New-York tribune., 1890-01-11
Arr At THE UNION LEAGUE
CREEK FIGURINES AND VASES
A AaEMARKABLE EXHIBITION FROM ASH MINoB
AND GREECE

| AND OkEECE-
The exhibition of Greek vases and fgnriics at the
rnion League club, might be called the INST serious
# the clubs efforts. 1t IS something with none II
bur clubs or societies has undertaken befGe and in
the case Of the Asiac-Greek fgurines Examples of
art practically unknown TO our public hae been col
lcctcd for this exhibition. The general interest OF
this collection lies in the grace Of form, subtle truth
Of action and animate eXprcssyeness OfGgures r0bed
in the beautifully varied folds OF costume which for
scuIpturcsque charm has never beer approached.
These qualities apparent to the Hsst indifferent
observer who will find that vitality All also dignity
in sculpture are not dependent upon s,e. Moreover,
these satucttes. wien their history ad associations
are made clear become invested with shuman interest
which does not attach 10 the more abstract monu-
mental sculpture.
These figures as we know thework Of distinct
class Of artists The mOdcer Of fllrines was called
the coroplastes7 and the study ofs Work IN terra
Gotta has been termed natural tan>iuoh from the
history Of sculpture To study the plnte1 vases
Illustrated in this collection. These fgarcs represent
but one phase of the work done By the modellers
in terra Gotta. who occupied themselves WIN archi'
tccturaI ornaments I'm some eases ana "ith S'ampea
plaques I'm others. The makers OF thee hrires were
not restricted TO any class Of slblects' ih'
figures OF the primitive and archaic 'yl' arc cum
monty rldcly modelled idols. Those oi inc ar'"aio
period reflect in some degree the solpture oi 'he
tury represent a severe art not enirely free rom
archai~n. \, rule, they represent nytholoelcal SUD-
jects aud diyinte, almost always traed, ac'oFuihs
to Colleuon. with the religious feeling that prevaieo
in the time Of the Persian wars TIcse figures were
usually designed for tomb,. some Of hem show marks
Of fire, indicating that they were burned upon the
furcra pyrc. Thu. the ~coroplpte,7 had been
familiar figure I'm Grclan life for al least two CEN
ture, before the date d the Tan-ra terracotiaS In
thi, collection. But tie century when these figures
were produced. the fourth B. G., brought
new development Of this art which is illustrated
in the mauulacture = TanaSra. Thcse and Au-, and
those of Athens and C0rinti. The methods employed
I'm making the Tinacra and u>ulr the Aslatc h-urlhe
i'm this collection Has "to OJan the front nrst by
means If a reDo7..c mould. Tie head and other
cxtrcmities were uade ,eparocly. The front poruoh
was then fastened 10 a back which commonly has
smooth surface Tie hcadn hands and feet we're
added afterward. in the cmtre ot the back Is Doed
a vcnt hoc 10 allow the ar and moisture to escape
and the >tau,tte Is p,accl upon small pedeHai'
The details ot the head and costume, engraved py
mean, Of a pointed Instrument give each figure itS
rd vdual character and per ona piy oSnomy' nus
In the case y museum +, not uncommon To seq
two figures from the sane mould that differ con-
d,rally i'm details Afc, the first firing the siaette
passed into t.c hands e.. "A workman whose dHY u
was t. paint it from-reld 70 foot. lie -onNimes
rildcd the ornaments. The colJrs mot irpehuy
employed are blue, al shades Of pink redGi'ibFo"h
and blach7 Only few traces OF the color1g are
left. lut most Of these figures show more or e-s of
the white ground. one Of the Asia Miner Toups
in this collection. the Europa shows a confirmation
of TIE modelling in the back. The Others 0libt
general adherence 10 the Tanagra methods, bu with
notifications due TO the fact that these WORKS
are groups instead Of i-Olated fures.
Regarding tho significance OF the fourth ontury
figures there has been discussion between thoe who
.f,,,..F rafi tr
character and those who have regarded than as
genre studies II every day life In some Of the Tmps
Ike the two representing Aescuapius, the Euroraand
the third century Birth Of Venice the mytholfcal
character is evident. while Others Ike she pasorh
group Of a youth milking a cow and the IaaSra
figures II women wearing the "pimaton. or long
mantle. and the peculiar cap called the petasu' are
evidently genre studies founded upon real IL. IL
might be said that the Tanacra fsurines deriv ther
largest value from their illustration Of the dali lie OF
the Greeks and especially from their present;lonS oi
costumes. Two Of artists have euvered
most interesting lectures upon Creek costuie Nus
raed Is models drapci in several cases drty after
Tanarra ,tatucttes Instead Of repre>entS delties
as at first. these figures VI. Collgn0n ointS out,
came To represent tie habtual companins Of tho
dead duriu- lie.
The tvuicll Tauarra frirines date fr'n the later
nrh and early fourth centuries i. &. Those rom
Asia Minor belong 10 che fourth and tlrd centuries.
i-r'NrN
A,ia~tic figures are Usually assigned o the fourth
century lut Collicusn assigns the mnufactures OF
Myriua as well a, tlo-e ~ per-amum SMYRNA, Ephe-
sus, Nilctus and TTsuS to the third cntnIy me
clay - these N-ur~' De writes, is iner ana more
conlnre>-cd and Consequently the oecuton has
hardne,, not possible i'm the Tanacn f-urne'' which
were freely retouhei according 10 te fancy Of the
artist. The subjects. moreover seen - he )uen ln'
,rr.d rs work If contemporary scuptors. Wlen they
are mot actually casts made direc from small Nonze'
The Grocian figure, +, II kn'cln' maSs
holding a wreath. may 10 regarded ~
small copy 4 -omc great contemporary Sta'ue
which has 'a-set into oblivion THIS pHlcnlnsIy
expressive Gnre holds wreath which /, obviously
mourning emblem The wrcathS bestowed upon
athletes as prizes were altogether different ana the
attitude AMI wreath are an ndisputablc eNreSHon ~
mourning other groups like the beautiful" Awaien'
Ing" and the "Unvcilinsr show the pennenc' o.
Collrnons rcmar, that among the types Iieracles
Of Eros and OF Aphroditc are found the iNorie pro
porilons Of the school Of Ly,ippI>, the small head
and Iolger body. i'm order 90 obtain ehe't of
elcrann and slcndciuc,s The up- mot frequently
rcatet by Asatc 'corophstae' are tho>, Ia" le ar'
Of tho fourth century b. c. had hroUs' INTO iA'or
the e,arning divinitics Of the cycle ofAphrode. M
Fro, with outstrctcAcd wings, initiated 10 DOUBT rom
tlc famous statue of rrNteie'' Of .P"'oOu' Ana
dvonene and Of Eros and Psyche. IPse monuments
give rise t. interesting comparisons WIN WORKS oi
sculpture which in their careful eNecUioh INcA ooscy
a,proach. At the same time lmae'a''o" ana Ned
imitation of nature had their place from ASIA 'lot
comes a series Of interesting statues "P'e'e"'ins
grotc-que creatures, mountebank- ha"Aers' etc.
tr,,ted with a firm. swift hand. wich show US that
the Greek spirit understood caricatre'
We have spoken Of the typlcalIahag'a hsureS I'D
the collection like those marked ana y Iyp'ch
o>amrlcs Of the oriental innence upon NIeeb
coroplastac7 may De found in te groups rom ASIA
Minor marked +. and l. Th former represents
,,nuho. her lyre In her hand, acr drapcrics blown
backward poised dramataliy upon the
fateful rock. The secoi, The Youth
OF Bacchus "a beautiful group, illustrates the oriental
influence IN The action, and ,pc'ialiy in the hord
treatment of the dapcrics } would b" misleading
to assign To the Asiatc GIek work a spirit OF
Gothic unrest as opposed to assical repoNe, but 1t
may hc said briefly that IN Oriental influences are
,,n,r.,t i'm an inrr,,t.. , action, a greater