Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1843-05-19

! than 5000 having been found in the course of a
few months, on the estate of the prince alone.
| This discovery seems to prove conclusively, that
these vases do not belong to Grecian art, in the
common acceptaton ofthat term, as they un.
doubtedly date from period prior to our earl.
est historical accounts of the cultivation of art in
Greece and the probability therefore is, that pr.
NAVAL Italy was rather the mistress than the pu-
pill of Greece.
The Etruscan vases AS have already remarked,
have been usually found in graves and other
funeral monuments, and though particular
class called urns cinerary vases usually con.
tain the ashes of the dead, yet by far the greater
number of them seem to have been table or orna-
mental furniture, such as pitchers, drinking YES
sells, lamps, flower pots, essence and toilet jars
nc. A numerous and elegant suit of vases was
as much matter of pride with the ancient tall.
ians, as n splendid service of Dresden or Sevres
proclaim in modern times, and the antique
Etrrscun pottery was very highly priced by the
luxurious and tasteful Romans, IN the time ofthe
Republic and carly empire. In graceiulncss of
form, beauty of decoration, and excellence Of
workmanship, antiquity has left us nothing more
perfect than these little vessels. The common
material is fine clay, and the colour of the
ground is usually reddish, but sometimes yell
low. Whether these colours are derived from
the native ingredients of the clay, or from some
foreign admixture or coating, is disputed, but
there seems to be reason to think, that in some
instances, the colour is natural to the clay, and
in others, artically produced, They are gem
orally ornamentcd with figures of exquisite puri-
ty Of design and delcacy of execution, usually
black red ground, sometimes the reverse,
and in either case often heightened by touches
Of white or other colours, and sometimes entire
ly white on a black or red ground These fig
ures appear to have been traced on the surface
of the vase before baking, by means of pertor
ated pattern of parchment, sheet bronze or other
flexible material, and coating of different coll
our from the ground then applied to the fig
| ure or the ground, according to the taste OF the
artist. In some instances the traced ground APP
! pears to have been removed to certain depth,
after tracing, and the figures TO have been scpar-
ately formed and inlaid, and in others, the whole
surface coated before the tracing, after which
! the traced figures were removed, and the ground
left of its original colour, or figures of different
hue inlaid. The subjects represented are usual
| ly NEUROLOGICAL or mytho- historical, and art has
nothing of more exquisite beauty to boast, than
these small figures, which are but of very few
inches in height The bodies of the vases up.
pear to have been fashioned upon the lathe, and
the handles, lcat-work and other raised dccora-
tons, were separately moulded, chiefly by the
hand and attached by simple contact. The me-
chanlcal skill ofthe ancient potters in mixing
and preparing the clay, and in working and burn
ing or drying it, (for some of the vases are
unburnD is proved by the vast numbers of these
vessels which still remain entire and in all their
primitive sharpness of outline, and beauty of col
our, and by the remarkable fact, that the strong
est mineral acids do not act upon any of the
colours employed in them, except upon the
white.
now existing Of the pottery of the ancient ltal-
ians, but there is good reason to believe that they
were acquainted with every kind of clay ware
known to the modcrns, whether glazed or un-
pottcrv. Among The GrcSks n,,a Romans. nc,.
thcr cast nor sheet IRON was usrd for the f,br;.
cation of hollow ware and CLAY vessels soon, ~
have occupied the place. which in our domestic
economy is filled hy vessels of metal or of wood
The common reccptacles for wine and oil. both
of which were very laruely consumed bv the an.
clients. as well as for all other fluids, were of CLAW
and the vast extent to which these vessels were
used Mt Rome is curiouslv illustrated Inv III.
| Monte Tes,occio or Potsherd h;u billocl,
which tbourb mncb reduced in d;mens;ons s;ncn
the seventeenth century s Gill IGo foot IN boi1,h,
and one third If n mile IN circumc,rnnrn and 10
comnoscd entirely of Placements or broLcn Motto
rv-,nnorontlv n GENERAL nIoco Of d.ros;, far nj,
the notshcrds of the CITY
Both the Greeks and the Ervntions poasesscd
canal skill with tho ancient Italians in the fab.
rication of the finer wares of CLAW, The proncr
Greek vases are too similar IN those f,und in IT,
alv 10 ron,,ire n senoratn descr;nt;on md ,boso
n IpDs tn m pn to hat
the three nat,ns derived tho ort from, = common
source Ourknovlcd ro of E,,y,t;o, ,ottorv; Ja.
rived nrincin,Ilv from tbo r,int;n,s IN ,h ,omhs
hut vases of CLAW. nc vol ne If metal have bean
not unfreonently found in Tho rims If Tbcbes
i Tho mnnufciuro of norc.l,;p tho most scr.
vicnoblc az wnll ,s boou,tf,l in toy,ure All CLAW
wares. is known to have been carried On nv thc
Chinese from very carly noriod. and n cnr;ous
proofof the treat antiouitv oftbc Chinese norce.
y lain has lately bcep unernec,edL ,nnt viii in
Egypt. In an Eoyptian tomb which had no,
been opcneJ since The timc of the phnraohs tbo
Tuscan ontionorv Rosoll;ni toundo snail bottIo
of Chinese porcelain with Chinese nscrpton
:. precisely similar in GENERAL appeorance to hot.
Ties manufactured in Chin, NJ the nrcscnt DIV
though of somewhat finer t.vtnrc 7, was filod
with a cosms etc. and no doubt was part of tbe
toilet furniture of some Ervnt;on lndy WIN
"Waked about. how stronGc \ storyl
In Thebess streets, three thonsan years ago"
Several other similar vessels have been found in
the same locality, under circumstances, which pre-
clude the supposition, that they were brought from
the East IN modern times In strength and beauty
Of texture, the Chinese porcelain has never been
eqnalled, though in gracefulness of form and