-270).
'The head, however, is evidently a portrait, and the manner of
dressing the hair shows that it belongs to the Augustan age. It may
perhaps be the head of Antonia, daughter of Mark Antony, and
mother of Germanicus. The combination of a bust with leaves or petals
is not uncommon in later art, and has no particular significance.
147. Relief of a youth with horse and dog. The bridle was of
metal, now lost. The sculpture seems to be a late imitation of early
rehefs. 148. Endymion sleeping on Mount Latmus. Lucian describes
him as sleeping on a rock, with his cloak spread beneath him, and
his right arm bent upwards round his head.
144. Relief, in imitation of the archaic style, with Heracles
seizing the Keryneian stag.
143. Cupid sleeping, with the attributes of Heracles, his club,
"bow, arrows and lionskin. The ancients delighted in such conceits
as the present, to show the power of love over force.
At the end of the room are several examples of the head of
Heracles, of various types, namely ; (141), a replica of the well-
known Farnese statue of Heracles resting, now in the Museum at
Naples ; (204), head of the young Heracles, with the bruised and
broken ears that mark a pugilist ; (39*), a colossal head from the
Townley collection, which is either a copy of an archaic head, or a
deliberate imitation of the archaic manner ; and (199), a head of
the young Heracles wreathed with poplar. Several replicas exist
of this attractive work, which is thought to be copied from an
original by Scopas.
776. Votive relief, representing an offering to Apollo. The
god is accompanied by Artemis and Leto, and is approached by
three mortals in Roman armour, who, from the difference of stature,
are probably a father and two sons. Below the relief are the
remains of a dedication to Apollo in elegiac verse.
130. Statue of the Triple Hecate, dedicated by one Aelius
Barbaras, an imperial freedman and bailiff.
128. Bust of Athene, with bronze helmet and drapery. The
bronze additions are modern.
40*. Statuette in green basalt, of Cupid riding on a dolphin.

76 The Third Graeco-Roman Room.
The complete group probably contained a figure of AphroditS|l
supporting herself by a rudder, of which a part remains. The
figure appears to have formed part of a fountain, as a bronze tube
passed through the rudder.
196. Nymph of Diana, seated on the ground, as if playing with
knucklebones. (Compare the terracotta group in the Room of Terra
cottas, p. 98.) The head, right hand, feet and other parts are
restored. This figure was found under circumstances which seemed
to show that it was a part of the decoration of a fountain.
186. Figure from a group of two boys quarrelling over knuckle
bones. The boy is biting savagely the arm of his adversary.*
Other fragments of the second figure are said to have been found
at the same time (about 1630), but in too mutilated a state for
restoration. 189. Dionysos embracing a personification of the vine — not,
however, the youth Ampelos, who was converted into a vine,
according to the legend, since the figure is clearly female. The
figure may, perhaps, be called Ambrosia (the divine food personified),.
who by a manifest allegory was made a follower of Dionysos and
was said to have been thus transformed.
41*. A circular disk with a relief representing Apollo and!
Artemis destroying the children of Niobe, as a punishment for
the insolence of their mother. Many of the types occur elsewhere,
and their persistent repetition proves that the figures must have
been copied from a lost original of high reputation. It was.
independent of the famous group now at Florence, representing
Niobe and her children, although in certain points it may have been
influenced by it.
184. Young Satyr. He probably held up a jug in his right
hand to pour into a bowl held in the left.
190, 188. Two very similar figures of a young Pan. Both are
by the same sculptor, Marcus Cossutius Cerdo, freedman of Marcus
Cossutius, who has inscribed his name on the tree stumps. The
letters are of the first century a.d., and the style of the sculpture is
that of the so-called School of Pasiteles, an artist working at the
close of the Roman Republic.
177. A Satyric figure, playing on the flute. This figure, of
which the lower part is in the form of a square term, has been
called Midas, who, according to Pliny, was the inventor of the flute
with a side mouthpiece. As, however, the invention of the instru
ment is also assigned to Pan, the attribution is doubtful. The
sculpture is archaistic (see p. 77).
172. Finely modelled torso of Aphrodite. The fractured
surfaces have been cut smooth, for a restoration, and the torso was
much injured in a fire at Richmond House.
179. Relief in a panel, with part of a Bacchanalian rout,
including a Maenad in frenzy, and two young Satyrs.
176. Relief representing a visit paid by Dionysos to the
house of a mortal, perhaps Icarios, an Athenian who received the

Archaistic Sculptures. 77
god's hospitality, and was taught by him the art of making wine.
Dionysos appears in his Indian form, bearded and corpulent, and
-accompanied by his train. In the background a Satyr is decking
the house with festoons. This relief is interesting as one of the
-very few authorities for the appearance of an Attic dwelling-house,
with its courtyard and outbuildings. The sculpture is of the
younger Attic school. Archaistic Sculptures.
Many of the remaining sculptures grouped at the end of the
room are in the archaistic style — that is to say, they are works of
¦a comparatively late age (third to first century B.C.), deliberately re
producing the characteristics of an archaic period. (See also nos.
147, 144, and 39*, p. 75.) As a rule they copy and exaggerate the
-obvious features, such as the conventional treatment of the hair and
folds of drapery, but fail to catch the archaic treatment of the
¦eyes, nose and mouth. In some cases, however, a question can
fairly be raised whether a work ought to be assigned to the
archaistic or the genuinely archaic group.
In the archaistic style note : —
Four bearded heads of Hermes or Dionysos.
42*. Life-size statue of Artemis, with a deer in her left hand,
from Rome. When first discovered there were traces of blue paint
along the edges of the drapery, in imitation of the archaic female
statues, but these have now become invisible.
43*- A head of a youth, perhaps an athlete, with his hair tied
with a ribbon. A copy of an original of the early part of the
fifth century.
44*. Head of Artemis, imitating the archaic manner with
nnusual faithfulness.
45*. Relief in black granite. Hermes with lyre and herald's
staff (caduceus). Found by Mehemet Ali, in 1825, among ruins
at Canopus.
At the western end of the room are : —
46*- A figure of a young boy, drawing a thorn from his left
foot, over which he bends with an expression of pain and close
attention. The subject also occurs in a well-known bronze in the
Palace of the Conservatori at Rome. In the bronze, it is executed
in a more formal and less realistic style. The relationship of the
two figures is uncertain.
171. Hermes (or Mercury), from the Farnese collection.
Several replicas of this type exist, which must be derived from
some well-known original, nearly akin to the Hermes of Praxiteles
(p. 70). In one instance (the ' Hermes of Andros ') the type
seems to have been adopted to represent a dead person in heroified
form. On the right of the staircase are : —
774. Apollo receiving a libation from Victory in the archaistic

78 The Graeco-Roman Basement and Annex.
style. Numerous examples are known. It seems probable that
they are votive, and that in selecting as their subject the victory of
Apollo in a musical contest, the dedicators indirectly commemorated
their own triumph in similar exercises of skill.
47*. A square terminal figure of the bearded Dionysos, also
in the archaistic manner.
48*. A head of Hermes (1), a youthful ideal male head,
somewhat severely treated. From the Chinnery collection.
[The circular staircase, in the apse at the end of this gallery,
descends to the Graeco-Roman Basement and Annex.]

THE GRAECO-ROMAN BASEMENT
AND ANNEX.
SUBJECT .-—GRAECO-ROMAN AND ETRUSCAN
SCULPTURES.
These rooms contain a number of Graeco-Roman sculptures,, for
the most part of subordinate interest, and examples of Etruscan art.
Visitors who wish to obtain a nearer view of the objects in the
Annex, should apply to the Keeper of the Department.
Graeco-Roman Sculptures.
In the Basement, beginning on the left of the staircase, are :—
121. A chair for use in the hot bath, shaped externally like a
chariot. 51, 52. Two realistic statues of fishermen, with fish baskets.
Above is a curious mosaic, with a horse and man, on a low-
wheeled truck — perhaps part of a scene in the circus.
2nd bay. Architectural panels, with graceful scrolls, etc.
3. Ethiopian tumbler, balanced on a small crocodile, with his
legs in air
37. Marsyas, tied to a pine-tree, awaiting his punishment at
the instance of Apollo.
Above is (49 *) a mosaic, with a basket of fruit, and an over
turned basket of fish, eels, etc.
3rd bay. Architectural fragments.
1384. The nymph Cyrene strangling a lion. (Compare the
relief below.) r

Graeco-Roman Sculptures.

79'

4th bay. 790. This relief represents the nymph Cyrene in the
act of strangling a lion, while, to commemorate this triumph, a
crown is held over her head by Libya. The elegiac quatrain
beneath records the dedication of the relief by one Karpos.
According to the legend told by Pindar (Pyth. ix., 26), Cyrene was
a Thessalian maiden. Apollo saw her slaying a lion in the
valleys of Pelion, while guarding her father's flocks. He became
enamoured of her, and carried her off to the part of Libya which
afterwards bore her name. According, however, to another form
of the legend, she had freed a part of Libya from the ravages of ;e

.^iisssiiiisfe,
'm^ HI

m

m

liiSS

>(./|

W® mm
Fig. 25.— Aphrodite.
lion, and it is probably in connexion with this later legend that-
Libya is introduced crowning Cyrene in the relief. ¦
50*. The small relief in this bay, with two dogs attacking a
boar, is one of the very few sculptures which belonged to Sir Hans
Sloane, and thus formed the nucleus of the Sculpture collections of
the Museum.
51*. Keystone of a triumphal arch, with a figure of Victory.
52*. Mosaic, with eight Mediterranean fish.
53*. At the end of the room is a portion of a large mosaic
pavement (fig. 25), found in 1856 in the Roman villa at Halicarnassos.
Aphrodite is rising from the sea, seated in a large shell, supported
SO The Graeco-Roman Basement and Annex.
by two Tritons. She holds a mirror in one hand, and wrings a
tress of hair with the other.
Along the window-side of the room are miscellaneous Graeco-
Roman sculptures and mosaics. Among the latter is (54 *) a
mosaic, from the corridor of the Roman villa at Halicarnassos, with
a bay wreath, containing words of good omen — " Health ! Long
life ! Joy ! Peace ! Cheerfulness ! Hope ! "
In the middle of the room are various altars, fountains, vases,
etc. 31, 40, etc. Four disks, with Bacchic subjects in low relief.
These disks were mounted on central pivots, and served as revolving
¦shutters for ventilators. Etruscan Sculptures, etc.
1st bay. A reconstruction of the tomb, known as the 'Grotta
Dipinta,' at Bomarzo, with facsimiles of the wall paintings, which
consist of figures of Hippocamps, etc., and a highly conventionalized
frieze of waves and dolphins. The sarcophagus (55 *) is that which
was found in the tomb. The cover is in the form of a roof, at each
end of which sits a Sphinx ; on the ridge tile is a serpent coiled in
a knot. The pediments and the ends of the joint tiles on the roof
are ornamented with masks of Medusa. On the front and back of
the sarcophagus are reliefs representing Etruscan deities. At one
¦end of the sarcophagus are a Gryphon and lion devouring a stag,
;and below this two lions devouring a bull.
2nd bay. The four large sarcophagi were found together in
,a tomb at Toscanella.
56*. Sarcophagus ; on the lid, a recumbent male figure holding
a bowl in his right hand; on the front, two marine monsters
in relief.
57*. Sarcophagus. On the cover is a male figure reclining.
On the front is a relief representing a winged male figure leading a
chariot, attended by three lictors with fasces (the executioner's axe
and rods) and a trumpeter ; above this is an Etruscan inscription.
58*. Sarcophagus. On the cover a recumbent figure with a
two-handled cup ; on the front is a relief representing Scylla
overpowering two male figures.
59'"'. Cover of a sarcophagus. Draped female figure reclining.
Underneath are rehefs representing a bearded head with Phrygian
cap, and on each side a boy riding on a sea monster.
Above, on each side of the bay, is a smaller series of Etruscan
.sepulchral chests.
3rd bay. 60*. Sepulchral urn, in the form of a seated male
figure, divided into two parts at the waist.
61*. Sarcophagus from the Tomb of the Chariots, Corneto
(Tarquinii). On the front and back are scenes in relief from the
taking of Troy (Iliupersis). At one end is a scene which appears
to represent the quarrel of Achilles and Agamemnon • above
-this is an Etruscan inscription, much injured. At the other end

Etruscan and Graeco-Roman Sculptures. 81
the relief seems to represent Neoptolemos slaying Polyxena.
€2*. Placed upon this sarcophagus, but independent of it, is a
cover of a sarcophagus, from the Grotta 'del Triclinio at Corneto.
Female figure holding a Bacchic staff and a two-handled cup ; at
cher side a deer.
63*. Sarcophagus with the death of Eteocles and Polyneikes
¦before Thebes. A thunderbolt sent by Zeus marks the end of the
¦combat. 4th bay. Sepulchral urns, including two (64*, 65*) with the
•subject of the death of Hippolytos ; his horses are terrified by
the bull sent by Poseidon.
66*. On the front Achilles slaying Troilos.
67*. On the front Orestes and Pylades slaying Clytaemnestra
and Aegisthos, her paramour.
This bay also contains (68*) a wheel for raising water. It was
found in the Roman workings of the Rio Tinto copper mine, and
is an exceptional piece of ancient carpenter's work.
5th bay. Copy of a painted tomb, with a central sculptured
•column, found at Vulci. The two crouching lions, now placed
inside the entrance, originally flanked the tomb on the outside.
[We return by the staircase and Third Graeco-Roman Room to
the Second Graeco-Roman Room.]

SECOND GRAECO-ROMAN ROOM.
SUBJECT:— GRAECO -ROMAN SCULPTURES (continued).
In this room, beginning on the left of the door from the Third
Room, are : —
69*. A head of Apollo, or perhaps rather of Dionysos, from
Capua. 70*. A head of Apollo from the Castellani collection, which
should be compared with the replica of the type (138) in the
opposite corner from the Giustiniani and Pourtales collections.
These heads are broken from statues, but no example of the
•complete statue is extant, and the original motive is therefore
doubtful. The expression of the heads seems to be one of sorrow
rather than wrath, or musical ecstasy, all which interpretations, as
well as others, have been offered by archaeologists.
250. Copy of the bronze Discobolos of Myron, an Athenian
artist of the first half of the fifth century B.C. A young athlete
G

82 First Graeco-Roman Room,
is represented in the act of hurling the disk. He has swung it,
back, and is about to throw it to the furthest possible distance
before him. We have an interesting opinion upon this statue by •
the ancient critic, Quintilian. He remarks that the laboured
complexity of the statue is extreme, but anyone who should blame
it on this ground would do so under a misapprehension of its-
purpose, inasmuch as the merit of the work lies in its novelty
and difficulty.
138. Head of the Pourtales Apollo. (See above.)
71*. Head of a hero (undetermined) from the collection of
Samuel Rogers. A fine ideal head. The restorations are by John
Flaxman. 140 A. A delicately executed relief, probably part of a Baccha-i
nalian frieze, with a figure of a frenzied Maenad with the hind
quarters of a slain kid.
139. Heroic head, with the forcible rendering of the muscles,.
and free undercutting of the hair, characteristic of the Pergamene
school of sculpture, as shown by the reliefs from the great altar,.
now at Berlin.
136. The Towneley Venus, a half draped ideal figure, found
at Ostia.
137. A female head, perhaps of Aphrodite (Venus) from the
same collection. This head was formerly called, for fanciful
reasons, Dione, the mother of Aphrodite.
72*. A head, doubtfully attributed to Alexander the Great-
It has something of the pose of the neck, but wants many of the
true Alexander characteristics, such as the springing up of the hair
from the forehead, as shown by the head in the Ephesus Room
(p. 71).
[We pass by the opposite door to the First Graeco-Roman Room.}

FIRST GRAECO-ROMAN ROOM.
SUBJECT: — GRAECO-ROMAN SCULPTURES (continued).
Beside the door are (123, 125) two colossal busts of Minerva,.
helmeted. Further to the left are (73*) a statue of Dionysosr
draped and bearded, such as he appears on the relief in the Third
Graeco-Roman Room (p. 76), representing his visit to Icarios : and
(126) a Canephora,* or basket-bearer. This figure was intended
* Greek, Kavri<p6pas. Lat., Canephora.

Graeco-Roman Sculptures. 83
to serve an architectural function, and is a Graeco-Roman imitation
of the Caryatids of the Erechtheion. One of the latter is exhibited
in the Elgin Room (p. 42), and a comparison of -the two figures
gives a clear idea of the difference between Greek and Graeco-
Roman art. The graceful spontaneity of the Greek maiden is in
striking contrast with the formal convention of her Graeco-Roman
counterpart. To the right of the room are the following in order : —
74*. A massive fragment of a porphyry column from
Alexandria. 109. A young Satyr playing with the boy Dionysos.
118. A dancing Satyr with cymbals, from the Rondinini
collection. The extremities of the figure are all restored, but the
torso is noted for its anatomical skill.
116. Venus preparing to enter the bath. Presented by King
William IV.
1380. Apollo, the lyre-player (Citharoedos), standing in an
attitude of repose, as if resting from his music. The figure was
found in the temple of Apollo at Cyrene in North Africa. It has
been put together from 123 fragments, but is not otherwise
restored. 119. Bust of an unknown Greek poet.
[The door adjoining leads to the Director's Office.]
117. Head of Homer. It hardly need be pointed out that
the bust is not an authentic portrait of the poet, if indeed he ever
existed, but is a comparatively late attempt to express the supposed
appearance of the blind old man. Pliny, remarking on the habit
of placing portraits of authors in libraries, says that fictitious
portraits, are invented where real ones do not exist, and our ' desires
beget the faces that have not been handed down, as happens in the
case of Homer.'
500. Statue of an athlete binding a diadem round his head,
and believed to be a copy of the Diadumenos, by Polycleitos, of
Argos. Polycleitos was probably a younger contemporary of
Pheidias, and was famous as the author of a methodical system of
human proportion. This figure was found in 1862 at Vaison, in
Southern France.
134. Heroic figure from the Farnese collection.
501. Another statue of an athlete binding a diadem (see above),
a slighter and more youthful rendering of the subject than the
Diadumenos of Vaison. From the Farnese collection.
75*. Beside it is a head of a Diadumenos, lately acquired
from Greece of a finer style than either of the two statues, and
probably nearer to the work of Polycleitos.
76*. Statue of a youth, from the Westmacott collection. It
is a graceful and pleasing figure, but weak in the anatomy and
execution. It has been suggested that the figure ought to be
g2

84 Gallery of Roman Busts.
restored, with the right hand raised, and placing a wreath upon the
head, and that it may be a copy of the statue of Kyniskos (a youth
ful pugilist at Olympia) by Polycleitos. It has also been thought to
belong to a group of twe figures, such as Orestes and Pylades, and
to be a work of the younger Attic school.
[We leave this room by the East door and enter the Gallery of
Roman Busts.]

GALLERY OF ROMAN BUSTS.
SUBJECT:— ROMAN IMPERIAL PORTRAITS.
The portrait busts are arranged along the North side of the
gallery, from west to east in chronological order. Upon the pedestal
of each statue or bust are inscribed, when known, the name of the
person represented, the dates of such person's birth, death, and (if
an emperor) of his reign, and the site where the sculpture was
discovered. The long series of imperial portraits from the fall of the Roman
Republic to the middle of the third century makes a vivid commen
tary on the histories of the time. For the most part the identifica
tion of the busts is based on the evidence of the coins, either directly,
or by comparison with other busts thus identified, and in the case
of the more distinctive portraits no uncertainty need arise. There
is more difficulty with the portraits of infrequent occurrence, and
with the subordinate members of the imperial families. In their
case, the difficulty is increased by the tendency of the artists to
make all members of a family approach to the family type. The
successors and kinsmen of Augustus are assimilated to the Augustan
type, in the same way that the successors of Alexander are given
Alexandrine features and hah-.
The series begins on the left of the door. The following ars
specially noteworthy : —
2. Caius Julius Caesar, the consummate soldier, statesman
and man of letters. A striking bust of ' Caesar with the falcon eyes
(Dante). (Plate VII., fig. 1.)
The scanty hair is brought to the front. It is mentioned by
Suetonius that when his baldness increased, and became the object
of the wit of his opponents, he combed the hair from the top of his
head in order to conceal it.
The surface of the bust appears to have suffered from a drastic
cleaning with chemicals, but several details in the treatment con
firm the authenticity of the work.

Roman Busts. 85
77*. Bust, called, with hesitation, Marcus Brutus, the most
noted of Caesar's assassins.
3, 4, and 78*. Three heads of Augustus, the founder of the
Empire, the gracious patron of Virgil, and the ruling emperor at
the time of the birth of Clirist.
In 3 he appears as a youth. (Plate VII., fig. 2.) Iri the others
he is in his prime. No. 4 is a powerful portrait, and was once the
property of Edmund Burke.
5. Tiberius, the ruling emperor at the time of the Crucifixion.
The veil indicates that the emperor is represented either as Pontifex
Maximus or as an augur. The head was found in the island of
Capri, where Tiberius spent his later years in scandalous retire
ment. 8. Caius Caligula, third emperor, almost insane with the
vanity of power.
47. (Against the pilaster.) A "female portrait statue, finely
draped and composed, sometimes taken for the empress Livia, but
perhaps representing a priestess.
1155. Claudius. He was specially noted for the uncouthness
of his deportment and gestures, but we are told that when quiescent
he was not wanting in authority and dignity. This head was found
in the temple of Athene at Priene (see p. 62), and shows marks of
the fire by which that temple was destroyed.
11. Nero, the pre-eminent combination of vanity, cruelty, and
infamy. A characteristic bust, brought from Athens.
15. Trajan, soldier, statesman, and administrator.
'The most interesting characteristic of the figure I have so*
vividly before me, is the look of painful thought, which seems to-
indicate a constant sense of overwhelming responsibilities, honour
ably felt and bravely borne, yet . . . ever irritating the nerves and
weighing upon the conscience ' (Merivale).
Against the pilaster are a head of Titus, the captor of Jerusalem, .
and two unknown portraits.
17, 18, two busts, and 23, a statue, are portraits of Hadrian,.
skilled administrator, indefatigable traveller, and scholarly patron
of the arts.. In this statue Hadrian is dressed in civil costume.
Another statue by the door of the Reading Room shows him in
armour. It will be observed that Hadrian is the first bearded
figure. His biographer, Spartian, suggests that he allowed his
beard to grow to conceal certain natural blemishes, but the explana
tion seems unnecessary as the change of fashion became general
about this time (120 a.d.).
20. Antinous, favourite slave of Hadrian, drowned in the
Nile during his master's journey in Egypt, and subsequently repre
sented in many forms of deification — here as Bacchus. The face
has always a beauty of its own, but with a sullen and sensual
expression. 1463. Antoninus, surnamed Pius on account of his devotion
to the memory of Hadrian. ' The consent of antiquity plainly '

86 Room of Greek and Latin Inscriptions.
declares that Antoninus was the first, and, saving his colleague and
successor Aurelius, the only Roman emperor who devoted himself
to the task of government with a single view to the happiness of
his people ' (Merivale).
26, 1464. Two heads of Marcus Aurelius, emperor and
philosopher, author of the ' Meditations.' In one of the two heads
(26) he wears a wreath of corn, and veil as a member of the sacred
college of the Arval Brothers.
77. Bust of a lady named Olympias (not otherwise known)
dedicated, as shown by the inscription on the base, by her freed-
man Epithymetus.
36. Septimius Severus, who died at York, a.d. 211.
1415. (Against the pilaster.) A finely draped female portrait
statue, probably of the time of Hadrian.
37 and 79*- Two heads of Caracalla. The neck is slightly
inclined to the shoulders. We are told by the emperor's biographer,
Aurelius Victor, that he had been induced by flatterers to believe
that when he frowned and turned his head, he made himself
resemble Alexander the Great. (See p. 71.)
[The Roman mosaics on the upper part of the wall of this gallery,'
and the various Roman and other remains which stand opposite to
the busts, have been found in this country, and are therefore
included in the collections of the British and Mediaeval Department]^
[On leaving the Roman Gallery by the East door, we turn to the
Room of Inscriptions, on each side of the entrance to the Reading
Room.]

ROOM OF GREEK AND LATIN
INSCRIPTIONS,!
SUBJECT.— GREEK AND LATIN INSCRIPTIONS. MISCEL
LANEOUS GRAECO-ROMAN SCULPTURES.
Among the selected inscriptions which are here exhibited, the
most interesting are the following.
In the West (or left) half of the room : —
80*. A tall marble slab from Sigeum, in the Troad, inscribed
with an archaic dedication by Phanodicos of Procorinesos, and

t Most of the Greek Inscriptions have been published in the Ancient Greek '
Inscriptions in the British Museum, Parrs I.-IV. (£4\ The greater part of the
collection is only accessible to persons dtsiring to m-ke speoiul btudies

Greek Inscriptions. 87
giving the name of an artist, Aisopos. The inscription is written
boustrophedon.; that is, alternately from left and right, in the
manner of oxen ploughing furrows. The stone served in modern
times as a seat hi the porch of the church at Sigeum, until it was
removed by Lord Elgin. It was specially resorted to by the sick,
for its magic influence, and the inscription has thus been nearly
obEterated. 399-402. Pier (Parastas or anta) of the temple at Priene, in
Asia Minor, with inscriptions relating to Alexander the Great, and
ihis successor Lysimachos. The large inscription at the top is the
dedication of the temple to Athene Polias by Alexander (circa
334 B.C.) mentioned above, p., 62.
886. A decree passed in the names of the convention of the
Halicarnassians and Salmakitians, and Lygdamis the tyrant, for
the purpose of regularising and confirming the possession of real
property at Halicarnassos. The town of Halicarnassos was originally
divided into the two sections named above.
678. An archaic inscription, from Ephesus, relating to divina
tion from the flight of birds — e.g., ' If the bird is flying from left to
right, should it settle out of sight in a straight line, it is unlucky ;
but if rearing the right wing,' etc.
81*. Treaty of alliance between Hermias (or Hermeias), ruler
of Atarneus, and the people of Erythrae (about 357 B.C.) Hermias,
a slave and eunuch, succeeded to the sovereignty of Atarneus.
He is best known as the friend and patron of Aristotle, who
•dedicated to his memory the Ode to Virtue, and also a statue at

On the West wall, and- on the right return face of the pier, is an
elaborate series of documents relating to boundary disputes between
Priene and Samos, inscribed for permanent record by the Prienians
on the walls of the temple of Athene Polias. The principal docu
ments here preserved are (403) an award by the Rhodians who had
been invited to arbitrate, and decided in favour of Priene (circa
240 B.C.), and (405) a decree of the Roman Senate (about 135 B.C.)
confirming the Rhodian award which had been set aside by the
consul Manlius.
344. The square shaft opposite the middle of the west wall
-contains a copy of a decree concerning a national subscription in
aid of the Rhodian navy, at a time of grave emergency— perhaps
about 203 B.C. The decree occupies half a column, and is followed
by the names of the subscribers with their respective contributions
-on the remaining three and a half columns. Presented by H.R.H.
the Prince of Wales.
On the North wall, the large upper inscription (No. 481) which
formed the sloping wall flanking the south entrance in the Great
Theatre at Ephesus, contains documents relating to gifts and
bequests by one Caius Vibius Salutaris (a.d. 104) to the city of
Ephesus. The gifts consist partly of gold and silver images of
Artemis and other subjects, and partly of a capital sum of money

88 R:om of Greek and Latin Inscriptions.
to provide annual doles on the birthday of the goddess. Curious.
conditions are laid down as to the carrying of the images in pro
cession from the temple to the theatre. From the topographical
information thus given, Mr. Wood obtained the clue by which he
succeeded in his search for the temple site.
Below the inscription last mentioned are : —
448-476. Wall-stones from the temple of Diana at Ephesus/
inscribed with grants of citizenship and other honours to benefactors
of Ephesus.
In the East (or right) half of the room (on the north wall) are :—
(On the upper shelf)
522. An inscription in Greek and Latin, recording the rebuild-^
ing of the outer boundary walls of the temple of Diana at EphesusJ
by order of Augustus, B.C. 6. The intentional erasure of the name'
of the proconsul C. Asinius Gallus, recalls a tragedy of the reign of
Tiberius. Gallus had offended the emperor by marrying his divorcecfe;
wife, and by speaking too freely of his government. By command
of Tiberius he was condemned unheard by the Senate at Rome, at
the moment that he was enjoying the emperor's hospitality at Capri.
He was there arrested, and after three years of rigorous imprison
ment, he was starved to death. His name was in consequence erased
from the inscription.
(On the second shelf)
Athenian inscriptions, of various purport.
37. Epitaph in elegiac verses, on Athenians who fell in battle
before Potidaea. Potidaea was a town in the Thracian peninsula^
and tributary to Athens. With the help of Corinth it revolted in
the summer of 432 B.C. The Athenians sent an expedition to
Potidaea, which gained a victory ; but only with the loss of the
commander Callias and 150 men, who are here commemorated.
[Thucyd. I. 63 ; Grote, vol. iv. chap. 47.] The Peloponnesian war
was an immediate consequence of the Potidaean campaign.
After a prose heading, and the first two couplets, which are very
imperfect, the epitaph proceeds : ' Air received then- souls, and.
earth their bodies. They marched around the gates of Potidaea.
Of their foes, some have their portion in the grave, others (fled) and
made a wall their sure hope of (life). This state and people (of
Erechtheus) mourns its citizens who died in the front ranks, before||
Potidaea, children of the Athenians. They cast their lives into the
scales in exchange for valour, and their country's glory.'
34. An inventory of garments and other objects dedicated to
the Brauronian Artemis, in her shrine on the Athenian Acropolis,
between 350 and 344 B.C. The list is full of minute and curious
entries— e.g., in line 21, 'a little tunic with a plain purple border,
that has been washed out.'
(On the floor)
35. Marble slab inscribed with a report drawn up, in 409 B.C.,
by commissioners appointed to inquire into the progress of the

Greek and Latin Inscriptions. 8&
building of the Erechtheion (see description of the Elgin Room,
p. 42) on the Acropolis of Athens. The survey states with great
minuteness what parts are complete, and what parts are half
finished — e.g., ' the mouldings of the bases are all unfluted on the
upper parts.'
On the East wall are selected Latin Inscriptions. The following
may be mentioned : —
(In the first bay from the left)
82*. Beginning of a poem, on a visit to Egypt (a.d. 134), in
bombastic hexameters. From KalabshI (Talmis) in Nubia.
[0. I. L. iii. 77.]
83*. Record of the building of a bridge by the Emperor
. Domitian, whose name is here erased, a.d. 90. The inscription was
found at Coptos in Egypt. We are told by Suetonius that after
the assassination of Domitian, a decree of the SeDate was passed
that his inscriptions should everywhere be erased, and all record of
him abolished.
(In the second bay)
84*. A small slab containing the name of Vitruvius Pollio,
followed by the letters ARCH, which have been taken to mean
" Architectus," and to connect the inscription with Vitruvius, the
celebrated writer on architecture, to whom the surname Pollio is
given on doubtful authority. But the name is not uncommon, and
another proposal is to take these letters as an abbreviation of
" Archigubernus," or commander of a ship. From Baiae. [C. I. L.
x. 3393.]
85*. Part of a decree of the Roman Senate, amending a previous^
ordinance (constitutio) of Vedius Pollio [died 15 B.C.], which regul
ated among other matters the alimony of public slaves at Ephesus.
[C. I. L. iii. 6066.]
86*. Draught-board (tabula lusoria). Such boards are in
scribed with six words of six letters, making thirty-six places, on
which pieces were moved by throws of dice. Here the mottoes refer
to the games, ' Circus full,' etc.
87*. Below is a Greek sepulchral relief, with a recumbent
skeleton. The spectator is asked whether he can tell if the deceased
was a Hylas (the beautiful boy beloved of the Nymphs) or a,
Thersites (the ugly clown in Homer).
(In the third bay)
88*. A pedestal of a statue, with an inscription to the effect
that it was restored ' whether sacred to god or goddess ' — a parallel
to the altar, inscribed with a dedication ' to an unknown god,' that
caught the eye of St. Paul when he was viewing the sculptures of
Athens. (Acts xvii. 23.)
On the South wall are : —
811, 812. A pair of curious votive tablets, found at Slavochori,
a place which is believed to be the site of the ancient Amyclae near
Pausanias (iii., 20, 4) mentions a town near Amyclae called

'90 Room of Greek and Latin Inscriptions.
Bryseae, where was a temple of Dionysos which* none but women
were permitted to enter, and where women only performed the
sacrifices. It is not improbable that these votive tablets were
-originally dedicated in this temple, and thence brought to Slayo-
¦chori. It was a common custom among the Greeks to dedicate
.articles of female attire and toilet in the temples of goddesses.
(Compare the inscription described above, no. 34.) ¦<»«
811 is a tablet dedicated by Anthusa, the daughter of Damainetos.1
On the tablet, within a raised wreath, the following objects are
• sculptured in relief : — In the centre is a bowl inscribed with the
-dedication. Round this bowl are ranged a mirror, a torch, a
.spindle, a comb, a small phial, a small box with a lid containing
three little circular boxes, which probably held paints ; a pair of
; shoes; a small mortar, containing a pestle, shaped like a bent
thumb ; a cap (1), a knife, a scraper, a bottle, two bodkins, a small
-oval box with a lid, which probably held a sponge ; a pair of shoes,!
and a conical object like a cap.
812 is a tablet dedicated by a priestess called Claudia Ageta. In
the centre is a bowl inscribed with the name of the priestess, and
round it are the following objects : — On the left of the bowl, a shell
to hold unguents, two mirrors, a small comb, a hair-pin, a small
bottle, a small oval tray with a lid, containing a sponge, a larger
Taottle, a cylindrical object, and a circular object like a stud ; above
the bowl is a small oval box, a bottle, and an object which appears
to be a net for the hair ; below are a comb, two bodkins, and a
strigil. On the right of the bowl are two pairs of shoes, two studs
linked together, a small mortar (in which is a pestle like a bent
thumb), a spoon and a small oblong box with a lid, into which are
: fitted six little circular boxes or bottles.
171. A Greek inscription from Thessalonica, containing the
\names of certain magistrates, styled " Politarchs," an uncommon
local title, accurately quoted by St. Luke. (Acts xvii., 6, 8.)
SCULPTURES.
This room also contains sculptures, mainly of a decorative
• character, and subordinate interest.
Beginning on the left of the entrance are : —
198. Statue of Ariadne, the spouse of Bacchus, with Bacchic
-emblems. 89*. Statue of Marcus Aurelius, in civil costume. A feeble
work, obtained by the British at the capitulation of Alexandria
-(1801). 90*. Marble vase (much restored) with a Bacchanalian dance of .
.Maenads and Satyrs.
On the West wall are portrait busts of Greek philosophers... In
jnost cases the suggested attributions are very conjectural.
On tho North wall are : —
1301. Statue of Nikokleia, from the temenos of Demeter at

Miscellaneous Sculptures. 91
•Cnidos (p. 11). The inscription on the base records that the
.statue was dedicated to Demeter, Persephone, and the ' gods beside
Demeter,' by Nikokleia, in pursuance of a vow.
Sir C. Newton suggested alternatively that this figure might be a
figure of Demeter sorrowing, and seeking for her daughter, or a
priestess. The goddess searching for her daughter is desoribed in
the Homeric Hymn to Demeter as like an old unmarried woman, a
nurse or housekeeper. It is, however, probable that the statue is a
portrait of Nikokleia herself.
19. Hadrian in armour. His cuirass is richly decorated with
i reliefs. In the middle of this half of the room is : — ¦
134 A. A large marble vase with reliefs representing Satyrs
-making wine. Found in the Villa of Hadrian at Tivoli.
In the right or East half of the room are : —
Two Roman portrait statues, unknown.
91*. Portrait bust of Queen Cleopatra. ,
A series of Roman sepulchral cippi, square urns with the
; sepulchral inscription surrounded by decorative sculpture, often of
rich design.
1383. Portrait head of Cnaeus Cornelius Lentulus Mar-.
-cellinus, with a base (originally connected with the head by a
-square pedestal), containing an inscription by the people of Cyrene
in honour of Cornelius Lentulus, their " patron arid saviour." He
-seems to have obtained the latter title on account of his services
when Pompey was engaged in the suppression of the pirates.
On the South wall are portraits of Greek poets and others,
including (92*), a fine bust of Euripides; (93*), an unknown
figure in military costume; and (155), a figure of Thalia, the
Muse of Comedy.
In the middle of this half of the room are : —
45. An equestrian statue, restored as the Emperor Caligula
.(a.d. 37^41), but probably a work of a later period ; (30), a seated
Sphinx ; (54), a group of two dogs, and other decorative subjects.
56. A group of Mithras slaying the bull (compare p. 73),
-dedicated by one Alcinius, the slave bailiff of Livianus, in fulfilment
-of a vow. A late work, probably of the third century a.d.
On the South side of one of the square piers is a bust by
Nollekens of Charles Townley, the collector of the principal Graeco
-Roman sculptures.
[In order to visit the collections of smaller antiquities on the
upper floor, the visitor must ascend the principal staircase, and
turn to the right at the head of the stairs to enter the Room of
Near the head of the staircase are the collections of the remains
-of Roman civilization, found in this country, and therefore forming
-a, section of the Department of British and Mediaeval Antiquities.]

Department of Greek and Roman Antiijiities, British Museum.
Plan of Titer Floor.

93

UPPER FLOOR.
ROOM OF TERRACOTTAS.
SUBJECT-.— GREEK AND ROMAN WORKS IN
TERRACOTTA.
The specimens in this room illustrate the art of working in
terracotta (that is 'baked clay') as practised by the Greeks and
Romans from the beginning of Greek art onwards to the time of
the Roman Empire.
As might be expected from the nature of the material and the
small scale of most of the works with which we are concerned the
terracottas show a slighter and often more playful manner, when
compared with the formal and deliberate work of the sculptor in
marble. It is to this fact that a collection of terracottas owes its
special charm. The works individually are for the most part
unimportant, and made half-mechanically in great numbers, but it
is seldom difficult to understand the intention of the artists, or to
sympathise with the grace and humour of their productions.
The smaller terracottas are, for the most part, derived from the
tombs, or from the shrines of certain divinities. In the tombs the
original intention was probably to bury the terracottas as substitutes
for more valuable offerings for the benefit of the dead, or as votive
offerings to the gods of the lower world. But it is hard to see how
this applies to the Statuettes of a later time, such as those of
Tanagra and Eretria, where the original intention must have been
almost forgotten, and where the terracottas were buried like the
vases, and ornaments, as part of the furniture of the tomb, but
without any special significance. In some cases the objects buried
must have been merely children's toys.
In the shrines of divinities the usual objects are of a votive
-character, consisting of figures of the divinity, or by the process of
substitution already mentioned, representations in clay of acceptable
offerings. The principal methods employed are the following : —
(1) Figures of men, horses, etc., are rudely modelled in soft clay
rolled in the hands, as children work with dough, and
roughly pinched to the desired shapes. This style has
been misnamed the ' snow-man style,' which, being a form
of carving, is different in method and result.

94 Room of Terracottas.
(2) Figures are built up with clay and carefully worked like a.
sculptor's model. Figures thus made are comparatively-
rare, and are usually works of the larger and more-
individual kind.
(3) Figures and reliefs are made from moulds. Most of the:
smaller objects in terracotta are made in this way. The--
original model was first prepared in wax or clay. From
this a mould was taken by squeezing clay on the model.:
This mould was baked and copies could then be readily-
taken from it. As may be seen on the many moulds:
exhibited, in most cases the front of the figure is alone
moulded. The irregular edges of the mould show that it
was seldom prepared to fit to an opposite piece, as is-
necessary for casting a figure in the round. The simpler
plan was usually adopted of pressing the clay into the
mould and roughly finishing the back by hand. After the
cast was removed from the mould finer details such as the<
eyes, hair, etc., were often touched by hand to give increased
precision. In the reliefs the same method may be
followed of using a mould, or occasionally the slab of clay
may be cut out and worked by hand (compare an example*.
in Table-case A).
The arrangement on both left and right proceeds in historical
order, beginning with the Eastern door by which we enter.
On the left side of the room, in Cases 1-37, are displayed terra
cottas found in Cyprus, Greece and in ancient Greek colonies. On
the right side of the room, in Cases 38-74, are terracottas which:
have been found in Italy and Sardinia, but chiefly on sites where
Greek influence had prevailed.
, Cases 1-5. Terracottas from Cyprus. Some of these are in
the Cypriote style, which is partly Phoenician and partly local, but.
the later specimens (especially in 5) are purely Greek.
Cases 1-2. Fragments of drapery from a large figure, painted.
with figures and patterns imitating embroidery. Small figures,
wearing elaborate imitatious of jewellery.
Case 5. Statuette of Athene (C 125) standing with helmet
in hand, and without her aegis — an unusual rendering of the
goddess. Cases 6-11. The majority of the figures are derived from the-
early cemeteries of Cameiros in Rhodes. Most of the specimens-
are votive figures of deities. With these are a few grotesque sub
jects and others taken from life.
A series of archaic reliefs from Melos includes (B 318) Scylla,.
with the clogs' heads springing from her waist ; (B 317) a man
grasping a lyre, on which a woman is playing, probably the poets
Alcaeus and Sappho.
B 316. Perseus riding away on horseback with the head of:
the Gorgon Medusa, freshly decapitated. From the neck issues

Greek Terracottas. 95'
Chrysaor, a monster who sprang simultaneously with Pegasus from
the*body of Medusa. Pegasus is not shown.
B 315. Bellerophon on Pegasus (?) attacking the Lycian
Chimaera. The horse of Bellerophon must be Pegasus, although no-
attempt is made to express the wings, partly because of the
difficulty of adjusting them to the composition, and partly because
of the close parallelism between this group and no. 316.
B 220. Thetis, the sea-goddess, seized by Peleus. The lion re
presents one of the transformations by which the goddess sought to-
evade her suitor. By a convention accepted in archaic art, moments-
properly consecutive are shown as if simultaneous (cf. p. 165, fig. 50).
B 219. Eos or Aurora carrying Cephalos in her arms.
Other specimens of archaic' relief are shown in Table-case A.
B 305. Actaeon, with the stag's horns springing from his.
forehead, is overthrown and attacked by one of his hounds, urgedi
on by a nymph of Artemis.
B 313, 314. Two examples cast from the same mould of a youths
held in the clutches of a Sphinx.
B 308. An unfinished relief of the kind worked by hand. The'
figure — an old man leaning on a stick, with a dog — has been lightly
sketched with a point in a soft tablet of clay, and the interstices-
have been cut out.
Cases 12, 13. Archaic statuettes from various Greek sites. The-
most frequent type is that of a votive figure of a seated goddess.
From Case 14 onward, the terracottas belong to a later date.
Those in Cases 14-24 may be assigned generally to the fourth
century, while those beyond are later.
Cases 14, 15. Terracottas from various Greek sites, including:
Athens, Melos Aegina, and Corfu.
In Case 15 is a Satyr playing with a young Dionysos, and1
holding up a bunch of grapes, perhaps intended as a caricature of
the Hermes of Praxiteles (p. 70).
Cases 16—24. Statuettes, mainly derived from Tanagra, a
small town of Boeotia, and from Eretria, in the island of Euboea.
(Plate VIII.)
It would be an error to seek for any deep religious or symbolic
meaning in this group of dainty and attractive figures. With the-
exception of Eros, Seilenos and the like, definite mythical or-
legendary persons are seldom represented. We have rather the-
characters of daily life. Sometimes they are generalised and
idealised, as with the graceful and charming, but (in respect of their-
intention) slightly monotonous figures of standing maidens. Some
times, on the other hand, we have representations of daily life, in
which the peculiarities of the subject are enforced with spirited
humour. Compare the old nurse and child ; the boy learning to-
read; the old woman scratching her chin, in Case 16; little
Dionysos holding the hand of old Seilenos in Case 17.
Cases 25, 26. Later Greek statuettes from various Greek sites.,
especially in Asia Minor.

36 Room of Terracottas.
Among them (C 529) is a group of two women, seated together
¦on a couch conversing.
Case 27. Terracottas of a late period from Naucratis (p. 9),
and the Delta, mainly votive or grotesque. Among the former is
a curious figure of a goddess, seated in a hooded car drawn by two
horses. A young Satyr, holding out a bunch of grapes to the boy
Dionysos, may be compared with the example of the same subject
mentioned above (Case 15).
Case 28. Statuettes of the Graeco-Roman period, from Thapsos
con the north coast of Africa.
¦Cases 29-32. Statuettes of the period of decline, from Cyrene
rand Teucheira in North Africa. The graceful draperies and playful
motives of the terracottas of an earlier period still survive, but the
work is rougher, the colouring is more careless, and sometimes the
heads and bodies (which were separately moulded and stuck
together) are ludicrously disproportioned.
. Cases 33-37. Statuettes, etc., of a florid and careless style,
'from Centorbi (Centuripae) in Sicily.
On the opposite (or North) side of the room, the arrangement is
in like manner chronological, beginning near the East door with
¦Case 74.
Cases 74, 73. Statuettes of mixed Greek and Phoenician style,
"from the cemeteries of Tharros, in Sardinia.
Cases 71-62. The large terracottas, with Gorgons' heads and
other subjects, served as antefixes ; that is, to mask the ends of tile
•ridges on a roof ; they were found at Capua. Compare the restored
terracotta roof in the next room.
Cases 67, 66. Fragments of terracotta rehefs from Locri (South
Italy), in delicate archaic style. The subjects of these and other
reliefs of the same class appear to be connected with the rape of
Persephone and the making of offerings to the infernal deities.
Cases 64-62. A series of ancient moulds for terracotta figures,
from Tarentuin. Plaster casts, taken from each mould, are exhibited
beside the originals. The moulds give the fronts only of the figures,
.and the edges are not worked to join to a second piece. It is
therefore evident that here, as in the case of most of the Greek
terracottas, the backs of the figures were roughly finished by hand.
The series can hardly be older than the fourth century. The
female figure (Case 64), with drapery in the strictly archaic manner,
illustrates the survival of archaic forms for decorative purposes.
Cases 61-51. Graeco-Roman terracottas from Capua, Rome,
. and other Italian sites.
The large terracotta statues and busts in Cases 58-54, and in the
angle of the room (over Case 40), were found together in a dry well
near the Porta Latina at Rome, about 1765, and were mended and
..restored by the sculptor Nollekens.
Cases 50-38. Terracottas of the later Graeco-Roman period,

Greek and Roman Terracottas. 97
often noticeable for their bright colours and extravagant decoration.
See, for instance, the large vases in Cases 40-42 and on Table-case
D ; which also serve to show how terracotta statuettes were
occasionally employed for decoration. On the middle shelf of
Cases 43 and 44 will be noticed four figures in pink drapery, all of
which have been produced from the same mould; but the heads
liave been posed, and the arms attached, in different attitudes.
Table-case A. Archaic terracottas, including, (1) terracottas
-excavated at Amathus in Cyprus (under the Turner bequest ; of.
p. 106). Among them is a series of terracotta boats, which recall
the legend that Kinyras, the king of Amathus, in the time of
the Trojan War, sent to Troy terracotta models of ships as the
fleet which he had promised to Agamemnon. The largest of the
fleet shows a considerable amount of detail, such as the socket for
the mast, the arrangement of the thwarts ; it also has the remains
of an iron steering paddle. This case also contains a war-galley
from Corinth, with armed warriors seated in it. (2) A series of
archaic reliefs, already described above (p. 95). (3) Toys and
models. These include a number of small dolls, with moveable
limbs, which were fastened by strings or pegs as the common dolls
of to-day; also figures of women kneading bread, a camel with
wine-jars, mules with panniers carrying provisions, etc. • (4) Small
•decorative masks and palmettes from the walls of a tomb at Capua.
(5) A series of rude archaic terracottas from Tegea.
On the top is a vase from Athens, ornamented with lion-headed
Gryphons, and containing ashes. Within it was found a small silver
¦coin, which had been placed in the mouth of the dead person to
pay the passage over the Styx. The coin is attached to a fragment
of the jaw-bone. The same shade covers a figure of a Siren tearing
her hair, which was found in the vase.
Table-case B contains (1) various moulds, as described above-
(p. 96), for casting terracotta figures. One mould gives the back
¦of a woman's head, with the hair, being one of the comparatively
few examples in which the back is moulded like the front. A
mould for the relief on a lamp (with a subject of two gladiators)
shows the rapid and easy way in which the Roman clay lamps (see
Case C) were produced. (2) The gilded rosettes and several Gorgon's
masks were found attached to the outside of wooden sarcophagi in
the cemetery of Naucratis. (3) The comic and other masks may
be compared with the subjects above the case. On the top are, (1)
a shade with grotesque figures of comic actors with masks and
artificial paunches ; (2) two statuettes of Athene and Poseidon,
both in the manner of the advanced archaic period, about 500 B.C.,
remarkable for their fine preservation and the careful elaboration of
the details. Athene must be completed with a spear raised in the
right hand, and Poseidon with a trident or sceptre, held in the
left hand.
Table-case C. Roman lamps. In one side of the case are lamps
illustrating mythological and legendary subjects ; in the other,
H

98 The Etruscan Saloon*
scenes from daily life and from the contests of the amphitheatre
and circus. This case also contains clay impressions of seals ; clay
moulds for making scarabs ; clay moulds for casting counterfeit
coins. Table-case D. A series of vases in fine red clay with subjects*!
relief, usually known as Arretine ware, from the famous potteries
of Arezzo (Arretium), at which the earliest and finest specimens
were probably produced (about the second century B.C.). Among
the examples probably produced at Arezzo itself is the fine vase,
with figures symbolical of the seasons, which was found at Capua.
Bequeathed by Mr. Felix Slade. •
Several moulds are also shown for the production of these vases,
including one with a scene of Alexander's lion hunt. The later.red
wares (also shown here), which seem to have been made in all parts
of the Roman empire, have a rougher surface, more conventional
decoration, and (often) gladiatorial subjects and the like.
The name of ' Samian ware' is. of ten applied to the whole of
this group, but it is a misleading term, since this pottery has no
connexion with the island of Samos.
On the top of this case are : —
A beautiful group (of the fourth century) of two girls kneeling and
playing at the game of knucklebones (Plate VIII.) ; a large vase, in
the shape of a wine-skin (askos) decorated in florid profusion with
statuettes, Victories, Medusa heads and horses ; a vase in the form
of a female figure seated on the prow of a ship.
[The door at the West end of the Room of Terracottas leads to
the Etruscan Saloon. The left or Southern wing of this saloon is,
however, devoted to a continuation of the collection of terracottas,
and to miscellaneous antiquities.]

THE ETRUSCAN SALOON
(SOUTH WING).
SUBJECT .-—TERRACOTTAS AND MISCELLANEOUS
ANTIQUITIES.
Cases 1-18. A series of terracotta slabs, with moulded
reliefs, used for the decoration of walls of houses. In most of the
panels are holes, made in the soft clay for the nails with which the
reliefs were fixed. The methods of production were substantially
those already described in the introduction to the Terracotta Room.
The date assigned is the close of the Roman Republic, and

Miscellaneous Antiquities. 99
beginning of the empire, as may be inferred from the fact that
many of these panels were found at Pompeii. In several cases also
they have the names of Roman artists, e.g., in Case 2 of Marcus
Antonius Epaphras.
The subjects are in part purely conventional and decorative ; in
part mythological ; in part derived from life. The following are
worthy of note :
Case 1. View of a colonnade, with a Bacchic term (such as that
in the Third Graeco-Roman Room), a prize vase, and a statue of a
boxer, with the palm branch of victory.
[Case 4. Mummy. See below.]
Cases 5—6. Frieze with the four Seasons. Summer with
corn ; Autumn with kid and fruits ; Winter with game, etc. ; Spring
with flowers.
It is interesting to note, as an example of the adoption of designs
for different purposes, that these figures occur on the vase of red
Arretine ware mentioned above (Terracotta Rooin, Case D).
Case 6. The infant Zeus (his name is inscribed), and the
Cretan Curetes, who clang their armour to prevent his cries being
heard by his father, Cronos.
Case 7. Theseus (his name is inscribed) raising the rock,
beneath which the amis of his father, Aegeus, were concealed.
Case 9. Athene directing the construction of the ship Argo for
the voyage of the Argonauts in quest of the Golden Fleece.
Case 10. Dionysos visiting Icarios. This is interesting as an
abridged rendering in terracotta of the marble relief in the Third
Graeco-Roman Room (see above, p. 76).
Case 15. A Roman burlesque imitation of a hieroglyphic
inscription. Cases 15—18. A series of panels with figures of Victories
sacrificing bulls.
Case 18. A comic scene on the Nile with Pygmies and Nile
animals.

MISCELLANEOUS ANTIQUITIES.
(Cases 4, 136-139, and Tabie-cases M, N, O.)
Case 4. A mummy of a boy of a late period (3rd to 4th
century a.d) has been placed here to illustrate the Roman method
of encaustic painting with coloured wax, melted on to the panel
with hot tools.
Cases 136-139 contain sundry pieces of mural decoration, in
terracotta relief, stucco, fresco, and mosaic. Among the latter,
observe (Case 138) a mosaic from Pompeii, worked in unusually
small stones, with four Cupids binding a lion.
Table-case M. (1) A collection of miscellaneous objects in lead,
including statuettes and toys; seals; boxes for drugs; a pair of
H 2

100 Tlie Etruscan Saloon.
jumping weights (halteres) used by athletes to give an additional
impetus to their spring ; a collection of cast sling bolts, usually
with an inscription added in the mould, consisting either of a name,
or of an ironical message, such as, " Take this."
The lead collection also includes a series of incantations and
imprecatory tablets. To write such formula; on leaden tablets
was a well-known practice of ancient superstition. It is, for
instance, recorded that at the time of the illness of GermanicusJ
'songs and incantations against him, and his name, inscribed on
leaden tablets ' were found with other apparatus of witchcraft, in
the floor and walls of the house. Some of these tablets were found
in the sanctuary of Demeter and Persephone at Cnidos. In one,
for example, Artemeis solemnly dedicates to the deities ' the person,
whoever he was, who borrowed and did not return the garments I
had left behind, the cloak*, and tunic and short smock.' Another
group of the tablets was found near Curium in Cyprus. These
have more magic jargon. For instance, a dedicator invokes all the
gods below to take away the anger of Soterianus, and also to take
away all his strength and courage and life itself, and says ' I invoke
you by the great gods,' followed by a long string of nonsense.
Several bronze nails are also exhibited, inscribed with magical
formulae, and it may be noted that nails from a wreck were part of
the equipment of an ancient witch.
(2) A collection of Greek weights, for the most part made of
lead, but also of stone or bronze.
(3) Wooden tablets covered with wax for writing. A raised
margin of wood protects the surface of the writing from abrasion.
(4) A few specimens of corn, walnuts, and other fruits, found at
Pompeii. \
Above Table-case M are : — ¦
(1) Vases, in glazed porcelain, including one with an Eros
(Cupid) riding on a goose, from Tanagra in Boeotia. Objects in
this ware are rare, especially of the size and elaboration of the
present specimen.
(2) A case of Roman steelyards (carefully graduated) and steel
yard weights. In some instances the weight is in the form of a
head of Mercury as the god of commerce.
(3) A leaden cup, with reliefs and inlaid glass pastes, given,
according to the inscription, by one Domitilla to her husband
Statilius. Table-case N contains objects in ivory, bone, crystal, etc.
Compartment 1. An ivory stylus, with a sharp point at one end,
for writing on a wax tablet (see Case M), and a broad edge at the
other for erasing the writing on the wax.
Several handles of clasp-knives and fixed knives imitating a
human leg, a terminal figure, a dog and other forms.
A relief in jet, with Ulysses standing in his ship deriding the
Cyclops, Jet is a substance seldom used by the ancients.

Miscellaneous Antiquities. 101
A small fragment of an < Iliac table,' with the dragging of the
body' of Hector by Achilles ; Achilles conversing with Athene ;
and a shield. These tables were compilations of the Epic stories,
made by grammarians, probably for use in schools. Another
inscribed tablet somewhat akin can be dated at 15 a.d.
2. Dice, and imitation knucklebones (for playing the game of
knucklebones) in ivory, bronze, crystal, agate, etc.
3. Reliefs in ivory and bone, including two dolls, whose limbs
were movable.
4. Specimens of work in ivory and wood, including fragments of
ivory cut for inlaying ; ivory used for spoons, flute stops, a balance
(for testing coins ?), etc. Fragments of wood carving, including a
finely designed chair-leg from Kertch. Such specimens of wood
work are, from the perishable nature of the material, somewhat
scarce. 5. A wooden casket, and fragments of wood turned on a lathe.
6. A lyre made of sycamore and tortoiseshell, from Athens, and
two wooden flutes, found in a tomb near Athens.
7. A carved ivory casket and three flutes.
8. Tickets and tesserae. The circular tickets usually have
a head, or other subject on one side, and on the other a low Roman
number, which must be the number describing the block of seats to
which the ticket gave access.
The most interesting of the oblong tickets or tesserae are those
which were the property of gladiators. They are inscribed (1) with
the gladiator's name ; (2) with the name of his master, in the geni
tive ; (3) with the letters SP and a date of the day and month ;
(4) with the consuls of the year. The tickets certify that the
gladiators had reached a certain point in their career, the SP being
taken to represent either Spectatus (approved), Spectator or Spec-
tavit (one who watched instead of fighting), or Spectavit (intransi
tively ' made his trial ').
9. Carved work in ivory. Note a plaque with a subject exqui
sitely drawn in incised lines. A nymph is kneeling to wash at a
. pool of water which flows from a lion's head fountain. A young
Satyr comes up from behind the rocks and snatches at her drapery.
The green tint is due to the accidental nearness of bronze while the
object was buried in a tomb.
10. Ivory busts and statuettes, including a realistic figure of a
deformed dwarf.
Table-case O. The contents of the case include various materials
used by painters, specimens of colours, pallets, and an alabaster
stand for mixing the colours ; moulds in soft stone for making gold
ornaments (see p. 108) ; and fragments of fresco painting. There
are. also specimens of encaustic painting on wooden panels (compare
wall-case, no. 4). In one case, the panel is contained in a picture
frame, singularly modern in the details of its construction. It is
of the kind known as an ' Oxford ' frame, with keyed double mortice

102 Room of Gold Ornaments and Gems.
joints, a groove for a pane of glass, a half-mitred inner frame, and a
rough cord for suspension.
The case also contains fragments of decorative work in painted
stucco, and examples of glazed ware. Most. of the latter is late
provincial work. It includes some curious models, a seat, a boat,
a gladiator, and a lamp in the form of a gladiatorial helmet.
[A door in the South side of the Etruscan Saloon leads, by a
Corridor, to the Room of Gold Ornaments and Gems. Immediately
adjoining are the Study of the Keeper of the Department, and the
Departmental Library and Students' Room.]

ROOM OF GOLD ORNAMENTS AND
GEMS (WITH CORRIDOR).
SUBJECT .-—SILVER PLATE, ^PORTLAND VASE, GOLD
ORNAMENTS, ENGRAVED GEMS, PASTES, ETC.
The Corridor.
Subject to re-arrangement, the Corridor contains the collection
of Greek and Roman silver plate.
From the perishable nature of silver, which readily oxydises
when exposed to damp, extant works in this metal of the older
period are comparatively rare, since silver objects frequently occur
in- the tombs, but usually in a state of advanced decay. The
following objects in silver are deserving of notice : —
Early Period. — Mug and bowl from Enkomi, in Cyprus (p. 106).
The latter was found suspended from a bronze nail, against the
walls of a built tomb.
Archaic Etruscan Period. — Fragments of reliefs in silver
plate, beaten out from the back (rejjousse) and gilded. These
fragments include (1) two Amazons (?) riding over a fallen figure ;
(2, 3) two lions attacking a boar, and a seated Sphinx ; (4) an
elaborate pattern of intertwined palmettes. These objects are
part of a great find of reliefs in bronze and silver, which was made
in 1812, near Castello San Mariano, about four miles from Perugia.
The remainder of the find is at Perugia and at Munich. Several
of the bronze reliefs undoubtedly formed the decoration of a large
chariot, and it is probable that the present silver plates served a
like purpose. The nearest analogies among Greek works are the
friezes of Ionia, as represented, for instance, by the sarcophagi of
Clazomenae (p. 156), but it does not therefore follow, as some
writers have supposed, that these reliefs are importations from

Greek and Roman Silver Plate. 103
Ionia, and not work, in the archaic Greek style, produced in
Etruria. Greek Silver Work. — Among the Greek silver vases, which
are distinguished by the simple refinement of their shapes, and the
delicately chased ornaments, note a silver vase from Athens,
and a two-handled cup from Chalke, near Rhodes. Another two-
handled cup, with a finely chased internal pattern, is said to
have been found at BoscOreale (near Pompeii), but it has the
character of Greek work. A silver-gilt cup and bowl, found with
various other objects of gold, etc., in the island of Ithaca, are
deposited on loan by the Society of Antiquaries. A silver pin,
from Argolis, is dedicated to the goddess Hera, with the archaic
inscription, Tas Bifaas ("Hpas) : ' I am Hera's.'
Roman Silver Plate. — Roman silver services, numerous,
substantial, and showing signs of long domestic use, have been
found from time to time. The Roman vessels lack the delicate
and graceful outlines of the Greek silver-ware ; but they are well
designed for their respective purposes and richly decorated with
rehefs, embossed designs, niello (an inlaid black alloy) and gilding.
The principal groups in the British Museum are : —
1. A silver service found in 1SJ83 at Chaourse, near Montcornet
{Aisne) in France. It consists of thirty-six vases of various shapes.
With them were found brass coins of Domitian, Trajan, Hadrian,
Marcus Aurelius and Postumus, from which it is inferred that the
date of the deposit is the latter part of the third century a.d.
The service includes a bucket-shaped vessel (situla), with a rich
floral frieze in silver-gilt ; three bowls with richly-adorned rims ; a
handsome ewer. Observe also a wine-strainer, pierced with holes
in geometrical patterns, and a pepper-caster, in the form of a negro
slave, asleep, seated on his burden.
2. Vases found at Chatuzange, near Romans (Drome), one of
them having a handle very beautifully chased with floral patterns.
In the middle of the principal bowl is a medallion group of the
three Graces.
3. Part of a service found at Caubiac, near Toulouse, in 1785,
including a large circular dish surrounded by masks and Bacchic
emblems. Among the miscellaneous silver objects are : a small amphora,
of very graceful shape, surrounded by wreaths of vines and ivy ;
two phialae, or libation dishes, with reliefs representing Heracles
being driven in a chariot to Olympos. One of these is broken at
the edge, but is much finer in style than the other. Beside them
is placed a terracotta phiald having the same decorations, and
showing how the types were disseminated, and used for various
kinds of products with slight variations. The silver bowls are from
France, and are said to have been found at Eze, near Nice.
105*. A very fine portrait bust, thought to be of Antonia, the
wife of Drusus, and mother of Germanicus. Compare with the
bust of the 'Clytie' (p. 75) supposed to represent the same

104 Room of Gold Ornaments and Gems.
person. This bust originally formed a projecting boss in a silver
bowl, and was found in 1895 at Boscoreale, near Pompeii, along with
a great treasure of silver vases now in the Museum of the Louvre.
Among the silver statuettes observe a finely modelled head of
a dog. 106*. A figure wearing a mural crown, which marks her as
the personification of a city, while the wings suggest Victory
(Nike), and, it has been suggested, the city of Nicopolis. This,
however, is doubtful, as the figure may be merely endowed with
the attributes of Victory and Fortune (the cornucopia). Above
her head are a row of deities, representing the seven days of the
week, beginning on the left with Saturn (Saturday), followed by
the Sun (Sunday), Moon (Monday), Mars (Tuesday; French,
Mardi), Mercury (Wednesday ; French, Mercredi), Jupiter (Thurs
day ; Italian, Giovedi), and Venus (Friday ; French, Vendredi).
A similar series occur on the shanks of a pair of barnacles in
the Anglo-Roman collection. The figure is making a libation over
an altar. Above her head are busts of the two Dioscuri, Castor and
Pollux. In her left hand she has a cornucopia, from which issue busts
of Apollo and Diana. This figure was found near Macon, on the
Saone, in 1764. With it were found the following silver figures,
which are shown beside it, and which may be distinguished by the
similar form of their bases : four statuettes of Mercury ; a figure
of Jupiter with the thunderbolt, and accompanied by a goat, which
would be more properly attached to a figure of Mercury ; a figure
of Diana, and one of a Genius with a bowl and cornucopia.
107*. A figure of a boy, playing with a goose, was found at
Alexandria, with silver coins of the earlier Ptolemies (third
century B.C.).
108*-110*. Three silver-gilt votive tablets, addressed to
Jupiter of Doliche (in Commagene ' ubi ferrum nascitur ' ;
compare one of the tablets). Two of the tablets have small
shrines, within which is a figure of Jupiter Dolichenus. In one
he resembles the Roman Jupiter, with eagle and thunderbolt ;
in the other he is of the special type — a barbarous figure with axe
and thunderbolts, standing on the back of a bull. He is crowned'
by Victory, and a female figure makes a libation at an altar.
These votive tablets belong to a group found at Heddernheim, near
Frankfort, and are closely paralleled by a series of dedications to
Mars and Vulcan, which were found at Barkvvay, in Hertfordshire,
and are exhibited in the Anglo-Roman collection. They are the
only objects, hitherto discovered, which seem to offer any analogy
to the silver shrines of Diana, made by Demetrius and the Ephesian
silversmiths (Acts xix. 24).
Six paintings (at present in the Corridor) formed part of the
decoration of the ceiling of the tomb of the Nasones, discovered in
1674 on the Flaminian Way, near Rome. Among them may be
noticed the group of Pluto carrying off Proserpine.

Portland Vase. 105
ROOM OF GOLD ORNAMENTS
AND GEMS.f
This room contains a large part of the works of art in precious
materials of two Departments— namely, of Greek and Roman and
of British and. Mediaeval Antiquities. Those of the former, with
which only this Guide is concerned, occupy (subject to rearrange
ment) the wall-cases A— H and P, two sides (T and U) of the
|-shaped table-case, the central case (X), and the smaller cases
before the three windows.
THE PORTLAND VASE.
To the right end of the room, above Table-Case T, is placed the
celebrated glass vase, deposited by its owner, the Duke of Portland,
in the British Museum, and popularly known as the Portland
Vase (Plate IX). It was found in a marble sarcophagus in the
Monte del Grano, near Rome, and was formerly in the Barberini
Palace. The ground of the vase is of blue glass ; the design is cut
in a layer of opaque white glass, after the manner of a cameo. The
whole of the white layer, and parts also of the blue underneath,
were cut away in the spaces between the figures. On account of
the difficulty of carving in glass, and the brittle nature of the
material, which might at any moment break in the hands of the
artist, works of this kind are of great rarity.
The interpretation of the subjects is doubtful. That on the
obverse, with a woman seated, approached by a lover led on by
Cupid, is supposed to represent Thetis consenting to be the bride
of Peleus in the presence of Poseidon. That on the reverse, with
a sleeping figure and two others, is supposed to be Peleus watching
his bride Thetis asleep, while Aphrodite presides over the scene.
On the bottom of the vase, which is detached, is a bust, probably
of Paris, wearing a Phrygian cap.
The Portland Vase was wantonly broken to atoms by a lunatic
m February, 1845. A water-colour drawing is exhibited showing
the fragments to which it was reduced. The vase was made
familiar by copies issued by Josiah Wedgwood, the potter. The
vases first issued were finished by handwork, and specimens are of
great scarcity, but the subsequent copies, cast from moulds, are of
no particular value.
GOLD ORNAMENTS, ETC.
Greek, Phoenician, Etruscan and Roman.
Of the period antecedent to the historical age of Greece (see
above, p. 2), and now commonly known as the Mycenaean
period, several groups of gold ornaments are exhibited, namely : —
t The engraved gems (Greek and Roman) are described in the Catalogue of
Engraved Gems by A. H. Smith, 1888 (3g.)

106 Room of Gold Ornaments and Gems.
In Table-Case T, compartments 1, 2, and in the corresponding
divisions, nos. 37, 38, on the reverse slope of the case, is a series
of objects which were found together in a tomb in one of the Greek
islands. The treasure includes six pendant ornaments, a bracelet,
a large number of beads, in gold, sard, amethyst, etc., which have
been strung in necklaces, a series of finger-rings, inlaid with blue
paste, in imitation of lapis lazuli, a number of stamped rosettes,
each pierced with a hole for securing it to a dress, some gold
diadems, stamped and plain, and a gold cup. None of these objects
is of actual Egyptian manufacture,' but in several cases they reflect
the influence of Egyptian art, as, for example, in the pendant in
which a figure in Egyptian costume and attitude holds a swan by
the neck in each hand, and in the inlaid finger-rings. On the other
hand, they repeat themes already familiar in objects from Mycenae,
such as the elaborate spiral ornaments on the gold cup. For some
objects the nearest parallels adduced belong to the early Italian
culture (cf. p. 121). In some respects too, such as the maeander
pattern on one of the rings, there are resemblances with the early
products of the subsequent periods. Hence it is thought that this
treasure marks the transition from late-Mycenaean to the post-
Mycenaean period.
Compartments 34, 35 contain further specimens of the gold
work of the Mycenaean period, principally from the cemetery of
lalysos in Rhodes and from Crete. A kneeling figure of a
Cretan goat, with pendants attached, resembles the pendants
in the treasure just described. A hawk from Crete is prepared
for inlaying in the Egyptian manner. A porcelain scarab of
Amenophis III. (about B.C. 1450), which was found in the cemetery
of lalysos, is shown in compartment 34. Regarded as an aid to
fixing a date, it is obvious that the name of a particular king
necessarily gives a superior limit, but does not fix the inferior limit
of date. It is well known that the royal cartouches were used
long after the time of the owner.
Compartment 6, and the greater part of the table-cases before
the three windows, contain a remarkable series of objects of the
late Mycenaean class, obtained from the excavations carried on
at Enkomi, near Salamis (in Cyprus), with funds bequeathed
by Miss E. T. Turner. These excavations were made during
the spring and summer of the year 1896 on a site that had
not previously been touched in modern times. Among the finds
are : —
Numerous gold diadems, plain or stamped with patterns, earrings,
rings, beads and other ornaments, engraved stones and cylinders,
carved ivories, etc.
In compartment 6— pins of a singular form, with an eye in the
middle of the shaft, probably used like a brooch, for fastening
drapery ; gold ring with hieroglyphics, forming an invocation of the
goddess Mut, of genuine Egyptian work ; circular bronze mirror,
set in an ivory handle, carved with a lion attacking a bull. In the

Gold Ornament*, Early Greek. 107
small shade above is a similar mirror handle in a better state of
preservation. On one side an armed warrior, whom later Greek
legend more definitely specified as an Arimasp, is engaged in
combat with a Gryphon, who has large wings, an eagle's head, and
a lion's body and legs. On the reverse a lion is attacking a bull
nearly as in the mirror handle already mentioned.
The shade above compartments 10, 11 contains an ivory draught-
box, with reliefs. On the top is the board, divided into squares ;
the central row has twelve squares, and on each side are two rows
of only four squares, each, grouped at one end. (Draught-boards
similarly divided may be seen in the Third Egyptian Room.) On
one side a man in a chariot drawn by galloping horses pursues a
herd of deer and ibex. He is drawing his bow, but most, of the
deer are already transfixed with his arrows. On the opposite side
are more varied scenes of hunting. The figure in the chariot
pursues cattle (one of the bulls has turned against him), deer and
ibex. A figure on foot is spearing a lion. At the closed end of the
box are two bulls reclining, and at the other end is a smaller relief
of a pair of ibex standing on each side of a sacred tree.
This ivory box is the most remarkable specimen of its kind that
has yet been found. It has several affinities with ivory reliefs from
Assyria, shown in the Assyrian galleries (about 800 B.C.).
' Further objects from Enkomi are shown in the windows. In the
first window on the right are a pendant in pomegranate form,
covered with minute globules of gold, and a singular double ring
with four animals carved in intaglio.
In the middle window are a large pectoral ornament, in the
Egyptian style, with rows of pendant ornaments, and two pendant
lotus flowers divided into compartments filled with blue, pink, and
white paste, in the manner of Egyptian inlaid work ; a ring with
twelve heads of lions in relief ; some beads of amber, probably
brought across to the Mediterranean by trade routes from the
Baltic, and hitherto little found in Mycenaean deposits.
In the third window, the objects on the left of the case are from
Enkomi. Those on the upper part of the right-hand side are from
Amathus, a Greek site in Cyprus, and those below are mainly
from Curium. The latter are partly Mycenaean, and partly of the
later Greek period.
Compartments 4, 5 of Case T contain gold ornaments of the
period immediately subsequent to those above described. They
are for the most part derived from seventh century cemeteries of
Cameiros, in Rhodes. The principal objects are a series of plaques,
with repousse-work designs. The types include a winged goddess
holding lions by the tails ; a winged goddess between two rampant
lions ; a winged figure terminating in a bee-like body ; an archaic
Centaur (with human forelegs, according to the archaic type) holding
up a kid ; a Sphinx, and other subjects. In some cases these figures
are richly ornamented with minute globules of gold, which have
been made separately and soldered on. This process is seldom

108 Room of Gold Ornaments and Gems.
found in Greece, but is frequent in the early goldsmith's art of
Etruria (Case C) and also occurs on the globular pendant from
Enkomi. From the rings above the plaques it is evident that they
were worn threaded on a string, probably about the girdle.
A porcelain scarab found with the plaques, and exhibited in
Compartment 4, contains the name of the Egyptian- king Psam-
metichos I. (b.c. 666-612), and supplies a date to the find,
perhaps as early as the middle of the seventh century (about 650 B.C.)
Compartment 5 also contains a gold bowl, for making libations,
with figures of bulls in repousse - work. From Agrigentum
(Girgenti) in Sicily.
The collection of jewellery is continued in the Wall Cases A-H,
which follow as nearly as possible a chronological order, beginning
with Case A. Objects of Phoenician character (i.e. free imita
tions of Egyptian work) found chiefly in Cyprus and at the
Phoenician settlement of Tharros in Sardinia (compare p. 114).
Observe a silver vase from Cameiros, on which are Phoenician
imitations of Egyptian cartouches ; also part of a silver girdle
from Cyprus, with plaques in relief, similar to those described
above from Cameiros. In this case, however, the plaques are
hinged together at the side. A coin found at the same time gives
the date as the close of the sixth century B.C.
Case B. A series of archaic objects in amber, with accessories
in gold and silver. From various sites in Italy, especially from
Etruria and Latium. With the exception of some porcelain beads
the types are throughout archaic Greek, not Phoenician or
Oriental. Case C. Archaic and early Etruscan ornaments, in which the
process of employing minute globules of gold to form patterns or
otherwise to enrich the design is carried out to a very great extent
Among these objects may be noted a large fibula or brooch, along
the back of which are small figures of lions ; and another smaller
fibula in the shape of a safety-pin, on which the minutest patterns
are executed by means of globules of gold. In many instances
these globules are almost as fine as gold-dust. The date is seventh
to sixth century B.C.
Note also (near the middle) a fine pendant, with a Greek warrior
in combat, in relief ; a chain with a pendant in the form of a
Satyr's head covered with the granulated work ; a brooch (fibula)
with a figure of the Chimaera and a horse ; a pendant ornament
(bulla) with a figure of the winged Medusa decapitated, and two
Pegasi springing from her neck. [For other representations of the
subject, compare the cast of the metope from Selinus in the Archaic
Room (p. 10) and the archaic terracotta from Melos (p. 94).]
Case D. Greek gold ornaments of the finest period about
420-280 B.C. The figures have for the most part been made by
pressing thin gold plates into stone moulds. [One such mould, for
an earring, is shown in the case.] Instead of the Etruscan globules
fine threads of gold (filigree) are here employed with an extremely

Gold Ornaments, Greek. 109
delicate effect. The process of enamelling frequently occurs, but the
enamel is always in very small quantities, as may be seen in the
beautiful necklace from Melos. In the centre of the case is a
handsome pin from Paphos in Cyprus, which is surmounted by
a large pearl. The head of the pin is in the form of a capital of a
column with projecting heads of bulls and circular vases towards
which doves are looking down. On the stem is engraved a dedica
tion to Aphrodite. Extremely delicate and refined in workmanship
is a small pendant from Cyprus, showing two winged genii engaged
in cock-fighting. For examples of filigree see the fine series of
earrings, pendants, and necklaces from Kyme in iEolis.
In the middle of the case (upper part) is a portion of a treasure
found in Calabria (South Italy); with a diadem, earrings, etc. A
bronze coin (exhibited), which is said to have been found with the
treasure, was issued by Hiketas of Syracuse (b.c. 287-278).
Immediately opposite, on Case T, is a highly ornate gold crown
in filigree and enamel, from South Italy.
Cases E-F. Later Etruscan ornaments, in which the taste of
the time takes the form of largeness and display, as in huge necklaces
with pendant bullae, or in earrings of unusual size. But in Case E
there are also several gold wreaths of singular beauty. In Case F
may be seen two flint arrow-heads mounted as pendants to
necklaces. Case G. Gold ornaments of the later Greek period (third to
second centuries B.C.), together with a few objects of a later period.
Among the earrings, the club of Heracles is playfully employed,
perhaps for its incongruity with the purpose. Cupids occur playing
on pipes, making libations, or offering wreaths. With the gold
ornaments is also a series of ornaments of terracotta gilt, made for
funeral purposes. Though cheap in material, these articles are as
fine as those of gold in an artistic sense. They have, in fact, been
made from the same moulds as the gold ornaments. Observe a
small pendant representing a group of Leto, Apollo, and Artemis,
and several medallion heads of Athene.
This case also contains a gold tablet in which Ptolemy
Euergetes I. and Berenice (b.c. 242-222) dedicate the sacred
enclosure of a temple to Osiris. This tablet had formed part of a
foundation deposit for a temple at Canopus in Egypt. It was found
in 1818 and presented by Mehemet Ali to Sir Sidney Smith ; and
was acquired by the Museum in 1895.
Case H. Ornaments of the Roman period. The work is less
minute, the designs become more commonplace, and there is a strong
tendency towards the use of precious stones and pearls.
Among the inscribed plates of gold leaf note a small tablet
on which are directions (in Greek) for finding the way in the lower
' world, addressed to the soul of one of the initiated : ' And thou
wilt find to the left of the house of Hades a well [Lethe] and beside
it a pale cypress. Approach not even near this well. And thou
wilt find another, cold water flowing forth from the lake of Memory.

110 Room of Gold Ornaments and Gems.
Before it are warders. Say to them, "I am child of earth and
heaven, but my race is of heaven. ... I am parched with
thirst, I perish. Give me quickly cold water, flowing from thelake
of Memory." And they will give you drink, etc' This tablet
had been rolled up, and placed in the cylinder exhibited above it,
to be worn as a charm. From Petilia, in South Italy.
Observe also a complete gold bar, and a fragment of a second,
which were found in a hoard of sixteen such bars at Kronstadt
in Transylvania. On the upper surface are stamps impressed'on
the metal : (1) Lucianus obr(yzum) I sig(navit), i.e. Lucianus
stamped the fine gold. The meaning of the I is unknown. (2)
Fl(avius) Flavianus pro(curator) sig(navit) ad digma,'i.e. Flavius
Flavianus, procurator of the mint, stamped the metal/ according to
sample. From data furnished by other bars the hoard must be
placed between 367 and 383 a.d.
Late imperial coins, as of Philip and Gallienus, are inserted as
ornaments in some of the most recent pieces of Roman jewellery. :
Immediately below the Portland Vase (Compartment 36) is a
gold vase of the Roman period, dredged up off the coast of Asia
Minor. It has an inscription on the foot, stating the weigbfas two
pounds and half an ounce. The vase is perfectly plain,' but of
graceful shape.
[Cases J-N contain gold ornaments — British, Irish, barbaric,
Byzantine, Anglo-Roman and savage — forming a part of the
collections of the British and Mediaeval Department.]
Cases O-P. Series of antique, mediaeval and later finger-
rings, and cameos mounted as rings. Those with which we are
concerned occupy Case P, and the right hand portion of Case O.
Case P. Greek, Etruscan, and Roman gold finger-rings, set
with engraved stones, or having designs engraved on the gold
bezel. ' ¦
The first row contains principally late rings, set with a plain
stone or paste.
The second and third rows contain the earlier and later Etruscan
rings respectively. They illustrate the various methods in which
the scarab could be mounted, either on a plain wire swivel, or in an
ornate box setting on a swivel. The second row also contains some
Etruscan rings, with the devices engraved, or in relief on the gold
bezel of the ring, which is made in the form of an elongated
cartouche to receive them. In one instance the bezel actually
serves as a cartouche, having the name of Thothmes III. In the
middle of the third row is a remarkable piece of Etruscan gold
work, in which a small sard scarab is set in a hoop formed of two
lions. Some of the later Etruscan rings have large engraved
stones, set in coarse and florid mounts corresponding in character
to the other later Etruscan jewellery in Cases E, F.
The fourth row includes the Greek designs, engraved in gold, of

Engraved Gems. \\\
the finest period, and includes some of the best work of this kind
that has been discovered. Among them are : a pendant in the
form of a ram's head, engraved at the back like the bezel of a ring,
with a combat between a man-wolf and a lion (from Cyprus) ; a
ring with Odysseus, preparing to escape from the Cyclops, under
the belly of a ram; a very delicately executed female head; a
Victory nailing a shield to a tree to form a trophy ; a Victory
driving a four-horse chariot ; an Amazon on horseback, charging,
executed with great spirit.
The fifth row has similar engravings of rougher execution and
slighter character ; also some subjects in gold in relief, and some
rings with twisted snakes, etc.
The sixth row has a series of rings with subjects in relief in
gold, mostly of a late period ; also various snake rings, and other
forms, all of them late.
The seventh row has on the left rings with mottoes and
inscriptions ; on the right and in the eighth row are rings of the
Roman period,- set with stones engraved in intaglio. The eighth
row also contains two rings set with gold coins of the late Empire,
like the jewellery in Case H.
ENGRAVED OEMS.
The gems exhibited in this room represent most of the known
stages of the glyptic art (or art of engraving gems) as practised by
the Greeks, Etruscans and Romans, from the beginning of
civilisation in Greece, in the Mycenaean period, down to about
the third century a.d., or even later.
[Gems of the Renaissance and of more recent . times are also exhibited in
adjoining cases, but these form a part of the collections of the British and
Mediaeval Department, and are therefore passed over in this Guide.]
The principal classes of engraved gems are Intaglios, Cameos
and Scarabs. ' Intaglios (Italian, intagliare, to cut in) have the
design sunk below the surface, and are primarily intended to be
used as seals. Cameos (derivation unknown) have the design
carved in relief, and are used as independent ornaments. Scarabs
(scarabaei, beetles) combine the characteristics of both the cameo
and intaglio. The back is carved in relief, in imitation of a
beetle (see below, fig. 26), while the base bears a design sunk into
it in intaglio. Scaraboids are of the general form of the scarab,
but no attempt is made to indicate the beetle (fig. 26). A plaster
cast is placed beside each intaglio, showing the design as it appears
in relief. The intaglios having been intended for use as seals, this
was the way in which the engraver intended his work to be seen,
as is shown by the inscriptions, and by the fact that in intaglios
the figures are usually right-handed in the impression.
With the exception of the early gems in steatite — a very soft
material — the engraved stones are harder than a metal tool, and

112 Room of Gold Ornaments and Gems.
the different kinds of gem engraving depend on the various methods
adopted for applying minute fragments of a very hard material, in
order to produce the desired effect on the gem to be engraved.
This might be done either by setting splinters of diamond in a
metal pencil, or by rubbing in minute dust of diamonds, or emery
mixed with oil, by means of a hand-worked tool, or a revolving drill
or wheel. In the earliest and the latest gems the marks of the tool
are conspicuous. In the early gems much of the work is done with
a tubular drill, which leaves a circular ring-like depression'. In the
late Roman work the rough cuts of the wheel are unconcealed.
Table-case U 7, 8. Earliest examples of gem engraving in
intaglio, including the ' Island gems.'
These gems were at first obtained from the Greek Islands (whence
they obtained their name), and more particularly from Crete. They
have also been found, however, at Mycenae, and other sites of the
'Mycenaean' culture on the mainland. In general, where a record
has been preserved of the objects with which they were found, those
objects, whether consisting of pottery, bronze implements, ivory or
glass ornaments, all bear the mark of a high antiquity, and present

Tig. 26.— Shapes of Gems.
1. Lenticular Gem. 2. Glandular Gem. 3. Scarab. 4. Scaraboid.
the same class of subjects as those seen on the gems. In some
instances, however, these gems have been found in company with
early Greek inscriptions, vases and terracottas of the historical period
— say between the seventh and fifth centuries B.C. Mythological
subjects also occur, though seldom. On these grounds the class
of Island gems is important as supplying an undoubted link
between the arts of the Mycenaean period and those of historical
Greece. The Island stones are mostly in two forms. They are
either lenticular, i.e. of the shape of a broad bean, or glandular,
i.e. shaped like a sling-bolt (see above, Etruscan Saloon, Table-
case M). The materials employed were either steatite (see above),
jasper, rock crystal, sard or haematite.
In general the engraving is rude and primitive, the subjects
represented being marine animals, such as the octopus and tunny ;
plants; animals, such as the lion, bull, Cretan goat, dog; fantastic
creatures, such as Pegasus, the Chimaera, the Gryphon; or a
combination. of the human figure with animal forms; and lastly,
human figures pure and simple. But these latter are in a minority.
It will be frequently noticed, among the designs of bulls, goats

Island Gems. 113
and other animals, that the head of the animal is twisted round so
as to fill in the vacant space between its back and the upper edge
of the gem, the aim of the engraver having been to avoid vacant
space at whatever cost. This characteristic occurs also in the
early coins, where the same artistic conditions influence the design;
Among the noteworthy gems of this class are : —
Case U 7, row h. Sard, with a group of goats. An example
of unusually spirited design and careful engraving.
Case U 8, row e. Two men leading a bull (haematite). The
artist has only been able to express the man on the other side of
the bull by placing him as if performing an acrobatic feat above
it. The same arrangement occurs on a fresco of the Mycenaean
period found by Dr. Schliemann, at Tiryns.
Two lions (sard) heraldically grouped, with a column between
them. The composition recalls that of the famous Lion-gate at
Mycenae. Found at lalysos, in Rhodes, and presented by
Mr. John Ruskin.
Horse-headed monster (sard) standing between two men. These
grotesque combinations frequently occur in Mycenaean art, particu
larly in this class of gems. Several examples may be found iii the
two compartments.
Centaur (steatite) and Heracles wrestling with Nereus, the Old
Man of the Sea (steatite). Two examples of Greek mythological
subjects on gems of the lenticular and glandular form (see above).
Draped female figure, standing on water, with two swans (jasper) ;
vulture devouring a prostrate man (steatite). In these two last gems
we have examples of artistic types inherited from early times, but it
is doubtfulwhether a definite mythological meaning had yet been
attached to them. The former may be compared with the gold
pendant from the Greek Islands, in Compartment 1 ; but, interpreted
as a mythological type, it has been called Leto, Aphrodite, or the
goddess Cyrene. The latter is the type of a vulture and a slain
warrior, but it was adopted for the mythological type of Prometheus
chained, and devoured by the vulture.
Case U 9-12. The next oldest stage of gem engraving is to be
seen in the Scarabs, or stones which have one side carved in the
form of a beetle, and the Scaraboids, which are approximately of
beetle form. The origin of the use of the scarab must be sought
in Egyptian theology, in which the Egyptian beetle rolling a ball
of mud containing its eggs was emblematic of Kheper, the principle
of -light and creative power, and so the scarab became a sacred
temblem and amulet. As a rule, the base of the Egyptian scarab
had some simple hieroglyphic or other design, and hence it was
adopted as a convenient form for an engraved stone by nations to
whom the beetle had no religious significance. The Phoenicians
employed both the scarab and its simplified form the scaraboid.
The Etruscans used the scarab constantly, but not the scaraboid.
The Greeks, on the other hand, seem to have seldom used the
scarab, while they favoured the scaraboid. I

114 Room of Gold Ornaments and Gems.
•- Among the scarabs and scaraboids two classes are to ££
distinguished. The one bears designs in which the Egyptian
and the Assyrian elements prevail over the Greek (Compartanents
9, 10 a-c). These have been found for the most part in Phoenician
colonies, and in regions where ' Phoenician commerce extended,
The other (Compartments 10<Z-12)has designs obtained from Greek
art. The scarabs of this class are mostly found in Etruria, and in
many cases have Etruscan inscriptions. They are therefore presumed
to' have been made by Etruscan artists. The scaraboids are found
in Greek sites, and are in some instances signed hy Greek artists.
Case U 9, rows a-d. Scaraboids and scarabs, showing Oriental.
influence. Row b. Large scaraboid (pebble), with a wolf or dog; above, the
Egyptian winged disk.
Large scaraboid (burnt sard), with a lion.
Rows c, d. Several of the specimen's in these rows are made of
porcelain and glass, materials which were employed -both, by the
Phoenicians and by the early'Greek settlers in Egypt— -as at Naucratis
— to imitate the scarabs of the Egyptians.
Rows e-i. A large series of scarabs, from Tharros, in Sardinia,
mostly engraved in green jasper. Tharros was a Phoenician colony^
and its gems have the characteristic marks of the Phoenician style.
Egyptian and Assyrian motives are freely borrowed- and used for
decorative purposes, with no reference to their original significance.
Pure Greek motives also occur, however, such as Heracles (row /)
and the warrior (row g), which make it probable that the gems of
Tharros are comparatively late.
Case U 10, rows a-c. Series of gems from Tharros continued,
with some from kindred sites.
Rows d-i, and Compartments 11-12. Etruscan scarabs.
Here the Egyptian, and Assyrian subjects no longer occur. Beities
also are comparatively rare. The most frequent subjects are figures
or groups derived from the heroic legends of Greece, while animal
and athlete subjects are also common. An ornamental border,'
called a cable-border, usually surrounds the subject, but this was
adopted by the Etruscans with the scarab form, since it also occurs
on porcelain scarabs from Naucratis and Cameiros, and on the
stones from Tharros. The materials used are generally safd,-
banded agate, or rock crystal. The best examples appear to date
from the sixth century B.C., and are characterised by great refine
ment in the execution, with a flat rendering of the figure which
corresponds with the treatment of Greek bas-relief in marble of
this period.
Row g. Selected specimens of heroic myths.
(Beginning on the left.)
Perseus cutting off the head of the Gorgon Medusa. The Medusa-
character is here only indicated by a snake, which she holds in one
hand. Heracles slaying the giant Kyknos with his club. The names

Greek and Graeco-Roman Gems. ll£
are inscribed in Etruscan, and, as usual, only approximately
resemble the Greek forms, being written Herkle (compare the Latin
Hercules) and Kukne.
Capaneus, one of the Seven Heroes who went against Thebes,
putting on his armour.
Capaneus struck down by the thunderbolt. He had, presumptu
ously challenged Zeus himself to stop him from taking Thebes, and
was struck by the thunderbolt as he mounted his scaling-ladder.
Another of the same subject.
Achilles in his retirement. Inscribed Achle.
Achilles wounded in the heel by the arrow of Paris.
Case U 11. Etruscan scarabs (continued). Among the later
scarabs there is a marked tendency .towards greater roundness of
the figures, and in the rougher specimens the figures are composed
of little more than hemispherical, cup-like depressions, hastily
drilled out.
Case U 12. Rows c-g contain 'cut-scarabs' — that is, . thin
slices of stone with a cable border and intaglio design, such as might
be found, on the base of a scarab. In some cases the scarabs may
have been cut down to accommodate them to a later system of
mounting in rings, while other designs may have been engraved
originally on a thin stone in imitation of the base of a scarab.,
It is probable that some of the scarabs or out-scarabs in Compart
ment 12 are late imitations of older work, dating perhaps from the
close of the Roman Republic.
[The historical sequence is continued in" the large central Case.X
with the Greek gems.]
Case U 13, 14. A selection of Graeco-Roman Intaglios,
grouped according to their subjects. The series begins with Zeus
-(Jupiter) and myths connected with him, and continues with
Poseidon (Neptune), Athene, Hermes, Apollo and Muses, Artemis,
Aphrodite, Eros (Cupid), Dionysos and Bacchanalian subjects, etc.
Case U 14, row e: A late getn inscribed as the ' Assembly of the
gods in Olympos,' in which the principal deities can be distinguished.
[Case U 15-27. Mediaeval, Renaissance, and modern gems,
etc., forming a part of the collections of the Department of British
and Mediaeval Antiquities.]
Case U 28-33. Graeco-Roman intaglios (continued). The
series begins on the right (in 33) with deities (continued from 14) and
proceeds with legends and heroes, such as Medusa and Perseus,
Bellerophon, Heracles, the Theban and Trojan cycles. These are
followed by Roman legends, masks and dramatic subjects, subjects
from life, ships, animals, devices, mottoes, etc.
Case X, in the centre of the room, contains the finest specimens
of Greek and Roman gem-engraving. On the side nearest the dpor
I 2

116 Room of Gold Ornaments and Gems.
are the intaglios, which range from the sixth century B.C. down Jj
the Roman Empire, classed in compartments : —
Case X 39-40. Intaglios of the best Greek workmanship.
Many of the gems in these two compartments are in the form of the
scaraboid ; the scarab, which, as was pointed out above, is a
form that found little favour with the Greeks, occurs but seldom.
In some stones, however, variety is given to the plain surface at
the back of the scaraboid by some device in relief, such as the
Satyric mask which occurs on the scaraboid in Compartment 39,
row c. On the face is engraved a lyre-player, and an inscription
with the name of the artist who engraved the gem, probably to he
read as Syries.
Case X 39, rows c, d, e, contain other examples of the finest
Greek gems, among which the following are specially deserving of
notice : — •
Row c. Scarab from Amathus (Cyprus) in a fine gold setting,
mounted on a silver ring : Athene with the spoils of Medusa, the
head, wings and snakes.
Scaraboid from Greece : a Satyr carrying a full wineskin on his
back. A remarkably vivid piece of Greek work.
Scaraboid from the Punjab (India) : Heracles, after the defeat of
the Nemean lion, is offered water by the local Nymph. It is
unknown how this early Greek work reached India, but it might
well have been carried there in the army of Alexander.
Row d. A finely executed crystal scaraboid of a lion attacking a

A female head in broad and simple style, inscribed ' Eos.'
Head of a youth in a peaked hat. A work of great beauty in
the same broad style.
Row e. An agate bead, flattened on one side, with a figure of a
nude athlete twisting the thong of his caestus (a device to increase
the effect of a boxer's blow) about his wrist.
A bead of burnt sard, shaped as the last, with a seated youth
playing on a triangular lyre.
It is to be noted that in the foregoing and other works of the
fine Greek style the work is not conspicuously minute in detail. It
is indeed less so than in some of the earlier gems. The treatment
is broad and free, and calculated for the general effect of the work
seen as a whole.
Case X 40. Greek gems (continued), including a series of large
scaraboids, with figures of animals broadly and naturally worked.
Note also : —
Row 6. A girl writing on tablets.
Row d. A scarab with a wild goose flying ; very finely and
delicately engraved.
Scaraboid, winged River-god ; an archaic work in a minute and
formal manner.
Giant falling in combat ; finely engraved.
Case X 41-43. Selected Graeco-Roman gems, produced by

Graeco-Roman Gems. 117
Greek engravers working in Rome towards the end of the Republic
and in the first centuries of the Empire. The subjects are mainly
mythological. The favourite material is the sard, in tints varying
from pale yellow to orange red. Other stones used less frequently
are the banded onyx, nicolo, amethyst, etc.
Case X 44-45 (except 44, row a). Gems which are signed, or
purport to be signed, by ancient engravers.
Case X 45, row d. A fine head of the dying Medusa, with the
name of Solon.
The gems which proftss to be thus sigaed are very numerous, and in some
cases (e.g., the scaraboid of Syries already mentioned, Compartment 39, row c)
the authenticity of the signature is absolutely beyond dispute. In most signed
gems, however, there is doubt and controversy with respect to the signatures,
since the lamentable habit of adding artists' names to gems is known to have
prevailed from the Renaissance onwards, but especially during the eighteenth and
early nineteenth centuries. For the convenience of students most of the signed
gems in the collection have been brought together in these two compartments. In
some examples, however, the signature must be regarded as a recent addition to
an ancient engraving, while in others the whole work is equally suspect.
Compare, for instance (Compartment 44, row e), the fine blue beryl head of
young Heracles with the name of Gnaios and the crystal counterfeit beside it
accurately imitating the fracture of the original.
For a further discussion of the authenticity of the several signatures see the
Catalogue of Engraved Gems.
Case X 46, 47. Portraits in intaglio. Among them the
following are specially noteworthy : —
Case X 46, row 6. An elderly man, nearly bald, and with a
wart on his chin. An admirable piece of minute and vivid
portraiture. Row c. A portrait, wearing the winged cap of Perseus, and set
in its original rough iron setting.
Row e. Two heads of Julius Caesar, with the name of Dioscorides,
a known gem-engraver of the time of Augustus. The pale sard
from the Payne-Knight collection is the finer of the two. The
dark sard, from the Blacas collection, appears to be a replica, and
the signature is illiterate in form.
Row/. Head of Antonia (?). Compare the silver bust from
Boscoreale (p. 103), and the so-called ' Clytie ' in tho Third Graeco-
Roman Room (p. 75).
Rows /, g. Forcible portraits in the later Roman style of
Vespasian and Titus.
Case X 47. Row c. Vigorous portraits of Septimius Severus,
Caracalla, and Trajan Decius. The last is still in its original iron
setting. Case X 48-56. In the opposite side of the case are the
Cameos or gems in relief, belonging almost exclusively to the
Roman period, and engraved on precious stones, consisting of
layers of different colours, which the engravers have utilised to
obtain rich and varied effects. As already mentioned, the Cameo
is complete in itself while the Intaglio is primarily intended to

118 Room of Gold Ornaments and Gems.
serve as a seal. Hence the Cameos are of a larger size, and more
brilliant effect. It also follows that the figures are right-handed
and the inscriptions are not reversed.
Case X 48. The subjects are mainly Bacchanalian, with figures
of Satyrs, Maenads, Silenus, etc.
Case X 49. Bacchanalian subjects, figures of animals, etc.
At the bottom is a roughly executed bust of Heracles, wearing the
lion's mask, from the Punjab, in India.
Case X 50. Heads of Medusa, Minerva, etc. The amethyst
head of Medusa in the centre, winged and intertwined with
serpents, is of exceptional size and brilliancy for this material.
Case X 51. Portraits, chariot groups, etc. In the middle is
a large sardonyx portrait of Julia, daughter of Augustus, partially
idealised as Diana. [The pale sard background is modern.]
Case X 52. Roman portraits, etc..
Row a. Head of Messalina, wife of Nero.
Row c. The combined heads of Trajan and his wife Plotina.
Fragment in sard of an emperor (perhaps Tiberius), wearing an
oak wreath. A small fragment of what must once have been a
splendid work.
Bust of Caracalla. A characteristic portrait.
Row d. Fragment from a vessel of rock crystal, with part of
the figure of a dancing Maenad. A piece of the rim of the vase
is preserved above the Maenad's head.
Busts of Julia, the daughter of Augustus, partly idealised, and
wearing the helmet and aegis of Minerva, and of Li via, the step
mother of Julia, side by side. [The ground is modern.]
Below is a late Roman cameo, with a figure of Victory carrying
the bust of an empress, (t).
Case X 53. Roman portraits, etc.
Row b. A small fragment of a once splendid cameo contains a
figure of Livia as Ceres, enthroned, seated on a cornucopia held up
by the hand of a figure now lost, probably Tiberius.
In the centre is the splendid bust of Augustus wearing the
aegis, formerly iii the Strozzi and Blacas collections. It should be
observed that the gold diadem is probably mediaeval, and that the
stones set in it are of trifling merit. Originally the head was bound
with the plain fillet, of which the ends are seen behind the head.
Row d. A head of Germanicus has the signature, probably
genuine, of Epitynchanos.
Row e. Two cameos, one a head of Augustus, the other of a boy,
in beautiful sixteenth century settings of gold and enamel.
Case X 54-56. Miscellaneous cameos.
Case X 54. Venus, Cupids, etc.
Row c. Cupid leading the panthers that draw the chariot of
Bacchus. Signed by Sostratos.
Row /. Actaeon, attacked by his hounds. A fragment of a fine
cameo. . Case X 55. Miscellaneous subjects, actors, masks, etc.-

The Etruscans.. 119
Case X 56. Mottoes and devices — e.g., in row a, a hand twitching
an ear, and the motto ' Remember ' ; row c, ' They say what they
like. Let them say. I care not.'
At the end of the central case are objects of the Roman period,
in hard materials and gems, such as agate, chalcedony, onyx, crystal,
etc. Among them may be noticed a small circular dish, found in
the Punjab, with rehefs, representing two stages in the myth of
Diana and Actaeon, viz., Actaeon looking on while Diana is
bathing, and Diana causing him to be attacked by his own dogs.
PASTES.
The frames which are placed in the windows contain a series of
glass pastes, ancient and modern. The pastes (Italian pasta, a
piece of dough) are casts in glass from gems, or from clay moulds
made for the purpose.
For the most part probably they were employed innocently, as
cheap imitations of favourite and costly engraved gems. Pliny
speaks of ' glass gems from the rings of the multitude.' Also, no
doubt, they were occasionally used for purposes of fraud, and in
another passage he speaks of imitations by lying glass (mendacio
vitri). The middle and right hand windows contain ancient pastes.
The left hand window has a selection of modern pastes made in
the last century by James Tassie, the publisher of a very extensive
series of pastes taken from gems in public and private collections.
FRESCOES.
Cases A-H (upper part). A series of fresco paintings from
Pompeii, Herculaneum, and elsewhere, of the period of the early
Roman empire.
[On leaving the Gold Ornament Room, we return to the Etruscan
Saloon. The Roman terracottas and miscellaneous antiquities in
the South wing have already been described above, p. 98.]

THE ETRUSCAN SALOON.f
SUBJECT :— ETRUSCAN AND EARLY ITALIAN ANTI
QUITIES, IN BRONZE AND TERRACOTTA.
The people who were called by the Romans Etrusci, or Tusci,.
by the Greeks Tyrrhenes, by themselves Rasena, and by us
Etruscans, principally occupied the region "bounded by the

t The bronze objects in this room are described in the Catalogue of Bronzes
by H. B. Walters (30?.).

120 The Etruscan Saloon.
Apennines, the Tiber, and the Gulf of Corsica. The affinities of
the' Etruscans in respect of race and language are still uncertain.'
As regards the latter, we have a large number of inscriptions,
written in an alphabet slightly different from the Greek, and but
little else. The inscriptions are mainly taken up with names of
persons, and bilingual documents are scarce. For these reasons
the known vocabulary and facts of grammar are at present very
incomplete, and no connexion with any known language has yet
been validly established.
The Etruscans made their appearance in Italy, probably entering
from the north, before the beginning of written history. After
the foundation of Rome they are best known for their struggles
with that state. Their territory lay close to that of Rome,
and they had existed as a considerable power when as yet Borne
was but striving to acquire ascendency over the Italic tribes
in her neighbourhood. As Rome gathered strength, the wars with
Etruria set in. To the legendary stage belong such stories as the
march of Lars Porsenna, of Clusium, to replace the banished
Tarquin on the throne. After the beginning of the fifth century
the Etruscan power began to decline. Their sea strength was
broken by the battle of Kyme or Cumae (474 B.C. ; cf. p. 123). The
struggle on land ended in the conquest of Etruria, the last great acts
of which were the battles at the Vadimonian Lake, B.C. 310 and 285.
Although politically extinguished, the Etruscans maintained a
separate national character and art until the beginning of the
empire. In religious belief and ritual the Etruscans exercised a deep
influence upon Rome ; but since their literature, such as it was,
has perished, they are chiefly of interest to us in connexion with
the remains of their art.
The original basis of Etruscan art is a primitive form of culture
which they shared with the Italian peoples on both sides of the
Apennines, and which was one branch of the European Bronze Age^
civilisation. Egyptian influences can only be traced occasionally
and in accidental importations. (Cf. p. 121.)
This is followed by the period of archaic Etruscan art represented
by the Polledrara Tomb (p. 122), in which Egyptian influence is
strong and importation is frequent. Greek influences also begin
to be felt, but so far only faintly.
To this succeeds a period of active intercourse between Etruria
and Greece. The Etruscans import the wares of the Athenian
potters (p. 141), and a large proportion of the best Greek vases in'
the Second and Third Vase Rooms was found in Etruscan tombs. v
In pottery they never imitated the Greek wares with any success
(p. 162), but they adopted Greek motives and mythological types
with zeal, and used them on their engraved gems (p. 114), jewellery
(p. 108), and bronzes. In the latter branch they were particularly
skilled, and their bronzes appear to have been exported freely to
Greece. Though bronzes certainly known to be Etruscan have

Italc-Etruscan Work. 121
so far been little found on Greek soil, the comic poets Critias and
Pherecrates (in lines preserved to us by Athenseus) testify that
Etruria had the pre-eminence in all bronzes for domestic use ; and
there are many objects of which it is hard to say whether they are
of Greek or of Etruscan origin.
It was formerly thought that the Etruscans alone practised the
characteristic engraved work on bronze, such as occurs on the
mirrors and Cistae, and though several examples of Greek work
have now been found, they are still few in number compared with
those of the Etruscans.
The art of Etruria and Greece proceeded on parallel lines, until
Greek art reached its full ethical perfection in the fifth century b.c.
Etruscan art had no such culminating point, and in the subsequent
periods Etruscan art loses its interest, though it maintains an
independent existence to the beginning of the empire. In the
greater part of its products it adopts but vulgarises the character
of later Greek art. Its outlines become loose, its execution careless,
and its spirit gross. Some of the engraved work on metal can
alone be excepted from this condemnation. It seems probable also
that the Roman art of portraiture, with its strong individualising
power, was acquired from the Etruscans.
Italo-Etruscan Primitive Work.
Such examples as the Museum possesses of the primitive Italian
culture described above are grouped at the back of the two bays
next the Bronze Room (Cases 82-87 and 65-70).
Cases 82-87. Early bronze work of the primitive period,
including a series of perforated and engraved disks, work in twisted
bronze wire, horse trappings, etc.
Case 87. Some singular models, with groups in the round of
figures ploughing, etc. The birds which surround these groups are
a very common characteristic in this primitive work, and may be
seen also attached to the fibulae (brooches) and horse trappings.
Cases 65—70. Pottery, etc., of the primitive period, consisting
of plain red and black ware, with simple ornamentation in relief or
incised. Case 66. Two urns in the form of a primitive hut from Monte
Albano, used for burial. One of the two contains calcined bones.
The form chosen for the urn must be due to the desire, universally
felt in early times, to make the tomb an imitation of the dwelling..
Case 68. An archaic silver diadem from Praeneste, stamped
with geometric patterns, birds, helmets, ox-heads, etc.
Case 69. Fragments of glazed porcelain vases from the Esquiline
hill at Rome, with figures of deer among ivy-branches, etc. These
scanty fragments are all that this Museum can show of the first
beginnings of the history of Rome.
Cases 68-70. Archaic pottery from a tomb at Falerii. The large
caldron on the stand is decorated with four Gryphons' heads, as
well as with white paint. The Gryphon type was adopted from

122 The. Etruscan Saloon,
Assyria by European art long before it had acquired mythological
significance among the Greeks. A large quantity of pottery,
similar in character to that shown here, has been excavated in
recent years at Falerii, and is now exhibited in the Papa Giulio
Museum at Rome. Early Etruscan Period.
The principal group of antiquities of the early Etruscan period is
that from the Polledrara Tomb (otherwise known as the Grotta
d'Iside or Grotto of Isis), which was excavated at a place called
La Polledrara, near Vulci, in 1840.
The date of this tomb can be determined as not earlier than the
reign of the Egyptian king Psammetichos I. (666-612 B.C.), whose
cartouche appears on one of the porcelain scarabs that were found.-
On the other hand, everything points to the high antiquity of the
tomb, which may therefore be placed about the end of the reign of
Psammetichos (612 B.C.). The contents of the tomb are partly
imported and partly of local manufacture. Among the former are
the carved ostrich eggs, the ivory spoon, the porcelain scarabs and
flasks with hieroglyphic inscriptions of greeting. In the latter-
there are blunders in the inscriptions which suggest a non-Egyptian
intermediary between Egypt and Etruria.
Such agents might be Phoenicians ; but the fact that Greek letters occur on
some of the ostrich eggs suggests the Greek colonists settled at. Naucratis, in
the Nile delta. A further confirmation of this fact has been sought in the
character of the painted pottery, which has been attributed to Naucratis ; but
the suggestion has not been accepted without controversy.
The principal vase is a pitcher (liydria) in black ware, with
designs in red, blue and white. The colours, however, are now so
faint, that the subject can only be made out by prolonged examhw*
tion. In the upper tier the principal subject is Theseus slaying the
Minotaur, and Ariadne with the clue. Centaurs, chariots, etc.;
are added to complete the band. In the lower tier Theseus and
Ariadne lead the dance of rescued Athenian youths and maidens. .<
The bronze work is probably of local manufacture. It is for the
most part made of thin beaten plates riveted together, and it is
plain that most of the utensils could never have been, used except
for show at funeral ceremonies and as furniture for the dead, so
thin and slight is the bronze.
Among the bronze objects may be noticed a threequarter length
female bust (434) in which the metal is beaten up in plates, which
are then riveted together in a manner characteristic of the oldest
bronze works. About the lower part are two tiers of friezes of
Oriental animals and chariots, perhaps in imitation of an embroidered
skirt. The exceedingly archaic female figure holding a bird is said to be
carved in the limestone of the Polledrara district, and is also,
therefore, a local work.

Etruscan Bronzes, etc. 123
Etruscan Art.
Archaic and Later Periods.
[For the various objects in this Saloon, not already described, we
proceed in order round the room, beginning at the right of the
Bronze Room door.]
Cases 76-80. Etruscan archaic candelabra. The candelabra
terminate in four branches, for the suspension of hanging lamps.
In the centre is usually a small archaic statuette standing on its
own pedestal. Note e.g. in Case 76, the wrestling of Peleus and
Thetis (compare above, p. 95). The transformations of Thetis
are represented by the snake on the arm of Peleus.
Cases 76-81. Projecting heads of Gryphons, foreparts of
horses, etc., which must have been used to mask the ends of the
wooden bars of some object, perhaps a throne.
Fox similar decorations, but on a much smaller scale and differently applied, see
the braziers from the Polledrara tomb. Somewhat similar decorations also
occur at the end of a chariot pole ; but the obvious occurrence of pairs is against
this explanation in the present iustance.
Cases 82-87. See above, p. 121.
Cases 88—97. Early Etruscan bronze weapons — helmets,
spears, swords, greaves, etc.
Gases 92, 93. Two ornate tripods from Vulci. 588 has the
foreparts of horses conjoined in pairs, where the supports join
the central ring. Between them are a series of archaic groups,
thought to represent the story of Alcestis (cf. p. 69), namely/
Hermes running with a sword; Death carrying a woman in his
arms; Heracles running and brandishing his club.
Case 93. 250. Bronze Etruscan helmet, with a Greek inscription
recording that it was dedicated to Zeus by Hiero, son of
Deinomenes (i.e. Hiero I., of Syracuse), and the Syracusans, as
Tyrrhenian (booty) from Kyme : 'lapwv 6 Aeivo/u-cveos | kox toI
'SaipaKoa-wi | ™ At Tvp(p)av curb Kv/xas. This helmet was found
at Olympia, and is a relic of the battle fought at Kyme (Cumae,
near Naples), in 474 B.C. The people of Kyme were hard pressed
by the Etruscans, who had command of the sea. Hiero came to
their aid and broke the Etruscan sea power, the battle of Kyme
marking the turning point in the political history of Etruria.
The large central shield with embossed patterns is of very thin
metal, and must have been intended for sepulchral purposes only.
Case 95. 554. A circular cista, with an admirable piece of
archaic decoration, perhaps intended to be humorous— namely, a.
frieze of running Gorgons, repeated indefinitely by the repetition
of a single mould.
In the first bay is (111*) a large terracotta sarcophagus |

t See Terracotta Sareophagi, Greek and Etruscan, in the British Museum, by
A. S. Murray, folio, 1898 (28».).

124 The Etruscan Saloon.
(Plate X.) found at Cervetri, of the archaic period. A grotesque pair,
a man and woman, recline on the cover. The man is nude, and seems
to be wearing a mask. The woman is draped, and wears thin em
broidered stockings beneath her sandals. The four sides of the chest
are decorated with subjects in low relief. Front side : A battle
between two warriors, who cannot be named. On each side are
two women and a man. At the angles are youthful winged figures^
probably the souls of the warriors, the soul of the wounded man
being perhaps represented as bounding off to Hades. The lion
which takes part in the combat reminds us of the lions which
sometimes take part in battles of gods and giants, but it is
hard to explain its presence in this combat. Rear side : A man
and woman recline at a banquet, as on the lid above, attended
by two cupbearers and two musicians. At each end is the
furniture of the banquet, consisting of vases, wreaths, mirrors and
keys. The caldron on a high stand closely resembles the vase
from Falerii, in Case 70. At one end is a scene of leave-taking by
warriors, and at the other are two pairs of mourning women.
The Etruscan inscription has not been interpreted, and some
critics have questioned the authenticity both of the inscription and
of the sarcophagus, since it is clear that the two cannot be separated.
For these doubts, however, there are no valid grounds.
Cases 98-102. Archaic Etruscan black pottery, of the kind
known to archaeologists as ( Bucchero nero ' (Italian bucchero,
a vessel of fine clay). The patterns are partly incised lines, partly
moulded reliefs, and partly reliefs impressed upon the soft clay by
rolling along it an engraved cylinder.
A singular pair of masks, one male and one female, were placed
upon the faces of the dead. [Compare the figure on the large
sarcophagus, mentioned above.]
Cases 103-107. Bronze bowls with handles in statuette form,
like those attached to mirrors ; vases for suspension in the shape
of human heads, and thought to be intended for ointments ;
various implements, such as many-pronged forks for drawing out
flesh from a caldron, ash rakes, and ladles for drawing wine.
In Case 103 is a bronze tablet (888), inscribed on both sides with
an Oscan inscription. The iron chain and staple by which the tablet
was suspended are preserved. The tablet was found in 1848 at
Agnone, and is an important monument of the Oscan language.
It contains an enumeration of the statues and altars dedicated to
various deities in a certain garden.
Cases 108-115. Etruscan bronze statuettes. The figures in
these cases belong to various periods of Etruscan history, but as
already stated the majority are strongly archaic, while a few belong
to a late period. When the Etruscans left off working in the
archaic manner, they adopted the later Greek style, but did not
themselves pass through a stage corresponding to the great period in
Greece. The arrangement of these cases is roughly as follows : 
Cases 108, 109. Female figures, for the most part draped and

Etruscan Bronzes. 125
winged. Both drapery and wings are treated with formal archaic
simplicity. Cases 110-113. Male figures of deities, warriors, athletes,
Heracles, Pan, Satyrs, etc.
Case 114. A figure of Mars or a warrior (no. 459) was found in
1838, with various other bronzes in this case (450, 463, 614, 615,
679), in a lake on the Monte Falterona, near the source of the
Arno. They formed part of a deposit of more than 600 bronzes
that had evidently been thrown into the lake as votive offerings.
Many of the bronzes were votive offerings of single limbs (such as
the leg, no. 615), while others were complete statuettes.
Case 115. The bronzes in this case are of a late period, with free
attitudes, flaccid forms and careless work. The chasing and
engraving of the surface is no longer practised.
[Cases 117-121 are temporarily occupied with objects found at
Curium (Cyprus) in 1894-5, &c]
Cases 121-125. Etruscan black ware (bucchero nero). Compare
above, cases 98—102.
[Cases 126-135. The Polledrara Tomb. See above, p. 122.]
The standard-cases and table-cases in this bay are distinguished
by the letters of the alphabet.
Standard-Case A. Select pieces of Etruscan bronze work,
namely : —
665. A strigil, or instrument for scraping oil from the limbs.
The handle is composed of a figure of Aphrodite, herself repre
sented as using the strigil. At the back she is supported by a
stem of acanthus. From Praeneste.
656. A wine jug, with handle terminating at one end in a mask
of Pan, and at the other in a Sphinx. (The body of the vase is
modern.) 666. A female figure, seated on a chair in an easy pose, forming
the base of a small candelabrum. From Chiusi (Clusium). These
three objects are placed here as having been found in Etruscan
districts. But in their easy grace they are more Greek than
Etruscan, and, if not actually imported from Greece, they were
produced under a strong Greek influence.
Below are —
637. Circular casket (or cista) from Praeneste, the source from
which nearly all objects of this class have been obtained. On the
cover are groups of combatants incised. The scene seems to be a
serious combat, though the fantastic attitudes of the figures are
more suited to a dance.
742. Plain cista, with a group of two comic actors standing on
the cover ; of a late date.
Case B. 447. An archaic female figure, perhaps Aphrodite,
made of bronze cast upon an iron core. The swelling of the ircn
has split one side of the bronze. The forearms were separately
cast, and are riveted on. Fine patterns are incised on the drapery.

126 The Etruscan Saloon.
An excellent example of primitive casting when no attempt is
made to economise weight and material. From Sessa,d on the
Volturno. . ; -.,-
3216. The bronze head adjoining is also a. fine specimen o£ early
casting, recently acquired (1898) from the Tyszkiewicz collection.
This also is cast about an iron core.
This case also contains : — ¦ ..
557. A finely designed two-nandled vase (amphora). The.nu4e
male figures supporting two animals, which in an erect position. are
a favourite device as a mirror stand (as in Case 112), are here
strongly recurved to make vase handles, the anatomy being modified
throughout on account of the strained position. Below each is a
delicately composed Siren upon a palmette. , ,i , ,
Three caldron-shaped urns (lebetes), viz. : —
558. Caldron. On the cover are an archaic female figure and
four youths performing exercises on horseback, alternating with
figures of Sirens. On the body is an incised lotus pattern.
559. Caldron. On the cover is an athlete preparing to throw
the disk.
560. Caldron. In the centre of the cover is a group of a man
and woman, perhaps Hades carrying off Persephone, a minutely
elaborated piece of archaic work. The male figure might be a
Heracles, but if so, he has no distinguishing attribute., _, Four
mounted Amazons drawing their bows surround the rim, Ro>und
the body is an incised frieze, with Heracles driving away the cattle
of Caeus, various groups of animals, a chariot race and wrestlers.
At the back of the case are —
744. A cista, engraved in a rough and sketchy style, with three
scenes. (1) Persephone taking leave of Pluto to return to the
upper world. (2) Victory crowning a youth, who dismounts , from
a horse. (3) Dionysiac scene.
745. A cista, engraved with an obscure subject, perhaps a, travesty
of the Judgment of Paris. The figures which readily fit in with
this interpretation are those of the three goddesses and Epos.
The nude figure with an apple would be Hermes, the grotesque figure
with Satyr's ears Paris, and the nude female figure with the swopd
Eris (Strife). The subject is also explained as the race of Atalanta
and Meilanion.
Case C. 638. Cista; round the body is engraved a frieze, repre
senting the sacrifice of Trojan captives at the funeral pyre of
Patroclus. On the cover are engraved three Nereids, ruling on
marine monsters, and carrying the armour of Achilles. The, whole
is surmounted by a group in the round of a Satyr and a Maenad.
This cista is remarkable for the masterly drawing of the figures in
the frieze and the interest of the subject, the grim character of which
is well suited to Etruscan taste.
Below are a handsome dish, from Chiusi, with the handle in the
form of a figure of Victory, and two braziers, with fire tongs and
rakes.

Etruscan Reliefs, 127
Case D. The whole of the contents of this case are said to have
been found together at Praeneste in 1786 in a crypt near the
Temple of Fortune. The cista (no. 743) has two subjects connected
with Neoptolemos, son of Achilles. (1) Preparations for the
sacrifice of Polyxena(l). A nude maiden is held by one of a group
of three heroes. (2) Neoptolemos slain by Orestes at the altar at
Delphi, in the presence of the three Delphic deities— Apollo,
Artemis and Leto.
Case E. 746. Cista engraved with designs : (1) Combat of Paris
and Menelaos, with Aphrodite intervening between them. (2) Com
bat of Greeks with Amazons, as allies of the Trojans. Achilles
stands over the body of the Amazon Penthesilea, while Thersites
advances to insult the body, an outrage in return for which he was
slain by Achilles.
639. Cista. On the cover are four Nereids, riding on sea-
monsters, finely incised. In the lower part of the case are various
articles of toilet — combs, pigment-boxes, etc. — found in the cistae,
which were usually employed for this purpose.
: Table-case P. Bronze implements, and various parts of cistae,
such as the feet, handles, ifcc. Several sets may be noticed of cista-
feet cast from "one mould.
749; A finely composed archaic relief with a Nereid riding on a
hippocamp, with the helmet of Achilles.
Table-case G. Temporarily occupied with antiquities found at
Curium and Amathus.
Case H. 640. Cista. On the body are : (1) Bellerophon leading
Pegasus by a halter, and conversing with Stheneboea (or according
to Homer, Anteia), the wife of Bellerophon's host^ Proetos ;
(2) Paris (?) and Victory about to make a libation ; (3) Menelaos
and Helen (?) On the cover are Nereids riding on sea-monsters.
561, Caldron (lebes). On the rim are four mounted archers,
drawing their bows, etc.
257. Caldron (lebes), inscribed below the rim with an archaic
Greek inscription (difficult to distinguish) which seems to mean that
the lebes had been offered as a prize in athletic games.
Case I. 741. An oval cista. Round the body is a battle scene.
The relief has at some time been cut down to half its proper height.
Of the scene on the lid, which has been thought to represent the
meeting of Aeneas, Latinus and Lavihia, after the death of Turnus,
a supposed continuation of the narrative as told in the Aeneid, the
greater part is probably modern.
The collection of Etruscan bronzes is continued in Table-cases
K, L with the mirrors.
Table-cases K and L. Etruscan mirrors and mirror-cases.
On one side the surface of the metal was highly polished, but it is
rare for the mirrors to retain any reflecting power to-day. On the
other side was an incised design, in many instances representing
subjects derived from Greek art, mythology and legend, but usually

128 The Etruscan Saloon.
accompanied by Etruscan inscriptions, giving in Etruscan form the
names of the persons represented. The mirrors are sometimes
circular discs, enclosed in mirror-cases, of which there are several
examples in Case K (compare the figure of Seianti in Case 59), and
sometimes they have long handles. These may be either completely
finished in bronze, or may have been inserted in handles of wood
or bone, now for the most part lost. (See two examples in
Case L.)
The older examples (speaking generally) are exhibited in Case L
and the later in Case K. Those that belong to the archaic period
are comparatively few. The greater part may be assigned to the
fourth and latter half of the fifth centuries B.C. In the older
examples the drawing is more careful and restrained, the field is
more completely filled, and the inscriptions are more numerous than
in the later mirrors, where the drawings are slighter and freer.
In Case L, no. 542 is a remarkable specimen of archaic Etruscan
work in low relief. Heracles is carrying off a female figure, whose
name is inscribed as Mlacuch, which may represent a Greek form
of Malache, but the subject is not otherwise known The type
suggests the wrestling of Peleus and Thetis.
In the centre of Cases K and L are groups of early Etruscan
black bucchero ware (see above, p. 124). In many cases the vases
are decorated with patterns obtained by rolling an engraved cylinder
over the soft clay.
Table-cases M, N, O. See above, p. 99.
Wall-cases 136-139, 1-18. See above, pp. 98, 99.
Cases 19-25 are temporarily occupied with pottery, bronzes, etc.,
of the late Mycenaean period, from Enkomi in Cyprus (see above,
p. 106).
Cases 26-37. The upper part of these cases contains archi
tectural and other fragments in terracotta, excavated by the late
Lord Savile, at Civita Lavinia, the ancient Lanuvium. The
principal fragments are part of a terracotta cornice and pediment
of a temple. These remains, which belong to the sixth century B.C.,
illustrate the archaic method of constructing roofs of wood, and
protecting the wood by enriched terracotta work.
The groups in terracotta relief, of a Satyr and Maenad, etc.,
masked the ends of circular tiles, in the same way as the two heads
which are above the restored cornice.
On the floor of these cases are Sepulchral Chests of limestone,
adorned with reliefs in an archaic style of sculpture, which refer for
the most part to the funeral of the deceased or to scenes in his life.
They include scenes of combat, scenes of the chase, banquets, and
the laying out of the corpse. The covers are preserved of two of
these chests, and imitate a tiled roof, which may be compared with
the restored structure immediately above them.
Cases 36-55 (subject to re-arrangement) contain series of select
electrotypes from the Greek, Roman and Byzantine coins in the
Department of Coins and Medals (central door). The original

Etruscan Sarcophagi. 129
<coins are kept in cabinets, and are only shown to persons pursuing
some special object.
Cases 47-51 (below) and
-Cases 53-63. Terracotta chests and sarcophagi, of about the
second century B.C. In Cases 58 and 59 is the sarcophagus of a
lady, named in the inscription ' Seianti Thanunia, wife of
Tlesna ' ; within is a skeleton, no doubt that of the lady ; and on
the cover reclines her effigy, gazing into a mirror which lies within
its open case. Her earrings are painted to imitate amber set in
_gold, and some of the six rings on her left hand appear as if set
with sards. Suspended from the walls of her tomb were vases and
other objects of silver and silver-gilt, including a mirror and strigil,
which, however, were only of the nature of sepulchral furniture.
The date is fixed, by coins discovered in a companion sarcophagus
now at Florence, about the first half of the second century b.c.
From Chiusi.
The smaller terracotta chests are cast from moulds, and roughly
¦coloured, the names of the deceased being occasionally added.
Certain favourite subjects, such as the combat of Eteocles and
Polyneikes before Thebes, and Echetlos fighting with his plough at
Marathon, are repeated with great frequency.
Case 64. Large urn for ashes, in the form of a male figure with
a movable head.
Cases 65-70. See above, p. 121.
Cases 71-75. Archaic paintings on panels of terracotta, which
appear to have lined a part of the walls of a tomb. The subjects
include two Sphinxes which probably flanked the doorway, and a
p'rocession of figures busied with funeral ceremonies. They carry a
standard, perhaps that of the deceased person, a wreath, and various
vases. The figure on the right seems to be unfastening a long
metal girdle. These panels were obtained from Cervetri (Caere),
and are probably to be dated about 600 b.c.
On the upper shelf are archaic terracotta roof ornaments, also
from Cervetri.
Case 74. Sepulchral chest, in the form of a couch, oh which a dead
body is laid. The front is elaborately carved with a relief of two
ilions attacking a bull, and two recumbent figures.
[We leave the Etruscan Saloon by the North door, and enter the
Bronze Room.]

130 The Bronze Room.
THE BRONZE ROOM. *
SUBJECT :— GREEK AND ROMAN BRONZES.
The bronzes exhibited in this room are in part derived from
tombs, in which, like the pottery and gold ornaments, they had
been buried as appurtenances of the dead. In part they are relics
of the religious and ordinary life of the Greeks and Romans, found
wherever by chance it might happen that they had been hidden
and preserved. Those that have been obtained from tombs are
usually in the form of armour, weapons, vases, mirrors, with or
without cases, cistae (caskets), and personal ornaments, such as
fibulae (brooches) and armlets. It is noticeable that among the
vases the bronze of some of them is so thin that they can do little
more than stand and support their own weight (cf. above, p. 122).
They must have been produced expressly for purposes connected
with the tomb.
The Greek temples were rich museums of bronze work, whether
in the form of statues on a large scale or of small votive offerings
and inscribed tablets. Large deposits of the kind were found, for
example, at Olympia and on the Athenian Acropolis. For the
most part we only have the record of the bronze dedications in.
the temples, since the metal was too valuable to be neglected, and
the temple treasures were only spared if they were buried. Two
votive helmets, however, originally dedicated in temples, are now
in the Museum collection (pp. 123, 138), and some of the inscribed
tablets were originally intended to form a part of a temple's
archives. The original statues made by the great Greek sculptors were in
many cases in bronze, but for the reason just mentioned, the value
attached to the metal in the dark ages, the surviving examples of
fine sculpture in bronze are very rare. The Museum possesses a
few fine fragments from very various localities, but no complete
life-size bronze statue of the first rank.
A considerable part of the collection in this room consists of small
statuettes. Some of these are made to perform a decorative
purpose, as the handles of mirrors and dishes, while others stand
as ornaments on candelabra. The free-standing statuettes,
performing no such office, are comparatively rare from Greece.
From Rome and the Roman Empire they abound, having been
much used in Roman houses to place in small domestic shrines;
(lararia). Work in bronze relief was actually practised in Greece, as also
* Described in the Catalogue of Bronzes (1S99), by H. B. Walters (30s.). A
copy can be borrowed in the room. See also A. S. Murray's Greek Bronzes London.
(Seeley), 1808. ''

Select Greek Bronzes. 131
in Etruria, before and during the fifth century B.C. The best-
examples, however, of Greek relief (in which the Museum is
particularly rich) belong to the beginning of the fourth century B.C.,
and consist of mirror-cases and pieces of armour, portions of metal
vases, etc. These reliefs are sometimes cast from moulds, but more
often they are beaten up from the back (repousse), and reach a high
degree of perfection (see below, p. 132).
As we have seen, the Etruscans practised largely the use of an
incised line on bronze for their mirrors and caskets. Examples of
similar line engravings on Greek works of the fine period are
comparatively rare, although the Greeks used the incised line to a
large extent on their pottery, and in the earlier periods of bronze
work. Thus large numbers of early incised bronzes have been
found on the Athenian Acropolis at Olympia, and at Dodona ; but
subsequently the art does not appear to have been practised, and
few examples survive such as the mirror, No. 289, in Case A. So
far as is known, the Greeks did not use bronze cistae.
The collection includes a great variety of objects of the daily life
of the ancients, such as their locks, keys, instruments, taps, and any
other objects, for which bronze was the most convenient material
and which chance has preserved.
The series of bronzes exhibited in this room begins with Greek bronzes of tho
late archaic period, say about 500 b.c Such earlier Greek works in bronze a3
the Museum possesses are in the First Vase Rooni, and some of doubtful origin
are in the Etruscan Saloon. This room contains the Greek bronzes from the
fifth century onwards, and the collection of Koman bronzes. Such, however, of
the latter as have been found in this country are placed together in the Anglo-
Boman collection, in the Department of British and Mediasval Antiquities.
Pedestal 1. (In the centre of the room.) 266. The head of a
goddess, who has been identified, but not with certainty, as
Aphrodite. (Plate XL, fig. 1.) This fine example of a Greek
bronze, sculptured in a large commanding style, is said to have been
found at Satala in Armenia Minor. The eyes had been inlaid with
some material imitating their natural colours, such as a vitreous
paste, ivory, and ebony, or gems. The head has been violently
broken off from a colossal statue. A left hand holding a piece of
drapery, which was found at the same time, and which may wel
have belonged to the statue, is exhibited in Case 45.
Pedestal 2. Select Greek statuettes, mostly of the archaic
period. They illustrate admirably the careful and refined precision
of artists working in the archaic manner.
The following are specially worthy of notice : — •
188. A figure of Eileithyia (the goddess who helped women in
childbirth), or perhaps of Aphrodite. An inscription incised on it
tells that it was a votive offering to Eileithyia, made by a woman,
one Aristomache.
209. Figure of Apollo, with a fawn on his right hand, and
formerly holding a bow in the left. There is strong reason for
thinking that this statuette is a copy of the statue of Apollo Philesios
K 2

132

The Bronze Room.

at Branchidae (cf. p. 3) by the early artist Canachos. It closely
resembles a type of figure on the late coins of Miletos, believed to
be copied from the same original.
192. Female statuette, very daintily worked, inlaid with silver,
and with small diamonds in the pupils of the eyes.
1051. Statuette of Athene, recalling in its general spirit, and
especially in the triple crested helmet, the Athene Parthenos of
Pheidias (compare p. 18). . ¦,
242. Mirror with a support, composed of a figure of Aphrodite?
and two flying Loves.
303. Large mirror, with stand. A fine piece of decorative work,
and inlaid with silver. Below is a relief, with Aphrodite and
Adonis ; above are two Loves, with a cup, among acanthus leaves.
Table-Case A. Above the case are a set of bronze cups, of
refined outline, from Galaxidi, the port of Delphi.

Fig. 27. — The Bronzes of Siris. (After Brocmlsted).

The case contains select bronzes, for the most part reliefs, pro
duced by the process of repousse-work. The thin plate of bronze is
bedded with its face on a yielding material, such as pitch, and is
then beaten out from the back with suitable punches. The front of
the plate is then cleared, while the back in turn is supported, and
the work is finished by punching, chiselling or engraving the face.
285. The Bronzes of Siris are famous examples of the process
just described. They are two groups in high relief which were
originally attached to a cuirass, and served to mask the junction
of the front and back plates of the cuirass. In fig. 27 they are
shown, for the sake of illustration, in connexion with the back
plate of a cuirass formerly in the Dodwell collection. The lions' heads

Select Greek Bronzes. 133
probably held a ring which would be tied to the plate below. Each
group represents a Greek victorious over an Amazon, whom he
drags by the hair. The details are varied throughout, but the lines
of the groups are symmetrical in relation to the central line of the
cuirass. These bronzes are said to have been found near the River
Siris, in Magna Graecia, whence their name. They were purchased
by public subscription, organised by the Society of Dilettanti, and
presented to the British Museum, in 1833.
286. Youthful heroic figure, seated. This relief, which is cast
nearly solid, was riveted to some surface. The figure is in excellent
preservation, and very finely treated. It has been assigned to the
time of Lysippos ; that is, the second half of the fourth century B.C.
290. Mirror-case, with » delicately worked relief of Victory
sacrificing a bull. This was a favourite subject with the Greek
artists. Compare several gems, and the terracotta panels men
tioned above (p. 99).
289. Mirror-case and cover. The externa] relief is thought to
represent Phaedra declaring her unlawful love for Hippolytos. On
the lower side of the cover is one of the few extant examples of a
Greek design, incised in the manner of the Etruscan mirrors.
Aphrodite, accompanied by Eros, is playing a game of Five Stones
with a squatting goat-legged Pan. There is a humorous contrast
between the graceful goddess and her grotesque opponent.
311. Relief, with Dionysos and Ariadne, standing. They wear
thin transparent draperies, expressed with extraordinary skill, in
repousse-work. This relief, which was found in the island of
Chalke, near Rhodes, was originally affixed to the base of the handle
of a pitcher (hydria). Other portions of the same vase, and also
complete examples of the same kind, are shown in Case 24.
310. Relief, derived, like the foregoing, from a vase, with Boreas
carrying off the Athenian maiden, Oreithyia. The story is
discussed by Socrates at the beginning of Plato's Phaedrus.
Found in a tomb in Calymnos.
On the opposite side of the case are other examples of bronze
reliefs, bronzes inlaid with silver, etc.
Case B contains select bronzes of a larger size, all of which
are deserving of study, especially the following : —
847. Male portrait head, probably. of a Greek poet, but not
certainly identified. The head was formerly called Homer, but
(since the eyes were inlaid) it has not the plain indications of
blindness which mark the heads of that poet (cf. p. 83). This
fine bronze was brought from Constantinople at the beginning of
the seventeenth century, and once formed a part of the collection
of the great Earl of Arundel.
1453. Meleager (?), a young hero, is poised as if taking aim
with a spear. From the Pulsky collection.
284. Silenus, carrying a basket. The whole forms a base for a
candelabrum, which sprang from the calyx of leaves above the
basket.

134 The Bronze Room.
269. Figure of Marsyas, drawing back in surprise. The motive
is probably connected with a group by the Attic sculptor, Myron,
of Athene rejecting the flutes (which disfigured her face) in the
presence of Marsyas. He picked them up and thus incurred the
curse of the goddess. From Patras, 1876.
84.8. Seated philosopher, in an attitude of thoughtful repose.
Said to have been found in dredging the harbour at Brindisi.
268. Portrait head of an African. The race characteristics are
vividly expressed. The eyes have been enamelled, parts of the sub
stance still remaining in the sockets. Found at Cyrene, on the
original floor of the temple of Apollo, and buried deep below a
later mosaic pavement.
267. Winged head from a statue of Hypnos, Sleep. (Plate XL,
fig. 2.) The remaining wing is said to be that of a night-hawk. The
type of complete figure is that of a youth half running and half hover
ing, with a poppy seed-vessel, and a horn in his hands. The present
bronze has been associated with the art of Praxiteles. Found near
Perugia, but evidently a Greek and not an Etruscan work.
248. An athlete's disk, for throwing (compare the statue of
Myron, p. 81). On each side is an incised figure of an athlete, in
a severe and slightly archaic manner. On the obverse he is swing
ing two leaping-weights before jumping ; on the reverse -he holds
out a measuring tape at the full stretch of his arms.
In the angles of this case are two important inscribed bronze
tablets :
262. Tablet, inscribed with a law passed by the Hypocnemidian
or Eastern Locrians, regulating the status of certain colonists pro
ceeding to Naupactos, a town of the Ozolian Locrians (near the
entrance of the Gulf of Corinth). The document provides with
great care for the religious privileges of the colonists when at
home ; defines and restricts their liability to taxation ; arranges
for the enforcement of debts due to the colony, in the mother
country ; provides for succession to property in the colony by heirs
in the mother country, and vice versa, and makes various arrange
ments as to procedure. The date of the tablet must be previous to
455 B.C. It was found at Galaxidi, a town not far from Chaleion,.
which is mentioned at the end of the document as sending out a
band of colonists subject to the same conditions. It was formerly
in the collection of Mr. Woodhouse at Corfu, but was not. included
among the antiquities received by the representatives of the
Museum after Mr. Woodhouse's death, in 1866; it was acquired
by purchase in 1896.
263. Oblong tablet with a ring at one end, containing a treaty
between the cities of Oeantheia and Chaleion, restricting the
practice of reprisals as between citizens of the two states. In the
absence of a special treaty, it was necessary for the citizen of one
state who conceived that he had a claim on the citizen of another,
to enforce it by a physical seizure of his property or person. The
treaty provides, reciprocally, for the substitution of a judicial

Bronze Implements. 135
process for the primitive method of reprisal so far as concerned
seizures by land or in harbour, and at the same time appoints
penalties for violations of the treaty.
This tablet was found at Oeantheia (Galaxidi), and was formerly
in the Woodhouse collection. It was acquired, like the preceding,
in 1896. H 1 *
Case C contains a collection of smaller objects used in the daily
life of the ancients, such as surgical instruments (in some cases of
patterns still employed) ; writing implements, both styli for writing
on wax tablets, and ink-pots ; netting needles and bodkins ;
handles of knives, both clasp and fixed ; fish-hooks, nails, locks,
keys, etc. ; also scourges with bronze beads on the lashes.
The case also contains parts of two double-cylindered force-
pumps. They differ slightly between themselves, but both are
based on the system invented by Ctesibius of Alexandria. The
two plungers. in the cylinders were worked with a reciprocating
motion, by means of a rocking beam now lost. They alternately
draw in water through valves at the bottom of the cylinder, and
force it into the vertical pipe in the middle, from which a
continuous delivery is obtained. In the one case the valves are
simple flap-valves — called by the Greeks assaria, farthings, from
their obvious resemblance to coins. In the other, they are the
more advanced spindle valves, in the form of cones, which fall
back into their seat, by their own weight. Double pumps, worked
on this principle, were used as fire engines. Found among the
remains of a foundry at Bolsena.
On the top of this case is a series of select figures, mainly of the
Roman period. Among them are : 1077, a figure of Mars, in the
attitude of the Doryphoros, a famous statue by Polycleitos ; 1606,
figure of a Roman soldier in full armour ; 849, a very late portrait
of a seated Philosopher, with a book.
Pedestal 3. Roman or Gallo-Roman bronzes, chiefly found in
France, together with Gaulish subjects. The collection consists
mainly of figures of deities and of Hercules, found in France. Note
especially 825, a very delicately worked figure of Hermes, standing
on a plinth inlaid with silver. He carries the purse, and wears a
twisted Gaulish tore about his neck. The drapery on the left arm
is modern. Several figures are also shown of Gaulish combatants,
captives, etc.
Pedestal 4. (On the West side of the room.) Greek mirrors,
supported on the heads of female figures, and other select bronzes,
•chiefly from Greece. Amongst them are : 1084, a figure of Aphro
dite, with her hands raised as if to tie a fillet round her head (the
left hand restored) ; and 1032, a characteristic figure of Hephaestos
{Vulcan) in working dress.
Case D. Bronze stamps, for stamping on soft clay, such as
amphora-stoppings, dough, etc. They consist partly of names,
partly of devices, or of the two combined in one stamp.
Finger rings, of the commoner sort, of bronze, gilded or plain,

136 The Bronze Room.
some set with stone intaglios, and others incised with intaglio
designs in the bronze.
A collection of brooches (fibulae), for the most part from Italian
sites, and of various periods. They illustrate the antiquity of the
principle of the modern safety-pin, namely, that of making a.
spring by coiling the pin itself, which then presses the point
against its protection. Ornaments of the late Roman period, with
coloured enamels. There is reason for thinking that the process of "
enamelling was mainly practised by the western Celts.
Above the case are figures of animals.
Pedestal 5. Right leg of a colossal male figure wearing a greave.
This splendid fragment, which was found in that part of Southern
Italy called Magna Graecia, belongs to the middle of the fifth century
b.c The archaic head of the Gorgon on the greave illustrates the
survival of an archaic type, when it performs a purely decorative
office. The pose of the original figure is uncertain. Sir E. Poynter,
after comparing the fragment with the nude model, has argued that
the right leg was advanced, but only supported a part of the weight.
of the body, as in a figure running, with both feet touching the ground.
Pedestal 6. 828. Bronze statue of Apollo, with inlaid eyes.
From Zifteh, in the Egyptian Delta. The figure has no particular
merit, but is the only example of a fairly complete bronze statue of
this scale in the Museum collection. The feet are restored.
Case E. On the south side of this case is a series of votive
and other inscriptions in bronze. Amongst them, the following-
are deserving of mention : —
237. Votive figure of a hare, represented as struck while
running, with an inscription in which one Hephaestion dedicates it
to Apollo of Priene.
264. Tablet inscribed with a treaty between the people of Elis
and the citizens of Heraea in Arcadia. The treaty is to be for a
hundred years. The parties promise to stand by one another,
whenever help is needed, but particularly in war. A penalty is
appointed of a talent of silver to be paid to Olympian Zeus by the
party that fails to observe the treaty. The same fine is appointed
for anyone, whether a private person, an officer, or a community,
who injures the tablet itself. From Olympia.
252. A highly ornate axe-head, with an inscription in archaic-
Achaian letters, to the effect that it is the sacred property of
'Hera in the plain,' and that it was dedicated as a tithe, by one
Kyniskos, ' the butcher.' It is thought that Kyniskos was one who
killed beasts for sacrifice, and that the axe indicates his occupation.
253.* Votive wheel, said to have been found near Argos. It
probably commemorates a victory in a chariot race in the Neniean*
games. 3207. An athlete's disk * is inscribed with two hexameters written
* 'Ex(rotSa(s) fi ave'07jKe AiFhs ?o(u)poic /xeyaAoio
X<i^icio" h$ vinaae K6(fa\(A')5ras n*ya$v/j.o(v')s.

Inscribed Bronze Tablets. 137
in archaic letters, supposed to be in the character of Kephallenia. One
Exoidas (?) dedicates to Castor and Pollux the disk with which he
claims to have defeated ' the lofty-souled Kephallenians ' (a Homeric
epithet). Acquired in 1898, from the Tyszkiewicz collection.
329-332. Tickets of Athenian jurymen (dicasts). Each ticket
is inscribed with the name and deme of the owner, together with a
letter indicating the number of his section, and usually with one or
more stamped devices, including the owl of Athens. Thus, for
example, no. 332 has the name of Thucydides of the deme of Upper
Lamptrae,* of the £ (or 7th) section, together with the owl and a
Gorgon's head.
333-4. Two tablets, containing decrees of Proxenia, granted
by the city of Corcyra to one Dionysios an Athenian, and Pausanias
an Ambrakiote. The Greek Proxenoi nearly corresponded to-
modern consuls, being charged with the duty of assisting such
citizens of the state they represented as needed their help. The
tablet (333), appointing the Athenian, is adorned at the head with-
the owl of Athens.
Among the Latin inscriptions are : —
902. A slave's badge, giving the name and address of the
owner, Viventius — Tene me nefugia(m)et revoca me ad dom(i)nu(m)
meu(m) Viventium in ar(e)a Callisti. 'Hold me, lest I escape, and
take me back to my master Viventius in the area Callisti.'
904. Tablet with an inscription in honour of one Sextus
Pompeius Maximus, a priest of the Sun. It is headed with a bust
of the Sun, and with the priestly bowl and sacrificial knife.
On the opposite side of the case are examples of weapons,
principally spears and swords. Among them are : —
867. An iron sword, with a sheath, covered with reliefs
in beaten bronze. The Emperor Tiberius enthroned, and attended
by Victory, receives Germanicus. On the shield of the emperor
is the motto Felicitas Tiber i, and on the shield of Victory is
Victoria) Aug(usti). This sword, sometimes known as the ' Sword
of Tiberius,' was presented by Felix Slade, Esq.
868. A knife with an iron blade, inlaid with a hunting scene.-
Above the case are bronze vases of various forms.
Pedestal 7. A collection of bronze statuettes forming a part
of finds made at Paramythia, in Epirus.
Paramythia is about 15 miles from the ancient Dodona, and the same distance
from the coast opposite to Corfu. The broDzes were discovered in 1792 and 1796.
The greater part were rescued from the hands of a coppersmith at Jannina, who
had bought them for old metal, and were taken to Russia, where some of them.
have remained. Those here exhibited were acquired by Mr. Payne Knight.
The relief, of which a cast is shown at the back of the case, is m a private
collection in England.
The whole group is approximately of one and the same period,
such inequalities as appear being due to the different hands, and is-
* OwkvoiBtis Aa/tirT[pei$] KaB^irepBevJ.

138 The Bronze Room.
probably to be assigned to the close of the fourth century b.c.
Specially noteworthy are 274, Poseidon, and 275, Zeus.
Wall-cases 1-5. Candelabra, lamps, scales and steelyards. In Case 4
is a candelabrum, which can be raised and lowered at pleasure.
Cases 6-7. Tripods, etc. Two of the tripods are constructed to
fold up when the upper part is removed. This case also contains
dowels and dowel sockets from the Mausoleum, the Athenian
Propylaea, and the temple at Priene.
Cases 8-11. Objects connected with the bath, fountains and
water supply, including bronze stop-cocks of excellent construction.
Cases 12-19. Helmets and armour. 251 (Case 17), a helmet
found near Olympia, with an inscription stating that it was dedicated
by the Argives to Zeus as a part of spoil taken from Corinth*.
Probably of the middle of the fifth century B.C.
Cases 20-23. (In course of arrangement.) Archaic Greek
bronzes, weapons, etc.
Cases 24-25. Large pitchers (hydriae) with beaten-out reliefs
attached (see above, p. 133).
Cases 26-30. Bronze vases of various forms. See especially
(Case 28) the handsome crater from Locri.
Cases 31-41 (Above and below.) Bronze vases and dishes. (In
the middle.) Bronze statuettes, arranged according to subjects,
and mostly of the Roman period.
Cases 31, 32. Venus, Cupid, animals.
Cases 33, 34. Jupiter, Minerva, Mars, animals, etc.
Case 35. Apollo, Diana, Neptune, Hecate, etc.
Cases 3.6. 37. Bacchus, Silenus, Satyrs, etc.
Cases 38, 39. Satyrs, Bacchic subjects, Mercury.
Cases 40, 41. Mercury, Hercules, etc.
Cases 42, 43. Isis, Harpocrates, Atys, etc. The large goose (1887)
was found in the Hippodrome at Constantinople. 1450. A heroic
figure, perhaps Orestes, takes refuge at an altar. The figure must
have been originally designed for a larger altar than that to which
it is now attached. 1447. An effective head of Polyphemus, the
Cyclops. The artist has added a central eye, and treated the human
¦eyes as if they were withered by blindness.
Cases 44-47. Mainly occupied with select bronzes and specimens
of a larger size.
Case 44. 282. Aphrodite, lifting her left foot, and bending
over as if to unloose her sandal, which, however, is not represented.
This figure is of the type known as Aphrodite Euploia, Aphrodite who
grants good passages to sailors. In the complete composition she
usually supports herself with a steering paddle, under her left hand.
1327. Bacchus as a boy. From the appearance of the bronze,
this figure, which was bequeathed by Sir William Temple, may have
been found at Pompeii.

* Topy(«)oi aviBtv t$ AiFI twv VopivejBev.

Bronze Statuettes. 139
Case 45. 816. Figure of a boy playing at the Italian game of
.Morra. In this game the players simultaneously throw out their
hands, with some of the fingers extended. The one party is success
ful if the numbers agree, and the other if they differ. In this case
the boy is about to throw forward his left hand with the thumb and
two fingers extended. From Foggia.
Case 46. 835. A bronze bust of Lucius Verus.
987. Apollo. It has been conjectured that he is here represented
at the moment when he orders the flaying of Marsyas.
Case 47. 882. Bowl (patera) with a handle terminating in a
¦ram's head. In the middle is a medallion of Scylla and her dogs
¦(which issue from her waist, as in the statue in the Ephesus
Room, p. 72) destroying the companions of Odysseus. From Bosco
reale, near Pompeii.
827. Hercules, standing beside the tree of the Hesperides, with
three of the golden apples in his hand. The slain serpent is twined
about the tree. Found at Byblus, in Syria, in 1775.
909. Zeus enthroned. Slightly restored in parts, but, on the
whole, in admirable condition. Found in Hungary.
Cases 48-49. Smaller statuettes (continued) arranged by subjects.
Figure of Fortune and Victory, masks.
Cases 50-51. Figures of Lares, the Roman domestic deities, in
the form of youths, with a short tunic closely girt, in the act of
making a libation. Figures sacrificing, and in civil costume, etc.
Below, bronze lamps.
Cases 52-53. Figures of gladiators and actors.
874-876. Symbolic hands, covered over with the attributes of
numerous deities and other objects in relief, intended to serve as a
protection against the evil eye.
Cases 54-55. A Roman seat, richly inlaid with silver, with
palmettes, scrolls, etc. It is also adorned with mule-heads, in the
round. Other examples of such heads are placed near it. Below is
¦the figure-head, with metal casing of the prow, of an ancient galley,
found on the site of the battle of Actium. Presented by Her Majesty
ilie Queen.
Case 56. 2513. An elaborately designed lamp, intended either
for suspension or to stand alone. Above are two dolphins. Two
heads of Silenus and two lions project from the body; the two
former form the nozzles. From the "Roman baths of Julian at
Paris. 2695. A model of a two-horse chariot, and various lamps of
-eccentric forms.
Cases 57—60. Candelabra and lamps. Also the frame of an
ancient lantern.
[Leaving the Bronze Room, we enter the last of the series of Vase
Rooms ; but, in order to examine the collection of vases, as arranged
in historical order, we pass to the further end, and begin our study
•of Greek vases with the First Vase Room.]

140

Introduction to the Vase Rooms.

INTRODUCTION TO THE VASE
ROOMS.
A collection of Greek vases is often felt to be somewhat
unattractive to those who visit it but rarely. In the earlier periods
the grotesque details and methods are more readily perceived than
the interest which attaches to all primitive and archaic work in
which the craftsman, by slow degrees, becomes master of his art.
The meaning of the subjects is often unfamiliar ; moreover, the
language employed by the vase painters is so terse, the economy of
subordinate details, independent of the figures, is so strict that
some acquaintance with vases is necessary to enable us to accept
the conventions employed — such as a column for a building, si
branch for an outdoor scene, a line of dots for broken ground.
The points of interest, however, in connexion with a collection
of vases are many. They show the progress of art at times and

Fig. 28.— Amphorae.
places for which other records are scanty or non-existent. At the
best period they have an unequalled purity and simplicity of
drawing, combined with extraordinary grace of form. The
mythological scenes and the. scenes from life are equally interesting,
especially when studied in connexion with ancient literature.
Sometimes they serve to illustrate and supplement the written
story, while at other times they show curious discrepancies between
the literary and artistic traditions. Not infrequently the vases
represent myths, which in literary form are only preserved to us
by the allusions of late writers.
The vases exhibited in these rooms have been found in the course
of excavations in Athens and other centres of Greece proper, but
mostly in those islands and shores of the Mediterranean which "had
been taken possession of by Greek colonists in or before the sixth
century B.C., and for several centuries formed the Greek-speaking-

Greek Vases. 141
-work! Thus we have groups of vases from Rhodes, Cyprus,
Cyrene, and Naucratis. In the later periods there was an active
manufacture in the Greek cities of Southern Italy. In addition, a
very large number of vases had been imported from Greece, or from
Creek colonies, by the Etruscans— a people whose art was deeply
influenced by that of Greece in the sixth and fifth centuries b.c.
From the circumstance that Etruria was the first country in which
-vases of this kind were discovered in striking abundance, the name

Kg. 29.--Hydriae.
IStruscan vases came to be wrongly attached to the whole class.
The true name for them is Greek vases. The few that can be
called strictly Etruscan will be noticed hereafter.
The Greek vases have been for tHe most part found in tombs.
According to the primitive conception they doubtless held food and
drink for the spirit of the deceased. Later they were employed for

-Forms uf Crater.
¦ceremonial libations and offerings at the tomb, but in a great
measure they must have been regarded as a part of the furniture of
the tomb, without any special thought of their original significance.
Vases were also used for dedications in temples, and in some cases
large deposits of fragments of pottery from such dedications have
been discovered by excavators. Thus Naucratis, a Greek city estab-

142

Introduction to the Vase Rooms.

lished in the Delta of Egypt, apparently in the seventh century b.c.,.
has furnished a large number of fragments of pottery which were-
found in heaps close to the ruins of the temples of Apollo and
Aphrodite. Many of -these fragments bear incised inscriptions-
recording the dedication of the vases of which they formed a part to-

Lebes.

Fig. 31.-

those deities (seep. 155). So also excavations on the Acropolis of
Athens and beside the great altar at Delphi have brought to light
many remains of painted vases.
There is also evidence that painted vases were used in daily life,.
for the banquet, and other purposes, and no doubt many vases that
have been preserved to us in the tombs were originallv so used. Of

one group of vases, we know that they were given as prizes to the
victors in the Panathenaio games (see below, id, 173).
The shapes of the vases vary considerably in the different periods
of the art. Certain shapes that are familiar in the earliest stage-
disappear altogether, and are superseded by others of more elegant.
form. On the whole, as the art progresses there is a tendency

Shapes of Vases. 14$
towards vases of a larger size, and more fanciful handles. The fol
lowing illustrations will serve to show the principal type forms, and
their technical names. The use of the technical names is convenient,.
since they give a more precise idea than the corresponding English.

. 33. — Oinochoae.

names. There is considerable doubt as to how an ancient Greek.
would have used some of the more unusual names, but a fair uni.
formity of practice has been established among archaeologists.
The Amphora (fig. 28) is a two-handled vase for storing liquids.
(a) Earlier type. (6) Late Apulian Amphora, (c) Late Panathenaio
Amphora.

Fig. 34.

The Hydria (fig. 29) is a pitcher for carrying water (cf. p. 169)v
and has three handles. («) Earlier form. (6) Later form.
The Crater (fig. 30) is a wide-mouthed vessel in which wine and
water were mixed for immediate use. (a) The Crater with medallion
handles (late Italian). (6) Bell-crater.
The Lebes (fig. 31a, 6) is a bowl, often but not necessarily
supported by a stand. The Stamnos (fig. 32a) is a rather squat-
jar with two handles.

144 Introduction to the Vase Rooms.
The Psycter or wine-cooler (fig. 326) is a peculiar and rather
rare form.
Among the smaller vases, the most frequent shapes are :

Fig. 35.— Aryballos.

Fig. 36.- -Alabastron.

Cantharos,

The Oinochoe (fig. 33), a jug for pouring out wine.
The Lekythos (fig. 34), a slimmer jug, with a narrow neck for
pouring liquids slowly. The form c is intermediate between the
Lekythos and the Aryballos.

Fig. 38. — Forms of Kylix.
The Aryballos (fig. 35) is a small round-bellied jug, used for oil.
The Alabastron (fig. 36) is a long narrow vase, with small ears,
Amphora, afitpopevs = &fupi-<popevs (cpe'pw), 'with two handles"; Hydria, iHpia,
•water-pot' (E/'Stup); Crater (spa-Hip), ' mixing-vessel ' (iccpdvvvfit) ; Lebes, Xe'/37)s,
kettle (Aeiflu, I pour); Stamnos, Brazos, a standing-vessel (root ara-); Psycter,
ij/viiT-f)p, cooling-vessel ($ixa) I Oinoohoe (olvoxiw), wine-pourer (oXvos xe'») ; Kylix,
Kti\i| (root kv-, of. kv£v, to be pregnant) ; Skyphos, o-kiJ^os, perhaps as last ; Phinle
Mesomphalos, ipidAi; ixe<r6p.(pa\os, a cup with central navel (ueVoj o/j.<pa\6s)}
; Lekythos, Aryballos, Alabastron, Cantharns, Cotylfe, words of doubtful origin.

Shapes of Vases. 145
for holding ointment or perfume. The Cantharos (fig. 37) is a
drinking cup with tall stem and two high handles.
The Kylix (fig. 38) is also a drinking cup, but wide and
shallow. The Skyphos or Cotyle (fig. 39a) is a deep bowl for drinking
wine. The Phiale Mesomphalos (fig. 396) is a shallow bowl with a
central boss, used for making libations. The central boss enables
the tips of the fingers to obtain a hold underneath the phiale.

n b
Skyphos. Fig. 39. Phiale Mesomphalos.
The First Vase Room shows the beginnings of the potter's art in
Greek lands. Many localities are seen separately developing a
style of vase painting. These are superseded in the sixth century B.C.
by a single style, mainly practised at Athens, of black figures on a
red ground. These occupy the Second Vase Room. About the
end of the sixth century the black figure style was in turn super
seded by red figures on a dark ground. Vases in this style to the
end of the fifth century, that is to say, of the finest period of Greek
art, occupy the Third Vase Room. In the Fourth Vase Room
we have the later vases of Athens, together with the late and florid
productions of the Italian potters, who took up and practised the
art when it had almost ceased to be one of the industries of Athens.

THE FIRST VASE ROOM.
SUBJECT .— GREEK POTTERY FROM PREHISTORIC
TIMES TO ABOUT 600 B.C.
Most of the vases exhibited in this room belong to that early
period of Greece which is the field of archaeology rather than of
authentic literary history. They must, in fact, themselves supply
the information by which their respective periods, and the relations L

146

The First Vase Room.

of the various groups, are determined. While the development of
Greek pottery is perfectly clear in its main outlines from the seventh.
century onwards, our information for the earlier periods rests mainly
on excavations carried on during the last few years at Mycenae,
Rhodes, Tiryns and elsewhere. There are still many gaps in the
record, and many differences of opinion as to the interpretation, of
the evidence. It would be outside the scope of this guide to discuss
the doubtful questions of chronology and succession of styles which
a complete study of the contents of the First Vase Room would
involve. It must suffice to point out the characteristic features of
the various groups which compose the collection.
Cases 1-4. Prehistoric ware.
In some of the northern islands of the Greek Archipelago, in the
Cyclades, in Cyprus, and especially at Hissarlik, the supposed site.

PI

mm

Fig. 40.-

of Troy, excavated by Dr. Henry Schliemann, a class of antiquities-
has been found, under circumstances which point to a remote age.
The pottery is hand-made, and of a very primitive decoration, con
sisting of lilies incised in rough geometric patterns.
In Cases 1-2 is exhibited a series of objects chiefly from tombs
in Paros and Antiparos which illustrate this ' Hissarlik ' period.
Besides the pottery, the objects which specially mark the period are
the vases and rude human figures in marble (see also Table-case A) ;
the knives and implements are usually of obsidian; bronze and
silver are sparingly employed, principally for ornamentation.
In Cases 3-4 are vases of the ' Hissarlik ' class found in Cyprus.
Those on the lower shelves seem somewhat later in type than the

Prehistoric and Mycenaean Vases.

147

others, and exhibit a brown glaze with patterns incised through it
or painted above it.
Cases 5-13, and Table-case A. 'Mycenaean' ware. This
ware has been so called because Schliemann's excavations at
Mycenae gave a name to the whole civilization with which it is
associated. (Compare p. 2 for the sculpture, and pp. 106, 112
for the gold ornaments and engraved gems of the Mycenae
period.) The remains of this class of pottery are found through
a considerable area, especially in the eastern parts of the main
land of Greece, and a considerable number of the southern
islands, especially Rhodes, Crete and Cyprus. Examples are found
as far as Egypt and Sicily. The vases of this group are dis
tinguished, both by their peculiar shapes and by their systems of
decoration, from those which precede and follow them. They are
made on the potter's wheel, and for the most part are decorated

Fig. 41. — >Iycenaean Ware.

either with a dull brownish colour, or with a lustrous glaze of fine
quality. The group is marked by characteristic decorations, consisting
principally of groups of parallel lines, lattice work arrangements,
and systems of spirals and wave patterns. The natural objects
represented are few in number, and consist of marine and vegetable
forms, such as the cuttle-fish, a shell, probably the murex, and a
few plant forms, all highly conventionalised. The forms are also
peculiar, including a vase with a globular body, spout, and two
handles, but with a closed neck (this form is commonly called the
' false-amphora '), a kylix on a tall stem, and other shapes which do
not appear in the later pottery.
Case 5 contains fragments illustrating the earliest stage of the
' Mycenae ' ware, in which the patterns are painted in a dull colour
on a pale ground. In the lower part of the case are specimen frag
ments from some of the chief sites from which the Mycenaean ware
has been obtained, such as Mycenae, Tiryns, Mitylene, etc. [This
l 2

148

The First Vase Room.

case also contains fragments of early black ware, and of a coarse red
ware, with patterns in light colours, from Kahun and Gurob in
Egypt]. Cases 6-11 contain Mycenaean vases, excavated by Mr. Biliottiat
lalysos in Rhodes. The excavations were in part carried on at the
expense of Mr. John Ruskin, who presented the vases and objects
found with them to the Museum. Case 11 also contains a vase
from Egypt, in which the marine objects (among them a nautilus)
are less conventionalised than in the vases of the same class from
Aegean sites.
Cases 12-13. Groups of vases in this ware from various sites,
especially from Calymna and Carpathos. In some cases figures of
quadrupeds are introduced.

Fig. 42. — Dipylon Ware.

In Table-case A are placed antiquities found in tombs at lalysos,
along with the pottery just mentioned, and consisting of bronze
swords, knives and spear-heads, ornaments in gold and glass pierced
for attachment to dresses, beads of carnelian, rock crystal and
amber, porcelain scarabs, objects in ivory, and casts of several
engraved gems, the originals of which are in the Gem Room.
This Table-case also contains the primitive marble figures, -
mentioned above; and (186) a Phoenician bronze bowl, with
subjects incised. In the centre is an Egyptian type of a king
seizing his enemies, and slaying them with a mace in the presence

Early Fabrics. 149
of the god Menthu-Ra. Round the margin is a semi-Egyptian
rendering of a banquet scene. From Cyprus.
On this case are placed examples of early Lydian pottery, found
in the tombs of « Bin Tepe ('Thousand Mounds') near Sardes. The
wave pattern which surrounds them seems directly imitated from
the variegated glass vases, of which a specimen is shown here
for comparison.
The two large cases (B-C) contain objects of the Mycenaean
class, from excavations at Curium and Enkomi, riear Salamis in
Cyprus. Cases 14-19. Examples of pottery of the 'Dipylon' style.
This ware was contemporary with and posterior to the later
Mycenaean fabrics. It derives its name from the fact that many
examples of it have been found near the Dipylon gate at Athens.
The vases are stiff and ungraceful in form. The decoration consists
of geometric arrangements of straight or curved lines, and
especially of variations of the maeander (or key pattern) and of
the square or diamond chequer. A few animal forms, such as those
of birds, horses, and occasionally of men, are gradually intro
duced in panels. Certain inscriptions which have been found on
vases of this class cannot be older than the seventh century B.C.,
and since in two cases they were painted before the vase was fired,
the Dipylon method of decoration must have continued in use to
that date.
A fine lebes from Thebes in the later Dipylon style, recently
acquired (1899), is placed above Case D. On one side is a large
galley with two banks of 19 and 20 rowers. A man (drawn on a
quite different scale) is stepping on board at the stern to act as steers
man. He either leads a woman, or clasps her wrist on departure.
On the other side is a procession of two chariots and a horseman.
Cases 14, 15 contain the earlier, and Cases 18, 19 the later
examples of this ware from Athens. The later vases are marked,
on the whole, by smaller work and greater elaboration of the
pattern. As a connecting link between the Dipylon and
Mycenaean styles, the two vases A410, A411 may be noted, in
which the glazing and colour is similar to that of Mycenae, though
the ornament is ' Dipylon.'
Cases 16, 17. Pottery from Rhodes, slightly different in
texture from that of Athens, but presenting the same elements
of decoration. A 439, a fragment of a large vase, introduces a
mythical subject, namely, Centaurs of the primitive form with
human forelegs. These cases also contain bronze brooches from
Thebes, with similar decorations incised.
Case 20, etc. Up to this point the traces of oriental influence
have been few and doubtful in the potter's work. . The seventh
century brought with it a more intimate connexion with the
East, as Greek colonies established themselves on the coasts of
Asia Minor, and generally around the shores of the Mediterranean.
The importation of oriental embroidery, stamped metal and

150

The First Vase Room.

engraved cylinders had the effect of changing the form, the
colouring, and the character of the drawing; the figures on the
vases are no longer restricted to square panels, but are arranged in
continuous friezes, the forms of the vases being shorter and
rounder. New decorative themes are introduced, such" as the
palmette, and the whole system of ornament gains increased
richness and variety. But naturally this change had not every
where an immediate effect ; we see it earliest in islands like Rhodes
and Cyprus, which were nearest the East, and in towns like Corinth, '
whose colonising activity was greatest ; but at Athens, where a
local pottery was already famous, the change was more gradual,
and probably was brought about through the medium of Corinthian
commerce at about the middle of the seventh century b.c. This
transition state is represented in a class of vases called Phaleron
ware, from having been first found on the road to Phaleron *
from Athens. In this group, which is not strongly represented in

Fig. 43. — Phaleron Ware.
the Museum, it is plain that we have a development of the Dipylon
style. The same geometrical motives are continued, but they are
combined with figures of animals, and smaller objects filling the
empty spaces of the field, as on the early wares of Corinth.
Cases 20, 21 contain Phaleron and early Corinthian vases.
In the lower half are vases of this ware from Athens, and also
two boxes (pyxides) (nos. A 487, 488), which were found with a series
oi Phaleron vases. These, however, appear to be early Corinthian
ware, or immediately copied from it. A notable example of
Phaleron ware from Athens is on Pedestal 1, with a strongly oriental
design of two lions confronted.
The upper shelves of Cases 20-21 contain vases from various sites,
in which the same technical process is employed. A good example
is also placed on Table-case E. It is an oinochoe, with the mouth

* Thetincient Phaleron, pronounced by the modern Greeks Phdleron.

Early Fabrics. 151
in the form of a Gryphon's head, and painted with the design of a
lioness devouring a deer. This vase appears to have been found at
Aegina. Cases 22-23 contain on" the two upper shelves a series of objects
from different sites in Boeotia, in which the transition stage from
the geometric style of ornament is clearly marked ; among the
smaller objects are several bronze fibulae engraved with geometric
designs, and a porcelain scarab with Egyptian hieroglyphics.
In the lower part of these cases we have a series of fragments
from. Caria, with geometric patterns obtained by cutting away
portions of the soft clay, and thus producing patterns similar in
intention to those of the potters of the Dipylon period.
Cases 24-27. Vases with ornaments in relief. The vases
thus adorned are either of a black ware, varying to grey, which
has been already referred to above under the name of ' Bucchero
Nero ' (p. 124), of a hard, red ware found in Italy (Bucchero), or
of a coarse, reddish ware mainly found at Rhodes.
Cases 24, 25 (above). Specimens of the greyish ware from
Naucratis in Egypt, inscribed with dedicatory inscriptions, and
having patterns in relief, such as raised palmettes, imitating the
plate for attaching the handle of a metal vase.
In Cases 24-25 (below) and 26, 27, the patterns in relief are
impressed by means of a stamp, or by the rolling of an engraved
cylinder, like those of Assyria, which leaves a raised impression of
its design, repeated over and over, in a band round the body of
the vase. Among the subjects thus impressed are geometrical
patterns, Centaurs, charioteers and banqueting scenes. The
examples here shown are partly from Cameiros in Rhodes (with
these must be grouped two large vases in the angles of the Terra
cotta Room), and partly from Etruria. The most notable Italian
examples have, however, been placed in the Etruscan Saloon.
Cases 28-32 (with 59-64 on the opposite side of the room).
Pottery from Cyprus, having for the most part later and local
developments of geometric systems of ornament. (In course of
arrangement). Table-case D. Objects excavated at Amathus in Cyprus (in
1893-4), under the bequest of Miss E. T. Turner. (Subject to
re-arrangement.) On the case is the Dipylon vase described above
<p. 149).
[We cross to the opposite side of the room, and begin next the
door to the Egyptian galleries.]
Case 33-34. Smaller vases, imitating the forms of objects, such
as seated figures, heads, busts, birds, etc. These examples were for
the most part found in Rhodes, but with them are grouped similar
vases found elsewhere, as at Naucratis in Egypt, and in various
Italian sites.
Three small lekythi belong to a class (sometimes called Proto-

152

The First Vase Room.

Corinthian '), which appears to be connected both with the later
geometric (or ' Phaleron ' ) wares and the wares of Corinth.
Whether these so-called Protocorinthian vases were actually
produced at Corinth is uncertain.
The finest of the three is a lekythos (A 1050) of great delicacy and
beauty, presented by the late Malcolm Macmillan. The upper part
of the vase is in the form of a lion's head, with open mouth. At
the junction of the handle with the head is a minute Gorgon's mask.
Round the body of the vase are three friezes : (1) Seventeen spear
men in combat, each with a device upon his shield ; (2) Race of six
horses ; (3) Man and dogs hunting a hare. This lekythos is
unrivalled for the extraordinary minuteness of its decoration.
Cases 35-37. Vases of a style sometimes called 'Fikellura,'
after the modern name of one of the cemeteries of Cameiros in
Rhodes, at which they have principally been found. Some of the

Vases from Cameiros (Rhodes).

class here shown were found at Daphnae in Egypt, and this has
given rise to doubt whether the seat of manufacture was in
Rhodes, Egypt or elsewhere. So far, however, it is only in Rhodes
that these vases have been found in considerable numbers,. The
name ' Fikellura ' indicates this fact and nothing further.
The characteristic decoration consists of friezes of birds and
animals, with smaller ornaments (such as rosettes, etc.) sown
about the field, and more particularly of large volutes under the
handles, and a peculiar system of bands of crescents, closely con
secutive. The friezes and scattered ornaments occur also with
variations on the wares of Corinth, and on other Rhodian groups.
Table-case F (adjoining). Vases from Cameiros in Rhodes,
• including jugs (cinochoae), plates (finakcs), and cups (kylikes) (fig. 44).
The decoration consists partly of bands of animals and interspersed

Early Fabrics.

153

ornaments, such as those already described, and partly of
mythological subjects.
A 748. , Plate, with a Gorgon of Asiatic form. She has the
protruding tusks and tongue of the Greek Gorgon, but holds a swan
in each hand, and these do not occur in the normal Greek type.
A 749. Combat of Hector and Menelaos over the body of the
fallen Euphorbos. The three figures are identified by inscriptions,
which are assigned to the beginning of the sixth century B.C. The
form of the A is that used in the Argive alphabet, but this
alphabet is thought to have been used in early times in Rhodes.
As regards the subject, the scene on the vase only partially
corresponds with the Homeric account (E. xvii. 59, etc.), in which
Menelaos strips Euphorbos of his armour and then retreats on the
approach of Hector. Such variations as this show how little the
early artists were sometimes guided by the Homeric text in the
form in which we know it. On each side of this plate are vases

Fig. 45. — Corinthian Vases.
imitating various natural forms, such as human heads and busts,
and heads and figures of animals. At the opposite end of the case
are examples of coloured porcelain objects, with Egyptian elements
of decoration, such as those more fully described below (in Case E).
Cases 38-45. Vases of the Corinthian style, chiefly obtained
from Corinth and Rhodes. The Corinthian vases are marked by
profuse ornamentation, consisting of bands of real and fabulous
animals, such as lions, panthers, oxen, Sphinxes, Gryphons, etc., and
having rosettes, flowers, etc., sown in extraordinary abundance in
every vacant space in the field. Monstrous combinations also occur,
such as winged and "snake-legged monsters. Human figures and
mythological subjects are comparatively rare.
The subjects are usually painted in black and purple on a yellow
ground. It will be observed that the outlines and details are
emphasized or defined, with incised lines drawn in the coloured
glaze and the surface of the clay with a sharp point. This method,

154

The First Vase Room.

which occurs occasionally on the Rhodian vases, as in the Gorgon
plate (A 748, see above), and on the plate with a ram (A 750 in
Case H), is fully developed in the Corinthian style. It afterwards
became of great importance throughout the period of the black-'

figure vases (see below in the Second Vase Room), and did not
•cease to be used until after the introduction of the red-figure
style (Third Vase Room).

Vases from Naucratis. 155
Cases 44-45 also contain examples of porcelain vases, such as
those described in Case E (p. 157).
Cases 46-47 and 50-51 contain fragments of pottery, obtained
by excavations at Naucratis, and belonging for the most part to
i;he second half of the sixth century b.c. (cf. above, p. 9).

The p*ottery of Naucratis was found for the most part in heaps
•of potsherds, consisting of the fragments of vases dedicated in
the temples, and afterwards broken (to prevent desecration) and
thrown away. Most of the fragments have dedicatory inscriptions •
incised upon them, such as 2<uo-TpaTo's //dvcfoy/cev rfj '(ppoStTy
{' Sostratos dedicated me to Aphrodite ') on the large bowl in Case 47.

156 The First Vase Room.
As might be expected at a trading centre like Naucratis, the
pottery found is of many kinds. The wares that are especially
characteristic of the place are a group of polychrome vases, painted
on a creamy white ground. In the method in which parts of the
figures, especially the heads, are drawn in outline only on the
white ground, there is much in common between the wares of
Naucratis and those of Rhodes, described above, and a common
place of manufacture has been suggested for both groups. In
some of the fragments from Naucratis there is an advance upon
the simple method of drawing the subject in outline. Its inner
surface is carefully painted with the natural colour of the flesh,
drapery, etc. (a method also attempted in the Rhodian plate of
Menelaos, Hector, and Euphorbos), and there is thus a nearer
approach in respect of colour to pictorial effect than is obtained
by the conventions of the black-figure and red-figure styles. The
result is an anticipation of the methods of the white Athenian
vases (see below, p. 176).
Among the Naucratis dedications in Case 50 are fragments of a
large vase of black ware inscribed with a dedication by one
Phanes, who appears to be the person of whom Herodotus (III 4
and 11) relates that being a mercenary under Amasis, the then
king of Egypt, he deserted to join the Persian army of Cambyses,
then on its way to invade Egypt. When the two hostile armies
were drawn up for battle, the other Greek mercenaries who had
remained true to Egypt took the children of Phanes, whom he
had left behind, shed their blood into a large vase, within sight
of their father, and after adding wine and water to the vase drank
of it.
Cases 48-49 and the two large standing cases contain terra
cotta Sarcophagi, and fragments obtained for the most part
from Clazomenae, a town at the entrance of the Gulf of Smyrna.
The two standing cases contain the cover and the body of a large
terracotta sarcophagus* from Clazomenae (fig. 46, a and b).
The sarcophagus is richly adorned, both within and without,
with geometric patterns and figure subjects. On the cover are.:
long side, (A) three friezes : (1) Odysseus and Diomede are slaying
Dolon, in the middle. On each side of the central group are three
two-horse racing chariots approaching the centre. (2) Sphinxes
and Sirens. (3) Combat between Greeks on foot and mounted
barbarians, probably raiding Cimmerians. Long side, (B) three
friezes : (1) In the middle, a combat over a fallen warrior. On
each side stationary chariots. A warrior mounting one of the
chariots seems to be leading a female captive by the wrist. (2)
Animals. (3) Combat of figures on foot. End, (A) two horsemen
and two figures on each side of a central column. End, (B) two
Centaurs and two Sphinxes on each side of an Ionic column.
* Illustrated and described by A. S. Murray, Terracotta Sarcophagi, Greek
and Etruscan, in the Biitish Museum, 1898 (28s.).

Terracotta Sarcophagi. 157
On under side of cover : two pairs of Sphinxes ; two scenes of the
slaying of Dolon; combat of chariots and footmen.
On the body of the sarcophagus are : interior, long sides,
scenes of preparation for chariot races, and other sports held as
funeral games. In the middle a boy playing on double flutes is
significant as showing that the scene is one of games and not of
war. Short sides : armed warriors, horses and dogs.
On the upper margin of the body are a series of chariot races.
At each end of the long bands is a caldron on a column, presum
ably a prize vase. The figure beside the column may be the shade
of the deceased person in whose honour the games are held.
This sarcophagus, with its long multitudinous friezes, is a char
acteristic example of the early art of Ionian Asia Minor. Its date
is probably the middle of the sixth century B.C.
Case 48. Small terracotta sarcophagus from Cameiros, painted in
the style of the Rhodian vases. The subjects consist of an ox
between two lions ; two helmeted heads ; cable borders and lions.
Case 49. Fragments of terracotta sarcophagi from Clazomenae.
Here, as on the large sarcophagus, it will be noticed that lines finely
drawn in white paint are used in place of the lines left vacant on the
Cameiros sarcophagus, and of the incised lines of the Corinthian and
black-figure wares.
Cases 52-58 (partially arranged) contain for the most part later
developments of the various early wares, more especially of the
wares of Corinth.
Case 58 contains also a group of vases found together in an early
tomb at Corfu, identified by the inscription as the tomb of one
Menecrates of Oeantheia. Menecrates was drowned at sea, and
his tomb was erected by the people of Corcyra (Corfu), for whom
he had acted as Proxenos (Consul, cf. p. 137).
Cases 59—64. Vases from Cyprus, already referred to above.
Table-case E contains smaller objects, of the period of strong
Oriental influence, that is, about the seventh century B.C. The
objects in question consist of vases of variegated glass, and
alabaster ; objects in ivory and bone ; and especially of vases,
statuettes, scarabs, etc., in porcelain. The latter have a strongly
marked Egyptian character. They reproduce Egyptian forms of
decoration, Egyptian types of deities, and Egyptian hieroglyphics.
These, however, are usually more or less blundered and unintelli-
gently rendered, and the porcelain wares found in non-Egyptian
sites are therefore for the most part imitations and not genuine
Egyptian products.
These objects are usually found in Mediterranean sites, to which
the Phoenicians had ready access, such as Rhodes and Cyprus, and
also in Sardinia and Etruria. They were also found, however, at
Naucratis in Egypt, with moulds for the manufacture of scarabs,
and in part at least they may therefore be attributed to that town.
The theory of a Greek source is confirmed by the porcelain vase in

158 The Second Vase Room.
form of a dolphin (in the shade above), which has the name of
Pythes inscribed in archaic Greek characters, round the lip.
In the same table-case is a shell (Tridacna squamosa), ornamented.
with a female head, and with an incised design, probably of Phoe
nician origin. This shell is from a tomb at Canino in Etruria.
Beside it 'is a fragment of a similar shell found at Cameiros in
Rhodes ; other fragments found at Naucratis, on the site of the-
temple of Apollo, are in the same case.
Above Table-case E are : —
A shade with select objects in porcelain, including the dolphin
already mentioned.
A shade with the oinochoe terminating in a Gryphon's head, from
Aegina (see above, p. 150).

THE SECOND VASE ROOM.*.
SUBJECT .-—BLACK-FIGURE VASES, ETC., OF THE
SIXTH CENTURY B.C.
The majority of the vases in this room belong to the Black-
figured class, and the remainder are of an allied character. .In
the two subsequent rooms the majority of the vases are Red-
figured. The meaning of this fundamental distinction is
illustrated by the annexed cut (fig. -47) after a part of a vase (at
Palermo) by the painter, Andokides, who has combined the two
styles by caprice. It is apparent that on the right side of the
illustration the figure is drawn in black on the coloured ground
and relieved with lilies incised in the black, ,On the left hand
the figure is left in the ground colour of the vase, while the glaze
covers the background. The interior lines are drawn in black
glaze. In the Second Vase Room we see the art of vase-painting carried
on almost independently in various local potteries, all of which are
after a time overpowered by the growing skill and popularity of
the pottery of Athens, and only continue to exist for strictly local
purposes. For some account of the non-Attic groups (Wall-cases 1-17)
see below.
The general character of the Attic black-figured vases may be
* Described in the Catalogue of Vases, Vol. II., by H. B. "Walters, 1893
(24«.) A copy can be borrowed from the Commissionaire.

Black-figure Vases.

159

described as follows : Upon a fine smooth clay, which the Athenian
potters learnt to make of a rich orange-red colour, the figures are
drawn, with a rich, lustrous glaze varying in colour from black to
olive-green where the firing has been insufficient, or to reddish
brown -where the glaze has been too thin. The internal details
of the figures are drawn through the glaze with a sharp point,.1
often handled with minute precision. In order to obtain relief
from the conventional treatment of all the subject in black, all the
visible flesh of the' female figures was afterwards painted in white
(which might again be incised) and fired at a lower heat. White-
was also employed for grey hair, linen garments, white horses,
pieces of bright metal, and other suitable accessories. Purple was
used, like the white, for accessories, but was employed in a conven-

Fig. 47.— The black-figure and red-figure styles. (From a vase by Andokides.)

tional manner, to distinguish one mass from another, without-
much reference to the natural colour of the objects.
By such methods the artists of the black-figure pottery were able
to attain a considerable height of artistic achievement. They tell
their story with vivacity and directness, "and with a remarkable
economy of all accessories subordinate to the principal action. On
the other hand, much of the drawing is strictly conventional, and
the whole system of figures in silhouette involves an element of
grotesqueness which necessarily limits what the artists can
accomplish. The black-figure vases have in full measure the interest that
attaches to all the productions of a school of art still struggling to-
reach maturity. On the whole, however, their interest lies more in
their historical position, and in the mythology and inscriptions,.
than in their merit as works, of art.

160 The Second Vase Room.
Subjects. An examination of the vases contained in this room
will show that scenes taken from the epic cycles, and incidents in
the Heracles and Theseus legends, are the prevailing subjects. In
particular the exploits of Heracles are repeated again and again
with slight variations in detail, but with a great persistency of the
* general type. On the other hand, scenes from daily life are com
paratively rare, and such as occur are almost confined to the life of
athletes, the banquet, or (for women) the drawing water at the
fountain. Among the few exceptions is B 226 (Case A) with a
scene of olive gathering.
Artists' signatures. — With the development of the black-figure
style the potters began to sign their names on their works. The
number of known vases thus signed in the black and red figured
styles is very considerable (nearly 450), and in recent years the
study of the works of the several potters has been actively pursued.
The inscriptions* usually run that so-and-so iTroirjo-ev made the vase,
or (ypatj/tv painted it. Sometimes two persons are named of whom
one 'made' and the other 'painted.' In the latter case the mean
ing of the inscriptions is clear. Where only iirolijo-ev is used it
may, as a rule, be supposed to be a general term, including both
•operations. In rare cases it may mean that the potter alone is
named. Where eypaij/tv only is used, it is only explicit as to the
pointing, and the artist may or may not have also made the vase on
the wheel. Occasionally, but only rarely, it is stated that the same
person both made and painted the vase. The principal signed
vases in the Museum are mentioned separately below, and all are
¦enumerated in the appendix.
Names with KoAds. It will be observed that a large number
of vases are inscribed 6 iraTs koAos, ' the boy is beautiful ' (or koAo's
.alone), and less frequently in the feminine -q -n-ais koAi; or koAtj. In
many cases a particular name is substituted for the general formula
as Ae'a-ypos koAos. The intention of these inscriptions has been much
discussed, but primarily it is clear that they are expressions of
personal admiration. It does not, however, necessarily follow that
there was any near tie between the potter and the person whom he
admires. In the romance of Xcnophon of Ephesus, the Ephesiaca,
he describes how the hero Habrocomes was an object of enthusiasm to
the whole province of Asia, and when he was seen in a procession,
there was a universal cry of Kalos Habrocomes ! Hence attempts
have been made to identify some of the K0A09 names with those of
persons known to history, and thus obtain chronological data. So
far, however, all such identifications are very doubtful. Another
ihranch of the inquiry seeks to ascertain the authors of unsigned vases
with a koAos name, by comparing them with the signed vases on

* As typical signatures, we may instance:
NiKoo-fleVjjj 4-nolriaev (or rarely iwotei).
Ho\vyva>TOs typatysv.
"Io-x^Aos iirolriatv, 'Eit^ktijtos lypaatptv [sic).

Early Black-figure Wares. 161
which the same name occurs. Thus, Leagros kalos occurs on signed
works of Euphronios, and also on unsigned vases (such as E 46,
E 265) which can reasonably be attributed to him. A third and
more complicated branch of the study seeks to place artists in
groups, based on the names used.
Chronology. The Athenian black-figure vases are supposed to
¦date from the beginning of the sixth century onwards. The transi
tion to the red-figure style, at the close of that century, is discussed
below (p. 174). For the late survival of the method in the
Panathenaic vases, see p. 187.
The first wall-cases on the left of the door contain various groups
of the local wares, which had an existence independent of
Athens. Cases 1-3, and 4-5 (except 3rd shelf). Vases and fragments
excavated at Daphnae in Lower Egypt, by Mr. Flinders Petrie.
Daphnae was a frontier station on the road to Egypt from Syria.
Its pottery indicates that it was occupied by a Greek population,
perhaps identical with certain mercenaries from Asia Minor, whom
we know to have occupied frontier camps in the beginning of the
sixth century B.C. (Herod. II., 154).
These vases reflect their origin in their style. The tall narrow form
and parts of the decoration are Egyptian. On the other hand, we
have fully developed mythological subjects, such as B 105. On the
obverse, Bellerophon mounted on Pegasus ; on the reverse, the
Chimaera ; and the painting is like that on the painted sarcophagi
from Asia Minor. Compare B 116 1% figures of mounted Amazons,
with the fragments of a painted sarcophagus, in the First Vase
Room, Case 49.
Cases 4-5 (3rd shelf). Fragments of black-figure vases from
Naucratis. For the history of Naucratis, a Greek settlement in
the Egyptian Delta, see p. 9.
These specimens from Naucratis (of which, however, many must
have been imported from Athens) are very fragmentary, but for
fine and careful work, some are worthy to rank with the best black-
figure vases extant.
As in the former series (p. 155) many of the fragments are roughly
incised with inscriptions to Apollo and Aphrodite. Several are
painted with the names (now imperfect) of their authors.
Nicosthenes and Sondros are certain. Other fragments seem to
give the names of Ergotimos and Clitias, already known to us as
the authors of a famous vase (the Francois vase) in the Archaeo
logical Museum at Florence.
Case 7. Vases (of a somewhat late style) mainly from Boeotia.
In the second shelf are some curious vases in a style of coarse
burlesque from the shrine of the Cabiri (a group of daemons,
associated with Hephaestos) near Thebes. From the inscriptions
found on other vases from this site, it is evident that for ths
u

162

The Second Vase Room.

special purpose of the local cult, this form of the black-figured style-
was continued at Thebes till the fourth century.
2nd shelf. Burlesque scene of Circe and Odysseus. Circe offers
a cup of the magic drink, which Odysseus however, can drink with
impunity. Near her loom is a man half changed to a pig.
Oases 8-9. Etruscan imitations of black-figure vases. The
figures are rough and coarse, on a pale ground, and show no skill in
the drawing or incised lines. The whole class of ancient vases was
formerly called Etruscan, but strictly speaking the term should be
applied to a small group of imitations of Greek wares, .such as these.
Case 8. B 59 (fig. 48) is an example of a class of vases found at
Caere (Cervetri) in Etruria, but of uncertain origin — perhaps from

Fig. 48. B 59.

ground

Asia Minor. It is marked by the free use of red a
colour, and by the decoration.
Cases 10-11. Vases with figures painted in black and purple,.
on a cream-coloured ground or slip, in an archaic manner.
One group of these vases (in the second and lowest shelves) is.
commonly known as ' Cyrenaic,' a name applied to it because in two
instances (one a vase in the French Bibliotheque Nationale, with a
scene of silphium weighing, and the other here, no. B 4) the subjects
appear to be connected with Cyrene. In the vase B 4, the subject
is a standing figure of the nymph Cyrene (lost from the middle of
the thighs upwards). She holds in her hands a branch of silphium (a

Early Black-figure Wares. 163
plant which formed the wealth of Cyrene) and a branch of pome
granate, or possibly a branch from the garden of the Hesperides which
was placed at Cyrene. The winged and flying figures are Boreads and
Harpies. It should, however, be noted that no vases of this class have
been found at Cyrene. That described above, and several-fragments,
were found at Naucratis, where the method of polychrome painting
on a white ground was much practised, and whence therefore the
so-called Cyrenaic vases may derive their origin.
Cases 12-13 (1st, 2nd, 4th shelves). Imitations of Greek
vases of doubtful origin, but for the most part found in Italy. One
small group, which includes B 54, 55, 56, 57, has been attributed
to Asia Minor, possibly to Pontus, because Scythian mounted
archers are represented on a vase of the same class at Rome.
3rd shelf. Early Attic amphorae. Among them the Sacrifice of
Polyxena. She is held out straight and stiff, to be slain by
Neoptolemos, as a sacrifice at the tomb of his father Achilles.
Cases 14—17. Vases painted in the styles called later
Corinthian, and Chalcidian. As regards the former, it was
seen in the First Vase Room (p. 153) that the Corinthian vases
are marked by a preference for animals, wild or fabulous, with
flowers, rosettes, etc., filling all vacant spaces. Here, in the later
Corinthian style, the rosettes and other accessories tend to
disappear, and definite subjects are introduced, consisting princi
pally of scenes of combat. The Chalcidian Group, to which
B 75, 76 belong, is a small class, which is assigned to Chalcis (in
Euboea), on account of the forms of the letters used in the
inscriptions, but has not as yet been found in that site. It is
also marked by the peculiar borders of lotus buds and flowers, and
by the forms of the handles, neck, and foot, which are those of
metal work, rather than of pottery.
Cases 18-21. Athenian amphorae, with mythological subjects.
B 266 (Case 19), with the Satyr's mask left in the ground colour
of the vase, is in effect a step towards the red-figure style of the
subsequent period. Compare the Gorgon's head in the middle of
B 679 (on Case C).
Cases 22-23. Vases with black figures on a white or cream-
coloured ground, but of a style more recent than those in Cases
10-11, and belonging for the most part to the close of the black-
figure period. Among them are : —
B 620. Peleus confides his son, the young Achilles, to the
Centaur Cheiron, for nurture and training. Cheiron is of the
archaic Centaur type, with a complete and draped human body.
-From Vulci.
B 633. Castor and Pollux coming down to take part in the
•TJteoxenia, that, is, a formal feast which was set out at certain times
and of. which the gods were invited to partake. From Cameiros.
B639. .Two heroes, perhaps Achilles. and Memnon, engaged in
;combat, while. Hermes holds, the balance. In each scale is a small
winged figure, representing the soul of one of the heroes. M 2

164 The Second Vase Room.
B 621. Heracles strangling the Nemean lien, in the presence of
Athene and Iolaos. From Vulci.
Cases 24, 25. The peculiar objects, B 597, 598, used to be
•called antefixal roof-tiles, though the manner of their application
was by no means clear. It is now ascertained from a representation
on a recently found specimen (fig. 49) that they are implements,
used by women spinning. They were placed on the knee, and the
wool was rubbed upon them before it was put upon the distaff.
The ancient names are given by the lexicographers as epinetron,
or onos.
These cases also contain a group of vases, in which the painters
have sought to overcome the disadvantages of the black-figure
method, by painting parts of the figures in opaque colours on a
black ground, other parts being expressed by incised lines. For
instance, in B 688 (a lekythos from Tarentum) the figure of a run-

Fig. 49. — Woman Preparing Wool.
ning Maenad is partly painted in white and orange, and partly
incised, on the black ground. By this system, the result obtained
approaches that of the red-figure vases, although the methods
¦employed are nearer to the black-figure system. At a much later
time a similar method was attempted by Italian artists, as a varia
tion from the later red-figure style. (See below, p. 193.)
Cases 26-32. Miscellaneous . vases of Attic manufacture. In
Case 28 are inferior examples of the method of black figures on a
«ream ground, already seen above (Cases 22, 23).
[Before crossing the room, we turn to the Standard- and Table-
Cases A-E.]
Standard-case A. Most of the vases in this case have for their
principal subject one of the Labours of Heracles. The stran°ling
of the Lion of Nemea is a specially favoured subject. Among the
other subjects represented are : B 154, the Blinding of Polyphemos
by Odysseus and two companions, who thrust the end of the pine-

Attic Black-figure Vases.

165

pole into the eye of the Cyclops. B 226, olive gathering. In this
scene, which is one of the comparatively few on the black-figure
vases taken from daily life, three persons beat down the olives with
long sticks, while a youth picks them up into a basket.
112*. The two-handled cup (or cantharos) with departure and
combat scenes is painted with unusual minuteness and care. The
. modern fragment beside it has been removed from the body of the
cup, and is an instructive example of the skill of some restorer.

Fig. 50.— Peleus and Thetis. B215.

Standard-case B. Further Labours of Heracles, and other
subjects connected with the heroes, e.g., the Combat of Theseus
and the Minotaur ; B 248, Perseus, after slaying Medusa, is pursued
by the two Gorgon sisters. B 215, Peleus wrestling with the sea-
goddess Thetis, who afterwards became his bride and the mother
of Achilles. According to the legend, Thetis sought tcr avoid
capture by successive transformations. In the early vases different
moments of time are simultaneously represented as in the present
case, where we see Thetis herself and two of her changes, a panther

166

The Second Vase Room.

and a lion, in a single group. The figures on each side, combined
with the large eyesj have no reference to the subject. On this vase-
the black figures on a red ground are combined with a black on
cream decoration for the neck. Amphora from Vulci.
Pedestal 1. B 147. The Birth of Athene, from the brain of
Zeus, in the presence of Eileithyia, Heracles, and several deities.
For a further discussion of this subject see below, p. 167.
Table-case C. Drinking cups (kylikes). The subjects are for the
most part either very small in the middle of the rim, or entirely}
absent. Selected specimens of this group, all signed with the
names of the artist or potter, are placed in the shade above. [Other
examples are at the back of Cases 48, 49.] These include vases
with the names of Hermogenes, Xenocles, Tleson, and
Nicosthenes. The masters of this group, which must be placed
at the end of the black-figure period (towards
500 B.C.), are commonly known as the ' Little
Masters ' (German, Kleinmeister), being so called
from the analogy between their work and that
of the German 'Little Masters' who produced
minute copperplate engravings in the sixteenth
century. The remaining vases in this shade are also
signed. They include: an early aryballos, with
the name of Gamedes; B 631, a jug, with
black vine branches on a cream ground, signed
with the name of the potter, Charinos, and
also with an inscription of most unusual length
for a vase, ' Xenodoke, methinks, is a fair
maiden ' (Eevo§d[K]?7 [//ot 8oke]i iral<s KaXrj).
B 668. Small alabastron (fig. 51), very- finely
painted, with two Maenads and a crane, the
latter drawn with a Japanese feeling for bird
life. By Pasiades, an artist not otherwise
known. Found at Marion, in Cyprus.
The smaller shade contains B 679, a large kylix. Interior,
four war-galleys at sea. In the middle -is a Gorgon's head
which (like the mask on vase mentioned above, Case 19, and
the Gorgoneion in the kylix immediately below) are in effect red-
figure drawings. Exterior, a banqueting scene, in black on a
cream ground.
Pedestal 2. An amphora in the style of Andokides (already
quoted on p. 158 as a transition artist). The front, with two heroes
playing draughts (by which means they passed the time while
awaiting a wind to Troy), is painted in black figures on a red
ground. The back, on the other hand, with Heracles wrestling
with the Nemean lion, is fully red-figured.
Standard case D. Amphorae with various myths relating to
deities. The subjects include : Hermes leading the three «-0ddesses
(Hera, Aphrodite and Athene) to be judged by Paris, Paris when

Fig. 51. — Vase by
Pasiades. B 668.

Attic Black-figure Vases.

167

shown, sometimes awaits the procession, and sometimes, as in the
out (fig. 52, B 312, in Cases 62, 63), he flies in. alarm.
The Birth of Athene from the brain of Zeus (B 218 ; B 244,
fig. 53 ; compare B 147 on pedestal 1, and B 424 in Standard-case H).
The traditional method in which the subject is represented is of special

interest' since some writers have thought that it may throw light
¦on the composition of the east pediment of the Parthenon (p. 19).
It can hardly be supposed, however, that in the front of her own
temple Athene would have been represented of diminutive scale in
comparison with Zeus; and it is more likely that she was a

168

The Second Vase Rcoin.

standing figure of equal dignity with her father. The principal!
figures besides Zeus and Athene are the Eileithyiae, who wav&
their hands, as if weaving spells ; Hephaestos, who clave the skull
of Zeus with his double axe, and Hermes.

This case also contains six renderings of the War of the Gods
against the Giants.
Standard-case E. Various mythical subjects. A group o: vases
in this case, B 148 to 153, in a rather formal and affected style,
with a uniform arrangement of inverted lotus buds, and other

Attic Black-figure Vases.

169

decorations, have been thought to be Attic works produced under
strong Corinthian influence.
It will be observed that, with few exceptions, the amphorae and
hydriae are divided by the central gangway into two well-marked

c_asses : (1) In Cases 18-32 and A-E, already described, the body of
the vase is red all round, and the subjects are only bordered by the
palmettes and scrolls below the handles ; (2) In Cases 33-64, and
F-K, on the opposite side of the room, the body of the vase is
covered with black varnish, with the exception of a well defined

170 The Second Vase Room.
panel, which contains the subject, usually within a decorative
border. The two classes must have been in a great measure con
temporary, and both systems seem to be continued in the red-figure
style. It is, however, in the case of the panel subjects that the
direct transition from the one style to the other is most obvious.
We have already seen that the two styles are combined on the panel
amphora B 193, and there is the closest resemblance in the treatment
of the panel in the black-figure hydriae in cases 52-64 and in the red-
iigure hydriae in cases 57-60 in the Third Vase Room. It is therefore
plain that the panel vases must have been continued until the
¦conclusion of the black-figure style, but the inferior limit of the
red-body vases is less clearly marked, since the systems of ornament
under the handles of the red-figure vases have a more indirect
•connexion with those of the black-figure amphorae with red body.
Cases 33-41. Miscellaneous black-figure vases of subordinate
interest. Among the subjects deserving notice are : — ¦
B 361 (Case 34). Athletes practising their exercises.
B 173 (Case 36). Aeneas leaving Troy, and carrying his father
Anchises. B 485 (Case 39). A wedding party in a mule cart. A quaintly
drawn subject.
B 509 (Case 39). Two comic actors, dressed as birds, and a flute-
player. B 502 (Case 40). Odysseus bound beneath the ram approaches
"the Cyclops Polyphemos. Odysseus beneath the ram occurs also in
B 407 (Case 44).
Cases 42—47. Attic three-handled water pitchers (hydriae).
¦Several of the pitchers indicate clearly the purpose for which they
were intended, by having scenes of maidens drawing water at a
fountain for their subject. Thus in B 331 (Case 47) six maidens
with their pitchers are come to the famous Athenian fountain of
Callirrhoe, which is identified by the inscription KaX(\)ip(p6)r] Kprpi-t),
-and which is represented as a well-house, with a stream of water
flowing from a lion's mask (fig. 54).
Another vase with a noticeable subject is B 507 (Case 46), with
the forge of Hephaestos. A nude figure, with a pair of tongs places
a piece of iron in the furnace, while a companion stands ready with
his hammer.
Cases 48, 49. Select vases, of which the majority are signed.
Among the contents of these cases are : —
Several kylikes of the ' Little Master ' school, already referred to
Above. These include cups with the names of Archicles, Tleson,
•and Hermogenes ; also cups inscribed ' Hail arid drink well ' (or
'me') Xoupe Kai irUi ej (or irlov ip.i B 414) ; and similar cups with
meaningless imitation inscriptions.
B 300. Hydria signed by Pamphaios. The principal subject
is Dionysos with a train of Satyrs and Maenads. The incised lines
sire executed with extraordinary minuteness and care.
Two vases with the name of Amasis, namely, B 471, Perseus

Signed Black-figure Vases.

171

slaying Medusa, signed in full, and B 209 : (a) Memnon, with
-attendant Ethiopians, inscribed with the name Amasis, and perhaps
with the remains of cjroi'j/o-ev ' made ' ; but it is thought that the vase
is probably an imitation of the work of Amasis, perhaps by Exekias.
i{6) Achilles and Penthesilea.
Five vases, of various forms, inscribed by
Nicosthenes, a transition painter, whose
work survives in a larger number of examples
than that of any other painter,, Chief among
the vases here is B 364, a large crater, with
two friezes of combats :(a) Heracles and various
deities in combat with the giants ; (6) a battle
scene, perhaps a continuation of that on the
•opposite side, although in this case distinctive
attributes are wanting.
B 2 1 0. Amphora signed by Exekias, a painter
•especially noted for the affected minuteness of
his engraved work, and for the exquisite quality
•of his glaze : (a) Achilles slaying the Amazon
-queen, Penthesilea; (©) Dionysos and Oenopion
(' wine-drinker'), son of Dionysos, by Ariadne.
B 400. Kylix, signed by Glaukytes, with
two friezes of complex and crowded combats.
Cases 50-64. Athenian pitchers (hydriae)
•continued, and other vases. On the pitchers are
:further scenes of water-drawing, similar to those
¦described above, and miscellaneous mythical
^subjects. Noticeable among the latter is B 324
(fig. 56 ; Case 57), representing Achilles waiting
in ambush for Troilos, who has come out from Troy
-with Polyxena to draw water. • The story was
-told in the lost epic of the Cypria. Polyxena
seems to have become aware of the danger, and
makes a signal to Troilos, who is mounted. The
^scattered inscriptions have no meaning.
Case 62. B 312 has on its shoulder the scene
irom the Judgment of Paris, illustrated above
<p. 167).
These cases (54-64) also contain numerous
¦vases, remarkable for the rough and hasty
•character of the designs. In part, this rough
ness is due to the vases being unimportant
works carelessly finished : but in part, also, the
artist seems to be seeking greater freedom of expression, which could
•only be attained by the introduction of the red-figure method.
[We turn to the table- and standard- cases in the same half of
-the room.]

¦f £

172

The Second Vase Room.

Standard-case F. Large amphorae with miscellaneous subjects,
-within panels.
Standard-case G. Large amphorae, as the last, with subjects
relating to the Labours of Heracles. Among them, B 155,
Heracles attacking the monster Geryon, who is winged, and triple-

bodied from the waist upwards. Two of the bodies are wounded
and fallen, while Heracles seizes the third by the helmet. On the
opposite side is a curious subject of Perseus receiving the <dfts of
the Naiads, namely, the winged sandals, the helmet, and the
pouch.

Panathenaic Vases.

173

Table-case H contains various plates, kylikes, etc. Among them
are: — ¦
B 432. A potter at work. Before him is his wheel, a heavy
stone roteted by the hand, and kept in motion by its momentum.
At present, however, the wheel serves as a table, and the potter
attaches a handle to a kylix. On a shelf above are five finished
vases (Fig. 57).
B 436. Shipping. On each side is a. merchant ship, with a
high prow, moved by sails only, and a war-galley with banks of
rowers in addition to the sails, and a ram at the prow, in the form
•of a boar's head.
On Table-case H is a series of kylikes, including two from Rhodes :
the one (B 379) represents on the exterior (a) Heracles escorted
into the presence of Zeus and Hera by a procession of deities ¦
(6) combat of warriors ; in the interior is a group of Ajax seizins
Cassandra at the statue of Athene. The other kylix (B 380) has

Fig. 57.— A Potter at Work. B 432.
on the exterior (a) Perseus, Hermes, and Athene pursued by
Gorgons ; (6) a procession of warriors ; in the interior a warrior
•charging. Pedestal 4, and Standard-case I. A series of prize vases, won
by the victors in the games at the Panathenaic Festival at
Athens (cf. p. 28). The type used varied little from the very
early specimen on Pedestal 4 (known as the Burgon vase, having
"been found by Mr. T. Burgon at Athens), to the late examples
described below, in the Fourth Vase Room (p. 187). On the
obverse is a figure of Athene standing between two columns, and
an inscription written column-wise ' I am one of the prizes from
Athens ' (rmv 'AOrpnjOtv a0\wv e/u. The ipl is usually understood).
-On the reverse are subjects connected with the games, such as
.representations of boxing, the foot-race, leaping with weights in
the hands, throwing the disk and the spear, the horse-race, the

174 The Third Vase Room.
race of four-horse chariots, in which the charioteer stands in the>
chariot ; and the race of two-horse chariots, in which the driver-
sits with his feet resting on a foot-board. Other scenes show the-
crowning of a victor, and (B 144) a winner, followed by a youth
with wreath and tripod, preceded by a herald announcing th&
victory. Standard-ease K. Further examples of amphorae, with the-
Labours of Heracles.
On the walls, above the cases, are facsimiles of paintings from
the walls of Etruscan tombs, such as those in which many of the*
Greek vases from Etruria have been found.

THE THIRD VASE ROOM.
SUBJECT:—
RED-FIGURED POTTERY OF FIFTH CENTURY B.C.;
WHITE ATHENIAN VASES, ETC.\
The vases exhibited in this room belong to the red-figured.
class, and therefore show the complete reversal of method already
explained above (p. 158). The change must probably be dated
towards the end of the sixth century B.C.
Until the recent excavations on the Athenian Acropolis the dates assigned
were a generation later. It is now, however, ascertained that the rubbish strata-
formed after the Persian sack (480 b.c) in connexion with the works of recon
struction included numerous signed fragments by the greatest masters of the-
red-figure style. It follows that some years, perhaps a generation, must be
allowed for the introduction and development of the style. On the other hand,
excavations made in the tumulus of Marathon (erected after 490 B.c.) yielded
many black-figure vases, and only one red-figure fragment, thus showing that
at that date the earlier style still prevailed — at any rate, for funeral usages,
which are always conservative of old custom.
The design is no longer composed of a series of black silhouettes
against a red or white ground, but the figures are left in the ground
colour of the vase, and are thrown up by the black glaze with
which all the space surrounding them is covered.
The methods followed by the painters of the red-figure vases can
readily be discerned by an attentive examination of the vases. A
t The vases in this room are described in the Catalogue of Vases, Vol. III.,
by 0. H. Smith, 1896 (26s.). A copy can be borrowed from the Commissionaire.'
For the White Vases see also White Athenian Vases in the British Museum bv
A. S. Murray and A. H. Smith, 1896, folio (25«.). ' J

The Red-figure Style. 175
sketch was first made with a blunt point applied to the surface of
the vase and lightly marking the clay. The artist thus blocks Out
his figures, sometimes making repeated trials, and in the first,
instance drawing the draped figures as nude. A line of black
glaze, about an eighth of an inch wide, is next drawn round the-
outside of the figures, so as to leave the figures vacant, and the-
interstices of the background are then filled in. The internal
details are then drawn in fine lines of the glaze, and freehand work
takes the place of the incised lines of the black-figure style. For
special parts, such as the profiles, a thin black line .is also drawn
along the boundary of the subject in order to correct and refine the-
profile left by the first broad border. Occasionally some of the-
internal details, such as the abdominal muscles, are drawn with the-
glaze thinned out to a light brown, and only faintly visible. In
rare cases (e.g., E 12, in Table-case A, fig. 58) the thinned glaze is also'
used as a local wash.
Among the mechanical aids used by the artist were a pair of
compasses, flexible rulers for ruling lines on the curved surfaces,,
and, perhaps, stencil plates to give the guiding lines for elaborate and
repeated patterns. Pursuing these methods, the vase painter was.
able to reach a higher level of achievement than had been possible
in the black-figure style. The grotesque conventions of that method
could now be abandoned, the drawing became more free, and the
conceptions broader and more noble. It must be remembered that.
Greek art as a whole reached its culminating point within a few
years of the change of style, and that the best red-figure vases
reflect that severe and restrained feeling for beauty and simplicity
which marks the end of the archaic period at Athens. The red-
figure vases in this room, which, speaking generally, cover the fifth
century B.C. and the last years of the sixth century, may be divided
into groups according to the painters : —
(1.) The early red-figure masters, commonly called, after one of
their number, the group of Epictetos. These painters developed
the new technique towards the close of the sixth century, but,,
artistically, they retained a part of the stiff mannerisms of the
black-figure style. The group consists partly of masters known to
have worked in both styles, either in combination -on the same
vase or separately, and partly of artists closely connected with the
foregoing, though not working in the two styles. Among the
known masters who worked in both styles * the Museum collection
possesses vases by Nicosthenes, Epictetos with Hischylos,
and Pamphaios. Of Nicosthenes, however, it only possesses.
black-figure examples ; Epictetos and Hischylos sign a kylix E 3,
on which the two styles are combined. Of Pamphaios alone we
have separate works in the two styles, namely, the hydria B 300 in

* Namely, Andokides, Chelis, Epictetos, Epilykos, Hischylos, Nicosthenes,.
Pamphaios. Thypheithides must be struck off the list, since the handles with.
the name do not belong to the kyliz E 4.

176 The Third Vase Room.
black figures, and four red-figured vases (see Appendix). Nikosthenes
hardly belongs to the group, since most of his work was in the
older style. Among members of this group working in the later
style only, Chachrylion is the most important. Table-case A (see
below) contains the vases of the transition style, partly signed and
partly unsigned. Table-case B contains the works of Epictetos
and other vases in his style.
(2.) The great masters of the early red-figured style, who may be
called the group of Euphronios. The work of these masters is
more free and unfettered than that of the last group, and includes
the best examples of fine and severe drawing. The artists whose
works are represented in the Museum who may be grouped with
Euphronios are Duris, Hieron and Brygos." These artists were pro
bably in full activity at the time of the Persian wars. Euphronios
himself is placed between 500 and 450 B.C. Table-cases D and E.
(3.) The later Attic masters (best represented in the Museum by
Meidias, Pedestal 4) draw with yet greater freedom, but thereby
lose the severe restraint that marks the vases of Euphronios and his
fellows. At the same time, there is a decline in the interest of the
subject represented. Mythological subjects are treated more loosely,
with less regard for the strict traditional types, vague personifications
are introduced, and scenes from daily life become more numerous.
Red Figure Style. Artists' Signatures. Compare the preceding
paragraphs, the remarks in the Black-figure section (p. 160), and
the appendix to the Vase Rooms (p. 195).
Names with koAos. Compare the remarks in the Black-figure
section (p. 160).
White Athenian Vases. This room also contains the interest
ing and attractive series of Athenian vases painted in outline on
white ground (Table-case F, Case C, Wall-cases 41, 42). From early
times, and more particularly at Rhodes and Naucratis, attempts
had been made to avoid the limitations of the black-figure style
by drawing parts of the figure in outline only, leaving its surface of
the ground colour of the vase. This method was practised at
Athens by several masters of the fine style (see the vases described
below), but more especially in connexion with the White
Athenian lekythi (Table-case F). These are a group of vases
made for the purpose of making offerings at the tombs.
Aristophanes (Eccl. 996) speaks of the painter 'who paints the
lekythi with figures for the dead.' The subjects are usually con
nected with death and the tomb, and we often have a view of the
tomb, with the vases themselves grouped about it. The designs are
-drawn in outline on the prepared white ground of the vase, the
draperies being occasionally filled in with red, brown, green, or
blue colour. The white vases are often very delicately drawn.
They are marked as a rule by the same sentiment of placid and
gentle melancholy which is characteristic of the Athenian sepulchral
reliefs, and, like the Greek reliefs, if examined in considerable
numbers, they show a lack of variety in subject and treatment.

Signed Red-figure Vases. 177
The white sepulchral lekythi are contemporary with the Attic
red-figure vases, and may be assigned generally to the fifth
century B.C. Vases painted in the same manner, for use in other
ways, are of less frequent occurrence, but some fine examples are
shown on and near Table-case F (see p. 182).
The vases of the transition and early period are placed in the
-table-cases, with which therefore we begin our detailed description.
Table-case A. Cups (kylikes) of the period of transition from
the black-figure style, partly signed by painters of the group of
Epictetos, and partly unsigned, but nearly akin. Among them
are: —
E 12. Kylix, signed by Pamphaios (fig. 58). On the exterior
is a beautiful group (which some authorities have assigned, notwith
standing the signature, to Euphronios) of two winged figures raising
the body of a dead warrior. The scene suggests the Homeric-
incident, in which Sleep and Death carry Sarpedon to Lycia for
burial, but it has also been interpreted as two wind-gods, carrying
Memnon, a story preserved only by a very late poet. Technically
this vase is interesting on account of the unusual method of
thinning out the black glaze, to form a yellow wash.
E 3. A transition kylix, signed by Epictetos and Hischylos.
The interior has a young Athenian in festal dress in black-figure
style, while the exterior is red-figured.
E 2, another transitional kylix, has the two styles combined in
its interior.
Above this case are : — •
E 437. Jar of the kind called a stamnos, signed by Pamphaios.
Heracles is wrestling with the river-god Acheloos, and seeks to
break off the horn, which, according to some legends, was identical
with the horn of abundance, or cornu copiae.
E 258. Small amphora, signed by Euxitheos, with Achilles and
Briseis on the two sides.
Pedestal 1. E 804. Vase in the form of a knucklebone, with a
graceful and playful scene of girls, who seem to hover in the air.
Attempts have been made to give an allegorical significance to the
figures, and they have been called Breezes; but probably the
subject is merely a dance of girls, imitating the flight of birds,
under the instructions of a grotesque dancing-master. From
Aegina. Presented by the Earl of Aberdeen, 1860.
Table-case B. Cups and plates, in the style of Epictetos. The
cup E 38 is signed by Python, as potter, and Epictetos, as artist.
The principal scene shows Heracles slaying Busiris, a mythical king
of Egypt, who practised human sacrifice if strangers came to his
shores. Two other kylikes, E 24, E 37, the deep cup (cotyle) E 139-
(potter, Pistoxenos), and three plates, E 135, 136, 137, are also
signed by Epictetos.
Above the case are choice specimens of smaller red-figure* N

178

The Third Vase Room.

Signed Red-figure Vases. 179
•amphorae, etc. Among them, E 289, a small amphora with an
interesting scene of the Judgment of Paris. The three goddesses
.are received by Paris, a shepherd with his sheep. On the
opposite side is Hermes, who has performed his mission of
•conducting the goddesses to Paris, and now departs.
Pedestal 2. E 788. A vase of the kind called a rhyton (drinking
horn), in the form of a seated Sphinx. This vase combines in a
remarkable way the red-figure decoration of the cup, with the
opaque white surface (partly gilded) of the Sphinx. For her cap
mse has been made of the vermilion, which is used for the draperies
¦on the white Athenian vases (Case F).
Standard-case C. The middle part of this case is mainly
occupied with choice vases, acquired in 1892 at the sale of the
Van Branteghem Collection. These include : — ¦
E 438. A fine jar (stamnos), in poor condition, with Athene
intervening between Ajax and Hector ; signed by Smicros.
E 46. A kylix in the manner of Euphronios, and inscribed with
the kalos-naxae Leagros, which that artist is known to have
¦employed. Subject, youth and running hare.
E 34, and another kylix more lately acquired, are both signed
by Hermaios.
E 719, an unguent-bottle (alabastron), is remarkable for the
wealth, of its decorations. The figures are a youth and a girl.
The latter is putting on her girdle, and meanwhile holds the overlap
of her dress with her teeth.
D 5-10 are a remarkable group of white vases found together in
Athens. Three of them bear the signature of the potter Sotades.
The three kylikes are extremely fine and delicate in form, while
the designs drawn on them are of great beauty. The figure
subjects are : —
D 5. The rare myth of Glaucos and Polyeidos. Glaucos, son
¦of Minos of Crete, had died by falling into a jar of honey. The
seer, Polyeidos, was shut up by Minos in the boy's tomb, that he
might bring him back to life. While thus imprisoned, he slew a
snake. A second snake appeared, bringing a herb with which it
revived its companion, and by the help of the same herb Polyeidos
restored the boy. The scene is a sectional view, showing both the
Jnterior and exterior of the tomb. The names are inscribed, and
make the interpretation certain.
D 6. Girl standing on tiptoe to pluck an apple.
D 7. Death of Archemoros. When the heroes on their march
against Thebes came to Nemea, there was drought. The nurse of
the king's son, Hypsipyle, led the heroes to a spring, and in her
absence the boy was killed by a serpent. He was buried by the
heroes, and the Nemean games were founded in his honour. On
the vase we have one of the heroes throwing a stone at a serpent,
coiled in a reed-brake, and vomiting out smoke, and also a part of
Hypsipyle. This case also contains a remarkable white Athenian bowl
n 2

180 The Third Vase Room.
(phiale), acquired in 1898. The central boss has a Gorgon's head,
and round it is a war of gods and giants, remarkable for its wealth
of elaborate detail, hitherto associated with a much later period
than that to which this vase must be assigned (circa 460 B.C.).
Zeus, aided by his eagle, attacks a triple-bodied, snake-legged giant ;
Poseidon, with two seals, attacks one giant and has overthrown
another; Athene, aided by her own serpent, attacks a pair of
giants. Said to have been found at Eretria.
Pedestal 3. E 424. Athenian vase, of the later part of the
fifth century, with the subject of Peleus and Thetis. Peleus seizes.
Thetis, whom he has surprised bathing, and a sea monster attacks
the leg of Peleus. . This is manifestly derived from the archaic
method of representing the transformations of Thetis, already
described above; but it may be conjectured that the artist was
unaware that the monster is Thetis herself, and not a sea beast
who gives her his aid. The extensive use of colours, including white,
blue, green and gilding, is remarkable.
Table-case D. Cups (kylikes) by masters of the group of
Euphronios (see p. 176), in part signed, and in part attributed to
the group on grounds of style.
Signecl by Euphronios. E 44. The most interesting of the
external scenes shows Heracles bringing the boar of Erymanthos
to his taskmaster, Eurystheus, who takes refuge in a great
earthenware pitcher, half sunk in the ground, while Heracles is
about to hurl the body of the beast upon him.
Signed by Duris. The three kylikes in this case, E 39 (athletic
scenes), E 48 (labours of Theseus; compare p. 185), E49 (banquet,
scenes), are all signed by Duris (AOPIS = Aoupis). The kylix E 50,
though not signed, appears to be in the style of the same painter.
Compare the back view of a banqueter shown in E 49. Above is
a wine-cooler (psycter), E 768, with revels of Seileni, also by Duris.
Signed by Chachrylion. E 40, E 41. The position of Chachrylion
as one of the earliest members of this group is shown by" the fact
that he still uses freely the incised lines of the black-figure style.
Compare the horse's tail in E 41.
Above this case are the psycter by Duris, E 768, already mentioned,
and another (E 767) of the same form, also with a scene of revel.
Pedestal 4. Hydria, signed by the later Athenian artist,
Meidias. Remarkable for fine preservation, elaborate drawing,
and rich compositions. Subjects : (Above) Castor and Pollux,
carrying away their brides, the daughters of Leukippos. Pollux
(Polydeuk(t)es) has placed Helera in his chariot, and Castor is
seizing Eriphyle, while Chrysippos holds his chariot. The seated
figures in the foreground are inscribed Zeus and Aphrodite, and
the figure on the right is called Peitho, that is, Amorous Persuasion.
A comparison, however, with older representations of the same
subject shows that the figures were originally Leukippos and
terrified maidens, one of whom takes refuge at an altar. We hav&
here an example of the declining importance attached to mytho-

Signed Red-figure Vases.

181

ogical accuracy in the later Attic work. The signature (MciSYaj
t7rotrjo-ev), which, like the other inscriptions, is only faintly visible,
is above the scene.
The lower frieze falls into two main groups, the divisions
being under the side handles. 1. Heracles in the garden of the
Hesperides. 2. Athenian tribal heroes and others.
Table-case E. Kylikes by the later masters of the fine period of
Attic painting, namely, Hieron and Brygos, and unsigned vases
of similar style.
Signed by Brygos. E 65, Kylix, with drawings remarkable for
vivacity and vigour, and also for their finish, (a) Iris, the divine
messenger, is seized by Seileni of the following of Dionysos, who

Fig. 59.— Game of Cottabos. E70.

stands watching, (b) Hera is threatened by a mob of Seileni, and
protected by Hermes and Heracles.
Signed by Hieron. ~E 61, Kylix. Scenes of conversation and music.
Above is a fine bowl (cotyle), E 140, also by Hieron, representing
the sending forth of Triptolemos with the divine gift of wheat.
Triptolemos is seated in his winged chariot between Demeter and
Persephone, and is about to receive wine for a libation from the
latter. Behind Persephone is the local nymph Eleusis. On the other
side of the vase are deities less nearly connected with the event.

182

The Third Vase Room.

In the severely restrained and somewhat conventional drawing of
this beautiful vase there is a distinct return to the archaic manner.
The elaborately decorated robe of Demeter, with its bands of
figures, birds and beasts, reminds one of the Panathenaic peplos.
prepared by Athenian maidens for the image of Athene (compare
p. 28). From Capua.
The kylix E 70 has scenes of Symposia, and a singular band with
the boots and some of the vases of the banqueters. The interior
(fig. 59) illustrates the way in which the kylix might itself be used in
the game of Cottabos, which consisted in aiming the dregs of wine from
the kylix at a mark (cf. F 273 in Fourth Vase Room, Case 72).
Above Case E are the vase of Hieron, described above, and two
vases, E 284 (subject, preparations for a sacrifice and dedication of

DC2

D57.
Fig. 60.— White Athenian leliylhi.

D54.

tripods), and a jar (stamnos) lately acquired from the Tyszkiewicz
collection (subject, Heracles and a Centaur). Both are signed by
an artist Polygnotos, who must not, however, be confused with
the great painter thus named.
Table-case F. Athenian vases painted in outline on a white
ground (compare above, p. 176). In the table-case the vases are
all lekythi for use at the tombs. Among them the following are
especially noteworthy : —
D 62 (fig. 60). The formal laying out of the body of a dead youth.
Three figures stand round making gestures of grief. From Eretria,
whither this vase and others of the same kind are supposed to have
been exported from Athens.

White Athenian Vases.

183

D 57 (fig. 60). A woman seated in a chair — very finely drawn —
and a companion with an ointment bottle. From Eretria.
D 54 (fig. 60). Two youths standing at a tomb. A little winged
shade is seen flitting near the tomb.
D 61. Charon, who has pushed his boat to the bank among the
reeds, conversing with a girl.
DflO (fig. 61). A tomb is represented among rocks, but instead
of the usual mourners, or persons with offerings, we have a chance
incident of two youths and a dog chasing a hare.
In the shades above are large lekythi and other select specimens
of white ware. Among them are (in the near shade) : —

Fig. 01.— White Athenian Ulcytlii.

D70.

D56 (fig. 61). Two youths at a tomb, one of whom plays on a
lyre. Within the tomb, or perhaps on its lower step, are several
vases, a lyre and a wreath. From Eretria.
D 11 (fig. 62). Cover of a circular box (pyxis), with a marriage
procession towards an altar. The bridegroom leads the bride,
escorted by a flute-player and torch-bearers. From Eretria.
In the central shade : —
D 2. Cup, with Aphrodite riding on a flying swan (or perhaps
rather a goose), with a curling tendril and flowers in her hand.
The drawing is executed with great refinement and precision.
From Cameiros, in Rhodes.

184

jTAe" Third Vase Room.

In the further shade : —
D 70 (flg. 61 ). Large lekythos, with mourners at a tomb. Remark
able for the rich polychrome effects in black, green, blue, red and
yellow. D 58. A beautiful representation of a young warrior being laid
in the tomb by Death and Sleep (Thanatos and Hypnos). The
mythical prototype of the scene is in the Iliad (xvi.), where Sleep
and Death carry Sarpedon to Lycia for burial (cf. the vase of
Pamphaios, E 12, fig. 58) ; but, as used on a sepulchral lekythos,
the subject may be supposed to have a general allegorical signifi
cance (cf. D 56 in another shade).
A recently acquired vase (bought 1897) has a finely drawn figure
of an armed youth seated on the steps of a tomb.
Pedestal 5. Cup (D 4), with the same white decoration as the
foregoing, but of an earlier and more severe style of drawing.
Athene and Hephaestos are decking out the newly-made Pandora
(here called- in the inscription Ahesidora).

Fig. 62.— Cover of a pyxis. D 11.

Standard-case G. D 1. Fragments, found at Naucratis, of a
white vase, drawn in a fine severe style, attributed to Euphronios.
This case also contains red-figure vases of the severe style (early
fifth century). The subjects are mainly mythological. Among
them, E 440 has a curious representation of the Ship of Odysseus
passing the Sirens. Odysseus is bound to the mast and rowed past
the Sirens, two of whom are perched on rocks, while the third
throws herself down. F 478 (subject, Three Graces) is an Etrus\jan
imitation of a red-figure vase. It shows a drawing of a bronze
cista, such as those in the Etruscan Room.
Pedestal 6, Standard-case H. Large amphorae, etc., in the
severe style, mainly with mythological subjects.
In the front of Case H are seven very choice vases of the later
Attic school showing the elaborate drawing, rich ornamentation
with gilding, etc., and fanciful compositions, that we have already
seen on the vase of Meidias (Pedestal 4). On a jug, E 696, Oedipus
with a spear completes the destruction of the Sphinx. From
Cyprus.

Athenian Red-figure Vases.

185

Pedestal 7. E 460, Crater. A lyre-player, or perhaps a poet,
laureate, in the presence of Athene, a judge, and two Victories.
This design has been made familiar as the basis of the ' Apotheosis
of Homer' relief by Flaxman and Wedgwood. (An example may
be seen on a ' Pegasus Vase ' in the Ceramic Room.)
Standard-case J. Vases in the severe style. The subjects are
partly mythological and partly taken from life. Four vases (E 266,
267, 314, 315) represent a somewhat jovial poet, perhaps Anacreon.
In E 315 he walks, playing the flute, and carrying his lyre hung on
the end of his stick over his shoulder.
E 466. Crater. Symbolical representation of the successive
events of sunrise — namely, the moon setting behind a hill ; Cephalos
(the ' Attic boy ' of Milton) pursued by Dawn ; the stars plunging
out of sight ; the sun rising in his full glory.
Pedestal 8. E 469, Crater, in a highly ornate style. The
principal subject is a Battle of Gods and Giants. Five pairs of
combatants are fairly preserved, the gods
being Dionysos, Athene, Zeus, Hera, and
Apollo. There are also traces of a mis
sing pair, probably including Artemis.
Table-case K. Red - figure lekythi,
mainly from Sicily. In form they re
semble the white Athenian lekythi, but
the subjects are taken largely from daily
life, and. it is only occasionally that they
can be definitely connected with the
tomb. Above this case, in shades, are : — '
E 84. Kylix, with the series of the
labours of Theseus. The interior has a
band round the central medallion, con
trary to the usual custom, and by a
curious caprice the artist has placed the
same groups in a corresponding position on the outside of the vase.
Sometimes the figure is repeated as if it were seen through glass,
and sometimes (as with the Theseus attacking the sow) we see one
side of his body on the interior, and the opposite side on the exterior.
Select drinking-eups and rhytons (drinking-horns) modelled in
peculiar forms. Among them are : — j
•>E 786 (fig. j63), Rhyton, modelled in the form of -a Satyrs head
and a Maenad's, placed back to back.
E 785. Seilenos, seated, supporting a horn, with a finely drawn
procession of deities. The height of the horn has been reduced by
design, and the heads of the figures are lost.
[We turn to the Wall-cases round the room.]
Cases 1-10. Vases belonging for the most part to the earlier
and more severe phase of red-figure drawing, In Case 6 is a vase

Fig. 63.— Rhyton. E 786.

186 Tlie Third Vase Room.
recently acquired from the Tyszkiewicz collection. A winner in a
torch race stands at an altar, where he is crowned with a fillet by
Victory. Two other torch-runners are also seen. The subject may
be compared with the relief in the Phigaleian Room (see above,
p. 51). Signed in unusually bold letters by Nikias, son of
Hermocles of Anaphlystos.
Cases 11-16. A number of kylikes of the same general character
as those in the table-cases on this side of the room, but without
artists' signatures.
Cases 17-24. Vases of black ware, mostly from Capua (fourth
century). These are fluted and moulded vases, of graceful form,
covered with black glaze, except that occasionally small parts of the
rims, etc., are left in the red ground colour, as in the red-figure
style. The other ornamentation consists of clay added in low relief
either by hand or a mould, and afterwards gilded. In some parts
the gilding is now lost. White paint is also sparingly used, in
comparison with the later vases of the same ware (Fourth Vase
Room, Cases 32-45).
In Case 24 is a cup with designs impressed in intaglio: Perseus
fleeing from the Gorgons, after the slaying of Medusa.
Cases 25-26. Vases of polychrome
and moulded ware of the later Athenian
red-figure style. Observe the increasing use
of whites, and at the same time the diminu
tion in scale, and the increasing triviality
of the themes chosen. Young children at
play begin to be a favourite subject.
Fig. 64.— Rhyton. Cases 27-30. Greek vases of various
wares, for the most part excavated in the
Cyrenaica, especially at Teucheira (near Benghazi in African Tripoli),
by the late Mr. George" Dennis. The red-figure vases are probably
of Athenian fabric (of a comparatively late period) and exported
from Athens.
Cases 31—35. Red-figure vases from the tombs of Cameiros in
Rhodes, which also appear to be of Athenian fabric. Among the
interesting subjects are : —
E 372 (Case 33). Athene finds the boy Erichthonios looking out
of his basket, which had been opened, against her commands, by the
daughters of Cecrops.
E 172, 171. School scenes. In each case the subject is a music
lesson. There is a humorous contrast between the gravely atten
tive pupils, and the boy who plays with the cat behind the master's
chair. Cases 36-40. Red-figure vases of the fine period. Among
them : — ¦
E 492 (Case 36), a crater, with Hermes confiding the infant.
Dionysos to the nymphs. Hermes has already been seen with the-
child in the statue of Praxiteles (p. 70).
Cases 41, 42. In the second shelf are some of the white

Italian Red-figure .Wares. 1ST
Athenian vases (compare the adjoining Table-case F). Among:
them two jugs, D 13 (a woman spinning) and D 14 (Athene pouring
wine for Heracles), are remarkable for their firm and delicate
drawing. The remaining shelves are occupied with drinking-horns
frhytons, cf. fig. 64) and other vases of fantastic shapes, such as crabs'"
claws, almonds, etc.
Cases 43-60. Red-figure vases of the fine style continued..
Among them are : — •
E 410 (Case 47). Birth of Athene (cf. p. 167). As in the black-
figure vases, Athene is a doll-like figure springing from the head of
Zeus. The principal attendant figures are, on each side, Hephaestos,
and Eileithyia, while beyond are Artemis, Poseidon, Victory and
others. E 159 (Case 59), Hydria, signed by the artist Phi(n)tias.
(1) Youths drawing water. (2) Banquet scene.

THE FOURTH VASE ROOM.*
SUBJECT:— THE DECLINE OF GREEK VASE PAINTING.
The vases exhibited in this room illustrate the later developments.
of Greek vase painting in various directions. A large part of the-
room is taken up with the later red-figure vases, produced for the-
most part in South Italy, but it also contains various independent
groups. The survival of the black-figure style can still be traced in the
series of ten Panathenaic amphorae, exhibited on cases and
pedestals in the Fourth Vase Room. These vases have already
been referred to as prizes won at the games in Athens, and taken
by the winners to their homes in Cyrene, Capua, or Cervetri, where
they were found. The dates of six of them are ascertained from
the name of the archon or magistrate at Athens for the year, which
is painted on them. On one side of the vase the design is always a
figure of Athene, drawn in what is called an archaistic manner,

* The vases in this room are described in the Catalogue of Vases, Vol. IV.,
by H. B. "Walters. 1896. (16«.) A copy can" be borrowed from the
Commissionaire. (The vases in groups B and E are described in Vols. II. and
III. respectively.

188 The Fourth Vase Room.
imitative of true archaic drawing ; but on the other side of the
vase the artist was free to design in the manner natural to him and
his day, except only that he was required, by custom, to retain the
black figures on a red ground. These designs, being exactly dated,
furnish a standard by which the vase paintings of the fourth
century may be judged.
Among the later red-figure vases, as illustrated in this room, it
will be observed that the use of white and purple once more comes
into favour. Its re-introduction was begun in the later Athenian
vases, and is now more extensively used by the Italian painters.
The drawing becomes weak and loose. As regards the choice of
subjects, myths of the gods and heroic legends are no longer
predominant. Where they occur, they often illustrate some special
literary version of the legend, and not the traditional type current
among the artists. In general, the subjects chosen become more
trivial. In particular an indeterminate woman at her toilet,
surrounded by effeminate Erotes, is repeated again and again.
Other scenes are connected with funeral rites, with the banquet,
and not unfrequently with the comic stage. The red-figure vases
in this room probably belong to the fourth and early part of the
third centuries B.C. The practice of red-figure painting is supposed
to have become extinct about the middle of the third century b.c.
The principal groups of vases in this room have been classed as
follows, the classification being mainly based on the districts in
which the different groups are most frequently discovered. From
the number on the vase it may easily be ascertained to which group
it is assigned.
B. Black-figure (Panathenaic) vases, already referred to
above. E. Late Athenian vases, placed here for convenience.
F. Later red-figure vases, sub-divided as follows : —
(1) F 1-148. Vases, of Athenian style, produced either at
Athens, or in South Italy, in close adherence to Athenian models.
(2) F 149-156. Vases in style of Assteas. See the vase of
Python (Case 18, below).
(3) F 157-187. Vases in Lucanian style. Red-figure vases,
not far removed from the direct imitations of Athenian ware,
though partaking in some measure of the florid decoration of the
following classes, with white and yellow accessories, used rather
sparingly. The heads are often large, and the eyes staring.
(4) F 188-268. Vases in Campanian style. The colour of
the clay is markedly pale, and often approaches to drab. Red,
however, is freely used, sometimes with the intention of colouring
the ground to the normal tint, and sometimes as a local colour.
White is also used with great freedom. The execution is usually
rough and hasty, and the subjects are of little interest. (See
below, Cases 24-29)..
(5) F 269-477. Vases in the style of Apulia. To this class
belong most of the large and floridly decorated vases in this Room.

Later Panathenaic Vases.

189

The decoration is usually very copious, and the whole of the field is
ccfvered. Elaborate architectural structures, such as the central
tombs on the sepulchral vases, occupy the middle of the subject.
There is a free use of white, and much drawing with yellow washes
upon the whites.
(6) Etruscan and Local fabrics. See below, Standard-
case C.

The remainder of the wares in this room, which are for the most
part black glazed vases decorated with white paint, with red paint to
imitate the effect of a red-figure vase, stamped ornaments, and
medallion reliefs, are described as they occur, below.
We turn first to the group of Panathenaic Vases, referred to
above, which are the following : —

Position.

Vase.

Archon and Date.

Place.

Reverse.

Ped. 1

B608

Pythodelos, 336 B.C.

Cervetri

/Armed (Footrace

„ 2

B607

Pythodelos, 336 B.C.

Cervetri

Boxers '

CaseB

B611

Euthycritos, 328 B.C.

Teucheira

Runners

„

B603

Polyzelos, 367 B.C.

Teueheira

Wrestlers

B609

Nicocrates, 333 B.C.

Benghazi (Cyrenaiea)

Runners

Ped. 5

B610

Xiketes, 332 B.C.

Capua

Boxers

,, 6

B612

Uninscribed

Teueheira

Boxers

CaseE

B605

Undated

Teucheira

("Athletes
\exercising

B604

Undated

Teucheira

Boxers

„ -¦

B606

Undated

¦ Teueheira

/Fourhorse\ chariot

On the obverse, in each case, Athene is- represented wearing an
emoroidered robe, and treated according to an ancient hieratic
type. On the shield of Athene on B 605 is a representation of the
sculptural group of the two Athenian tyrannicides, Harmodios and
Aristogeiton. This was a well-known group which stood at Athens.
The originals were earried off by Xerxes, and are said to have been
restored to Athens at a later period. Copies are preserved to us in
two statues at Naples, and on various coins and reliefs. B 604 is
signed by the artist Kittos.
In addition to the Panathenaic vases above described, tho
following objects on table-cases and pedestals on the floor of the
room deserve mention : —
Standard-case A. Vases from Southern Italy. Some of these
vases, though found in Italy, are probably of later Athenian fabric,.
and, except for reasons of space, might properly be placed in the
Third Vase Room.
Pedestal 3. E467, Crater. The principal subject is Athene
bringing a wreath to the newly made Pandora, in the presence of Zeus,
Poseidon and other deities. Below, a band of actors as Satyrs.

190 The Fourth Vase Room.
On the opposite side are girls dancing, and a family of Satyrs
-playing at ball. From Altemura.
Pedestal '4. F 159, Crater. Agamemnon about to sacrifice
Iphigeneia at Aulis, in order to obtain a fair wind for Troy. The
substitution of a hind for Iphigeneia, which was effected by
Artemis, is here represented with singular naivete as half-
accomplished. From the Basilicata.
Table-case B. Drinking-horns (rhytons), etc., of a late period, in
the form of human or animal heads and the like. This case also
contains a diminutive copy of a Panathenaic vase, found at Eretria.
Above are three Panathenaic vases, already described.
Pedestal 7. F 184, Amphora. Europa crossing the sea on the
bull, attended by Eros. Marine animals, rocks and seaweed mark
the bottom of the sea.
Pedestal 8. F 227, Crater. On one side Hades, or Pluto, carries
•off Persephone in his chariot. Hermes, as usual, runs beside the
chariot, and Hecate lights the way with a torch. On the other
^side is a combat of Centaurs and Lapiths

Fig. 65.— Askos or guttus. Fig. 66.— Aslcos or guttus.
Standard-case C contains Etruscan vases strictly so-called,
namely, a group of vases marked by grotesque and untrained
draughtsmanship, imitating the later red-figure wares. On the
crater F480, with the subjects of Ajax falling on his sword and
Actaeon attacked by his hounds, the names of the two heroes are
inscribed in Etruscan.
(For earlier imitations, see above, pp. 162, 184.)
Standard-case D. Large vases of Lucanian and Campanian
fabric, in imitation of later Athenian red-figure vases.
Pedestal 9. F 284, Crater. An example of a florid and highly
decorated Apulian vase. The subject may be called 'Rites at the
tomb of a hero.' In the middle is a small chapel-like tomb, with
a figure of the deceased youth leading his horse. Round the tomb
are four attendant figures, whose types are derived from older
vases, but who are now degraded to spiritless conventions
Pedestal 10. F 279, Crater. The death of Hippolytos. The
bull, which was sent up from the sea by Poseidon to terrify the
horses, is seen half emerged in the front.
Pedestal 11. F 271, Crater. Lycurgos, king of the Edones, is
smitten with madness for rejecting the gifts of Dionysos, and;

Later Italian Wares. 191
slays his family. He is here seen engaged in the slaughter, at
the prompting of Madness (Lyssa), who flies down towards him.
Various gods are seen above as spectators.
Table-ease E. Vases in black (or sometimes red) glazed ware,
with designs and ornaments moulded in relief. These may be
regarded as the immediate predecessors of the Arretine ware, in
the Room of Terracottas (p. 98). Many of these vases are in
the form of aski (wineskins), so called from an approximate
resemblance of some of the earliest forms to a skin bottle, although
the term is now used with a more general significance for such
small spouted vases as may be seen in this case (figs. 65, 66).
The aski (also known as gutti) usually have a medallion subject in
relief, either a head or a simple mythological subject.
Among the other objects in this case may be noticed a bowl
(G 104) with rehefs representing scenes from the Phoenissae of
Euripides, identified by inscriptions upon it; and a fragment
(G 105) also illustrating a scene from that drama ; a representa
tion (G 125) of the wolf suckling Romulus and Remus ; and several
examples with Latin inscriptions which appear to date from the
end of the third century B.C.
Two cups (G 121, 122) have for their medallion ornaments impres
sions of Syracusan decadrachms, with the head of Persephone. One
of them (G 121) has an impression of the coin signed by the engraver
Euainetos. This artist was working near the close of the fifth cen
tury ; but the vase, which is supposed to be a copy of a silver vase,
with an inset silver coin, may be more than a century later.
Above this case are three Panathenaic vases, already described.
Pedestal 12. F 278, Crater. Very large, and with copious
florid decorations. The principal subjects are scenes connected
with the taking of Troy. Above, Ajax is seizing Cassandra at the
foot of the statue of Athene, and Menelaos is about to seize Helen
at the statue of Aphrodite. Below are Priam being slain by
Neoptolemos, and Hecuba (?) attacked by a Greek warrior and
defended by an Amazon-like Trojan.
Pedestal 13. F 160, Crater. Also representing the taking of
Troy. Ajax seizes Cassandra at the altar of Athene.
Pedestal 14. F 272, Crater. Above, scene from the story of
Phaedra. The love-sick Phaedra is seated, and approached by
Eros. The remaining figures include the nurse, an old pedagogue,
and various attendants. Below, Theseus and Peirithoos are
defending Laodameia (apparently the name here given to the
bride of Peirithoos) from the attack of a Centaur.
Standard-case F. Various vases, amongst them several of the
South Italian fabrics, produced in close imitation of the later
Athenian wares.
[We turn to the wall-cases round the room.]
Cases 1-13. Later Athenian vases, and South Italian
imitations of the later Athenian fabrics.

192 The Fourth Vase Room.
Selected vases in the form of busts, statuettes, etc. Among
them : —
Case 1. E 716. Vase in the .form of a half-length bust of
Athene wearing the aegis. The bust . is decorated with white,
gilding, blue and green. At the back it has the black glaze and
palmette patterns of a red-figure vase.
Case 2. G 1. Vase in the form of a female head, wearing
elaborate pendant earrings and other jewellery.
Case 3. F 417, Rhyton (horn). The lower part is in the form of
a negro boy devoured by a crocodile.
Cases 14-17. The principal vases in these cases represent offer
ings at tombs. (Compare above Pedestal 9.) Within a small
architectural structure we have a subject painted mainly in white,,
which is probably the actual tomb-relief (compare in particular
F 352 with many of the Athenian reliefs) and round it conven
tionalized figures of mourners and persons bringing offerings.
Cases 18-19. F 149, Crater, signed by the artist Python, who
is not otherwise known, but who appears to have been of the school
of Assteas, a well-known painter, perhaps of Paestum. Alcmena, the
mother of Heracles by Zeus, appeals to Zeus
to save her from the fire which is being
kindled by her husband Amphitryon and his
friend Antenor. Zeus has hurled two thunder
bolts at the torches while copious rain falls
from a rainbow and from the pitchers of the
Hyades (rain goddesses).
An adjoining vase (F 193) presents the
same subject in an abbreviated form.
Cases 20-23. The principal vases repre-
rig 67 sent offerings at tombs (Compare above,
Cases 14-17).
Cases 24-29. Vases of Campanian fabric, (See p. 188.)
Among them is a curious group of nearly flat plates, probably
intended for fish, and painted with characteristic fishes, and other
marine creatures.
Cases 32-45. Black glazed ware, in which the decoration
is placed by various methods upon the glaze. Thus the necessity
is avoided of leaving the ground colour vacant.
In Case 32, the old method of using the incised line is again
introduced, in combination with small patterns, painted or stamped
on the soft clay.
Cases 33-34. Plain or fluted vases, with white, red or purple
patterns upon the black glaze.
Cases 35—36. Vases similar to the preceding, having also
medallions in relief. Two buckets (G 31, 32, cf. fig. 67) are unusually
direct imitations of bronze vessels with movable bronze handles.
Cases 37-41. Black glazed ware, partly plain and partly fluted,
with figures and other decorations painted on the black glaze in
white, yellow and purple.

Later Italian Wares. 193
Cases 44-45 (middle). Imitations of red-figure vases, painted
in red (and sometimes in white also) on the black glaze. The cup
F 542, representing a young huntsman, seated, with his head
resting on his left hand, and a dog at his side, differs in execution
from the rest in having the shadows painted in by means of
hatched lines. Its whole appearance is suggestive of mural
painting, such as we see it at Pompeii.
(Above and below.) Examples of various late and local fabrics.
Cases 46-49. Vases of Lucanian and Apulian fabrics (see
above), all, however, marked by a common system of decoration,
consisting of an ivy branch on the upper panel.
Cases 50—59. Vases in the florid late Apulian style, marked
by a great variety of ornate shapes, and by- the choice of trifling
subjects, monotonously repeated.
Cases 60-65. South Italian vases, in imitation of later
Athenian wares. The subjects are various, being derived partly
from mythology — especially from the cycle of Dionysos — and partly
from daily life.
Case 63. F504, an unfinished ^yaws-cover, with a grotesque head,
shows clearly the manner of outlining a subject in the red-figure
style. Cases 66-67. Selected Italian vases with mythological
subjects. Among them are —
F479. Grater, with the infant Heracles strangling the snakes,
in the presence of numerous deities and of his mother Alcmene.
The scene corresponds to a picture of Zeuxis as described by Pliny
(Hist. Nat. xxxv. 63). F 270. Crater from Apulia. Orpheus in
Hades. Orpheus, known by his lyre, holds Cerberus by a chain,
and stands near a terminal figure, perhaps Apollo. Eurydice is
seated behind him. The other figures are, in the lower row, a
youth and pedagogue ; in the upper row deities, namely, Pan,
Hermes, Aphrodite with Eros. F 157. Crater, in Lucanian style,
with a burlesque version of Odysseus and Diomede surprising the
Trojan spy Dolon disguised in a wolfskin.
Cases 68—72 (middle shelf). Subjects connected with the later
Italian eomic stage, which was noted for farcical burlesques of
tragic dramas, called Phlyakes. The subjects usually have some
thing of a scenic setting, with a built stage, and the figures wear
comic masks. In F 151 the part of the centaur Cheiron is taken
by two characters, who together form a quadruped, as in modern
pantomime. Cases 71-72 also contain live subjects connected with the game
of Cottabos (cf. above, p. 182).

195

APPENDIX I.
The following Index to the Signed Vases at present in the
British Museum will be of service to students interested in the
particular painters. The positions of the vases are also given, but
these are liable to be changed from time to time as rearrangement
becomes necessary. Vases specially worth notice are distinguished
with an asterisk*. Most of the artists in this list are only known
to have practised with black-figure painting alone (Class B), or with
red-figure painting alone (Classes E, F). Those who are known to
have practised both are Epictetos, Hischylos, Nicosthenes and
Pamphaios. (See observations below. )

Artist asi> vase.

Shape.

Amasis

[B209

Amphora ..

B471

Olpe 

Abcbioles

B398

Kylix ...

B418

Kylix

Brtqos

E65 

"Kylix

Chachbtlion

E40 
Kylix
E41 
Kylix
[Bt. 1897]
Kylix frag
Ohamnos
B631
Oinoohoe .
Ol.ITIAS
B 6014, „
Dubis
E39 
Kylix
E48 
Kylix
E49 
Kylix
E768
*Psycter
EPIOTETOS
E3 
Kylix
E24 
Kylix
E37 
Kylix
Room amu
Case.
II. 48-49
II. 48-49
Subjects, etc.
Memnon.] Perseus and Medusa.
II. 48-49 ! Palmettes. Signed ' Archekles.'
II. 48-49 | Horseman.
III. E
III. D
III. D
II. G
III. D
IU. D
III. D
III. D
III. A
IU. B
III. B
Int. Warrior and woman ; (a)
Seileni and Iris ; (6) Seileni
and Hera.
Int. Amazon ; (a) Dionysos,
etc. ; (6) revel.
Int. Theseus and Ariadne (?) ;
(a) Theseus and Antiope;
(6) Conversation.
Int. Archer; (a) sacrifice; (6)
youths. Fragments of signa
ture extant ?
Vine-branches.
j See Ergotimos.
| Int. Athlete ; (a and 6) Boxers,
Labours of Theseus.
' Int. Man ; (a and 6) Symposion.
Seileni. Int. Youth ; (o and 6) Seilenos
armed. 'Hischylos made me.'
Int. Seilenos and wine-skin.
i Int. Singer ; (a) Theseus and
Minotaur; (6) Bevel.
1%

Appendix I.

Aktist amd Vase.
• Shape.
Case.
Subjects, etc.
Ewcteto8 (cont.)
E38 
Kylix
III. B ...
Int. Flute-player and girl ; (o)
Heracles and Busiris; (6)
Symposion. 'Python made me.'
E 135
Plate 
III. B ...
Archer running.
E 136
Plate 
III. B ...
Warrior and horse.
E 137
Plate 
III. B ...
Two revellers.
E 139
Cup 
III. B ...
(a) Dionysos ; (6) Seilenos.
' Pistoxenos made me.'
ElWOTIMOS (?)
B601„5 ...
II. 4 ...
Fragments of Kylikes (from
EUCHEIROS B417
EUPHBONIOS E44
EUXITHEOS E 258
Exekias B210
GamedesGlaukytes B400
Hekmaios E 34 ...
[Bt. 1896]
Hbrmogenes B412B413
Hieeon E61 ...
E 140
Hischylos E3 ...
E 6 ...
KlTTOS B604
Maurion E 770
Meidias E224
NlKlAS [Bt. 1898]
Kylix
*Kylix *Amphora
*Amphora
I Aryballos
' Kylix
1 Kylix Kylix
KylixKylixKylix *Cup...
KylixKylix AmphoraPyxis
*Hydria *Crater
Naucratis) which appear to
have parts of the names of
Ergotimos, and perhaps of
Clitias (p. 161).
II. 48^19 I Int. Ciiimaera. Signed 'Eucbei-
ros, the son of Ergotimos.'
III. D ... I Int. Man and Hetaera; (a)
Heracles and Eurystheus ; (6)
! Hermes and chariot.
III. A ... (a) Achilles ; (b) Briseis.
II. 48-49 (a) Achilles and Penthesilea ;
(b) Dionysos and Oinopion.
II. C ... Plain.
II. 48-49 Friezes with combats.
III. C ... Int. Woman with footpan.
III. 0 ... Int. Hermes with cup.
II. C ... Palmettes by handles.
II. 48-49 Ext. Ivy wreath.
III. E ... i Int. Flute-player and girl ;
(o and o) Hetaerae, etc.
III. E ... i Mission of Triptolemos.
See Epictetos.
See Pheidippos.
IV. E ... Panathenaio vase ; («) Athene :
figures of Triptolemos; (6)
Boxers.
III. K ... \ Arm and sheathed sword.
III. ped. 4 (1) Rape of Leukippidae ; (2 a)
Heracles and Hesperides ;
(2 6) Athenian tribal heroes.
<¦'<¦•¦ ... (a) Torch-race Victor;. (6)
Ephebi.
Signed Vases

197

Abtist.ahb Vase.

Shape.

Room and
Case.

Subjects, etc.

Nicosthenes

.' B295
Amphora ...
II. 48-49
Wrestlers and Boxers.
?4t» B 296
Amphora ... j
11. 48-49
(1) Cooks and Sirens; (2) Satyrs
and Maenads.
B297
Amphora ... ]
II- 48-49
(1) Sphinxes; (2) Satyrs and
Maenads.
(a) Heracles and Kyknos;. (6)
B364
Crater ... j
II. 48-49
!
Battle-scene.
B368
Bowl 
11. C ...
Tongue-pattern.
B60053 ...
Kylix fiagt.
II. 4 ...
Foot of kylix from Naucratis.
[Bl. 1893]
Kyathos . . .
II. 48-49
Maenads and -Satyrs. -
Pamphaios
IJ.ES. XVIII., pi. 17.
B300
Hydria
II. 48-49
Dionysos, Satyrs, Maenads.
E 11 
Kylix
III. A ...
Int. Warrior; (a) Dionysos and
Seileni; (b) Maenad and
Seileni.
E 12 ... ...
* Kylix
III. A ...
Int. Seilenos; (a) Winged-
figures and corpse;(6)Amazons.
E437
•"Stamnos ...
III. A ...
(a) Heracles and Acheloos; (6)
Satyr and Maenad.
E457
Foot 
HI. A ...
Name of Pamphaios.
E 8)5
Kylix
Unexhibited.
Pasiades
B 668
*Alabastron
II. C ...
Maenads.
PHEiDnros
%
E6 
Kylix
m.A ...
Int. Persian archer ; (a) Hoplite
running ; (b) Four athletes.
' Hischylos made me.'
Phi(n)tias
E 159
"Hydria
111.59 ...
(1) Youths drawin water; (2)
Symposion.
PflBYNOS
B424
Kylix
II. H ...
Int. Bel. Hermes and Dionysos
(late), (o) Birth of Athene ;
*
(6) Apotheosis of Heracles.
PlSTOXENOS
E 139
Cup 
See Epictetos.
POLYGNOTOS
E284
Amphora ...
III. E ...
(a) Dedication of Tripods ; (6)
Conversation.
[Bt. 1898]
Stamnos ...
III. E ...
(a) Heracles and Centaur; (6)
Ephebi.
Pbiafos (?)
B395
[KylixJ ...
11. C ...
Signature of [P]riapos on a frag
ment inserted.
"Python I.
E38 
Kylix
See Epictetos.
Python II.
F 149
Crater
IV. 18 ...
(a) Alomene; (6) Dionysino
scene.
Smikros
E 438
Stamuos ...
III.C ...
(a) Athene, Ajax and Hector;
(6) Combat.
SONDHOS
B 601„ ...
Kylikes ...
II. 4 ...
Fragments of four kylikes
with parts of name of
Sondros.
198

Appendix I.

Artist and Vase.

Shape.

Room and
Case.

Subjects, etc. ,

Sotades

D5 

*Kylix

III. C ...

GlaiicosandPolyeidos.[Sot]ades.

D6 

*Kjlix

III. C ...

Girl gathering apples. [Sotjades.

D8 

Phiale ...

III.-C ...

Plain.

Statius (?)

F594
Cantharos
IV. 33-34
Inscription doubtful.
Tl.ESON
Li 410
Kylix
II. C ...
(a and 6) Satyrs.
B411
Kylix
11. 48-49
Palmettes by handles.
B420
Kylix
II. 48-49
Int. Siren.
B421
Kylix
11. 48-49
Int. Hunter.
[Thypheithides]
E4 
Kylix ...
III. A ...
The signed handles do not belong
to the vase.
Xenocles *
B425
Kylix
11. C ...
Int. Iris; (a) Zeus, Poseidon,
Pluto; (&) Persephone.
lO-imx: PRINTED BV WILLIAM CLOWES AKD SONS, UMITED,
STAMFORD STREET AKD CHAKTKG CROSS.
APPENDIX II.-- Table ok the Greek and Roman Collections, histokically arranged.

date.

Geeek and Roman
HISTORY.

SCCLPTOKK.

TEKEA00TTAS.

Gems, Goi,d Orna-
MHNTS, ET0.

Etruscan Art.

VASBS.

Inscriptions.

DATE.

Before
700 B.C

Mycenaean period.

-Fragments from My
cenae.

Primitive figures
from Enkomi,
Ac.

Treasure from
Greek Islands;
Enkomi ; lalysos.
Island gems.
Island gems.
Cameiros orna
ments.

Primitive Italo-
Etruscan bronzes

Vases from En
komi, Curium,
lalysos, etc.

Before
700 B.C.

600

Early Metopes from
Selinus.

Sarcophagus (Etruscan).
Painted panels
(Cervetri).
Cornice from Lan-
uvium.
Sarcophagus, Claz
omenae.
Small terracotta
reliefs.

Polledrara Tomb
(p. 122).
Terracotta sarco
phagus.
\ Early Etruscan
ornaments.
Painted panels
(Cervetri, p. 129).
Limestone urns.

lEarly wares (Dipy-
\ Ion, Phaleron,
/ etc.)
KEirst Vase Room).

1

500

Solon (63S-55S).
Peisistratos (died
527).

Branchidae figures.
Archaic temple at
Ephesus.
Xanthian sculptures
(Harpy Tomb, etc.).

«
Scarabs and Scar
aboids.

Euphorbos Vase
(p. 153).
Black-figure vases
\ (Second Vase
' Room).

j On Euphorbos vase.
j Naucratis dedica
tions.
! On Branchidae
figures.
Croesus dedication
(550).
Sigeum inscription.
Treaty of Eleans and
Heraeans.

400
Battle of Marathon
(490).
Battle of Salamis
(480).
Administration of
Pericles (461-^29).
Peloponnesian War
(431-104).
Delphi Charioteer
, (east)
"jEglna Pediments
(480).
Theseion.
Parthenon (447- 438).
Temple of Phigaleia
(430).
Erechtheion.Grave reliefs of fine
style.
Nereid monument.
Athenian statu
ettes. •
Engraved gems of
best period (p.
116).
Etruscan bronze
statuettes.
Red-figure vases
- of fine style.
White Athenian
/ vases.
(Third Vase
Room.)
Helmet dedicated by
Argives.
Helmet of Hiero
(474).
Lygdamis inscrip
tion (460-454).
Locrian law (before
455).
Covenant of 03an-
theia and Chal
eion (440).
Potidaean epitaph.
Erechtheion Commis
sion (409).
300
Death of Socrates
(399).
Aristotle (384-322).
Alexander (356-323).
Tomb of Payava
(370?).
Mausoleum (350).
Demeter of Cnidos.
Great temple at
Ephesus.
Monument of Lysi
crates (335).
Temple at Priene
(334).
Vranagra figures.
Finest gold ,orna-
> ments.
Etruscan mirrors.
Later red - figure
vases.
(Fourth Vase
/ Room.)
Late Panathenaic
vases.
Dedication of Priene
temple.
200
Hellenistic sculp
ture.
Statuettes from
Cyrene and
South Italy.
Portraits in cameo.
i
Close of vase paint
ing.
Dedication of temple
at Canopus.
100
Roman conquest of
Greece (146).
Apotheosis of.
Homer.
- - - -
Portraitsjn cameo
and glass paste.
Sarcophagus _of
Seianti.
L
1 B.C.
Julius Caesar (100-44).
Augustus (63 B.C. to
14 A.D.).
Panels in
Cameo of Augus
tus.
Portland Vase.
Late bronze statu
ettes.
Arretine ware.
1A.D.
100
Tiberius (42 B.C. to
37 A.D.).
Romans conquer
Britain (43-84).
Destruction of Pom
peii (79).
Greeco-Roman sculp
tures.
Imperial portraits.
/ relief.
Srseco;*oman gems.
]
1A.D.
00
200
Hadrian (76-138).
Hadrian, Antinous.
Imperial portraits.
Later Roman gems
and jewellery.
Salutaris inscription 2
00
300
[For Roman Britain
see special collec
tion.]
Chaourse silver
plate. '
3
00
400A.B.
Conversion of Con-
stantine (312).
Stamped gold bars
(370).
4
Roman army leaves
Britain (410).
Plate I.

m

o a
O

Plate II.

3
fc> c

--..... — ^.-i^^a-,.:ai-iaLL^.. 1j2-> ti

to

a
o Q a

o

bo

Votive Relief of Artemis Bendis. (p. 50.)

Plate IV.

The Chariot Ghoup of the Mausoleum, (p. 58.)

Plate V.

Base of Sculptured Column, Temple of Artemis, Ephesus. (p. 69.)

Fig. 1. Head of a Gaul. (p. 73.)

Fig. 2. Head of 'Clytie.' (p. 75.)

Hm
<

Fig. 1. Head of Julius Caesar, (p. 84.)

Fig. 2. Head op Young Augustus, (p. 85.)

Plate VIII.

Greek Terracottas, (p. 95.)

Fig. 1.

The Portland Vase.
(p. 105.)

Fig. 2.

TJ
r>

Etruscan Terracotta Sarcophagus, (p. 123.

Fig. 1. Head of Aphrodite, (p. 131.)

Fi-,'. 2. Head of Hypnos or Sleep, (p. 134.)

Plate XII.

/"Ttivoili „ ^ -
'E ^.Prawste /~"
Pae/ffiLUCANIA,

YALE UNIVERSITY LIBR

. ' ,•; ;

•i

¦.¦:.¦¦:¦;.:¦ :