The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-08-04

1
not to sell any until tho entire collection shall nave
boon removed to the new building.
iNPoRrANcs OF THE NEW COLLECTION
The second collection OF objects uneartned at
winch he was found at work by the writer has never
yet been exhibited TO the public, except that portion
OF II, consisting OF gold and silver and gems known
as Tho "Curium trcasure." Aside from this extraor
binary feature The collection richer than the nrst
collection IN glassware pottery, oronzss and aabaster
O the lsst named su 5sance there 200 Objects anu
the pottery contains over 100 new types or vrms oil
vases The Curium treasure IS, OF course, the most
remarkable feature of the collection. comprising as II
does almost all tho votiyo offerings presented TO
temple during perioj ranging from The year looO
u. e. to within COZ years OF Tue Christian era, when
tho structure destroyed by tue Persaus IL by
lar the largest collection OF such offerings ever found
IN any Que temple. mo potteries embrace u great
many pieces OF pure PhGn ican xorKmanship. some
oil these arc Of The ampho' shape hitherto attributed
to .he Greeks, thus showing inat the latter merely
copied from tho ruder people and improved upon H.
Upon some OF the vases The meander, or So called
'Grsek border Is rudsiy Traced, proving this also
nlshed Ny these collections necessitates the rewriting
OF the history OF Greek art aud assigns to The Greeks
somewhat inherent place IRON that SO long ac
corded them. Eacn OF the races that ut ono
tins or another had Dominion in the Island
of ITS history and lis daily lie anu thought. Phenl-
clan, Cuneiiorm nierogiyphc Cyproto, archaic Greek
aud more modern Greek inscriptions; and Assyrisn,
Egyptian, Pnonician, Cyprlols and Greek works OF
art record tho sojourn IN cyprus OF the great OF
art from the hands OF these races forming key to
their lie, IN the museum comprised In the
cctions OF General d. cesnola Scholars have declared
that these collections contain the first known works
OF Pb9nician art proving that the Ph9nicans
the teachers OF the Etruscans, and that they also IL
lustrate the manner In which the cvz tion and the
arts Of the st were transmitted to the Greeks The
sculptures In the collection declared DO tue
Oldest known, and 10 have remodcled tho history of
that art aud the engraved cylinders among the
Oldest and rarsst With their aid the Cyprioe sys-
temwhich ceased 10 be used In the 9TH century be-
fore Chrst-has been completed
SKULLS FOUR THOUSAND YEARS OLD.
feature OF the new collection which III attract q
Of At dea n LOn fro uruea nj IL
the series OF skulls exhumed from tho Oldest OF the
$4,000 tombs opened by the explorer They arc
twenty-five IN number. Four or five were found
broken when the cases opened and icli into
dust on beng handed There are fragments Ola skull
which the Him OF gold sdheres appears 10 be de-
pressed, as II the band had been worn great deal
during ME- Fragments OF another skull bear traces
Of nre Most OF these curious remains so far
csysd that their substance be puverzed between
tns thumb ana nnssr and tho teeth, wnH Looking
break into pieces II ono attempts TO pull them out OF
the sockets with The ogers There Is reason to be-
eve that OF these skulls is older than Thotmes
ILL.,, VINO conquered the Island about eighteen hun
dred years before Christ Still anothsr-unmistaka.
bly, that OF woman-is In perfect state oil prsser.
walton, tho substance being hard and polished as
physican's specimen. Its curious that nineteen out
vi tho twenty i've skulls which have survived the
effects OF these centuries those Of women, that
it would appear women had thicker skulls than men.
even III those early ages las General d. Cesnola is
married the writer assumes all responsibility for this
remark When these remains shall be placed on ex.
hibition each skull Will be shown with all The obJccs
found with it in the tomb
''ALL IS vANIrY.n
One OF the srinning fragments OF mortality was
evidently the ''seat OF thought" OF some Ph1nlcan
Assyran BELLE who possibly may have carried on IA
Irritation with the victorious King Thotmcs himself
ornamen,ed; long hairpn Of bone, with a
figure Of Venus carved on top about as long
thrust through coil OF hair like the sham daggors
vogue short time since, and which II resembles
much in size ana shape. Several small glass bottles,
evidently used for toilet purposes, were ALSO found IN
her tomb. by the side OF another OF the skulls VAS
found tiny statue OF Mylitta the Assyrian Venus,
and in still another BABY lonian cylinder picked
up In this way The nationality OF the renal Is IN
many instances Indicated by tho objects und IN the
tomb.
About thousand little heads, the size of ordinary
plums, are included in this COLLECTION. They arc OF
terra Gotta aud wcrc In most INSTANCES found broken
from The bodies, ~ these were IN most instances
nero rough snaIt or pedestal for the support OF the
head. THESE figures constituted the statues of tho
found. Fifteen out Of every twenty OF
them represent Hercules Apollo, Minerva or
possible workmanship, others show Cypriots
workmanship under tho nrst influence OF the
in the highest styie OF art. somewhat surprising
thing that very lew objects Of character
were found sn0os I'VE saDd v was ass'ca.SS
site OF most magnificent temples In her honor
OF the remarkable statues OF heroic size
the COLLECTION ure supposed TO represent her, aad
them represent the goddess with beard.
The value OF OF these larger statues may be in
errod from the fact That tho Brush Museum exports
valued three OF them at $40, 900 apiece and
ophagus at 5000 General ID Cssnols declined TO
sell tncse because he preserve his col
lection entire ana was also dcsrous OF placing IL on
exhibition IN his adopted country.
LIBERAL APPROPRIATIONS TO the BRITISH MUSEUM
That tho British Museum can Afford 10 ollsr good
prices Is not surprising, since u receives almost
$looOooo every year from the government
YORK 6antling Even the Boston Museum is
called Tor iuuds and $lz0,0o0 were subscribed
single week by the citizens Of the Hub, while IN
Now YORK the much talked OF attempt to collect
500 OOO Tor purchase OF the splendid Cistsiani
collection had TO be abandoned aftor months Of siren
uous effort In view OF the little assistance gwen by
the general puOlic ana the iact that ali The money
thus tar subscribed has como from tho pockets OF
score who have also done all the work In
necion with the institution, II seems absurd 10 call
the institution the "Metr potan" Museum Of Art
STATUES WASTING AWAY.
Tho new building nus been completed meme too soon
for O the most valuable objects iu the collection
need 10 be placed under glass At to prevent ssr
injury For instance the large statues from Cyprus
suffer rom sort OF decay. From time TO time coat
ing that Looks ike dust forms upon them,
animation this is found to DO n thin film OF the stone
which has dsintegratcd from exposure 10 the ar The
features OF some figures already Dcgn 10 change under
this insidous influence The material Is sort OF lime
sniiAr " that OF the foundation OF tho great
Temple OF Baibec and ~ that oil which the Pyramids
are built
TOO siver and bronze articles also suffer from oxida
alton, ana II the silver Is not to be irrstrevably
injured means must BIO at once devised TO stopiL wo
SILVER bowls were gwen some time ago TO man con.
nectod with the Brush Museum and no put them
through some process when completely stopped the
oxldsiion ana the articles detsr,oraed
He charged high price, however II hoped that
American Will be iouud clever enough to prevent
further deterioration ana render appeal to England
unnecessary.
THE MUSEUM ENTIRELY FREE
IL may DC we'll ~ bear mind that when tho
change TO the new building shall have made the
museum, by the terms Of ths agreement with the
Park Commissioners. will DO Practically Tree to ALL
subject only to the reservation OF such days may
be sci aside by the trustees the Of mon bers
students aud artista fhs design Of the 10
make the educational Importance OF tho Institution
prominent and II Is already resortsd 10 by artisans
Tor ideas aud models, aud by artists who study and
copy tho works Oh exhibition. IL Is Intended 10 estab
lish an ART school IN connection with II anu tn give
free courses OF lectures. General ID Ccsnola
preparing course OF lectures upon the place held by
Greece IN the history OF arr indicated by the dis
cVvercs at cyprus aud he will deliver nj least the first
OF these Tree AZ The new museum by OF starring
the ball rolling In this lecture no will undertake TO
porve that the Phonniciaus were not as Is generally
supposed, mere Trading people, like the Jews VI to-
day, but That they had national aud distinct
anu compact national existence, aud that our present
civiiizitiou owes more 10 them tnan to the Creeks