292. Aphroditè and Eros in relief, from Crete. Compare the group on the Parthenon frieze (p. 39). The incised design shows Eros with bucket and pitcher, hastening to draw water.

See also a fragment of a mirror-case, with a fine design of a Greek supporting a wounded comrade on his arm, and defending him with outstretched shield from the attack of an enemy.

On the opposite side of the case :—

290. Mirror-case, with a delicately worked relief of Victory sacrificing a bull. This was a favourite subject with the Greek artists. Compare the terracotta panels mentioned above (p. 126). 1*. Mirror-case from Elis. Here, as on the bronzes of Siris (p. 178), a Greek and Amazon are seen in combat, but in this instance (being a design for a lady's mirror, and not for a soldier's cuirass) the Amazon is the victor.

The divisions nearest to the wall of the room, on each side of the case, contain works of the same class from Etruria. Though similar in many respects to the Greek reliefs, a tendency may be noticed towards more flaccid forms and more florid treatment.

Above the case select vases with subjects in relief, etc.

At one end, 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 Malachè, but the subject is not otherwise known. The type suggests the wrestling of Peleus and Thetis.

Immediately above is (825) a very choice statuette of Hermes, of the early Roman Empire, found in France.

Circular Case 13. 560. Caldron. In the centre of the cover is a group of a man and woman, perhaps Hades carrying off Persephonè, 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. Round the body is an incised frieze, with Heracles driving away the cattle of Cacus, various groups of animals, a chariot race, and wrestlers.

588. Tripod support for a caldron, decorated with subjects in relief. The three reliefs appear to represent the story of Heracles and Alcestis: (1) Hermes in running attitude; (2) Thanatos (Death) carrying away Alcestis; (3) Heracles in running attitude.

Pedestal 14. A remarkable bronze head of the Emperor Augustus in early manhood (Plate XXII.). The bust is in admirable preservation, the inlaid eyeballs being perfectly preserved. It was discovered in December, 1910, by Prof. John Garstang, who was carrying on excavations at Mercë (Kabushia), in the Egyptian Sudan, on behalf of the Sudan Excavation Committee of the University of Liverpool. The bronze was acquired by the British Museum, through the liberality of the Sudan Excavation Committee, in consideration of a sum of one thousand guineas contributed by the National Art-Collections Fund to the further excavations of the Committee.

We turn to the wall-cases in order round the room.

Cases 31-32. Greek and Italian bronzes of primitive style. With these are a few in which Egyptian and Oriental influences can be detected, that may be supposed to have been communicated through the Etruscans.

Cases 33-35.

early period.

Greek (and especially Ionian) bronzes of an

209. Figure of Apollo, with a fawn on his right hand, and once, probably, holding a bow in the left. There is strong reason for thinking that this statuette is a copy of the statue of Apollo Philesios 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.

232. A fine lioness of archaic style from the Woodhouse collection. The objects in these cases illustrate the early feeling for decorative forms.

Cases 36-37. Early Etruscan bronzes, with examples of the application of sculptural designs to objects such as mirror-stands and the like, sixth to fifth centuries B.C.

Cases 38-39. Etruscan statuettes of the period of transition from the archaic to the fully-developed style. 5th-4th centuries B.C. Cases 40, 41. Greek bronzes, from the fifth century onwards. Cases 42-49. Bronzes of a larger size (of various periods).

Cases 42-45. Earlier works, for the most part of Etruscan origin. With them 554, a circular cista with an admirable piece of

archaic decoration, namely, a frieze of running Gorgons, repeated indefinitely by impressions from a single mould (fig. 76).

Cases 46-47. Later works.

Cases 48-49. 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 bronzes 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. The greater number of those here exhibited were acquired by Mr. Payne Knight. Two especially fine additions

to the group have been made at a recent date, derived from the collection of Mr. Hawkins. The relief of Aphroditè and Anchises was purchased, in part by the aid of private subscriptions, and of a contribution from the National Art-Collections Fund. The statuette of the seated Hermes was a gift from Mrs. Hawkins.

The whole group is approximately of one and the same period, such inequalities as appear being due to the different hands, and is probably to be assigned to the close of the fourth century B.C. Specially noteworthy are 274, Poseidon, and 275, Zeus; also the relief of Aphroditè and Anchises (?) and the seated Hermes. The two latter pieces were restored by Flaxman.

Cases 50-51. Later Etruscan bronzes.

Case 52.

Roman subjects. Statuettes of Lares and the like. Case 53. In part, Gallo-Roman bronzes, found in Gaul.

Cases 54-60, 1-9 are intended to illustrate the application of Greek design, in the decoration of objects of daily life, such as vases and the like.

Cases 54-60.

Candelabra and lamps. Many of the Candelabra are surmounted by Etruscan statuettes of an early period and of considerable interest.

Case 56 (lower part). For the most part unclassed or semibarbarous works from outlying regions, such as Syria, Sardinia, and Spain.

Cases 1-9. Decorated vases, vase-handles, etc., of all periods. Cases 10-11. Figures of animals, dwarfs, actors, etc.

Cases 12-19 contain bronzes of a considerable size. Among them are:

1328. A figure of Dionysos, youthful and somewhat effeminate. The eyes have been inlaid with silver. From Porto Trajano. (The right leg and left foot are restored.)

987. Apollo. It has been conjectured that he is here represented at the moment when he orders the flaying of Marsyas.

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.

1326. Young Dionysos, from the Payne Knight collection. Cases 18-19. Bronze busts, of a large size.

Cases 20-30 contain select statuettes illustrating the mythological types of the chief ancient deities.

Case 20. Zeus (or Jupiter) with eagle and thunderbolt, and the kindred form of Zeus Serapis.

(In the lower row) Poseidon (Neptune), and River gods, etc. Case 21. Apollo; Artemis (Diana); Lunus, Mithras, Atys ; Muses; Hephaestos (Vulcan).

Case 22. Athenè (Minerva), with helmet, spear, goat-skin aegis, and the Gorgon's mask.

(In the lower row) Ares (Mars).

Case 23. Aphroditè (Venus).

Cases 24-25. Eros (or Cupid); Hermes with cap, wings,

herald's staff (or caduceus), and sometimes with his later attributes of the purse and the cock.

Case 26. Heracles (Hercules), young, beardless or bearded.

Cases 27-28. Dionysos (Bacchus) and his train of Silenus, the Satyrs and the Maenads.

Case 29. The Egyptian deities Isis and Harpocrates.
Case 30. Fortune, Victory, the Gorgon Medusa, etc.

INTRODUCTION TO THE VASE
ROOMS.

A collection of Greek vases is apt to be somewhat unattractive at the first sight. In vases of 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, a 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 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. 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

The

story, while at other times they show curious discrepancies between the literary and artistic traditions. Not infrequently the vases give representations of myths which in literary form are only preserved to us by the allusions of late writers.

The collection of ancient vases is derived from all parts of the ancient Greek world, from Italy, and to a certain extent from more outlying provinces of the Roman Empire. Thus, in the First Room, we have groups of vases representing the early civilization of Crete, and other branches of a primitive Mediterranean culture. Adjoining these are examples of the fully developed Mycenaean pottery and of the great group of geometric wares of Greece and Cyprus. In the Second and following Vase Rooms most of the vases exhibited have been found either in the course of excavations in Athens and other sites in Greece proper, or else 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 world. Thus we have groups of vases from

Rhodes, Cyprus, Cyrenè, and Naucratis. In addition, a very large number of vases were imported from Greece, or from Greek 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 Etruscan 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 have been placed together in the Italic Room (p. 174).

In later periods there was also an active manufacture of painted and decorated vases in the Greek communities of Southern Italy and Sicily.

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 ceremonial libations and offerings at the tomb, but