The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-03-21

1
made model from which they took
casts in clay, which were subsequent
lly baked.
The vases were painted when dry.
IOriginally they were simply colored,
but when pattern was added the
outline previously traved on the wet
clay, was followed by the painter and
the vase was then baked. Afterward
all the details were scratched in with
a pointed tool.
The coloring of vases varied ac-
cording to the epochs in which they
we're made. Originally the figures
were colored, but later the ground of
the vase was painted while the fig
ures were left in the natural color Of
the clay, and their muscles and finer
portions of their outline were marked
in different color, generally dark
one.
After the paint had dried. a glaze
was laid all over the vase. The re-
ceipt for making this glaze, which
is so thin that it cannot be analyzed,
is known about the furnaces used by
the Etruscans, as none has ever been
discovered, but It has been plausibly
conjectured that the kilns had a tall
chimney and an open fire below.
Etruscan vases are generally re-
garded as belonging to three classes,
which are distinguished as follows:
Egyptian. Phoenician or Baby
lonian. primitive Greek vases, partic-
ularly Doric. The figures in vases OF
this class are painted on the pale
yellow ground of the clay, generally
in black. sometimes in purple. white
or crimson and as a rule consist of
representations of animal life adorned
with annual bands, meanders, concen-
trio circles and geometrical patterns.
These vases are of high antiquity and
are supposed to date as far back as
12 centuries before Christ. They
cannot be later than $40 b. c., when
improvements in metal casting
marked a new era in ancient art.
! 2. Etruscan proper or Tyrrhene,
though a more correct appellation
would be Archaic Greek. The figures
here are painted black on the natural
ground of the clay. which Is gem
orally yellow warming to red. The
flesh of the women, the hair of old
men. the devices on shields and a
few other objects are painted white
the armor is sometimes purple,
while crimson is occasionally intro
duced in draperies The outlines,
the muscles and the folds of drap-
cry are marked by incised lines. The
human figure forms the principal
subject of design. and no vase belong
ing to this class, which is purely Hell
lenic both as regards subjects and
Inscriptions and extends from $40 or
440 b. c.. is free from the severity OF
archaic art. though many of the con-
ventional and constrained attituees
of the figures In earlier works are
remedied The subjects depicted are
taken from the heroic cycle deeds
of Hercules or Theseus, events OF
the Trojan war, and similar episodes
and fables from the Hellenic mythol
,ogy.
The third class has been called
perfect. The vases belonging to It
are painted black, while the figures
are left of the natural reddish color
OF the clay and in the details are
either marked with black lines or
brownish red in the more delicate
parts of the figures and draperies.
These vases belong to the finest per-
iod of Greek art, and they were man
ufactured from about ago B. C. to
1896 when the decline of the cer-
annie art began and metal vases were
introduced in place of those OF terra
Gotta. The subjects illustrated on
these vases generally represent Greek
myths or representations of Greek
banners, and hence little or nothing is
TO be learned from them of the GUS
toms, manners, creed or traditions OF
the Etruscans. A few of these vases
have polychrome figures on a white
ground.
/ The period of decadence dates from
about $50 to $50 b. c.. when metal
entirely superseded earthenware, and
the vases of this class continue to
have red figures on black ground but
while colors are sparingly used, white
is abundantly introduced, The de-
signs are coarse and careless, and
very often nude women are intro
duced.
The genuine pottery OF Etruria Is
purely Oriental in character and has
hardly any trace of Hellenic influ-
ence. AS rule II is never painted
but scratched or stamped on the clay
or with figures in relief. 1t is Of
brown or black ware, hand made, sun
dried and unglazed.
I ITS generic name is bucchero or
black ware, and 1t Is easily to be dis
tinguished from Greek vases. of the
same kind. Some think that this
ware was made OF a black bitumln-
GUS earth found in the Etruscian ter
rltory; according to others 1t is OF a
clay naturally yellow, but darkened
by casting the smoke of the furnace
upon IT..
The vases are generally lustrous,
and this is supposed TO be due to a
polish produced on the lathe. Anoth-
er class of ware quite distinct consists
of enamelled vases. resembling fai-
ence or porcelain. Ornamented with a