Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1843-06-16
HISTORY OF THE MECHANIC ARTS.

request Of The Institute.
(Continued)
90 lar MS we can conjecture from history, from
the remains which have come down TO us from
antiquity, and from priOri probability, the oldest
art IS that of the Potter. One Of the fist and
most indispensable wants of man is hollow YES
sci TO contain his food, and no material suited to
tie fabrication Of such ware is so universally diff
fused, or so easily fashioned, as clay. The raw
maierial is every where abundant, aud the hand
was originally the only, and still is the chief inn
plemenl, by which il is wrought. Vessels OF clay
may therefore bc reasonably presumed to have
existed before there were any known means of
forging or casting metals, or of following out
stone or even wood, aud it is remarkable that tho
most ancient remains of architectural skill, aud
tile most venerable memorials Of human industry
now known To exist, should he composed OF one
OF the most fragile of materials. The bricks OF
Babylon are older than The Pyramids, aud The clay
vases OF the aboriginal inhabitants OF Italy, race
whose history was forgotten before Rome was
buIlt, has outlasted many proud structure of
marble aud granite. The city of Rome was loun-
dcd about 20OO years ago, in region uboundIng
IN volcanoes, Which bad not only become exlinci,
but whose eruption of lava and ashes had been
deeply covered with vegetable soil before the
Tune OF RomnIus-a process requiring hundreds,
perhaps thousands OF years and yet buried un-
der layer Of volcanic ashes hnrdened by the slow
Chemistry of nature, TO stone, aud this again COW
cred 10y several feet Of earth and vegetable mould
have recently been found numerous clay vases,
under clrcuns aucrs clearly showing that they
must have been buried before the deposition o f
tue Cruptivc matter which now covers thenl.--
Clay vases are moreover often discovered in the
most ancient tumbs Of Europe; the Chinese, who
ma, perhaps claim TO be the most ancient OF ma
lions, count them nmong the most venerable
works OF their fathers; they lave been found IN
the ruins uI the ancient cities Of this continent,
and among our own Indians, and there is no peo-
pie who do not and have not, from their earliest
antiquity, wrought ~ this material, though in
tropical regions, the abundance Of gourd like
pants and OF large shell isl, supply to some e8-
tentthe place, witch clay vessels ccupy in cold
cllmutcs. We owe our principal knowledge of
the pottery Of Tho anciens to that superstItious
piety, which led them to deposle in the graves OF
the dead, vases nd other valuable articles, either
for use in future state OF existence, or because
the deceased considered us still retaining his
right Of properly & The articles most priced by him
in life.
The antique vessels, which mentioned us
having been recently found near Rome, consist of
large cases, answering the purpose of collins in
the shape of large houses or rather huts, aud con-
tanning smaller and more finely wrought vases Of
various FORMS and many other articles both OF or
namcnt and USE, together with the homes and
ashes of the dead. lu HE first, aud as far MS |
than 1000 OF these vessels have been found
they are Of rude Workmanship, but similar in
their general character 10 the celebrated Etrus-
can vases. which, though at least in general prob
ability OF later date, deserve more extended no =
tice because Of their superior merit as works OF
art.
There has been nusII dispu,. among antigua
rcs in regard TO The proper appelIations of these
vases, aud they have been sometimes rather arbi'
trarily divided into various classes, EirusCan
Campalian, Tyrrheuian, Egyptian and Greek.
aud while some Investigators have claimed them
ali teiougHig 10 Greek art, others have us con-
fdently ascrbed their origin to Egypt. They
have been onnd in various parts OF Italy, in great
numbers, and many Of hem, il not contempora
| neous with those discovered beneath the erup-
tons OF extinct volcanoes, belong 10 period Al
least anterior 10 the foundation Of Rome In the
year 1890, very large number Of these vases was
discovered in ancient buria, places on the estate
OF Lucitn Bonnparte, prince OF Canine, and OF
other estates in the same region, no less than 200(
having been found in the course Of few months
on the estate of the prince alone. This discovery
seems 10 prove conclusivey; that these vases dc
not belong 10 Grecian art, in the common accepla
! ton of that term, as they undoubtedly date from
| period prior 10 our earliest historical accounts O.
the cultivation Of the art in Greece, and the prob
bilily therefore is, that prinBval Italy was rathe
the mistress than The pupiI OF Greece.
The Etruscan vases, rs | have already remark
| ed, have been usually found in graves aud othe
| funeral monuments and though particular elias
called urns or cinerary vases, usually contain TIT
ashes of the dead, YET by far the greater humble
OF them seem to have been table or ornamental
furniture, such us pitchers, drinking vessels
! lamps, flower pots essence and toilet jars, &c
| numerous aud elegant suit of vases a
much a matter of pride with the ancient Italians
AS a splendid service OF Dresden and SeYres pur
celan III modern times, and The antique Etruscal
pottery wns very highly priced by the luxurlou
| and tasteful Romans III the time OF the Republic
and early empire. In gracetulness OF form, beau
~ Of decoration, aud excellence OF workmanship
| antiquity has left us nothing more perfect THAI
these little vessels The common material is
fine clay, and the color of the ground is usual
reddish, but sometimes Yellow Whether thes
coors are derived ircm The native ingredients o
the clay, or from some foreign admixture o
coating, is disputed, but there seems TO be reason
to think, that in some instances the color is nat
ural to the clay, AMI in Others, artifciay pr oduc
ed They generally ornamented with figure
of exquisite purity OF design aud dehcacy of ex
eculiun, usually black on a red ground, sometime
The reverse, and in either case often heghtene
by touches of white or other co'ors, aud somt
tunes entirely white, on black red grounI
These figures appear to have been traced on Ih
surface Of the vase before baking, by means OF
perforated pattern or parchment, sheet. bronze {
|
color from the ground was then applied 10 I'll
figure or the ground according 10 the taste OF N
artist In some lmiauccs the traced ground al
pears TO have been removed 10 Il cerlan dept
after tracing, and the figures TO lave been sept
ratey iorined ami inlud, and in others, the who
surface was coated before the tracing after whc
the traced figures were removed and the groun
left of it's original color, or figures OF dltierel
hue inlad. The subjects represented are usual
neurological, or myIho- historical, and art hi
nothing of more exquisite beauty 10 boast, tina
these SINAI! figures, which are oflut few inch'
in height. The bodies OF these vases appear
have been fashioned upon the lathe, and the har
dies, leaf work and other raised decorations, wei
separately moulded, chiefly by the hand and a
laehed by simple contact. The mechanical ski
of the ancient polters in mixing and preparin
the clay, and in working and burning or drying
lor some of the vases are unburnl) is proved
the vast numbers OF these vessels which still =,
main entire aud in all their primitive sharpness