Dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

PICT URA. PICTURA. J97
tlrely ceased about the time of the destruction of left: TON A~ENEON A@AON EMI, ri;,'AOln.
Corinth, and that the art of manufacturing vases VEos' dOeAoP Eildi, " I am the prize of the Athebegan to decline towards the reign of Trajan, and naea" (Panathenaea). It is supposed to be of
arrived at its last period about the time of the Anto- the time of Solon. (Millingen, Anc. Unzed. lyon.
nines and Septimius Severus. Vase painting had pl. 1.)
evidently ceased long before the time of Pliny, for The vases with the yellow monograms, or rather
in his time the painted vases were of immense the black monograms upon the yellow grounds,
value and were much sought after; but the manu- constitute the mass of ancient vases. Their illusfacture of the vases themselves appears to have been trations are executed with various degrees of merit:
still extensive, for he himself mentions sixteen those of inferior execution, also of this class, have
celebrated potteries of his own time, eight in Italy traces of the graphis upon them, which appear to
and six elsewhere. The vases, however, appear to have beein drawn upon the soft clay; the only
have been merely remarkable for the fineness or colour upon these, independent of that of the clay,
durability of the clay and the elegance of their is the darlk back-ground, generally black, which
shapes. (H. N. xxxv. 46.) For the composition of renders the figures very prominent. The designs
the clay, with which these fictilia were made, upon the better vases are also merely monograms,
see FICTILE. with the usual dark back-grounds, but there is a
Even in the time of the empire painted vases very great difference between the execution of
were termed "' operis antiqui," and were then these and that of those just alluded to; there are
sought for in the ancient tombs of Campania and no traces whatever of the graphis upon them, their
other parts of Magna (raecia. Suetonius (Jul. outlines are drawn with the hair pencil, in colour,
Caes. 81) mentions the discovery of some vases of similar to that of the back-ground, which is a
this description in the time of Julius Caesar, in species of black varnish, probably asphaltum; or
clearing away some very ancient tombs at Capua. perhaps rather prepared with the gagates lapis
It is also remarkable that not a single painted (jet?) (ya7yd-r's) of Pliny, for he remarks that it
vase has been yet discovered in either Pompeii, is indelible when used on this kind of earthenware.
Herculaneum, or Stabiae, which is of itself almost (/H. N. xxxvi. 34.)
sufficient to prove that vase painting was not The best of these vases, which probably belong
practised, and also that painted vases were ex- to about the time of Alexander, are conspicuous
tremely scarce. We may form some idea of their for a very correct style of design, although they
imnmense value from the statement of Pliny (H. Ar. are invariably carelessly executed, especially in the
xxxv. 46), that they were more valuable than the extremities, but exhibit at the same time a surpris-.
Msurrhine vases. [MURRHINA VASA.] The paint- ing facility of hand. The celebrated vase of Sir
ings on the vases, considered as works of art, vary W. HIamilton's collection, now in the British Muexceedingly in the detail of the execution, although seum, the paintings of which represent Hercules*
in style of design they may be arranged in two and his companions in the gardens of the HIespeprincipal classes, the black and the yellowv; for rides, and the race of Atalanta and lHippomenes,
those which do not come strictly under either of exhibits, for design, composition, and execution,
these heads, are either too few or vary too slightly perhaps the finest specimen of ancient vase paintto require a distinct classification. The majority ing that has been yet discovered: the style of deof the vases that have been as yet discovered have sign is perfect, but the execution, though on the
been found, in ancient tombs, about Capua and whole laborious, is in many parts very careless.
Nola. (D'Hancarville, plates 127, 128, 129, 130.)
The black vases, or those with the black figures There appears to be no example of the more
upon the stained reddish-yellow terra cotta, the perfect monochrom (see No. III.) upon ancient
best of which were found at Nola, are the most vases, and examples of the polychrom are very
ancient, and their illustrations consist principally rare. II Sir W. Hamilton's collection there are a
of representations from the early mythological tra- few examples in which various colours have been
ditions; but the style of these vases was some- added after the ordinary monogram has been comtimes imitated by later artists. (Plate 56, vol. iv. pleted, for they are not incorporated with the vase,
of D'Hancarville is an example.) The inferior ex- as the black and ground tints are, but are subject
amuples of this class have some of them traces of the to scale and are easily rubbed off. They consist of
graphis or cestrum upon them, which appear to white, red, yellow, and blue colours. These vases
have been made when the clay was still soft; some are apparently of a later date than the above; for
also have lines or scratches upon the figures, which the style of design is very inferior.
have been added when the painting was completed. The Museums of Naples, Paris, London, and
The style of the design of these black figures, or other cities afford abundant examples of these anskiagrams, is what has been termed the Egyptian cient vases; the Museo Borbonico at Naples
or Daedalian style. The varieties in this style contains alone upwards of 2500 specimens. The
are, occasionally a purple tint instead of the black; subjects of the illustrations are almost always conor the addition of a red sash, or white vest, and nected with ancient mythology, and the execution
sometimes a white face and white hands and is generally inferior to the composition.
feet. A curious and interesting example of this No opinion of the style of the designs upon
kind of polychrom, in black, red, and white, was ancient vases can be formed from the generality of
discovered near Athens in 1813, representing on the great works purporting to illustrate them, which
one side a Minerva with a spear and shield, in the have been published of late years. Very few are
Daedalian style; and on the reverse, in a some- at all accurate in the lines and proportions, espewhat better style, a youngu man driving a biga cially of the extremities; and ill some, even the
of mo-st ancient construction; it is supposed to composition is not faithfully imitated. This is
represent Erichthonius. Near the Minerva is particularly the case with the splendid works pubthLie following inscription, written from right to lishcd by Dubois-Maissonneuve, Laborde, and some