A Greek and Roman Treasury the Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin v 42 No 1 Summer 1984

7/21/2019 A Greek and Roman Treasury the Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin v 42 No 1 Summer 1984

1/76

,\

,TJ

J/A-

I'

F,

F-.

rX

.E

-,

*^a


2/76

:

??'fP`

C

:db

?,.

i4

Z

s?

Idb;L, Itc_l

c;

?ads`

I,

Ir

z

3L

`C

pui

?g.

.P

1

`-S

,i?'

-

cl ?

I,V

L-

T.PR

I

C-( ?

L?l

I

5

cF,

- .. -':tT.`iCbiLSCI

3`

t .?r -

,C

C

L

?=

?r

\2

kJCI

;A O

'o

1C-t-

'a:


3/76

reek

n d

oman

Treoasuy

BY DIETRICH VON BOTHMER

Chairman

epartment

f

Greeknd

RomanArt

THE

METROPOLITAN

MUSEUM OF

ART

The Metropolitan Museum of Art


4/76

The

Metropolitan

Museum of Art Bulletin

Volume

XLII,

Number

1

(ISSN 0026-1521)

Publishedquarterly? 1984 byTheMetropolitanMuseumof Art,Fifth

Avenueand

82nd

Street,

New

York,

N.Y. 10028. Second-class

postage

paid

at

New

York,

N.Y.

and Additional

Mailing

Offices.

The Metro-

politan

Museum of Art Bulletinis

provided

as a benefit to Museum

members

and available

by

subscription.

Subscriptions

18.00

a

year.

Single copies

4.75.

Fourweeks'notice

required

or

change

of address.

POSTMASTER:

Send address

hanges

o

MembershipDepartment,

The

Metropolitan

Museum of

Art,

Fifth Avenue

at 82nd

Street,

New

York,

N.Y.

10028. Back ssues available n

microfilm,

rom

University

Micro-

films,

313

N. First

Street,

Ann

Arbor,

Michigan.

Volumes I-XXVIII

(1905-1942)

available s a

clothbound

reprint

et or

as

ndividual

yearly

2

Summer 1984

volumes from The Ayer Company,Publishers,Inc., 99 Main Street,

Salem,

N.H.

03079,

or from the

Museum,

Box

700,

Middle

Village,

N.Y. 11379. General

Manager

of Publications:

John

P.

O'Neill. Editor

in

Chief

of

the Bulletin:

Joan

Holt. AssociateEditor:

Joanna

Ekman.

Photography

of

the

Treasury

objects

by

Walter

J.

F.

Yee,

Chief

Pho-

tographer,

The

Metropolitan

Museum of Art

Photograph

Studio.

Design:

Bruce

Campbell.

On the

cover:

Scylla

hurling

a

rock,

a

parcel-gilt

mblema

(no.

95).

Inside

front

cover: etail of a

sword sheath

(no.

91).

Insideback over: etail

of

a

silverhandle

(no.

130).

Back

cover:

Parcel-giltpyxis

(no.

101).



5/76

D i r e c t o r s o t e

One

of the

privileges

of

the director

of the

Metropolitan

Museum

s

to

enjoy,

with a certain

degree

of

impartiality,

he

whole of this

institution's

magnificent

ollections. I

regard

them

as

making

up

one immense

treasury.

here are

imes,

however,

when t is

impossible

o hold suchan

unbiased

iew

of thecollections.The newinstallation f GreekandRoman

gold

andsilver

objects

celebratedn thisBulletin

ausesme

to

consider he numberof enclaves

within this

immense rea-

sury

hatthemselves

bringtogether

uxurious

objects

made

of

the

most

precious

materials nd

executedwith

consum-

mate

craftsmanship.

he

splendid

church

reasuries n the

galleries

of

the

Department

of

Medieval Art

and

at The

Cloisters,

with their

refulgent

enamelsand

finely

wrought

chalices,

ome to

mind

immediately.

qually esplendent

re

the

gold

andsilver

objects

of

Pre-Columbian

ivilizations f

the

Americas

xhibited n the

MichaelC.

Rockefeller

Wing

and

the

eighteenth-century

ilver

objects

from

Franceand

Englanddisplayed n the galleriesof the Departmentof

European

Sculpture

and

Decorative

Arts.

In

other collec-

tions in the

Museum,

mportant

oncentrations

f

precious

materialshave

been

integrated

nto

their

cultural

ontexts;

these

include the

gold jewelry

and

paraphernalia

f

the

Egyptianpharaohs

and their

queens,

particularly

hose of

Dynasty

18,

exhibited in the

Egyptian

Galleriesand

the

Achaemenidand

Sasanian ilvervessels on

display

n

the

recentlycompleted

nstallation f

ancientNear

Easternart.

For

many

visitors the

Greek

and Roman

Treasury

will

provide

a

first

contactwith

thewealth

of the

ancient

lassical

world. It

will

prove

o

be a

unique

and

dazzling

experience:

on

display

here

are

not

only

magnificent

eremonial

bjects

for

offerings

to

the

gods

but also

splendid

utilitarian

nes

for

the

more

mundane

rituals of

the

banquet,

the

sym-

posium,andthetoilette.

The

foundationof

ourGreek

and

Roman

Treasury

s the

metalwork

acquired

hroughLuigi

Palma i

Cesnola

as

early

as 1874.

Since

then this

collectionhas

grown

through

gifts

by

private

individuals,

including

Walter C.

Baker,

and

throughpurchases,

mainly

hoseof the

department's

resent

chairman,

Dietrichvon

Bothmer.

An

eloquent

estimony

o

Dr.

von

Bothmer'sacumen

may

be

found in the

quality

and

range

of his

acquisitions

and in

the

exceedingly

generous

support

he

has

elicited

rom

collectorsand

other

friends

of

the

Department

of

Greek

and Roman

Art.

The

Greek

and

Roman

Treasury,

epresenting

he

glorious

culmination

of

years

of

gifts

and

purchases,

s

extraordinary

oth in the

aggregate

and in

its

individual

pieces,

as

Charles

Froom's

installation

successfully

evealsand as

the

illustrations

nd

texts n

this

publication

amply

demonstrate.

The

realization

of the

Museum's

most

recent

and

ambitious

treasury

nstallationwas

made

possible

through

the

generosity

of

Gayfryd

and Saul

Steinberg

and

Reliance

Group

Holdings,

Inc.

Mr.

Steinberg's

pecial

and

continu-

ing

interest in

the

Museum's

permanent

collections is

deeplyappreciated.

PHILIPPE DE

MONTEBELLO

Director

3



6/76

4

/

/1 ,J

/,/:

ij/II I

i

1

i

I

,,

I

i

A~~~

I\

**v . \

A'


7/76

A

G r e e k

an d R om an

T r e a s u r y

Of

the five metals deemed

precious today-gold,

silver,

palladium,

rridium,

and

platinum-only

the first

wo,

gold

and

silver,

have

been

esteemed

since remote

antiquity

and

enteredmost

languages

n a

variety

of

expressions.

We

speak

of theGoldenAge,theGoldenLegendof theSaints Legen-

daAurea),

the

golden

mean,

and the

golden

rule;

there

are

golden

hours,

golden

weddings,

and,

of

course,

the

gold

standard.

ilver,

ess

rare han

gold,

is considered econd

to

it:

the Silver

Age,

according

o

Hesiod,

was the

second,

ess

perfectage

of

the world.

Silver

n

Latin

denotes

he second

flowering

of Latin

iterature,

nd a

silver

anniversary

tands

for

twenty-five years,

as

opposed

to

fifty

for a

gold.

Together,

old

and silver

symbolize

wealth,

as in

the motto

of

the stateof Montana:

Oroyplata.

Both

metals

are

very

malleable ndtake

on a

high polish.

Their

ductility

was not known

or

appreciated

n

antiquity,

but inmodern imes thisqualityhasmade hemindustrially

valuable.

Gold

is

found either

n a

pure

stateor in

a natural

alloy,

especially

with silver

(electrum);

ilveroccurs

mostly

in lead ore

(galena)

and has to be

separated

rom

the lead

sulphide

by smelting.

Another difference

ies

in

their

ap-

pearance.

Gold,

even

when

hardened

by

the

admixture f

other

metals,

does not

tarnish,

while silver in

time turns

blackand s

subject

o corrosion.

In

antiquitygold

was firstfound and used in

Africaand

Arabia,

ater

n the land of the

Scythians,

and

especially

n

Asia Minor. In Greek

mythologyreports

of

regions

rich n

gold

were

echoed

n the storiesof Midas's

golden

touch and

the golden fleece as well as in tales of the griffins and

Arimasps.

Though

Greece herselfwas not so

fortunateas

her richer

neighbors,gold

musthave found its

way

to the

country very early,

as is

proved

by

the

many

finds of

gold

objects

n

Mycenae

and elsewhere.

n

Etruria

gold

did not

become

widespread

ntil the seventh

century

B.C.and was

probably

mined

n

northern

Italy,

while the wealthof Rome

in

gold

derived

increasingly

rom

military onquests.

Gold and silver

represented

wealth

throughout

historic

times.

Coinageoriginated

n AsiaMinor n the

middleof the

seventh

century

B.C.,

when the

ancient

cities on

the west

coast

ofAnatolia nventeda

system

based

on

the

distribution

of smalllumpsof electrum,all of the same (or nearly he

same)

weight.

These

lumps

were

furnished

with

an

identify-

ing punch

markandused asa mediumof

exchange, aking

the

place

of the earlierrade

by

barter.The

primitive

punch

marks

were

gradually eplaced

by

distinctive

symbols

of the

cities that

issued

these

electrum"coins."Later

still,

in the

reign

of

King

Croesusof

Lydia

(560-546

B.C.),

Sardis,

his

capitalcity,

ssued coins in

gold

and

in

silverrather

han

in

electrum,

with the ratio between the two

metals set at

1:13.5. This innovation introduced

bimetalism,

which in

varying

forms

continuedfor centuries

until a little over a

hundred

years ago.

While

the

monetary

value of

gold

and

silver and their

parity

has

changed

frequently,

heir

prices

(and

heirsometimeswild

fluctuations)

re till

determining

economicfactors.

In this

Bulletin ver

a

hundred asesand

utensils-mostly

madeof silver-are

illustrated nddescribed.

They span

wo

and a half

millennia nd

represent

he

holdings

of the

Greek

and Roman

Department,

ow

exhibited or

the

first ime in

a

gallery

adjacent

o

the

Great

Hall. In

terms

of

collecting,

the choice of

objects

published

here also illustrates

the

growth

of

the

Department,

n little

more than a

hundred

years,

from the

acquisition

by

subscription

of the

Cesnola

collection of

Cypriot

antiquities

n

1874

to

the last

pur-

chasesof

two

years

ago.Geographically

he

new

exhibition

coversmost of

the areas

nd

periods

n

the

careof

the

Greek

and RomanDepartment, romCyprus n the southeastern

Mediterraneano the

Cyclades

and

other

Greek

slands,

o

Ionia and

beyond

the

Greek

mainland,

and,

in

the

West,

o

Italy

and

Magna

Graecia.

ome

of

the

objects

have

recorded

find

spots,

but

many

more can

only

be ascribed o an area

and

dated to

a

stylistic

period.

Not all

periods

are

equally

well

represented

n the

Museum,

and

there

s

relatively

ittle

gold.

No

modern

museum

can

pretend

o

give

a

fair

cross

section of

what was

once

visible n the

great

Greek

sanctu-

ariesof

Delphi

and

Olympia

or even n

the

temple

reasuries

of the

Acropolis

at

Athens. The

very

value of

the

metal

brought

with it the

seeds of its own

destruction,

or better

put, its conversion. n times of needgold andsilverobjects

were

melted down to

pay

for the

necessitiesof

life or

arma-

ments,

and a

lost war

inevitably

ed to

plunder-either

the

legitimate

booty

of

the

victor,

who in

Roman imes

proudly

paraded

t in

a

triumphal

procession

before

turning

t over

to the

state,

or

the

private

oot of

soldierson a

rampage.

Looting

could at

times

be

avoided

by

burying

treasures

before an

invasion,

but

the

rightful

owner couldnot

always

be sure of

his own

survival and

thus of

recovering

his

property

once

hostilities

had ceased.

Indirectly,

however,

buried

objects

stood a

better chanceof

preservation,

or

if

discovered

by

chance

wo

thousand

years

ater

they

were

(at

least in most cases)not melted down but enteredpublic

collections.

Many

of

the

hoardsof

Roman silver

found

in

Britain,

France,

Germany,

nd

Switzerlandwithin

the

last

two

centuries

were hus

spared

he

fateof the

treasure

ound

at

Trier n

1628,

which

was

promptly

melted

down,

or the

Wettingen

ind

of

1633,

which was

parceled

ut

among

the

Swisscantons

andhas

disappeared.

Most of

our

ancient

plate

is

tableware-cups,

pitchers,

bowls, ladles,

and

the

like-and

thereforeresembles

much

post-classical

old

and

silver.Also

included

n our

collection

Oppositepage:

refoiloinochoe

(no. 35)

5


8/76

Bucchero

(black

clay)

bowl with heads

n relief.

Etruscan,

ixth

century

B.C.

Rome,

Museo Nazionale

di

Villa Giulia

are

mirrors,

osmetic

boxes,

anda

comb,

aswellas an ncense

burner

hat need not

havebeen a cult

vessel,

but was

prob-

ably

used at

home.

Silver

and

gold

dedicated

o the

gods

did

not differ

appreciably

n form and

workmanship

rom the

table

silver

only

the richcould afford

o haveat their

sump-

tuous

banquets.

Earliest

among

the

silver vases

from Greece

in

the

Museum

are wo

shallow

bowls

(nos.

1,

2),

reportedly

rom

Phiale with

heads

(no. 16)

6

the

island

of

Euboea,

found with a

gold

cup

and a

silver

phiale

hat are

both

now

in the Benaki

Museum

n

Athens.

The

decoration

on the

two silverbowls

and

the

gold

cup

is

purely

linear-vertical

lines,

chevrons,

and

hatched

tri-

angles-and

resembles heornamentation

f

contemporary

pottery.

A

similar,

hough

somewhat maller ilver

dish

was

found

in

a

tomb

on

Amorgos,

and

it

is

thought

that

these

metalbowls

are

Cycladic

ndshouldbe

dated

between3000

and

2300 B.C.Two

gold cups

(nos.

3,

4)-a

kantharos nd

a

goblet-are

Mycenaean

of

about

1500

B.C.

Considerably

later,of the eighthto the sixth century

B.C.,

are the three

bowls from

Cyprus

nos. 9-11):

one,

in

gold,

betrays trong

Egyptian

nfluence;

one in

silver,

with

a central ondo of

a

winged

divinity slaying

a lion and two

narrative

zones,

represents

curious

amalgam

f

Egyptian

and Phoenician

motifs.

The earliest ilver

phiale

mesomphalos

no. 12)

is

purely

Greek,

of the

sixth

century

B.C.,

though

the

shape

and

schemeof

decorationhad

long

been traditional

n

the Near

East. Another

sixth-century

ilver

vessel,

a situla

(no.

15),

wasmeant o becarried

by

the

swinging

handle,

perhaps

s

a

cult

object;

t is saidto come

fromthe

Troad.

On pages24 to 45 our archaicEast Greeksilver s intro-

duced,

an

assembly

f over

fifty

vasesand

utensils hat have

been

acquired

patiently

over the course

of fifteen

years.

The

many

different

objects

were

evidently

made

by

Ioniancrafts-

men for

rich clients

on

the

eastern

periphery

of

Greece

at a time

(before

the

Persian

onquest

of

Asia

Minor)

when

Greekculture

lourishedon both

sides

of

the

Aegean

Sea,

and

when Greek

workmanship

was

appreciated

s fareast as

Persepolis.

Some

of

the

objects

show

Eastern,

ven

Persian

Oppositepage:

etail

of

silver-gilt

bowl

(no. 10)


9/76

X\

Q

NY

\--,

R,

1

^>

\

.

,

;

`

iR-t-*

MM

-V-

I

???.\.

p(

.p

>

"7-

, 4 1%-1-

iN

-:

^ g

h

a

:i

-7

I

6

--

-

C

,

?,r


10/76

tasteandPersianmotifs were

freely

borrowed.

Others,

how-

ever,

notably

the

large

silver

oinochoai with

sculptural

adjuncts nos. 35-38),

are

purely

Greek

n

both

shape

and

style.

The two

phialai

with Persianheads

worked

separately

and

attached o the walls

(nos.

16,

17)

shouldbe

singled

out

for

special

comment,

or

they

correspond

o a

type

ofphiale

until now

known

only

from

a

temple

inventory

on

Delos.

Eachof the

hollow

headscontainsa

quantity

of

tiny

bronze

pellets

that

produce

a

rattling

sound when

the

object

is

moved. Persian onnections

are also evidenton a

silver-gilt

phiale(no. 18) thatportrays he greatkingmarchingo the

left

between each lobe and on

another

(no. 19),

somewhat

smaller,

hat shows the Persian

king

killing

a lion.

Other

phialai

are

ornamentedmore

sparingly,

but

while we

have

some

pairs

hatwere

obviously

meant

as

such,

there

s

much

variety

n both

shape

and decoration.

The silveroinochoe

(no. 35)

with the

handle n the

shape

of a

naked

youth bending

backward,

his

long

hair

falling

over

the

rim

of the

vase,

follows a

type

known in

bronze

from

Cyprus

n

the East to

Spain

in the West. The

youth

Silver bowl

(no.

19)

holds the tails of two recumbent ions

on the

rim,

while his

feet rest on a

palmette

flanked

by

two rams. A second

oinochoe

(no.

36)

employs

a decorative chemeknown

also

frombronze

hydriai.

The

upper

end of the

handle erminates

in a lion's

head,

its mouth

opened

as

if

to

permanently

replenishhe liquid nside the vase,on the analogyof water

spouts

in fountainhouses or

along

the roofs of

Greek em-

ples.

The finialat thelowerendof thehandle akes he

shape

of

the head and

forelegs

of a

panther.

Two

other wine

jugs

(nos.

37,

38)

have carinatedbodies. The

handles

erminate

above

in

animal

heads

that

seem to bite into

the

lip

of

the

vase.

One

of

the two

carinated

jugs

has a

frontal

headof Bes

as its lower

finial.

Similarly

ariedare

four silveralabastra

nos. 45-48).

In

each the

body

is

divided into

several

zones,

which on

the

Goddess with

scepter

and

phiale. Red-figured ekythos

(oil

container).

Attic,

c. 470 B.C.

Fletcher

Fund,

1928

(28.57.11)

8


11/76

F pp

This

representation

f

a

drinkingparty

ncludes

many

of

the

objects

n the

Treasury.

rawing

by Lindsley

E Hall of

red-figured

ylix (drinkingcup).

Attic,

c.

490-480

B.C.

Rogers

Fund,

1920

(20.246)

finestof them

(no.

45)

are

engraved

with

animals ndabattle

scene hatrecalls he

style

of

Clazomenian

painted

erracotta

sarcophagi.

Engraved igural

decoration

also occurs on a

silver

skyphos

of

typically

Lydianshape

(no. 49)

and on a

small ilverbowlfromCyprus no. 13).

Among

the

eight

EastGreek ilver

adles n the collection

(see

nos.

59-64),

again

no

two

are

alike.One of

them

(no.

59)

is

particularlyumptuous:

he

loop

on

top

is formed

by

two

eagle-griffins,

nd the faceted

handle erminatesbelow

in a

winged

lion that

seemsto dive into

the bowl while two

sphinxes, culptured

ully

n the

round,

watch.

Most

of

the EastGreek ilver

objects

were

ntended o be

used for

banquets,

of

which

we have

manyrepresentations

on vases and

reliefs.There are two strainers

nos.

66,

67)

through

which

wine was

poured

nto

drinking ups; hey

are

in silverand

their

handles,

ike those on some of the

ladles,

are

decoratedwith animal

heads,

here

a

duck

and

a

calf.

Of

the

other

utensils used on such

occasions,

two incense

burners houldbe noted.One (no. 69, of bronze) s in the

shape

of

a

cup

attached o a

long

rod,

its

perforated

onical

cover

hinged

o the

rod

by

meansof

a

leaping

animalwith its

head turned

back. This incense burner ollows an ancient

Egyptian

radition: t was held n a horizontal

position

by

a

servant

or

attendantwho would walk

through

the rooms

with it. The other incense

burner

no.

68),

made of

silver,

was no

doubt set

on a table. Its

lid,

likethe one

in

bronze,

s

tiered and

perforated,

but instead

of

being

hinged

it was

secured to the

stand

by

a

small chain. The cover

is sur-

9


12/76

Detailof

gold phiale

no.

86)

mounted

by

an

exquisite

statuette

of

a

cock,

the

style

of

which resembles

that of the cocks

engraved

on the shoulder

of

one

of

the silver

alabastra

(no. 45).

Such

a

small incense

burner

occurs,

not

by

coincidence,

on the

fragment

of a

black-figured hydria

in Athens that was found at Clazo-

menae on the west coast of Asia Minor.

Libation scene.

Red-figured

stamnos

(wine jar).

Attic,

c.

480

B.C.

Fletcher

Fund,

1956

(56.171.50)

To the

realm of cosmetics

belongs

a

rectangular compart-

mented

makeup

box of

silver

(no. 70).

One

of the

dividing

walls is notched to hold a

special

cosmetic

spoon,

and the

box's cover does not

open

on a

hinge

but

swivels horizon-

tally

and

is

held locked

by

a

movable

stud. The heads

of

the

swivel and

the

locking

stud are

gilt,

as are five additional

ornamental studs in the center and

on the four corners.

When the

box is

closed

properly,

anyone

unfamiliar

with the

locking

mechanism would have a

difficult time

opening

it.

Also from Eastern Greece, but almost two centuries later,

is

a

group

of five

vessels

from

Prusias,

in

Bithynia

(nos.

72-76).

The

situla,

or wine

bucket,

is of

bronze,

as befits

a

vase that

is

carried back and

forth from

the kitchen

or

pantry

to

the

dining

room. The

other

objects-a

strainer,

a

ladle,

a

kylix,

and

a

phiale-are

of silver.

Prusias

on

Hypios,

for-

merly

called

Kieros,

was a Greek

settlement

in

a

notoriously

hostile

country,

and

the Prusias

find is indeed of Greek

workmanship, closely

related to that on

the

many

metal vases

found more

recently

in Northern Greece

and Macedonia.

Slightly

later and of unknown

provenance

is

a

group

of five

silver

objects (nos. 81-85)-a

cup (kylix),

a

bottle,

a

pyxis,

a

scraper (strigil), and ajar (that once had a handle and served

as a

pitcher).

The

bottle,

the

pitcher,

and the

pyxis

have

ornamental bands enhanced

by gilding.

A

gold

libation bowl

(no.

86),

or

phiale,

is not

only

one

of

the rarest but

also

one of

the most beautiful

objects

in

the

exhibition. The chief decoration

is three circles

of

acorns

and

a

fourth

of

beechnuts,

each

containing

thirty-three

ele-

ments.

In

addition,

thirty-three

bees are

depicted

in the

interstices of the row of acorns

nearest

the

edge

of the

bowl,

and the collar around the

omphalos

is decorated

with fifteen

10


13/76

circumscribed

palmettes.

Acorns as decoration

on

phialai

were

traditional,

as we learn

not

only

from inventories

of

temple

treasures,

but

also from a

fragmentary old

phiale

now in

Warsaw hat

was

found

on

Cyprus

n a late

sixth-

century

omb and romRoman

copies

of the

caryatids

f

the

fifth-century

rechtheum

n

the

Acropolis

n

Athens.

There

is

nothing

in the decorationon the

gold

phiale

in

the

Museum hat allows us to date it

precisely,

ut the

Cartha-

ginian nscription

n

the bottom

s

engraved

with

characters

that

epigraphers ssign

to

the third

century

B.C.

Since

this

inscriptionmayhave

been

added ater, t only

furnishes

us

with a

terminus

post

quem

non.

Two

other

richly

decorated

phialai

nos.

89,

90),

said

to

have been found

together,

were hammered

over

the

same

die. On each of them the

broaderouter band shows the

apotheosis

of

Herakles

n

a

cortege

of four

chariots,

while

the narrow nner

zone around he

omphalos

hows the

gods

feasting

on

Olympus.

It had

long

been held that these two

phialai,

f

which

fragmentary

eplicas

r

adaptations

xist

n

the British

Museum,

were

made

of

silver,

but

not

long

ago

an

examination

prompted by

our Italian

colleagues

revealed

themto

be madeof silvered

in. The

spirited

horses

drawing

the

chariots

point

to a date n the latefifth

century

B.C. that

seems

o

be

supportedby

the

allegation

hat

the

two

phialai

were

found

together

with

an Attic

red-figured

alyx

krater,

now at

Oxford,

by

the Dinos Painter.

Somewhat ater than the silvered-tin

phialai

s

a

bronze

mirror

no.

88)

attached o a

wooden backand

framed

by

a

cast

silver-gilt

circularband

decorated

n

openwork

with

birds

and floral rinceaux.

The mirror s said to have

been

foundin

Olbia,

n

South

Russia,

as is

a

silver-gilt

bowl

(no.

87)

that,

like the

mirror,

s from the

collection of

Joseph

Chmielowski.This

bowl,

considerably

ater han

the

mirror,

illustrates ow the

classical

Greekmotifs-here Erotes

fly-

ing against

a

background

of acanthus

eaves,scrolls,

and

fan-shaped

palmettes-become

increasingly

ebasedat

the

periphery

f the

Hellenistic

world.

South

Russian,

too,

is the

decorated

gold

plate

of a

Scythian

sword

sheath

(no. 91),

the

companion

piece

to

which

was

found in

Chertomlyk

between

1859

and

1863;

the

two

differ

only

in

the

treatmentof

the animals n

the

triangular

op

section. It

has

long

been

held hatmuchof

the

Pyxis

withconical

over

no. 108)

"Scythian"

old

andsilverwas

worked

by

Greek

craftsmen

and

this

assumption

has

now been

confirmed

by

the

discov-

ery

of

a

gold

quiver

of

"Scythian"

hape

n

thefamous

omb

at

Vergina

n

Macedonia.

From the far Northeast we now turn to the West,to

Magna

Graecia.A

tomb

discoveredn

1895 at

Montefortino

(see

nos.

110-114),

near

Ancona n

central

Italy,

ncluded-

in

addition

to iron

spits

and sword

blades,

bronze

and

ceramic essels-five

silver

vases:a

two-handled

deep

bowl,

a

ladle,

a

pitcher,

and

two

stemless

cups.

The

silver

vases

are

clearly

f

West

Greek,

perhaps

Tarentine,

workmanship

nd

must

have

beenlooted

somewhere

lse in

southern

Italy

by

Detail of sword

sheath

(no. 91)

11


14/76

kylix;

one

ladle;

one shallow

phiale

decoratedwitha twelve-

pointed

gilt

star around

the

omphalos;

one small

pitcher

with a

theatrical

mask,

not unlike

those

on

the

buckets,

n

high

relief below the

handle;

one

tripod pyxis

with a

deco-

rated

id;

one small

portable

altarwith

different

receptacles

for

various

offerings;

two

horns,

perhaps

rom a

helmet

madeof

bronzeandnow

destroyed;

nd,

astly,

he

emblema

of

a

cup

or

pyxis

lid

decorated n

high

reliefwith a frontal

Scylla.

Several eatures onnectthis

group stylistically

with

V M

=2

tX,the

amous

Tarentine

treasure,

once the

property

of

g-~~ _ _ \lEdmondde Rothschildbut not seen sinceWorldWarII,

which, n

turn,

shares ome of the

stylistic

conventionswith

a

find

mostly

ofterracottavases rom

Albania,

ne of which

closely

resembles he two silver buckets

(nos.

105,

106)

in

the

Museum.

Parallels

or the

polygonal

markings

on the

t ?

Ijl

a

Xhemispherical

ilverbowl

(no. 97)

canbe foundon

clay

vases

~-------

i

.1 1from Corinth

nd

Pergamon.

,

]-

- f

l The

sacking

of

Syracuse

n

211B.c. and of Taranto wo

-c wyears

later ed

to

large-scale

ooting

of

the

two

most

impor-

tant Greek

ities n

Magna

Graecia,

ut the

booty

carried ff

to Rome at the same

ime

opened

the

eyes

of

the Romans o

Apollo

andArtemis

erforming

libation.

Red-figured

elike storage

vessel).

Attic,

mid-fifth

enturyB.c. Rogers

Fund,

1906

(06.1021.191)

the Gallic

soldier n whose tomb

they

werefound.

Another

group

of

early

Hellenisticsilver

objects

(see

nos.

107-109)

came

o

light

in an Etruscan omb at

Bolsena,

n

Italy;

t also

containeda finebronzemirrorand ivebronzevessels,

hree

iron candelabra,ire rakesandtongs, andirons, ix undeco-

rated vases

made of local

clay,

two Etruscan

black-glazed

vases, twelve small

erracottaballs

(a

set for a

game),

and a

gold ring.

The

bronzes,

iron

utensils,

and terracotta

ases

are

clearly

Etruscan,

but the three silver

objects,

a

pyxis,

a

perfumeamphoriskos,

nda

strigil,

must

havebeen

imports

(probably

from

Apulia),

to which the Etruscan

inscription

Skyphos

(no. 116)

"suthina"

"for

the

tomb")

was

added before

they

were

buried.

The floral

ornamentson the

insides of the two

stemless

cups

fromMontefortino

(nos.

112,

113)

arenot too far rom

the floral

detailson the

amphoriskos

nd

pyxis

romBolsena

(nos. 107, 108), which supports an attribution of both

groups

to

a

workshop,

or a

workshop

radition,

of

Magna

Graecia.The same

attribution,

possibly

more

narrowly

o

Taranto,

an be

made or fifteensilver

objects

of

great plen-

dor

acquired by

the Museum in 1981

and 1982

(nos.

92-106):

two silver

buckets,

eachwith three

supports

n the

shape

of theatrical

masks;

hree

deep

bowlswith

separately

worked

eaf-rosettes

nside n the

center;

one

hemispherical

bowl with two

engravedgilt

wreaths

on the outside and

polygonal grooves

on the

body;

one

deep-bowled,

stemless

Spouted itcher

no. 118)

12


15/76

the

beauty

of Greekart. Fromthenon

great

wealth

poured

into

Rome,

not

only

from

Magna

Graecia

but

also,

in the

second

century,

rom Asia Minor and Greece

and,

after he

battleof Actium,fromEgypt.The bestdescriptionof the

almostunbelievable

display

of wealth at a Hellenistic

court

in

the

third

century

B.C.

is

the account

by

the writerKalli-

xeinosof the

greatprocessionorganized

by King

Ptolemy

I

Philadelphus

n Alexandria

n

271/270

B.c.: the

weight

of

the

gold cups

alone

is

given

as three

hundredtons.

One

cannot

help

but

wonder what

happened

o all those

trea-

sures.Muchof the

gold

andsilvermusthave ound ts

way

o

Rome.

The

Museumowns

parts

of two late Roman

Republican

hoards.

The

more

complete,

of

thirty

pieces-a

veritable

ministerium,

as the Romans

called

a silver table service-is

divided between the FieldMuseumof NaturalHistory in

Chicago

and the

Metropolitan

(see

nos.

115-124).

The

hoard,

said to

havebeen found

near

Tivoli,

was

bought

by

EdouardWarneckn the late nineteenth

century.

Afterthe

deathof Warneck's

idow the silverwas offered at auction

in Paris n

1905,

in one

lot;

it was

boughtby

a

dealer

who the

next

year

sold

part

of

it

(a

mug,

a

platter,

ix

dishes,

a

shell,

and eleven

spoons)

to a

Chicago

collector.

Manyyears

ater

the remainder

two

cups,

a

spouted

pitcher,

a

ladle,

and

six

spoons)

went

to

New York.The

majorpieces

of this

set,

the

cups,

the

mug,

the

ladle,

and

the

dishes,

are

engraved

with

the name

of

the

owner,

a certain

Sattia,

daughter

or wife)

of

Lucius;

he

platter

bears

he nameof Roscia.The dish n the

shapeof a halfshell s alsoinscribed,but the namesareonly

partially egible.

These

nscribed asesarealso

markedwith

the

weights,

a

practice

not

uncommon n

antiquity.

The two

cups

(nos.

116,

117)

invite

comparison

with

the

similar

though plainer,

cup

(no.

98)

from

the

early

third-century

hoard,

and

the

ladle is still in

the traditionof

the fourth-

century

adle

from Prusias

(no.

72).

The

spouted

pitcher

(no.

118),

however,

s a new

shape

and

relatively

are.Its

troughlike spout

corresponds

somewhat to the Roman

encyclopedist

M.

Terentius

Varro's

description

f atrulla

or

truella),

a

diminutive

oftrua,

the Latin

word for

gutter,

and

this

shape

has

thereforeat times

been calleda

trulla.

The secondRomanhoard,considerablymaller han the

Tivoli

one,

is

said o

havebeenfound nearLake

Trasimenen

central

Italy.

Though

t too has

been

dispersed,

he

Museum

is fortunate o

have

acquired

wo

pieces:

a

pair

ofstrigils

on a

ring

(no.

125)

and a

combination

comb and

pin

(no. 126)

with

engraved

ecoration

depicting

a lion

hunt.

Roman

silver of

the

Imperialperiod

is less well

repre-

sented n

the

Museum,

or

there s

nothing

n

New

York hat

can be

compared

o the HildesheimTreasuren

Berlin,

the

Boscoreale

ilver n the

Louvre,

he

BerthouvilleTreasure

n

13


16/76

the Cabinet

des

Medailles,

or the silver

rom the House

of

Menander

in

Pompeii.

The cast handles

(nos.

130,

131)

of

two

very

large

dishes,however,

f the secondand

third

centuries

A.D.,

are

eloquent

illustrations

of excellent

ater

Roman

silver

work.

The earlier

f the

two

handles

hows,

in

relief,

a

lion hunt in a mountainous

andscape.

The

second

handle

is somewhat

ater

and the

technique

s

different

n

that

the

higher

parts

of the

relief were

cast

separately

nd

inserted

or

spliced

nto cut-out

depressions.

Here the

sub-

ject

is the

Indian

triumph

of

Bacchus

n a chariot

drawn

by

two lionesses.

The

story

of Greekand

Roman ilver

does

not,

of

course,

end

with the

last

pieces

in this

Bulletin

or

with the

exhibi-

tion.

Visitors

o the

newly

opened

gallery

may

well wish

to

explore

he late

antique

gold

andsilver

n the

parallel

allery

south

of the

great

taircase

hat

s devoted

to

early

Christian

art and

contains he fabulous

Cyprus

plate,

or the

Egyptian

galleries

o the north that

exhibitmuch

gold

and

silver

rom

Ptolemaic

Egypt.

On the

second

floor toward

the

south,

gold

and

silver

plate

from the

ancient

Near

Eastwill

round

out

the

splendid

tory

of ancient oreutic

art,

of which

the

Greek

and

Roman

Treasury

s

one of

the

finest

chapters.

DIETRICH

VON

BOTHMER

Chairman

Department

f

Greek

ndRomanArt

14


17/76

A

G r e e k

a n d

o m a n

T r e a s u r y

The

installation

f

the

Greekand

Roman

Treasury

s

made

possible

hrough

he

generosity

of

Gayfryd

nd

Saul

Steinberg

and

Reliance

Group

Holdings,

Inc.


18/76

v-

-N-'

*-

.

-

-1

-

t

,

1,2.

Pairof silverbowls. Said o havebeen

found

together

on

Euboea.

Cycladic,

a. 3000-2300 B.C.Left:

height

4.8

cm;

diam-

eterca. 19.6

cm;

weight

439.2

grams.Bequest

f Walter

C.

Baker,

1971

(1972.118.152).

Right:height

5.8

cm;

diameter a. 24.6

cm;

weight

709.5

grams.

Purchase,

oseph

Pulitzer

Bequest,

1946

(46.11.1)

These wo shallow

ilverbowls

may

be

termed orerunners f the

libationbowls

called

phialai

n

Greek.Metal

vasesof the

Cycladic

periodareveryrare, nd t isnotsurprisinghatgoldandsilver,

whicharesuchmalleable

metals,

predominate.

The decoration

n the shoulder f the

somewhat maller ish

differs rom hat

on

the

larger

ne

by

having

hree ieldsof vertical

lines

(eleven,

nine,

andeleven

respectively)

etween

hreewider

fields

of

chevrons.

The rimof the

larger

bowl flares ut and he neck s vertical.The

decoration

s limited o the shoulder.Four

oblong

fieldsof vertical

strokes

nineteen

n

each

ield,

except

or

one

that

has

only eigh-

teen)

alternate

ith

four

others,

somewhat

wider,

hatare

com-

posed

of five

triangles

ach.The

triangles

rehatched.

Bibliography:

GreekArt

fthe

Aegean slands,

979,

pp.

63-64

(with

previous

references).


19/76

3.

Gold

kantharos

drinking up).

Said

o

triccircles n

slight

relief

on

the

bottom.

In

be fromThebes.

Greek,

a.

1500-1375

B.C.

shape

his

kantharos esembles ne found

n

Height

to

top

of handles8.6

cm;

height

o

ShaftGrave

V

of

Mycenae,

he so-called

rim 7.2

cm;

width 17.07

cm;

weight

71

Minyan

kantharos.

he

shape

occursas

grams.

Rogers

Fund,

1907

(07.286.126)

early

as the MiddleHelladic

period

andre-

. .

ait1 L jnerl

n

nai lr

fLth in rlir n In mrn1e l frar

The

body

of the

cup

was raised rom

a disk

of sheet

gold;

the two handles

with

rolled

edges

wereworked

separately

ndattached

with

gold

rivets.

The handles redecorated

with leaf

patterns.

There

are

hree

concen-

4. Gold

cup.

Said o

havebeen found

at

Mycenae.

Greek,

a.

1500

B.C.

Height

5.5

cm;

diameter

a.

7.95

cm;

weight

27

grams.

Gift

of

WalterC.

Baker,

961

(61.71).

Ex

coll.

Alfred

Andre

No

exact

parallel

s known or this

gold cup,

whichmusthavehad a

loop

handle imilar

to those on the morecommon

drinking

cups

of

gold

andsilver ound

n

the

shaft

graves

f

Mycenae.

Bibliography:

E.

Davis,

The

Vapheio

ups

andAegean

Gold

and

Silver

Ware,

977,

pp.

326-27,

no.

149,

fig.

266.

lll illllll

uVuUlda Ul

LI

LLI

xidy

1U

lllLdl1UL

over a thousand

years.

Bibliography:

E.

Davis,

The

Vapheio upsandAegean

Goldand Silver

Ware,

977,

pp.

324-25,

no.

147,

figs.

263-264.

17


20/76

5-8.

Four silver

vases from

Cyprus.

Purchased

by

subscrip-

tion,

1874-1876.

Ex coil.

L. P. di Cesnola

5. Oinochoe

(wine

jug).

Cypriot,

eventh

entury

B.C.

Height

15.

cm;

diameter

.6

cm;

weight

271

grams.

74.51.4592)

The

lip

is

trefoil,

andthehandle

s

formed

by

two

reeds.

The

neck

set off

from he

body

by

a

pronounced

welt.

Bibliography:

TheSwedish

yprus

xpedition,

,2

(1948),

p.

160,

fig.

33,

no.

14;

B.

Shefton,

Die

"rhodischen"Bronzekannen,

979,

p.

58,

note

120

(with

previou

references).

6. Goblet.

Cypriot,

ixth

century

B.C.

Height

8.1

cm;

diameter

f

mouth

10.4

cm;

weight

123

grams.

(74.51.4566)

The

wine

cup

has

a rounded

bottom

and

a

flaring

im

and

resemb

Near Eastern

oblets.

Bibliography:

.

L.

Myres,

Handbook

theCesnola

Colection,1914,

p.

466,

no. 4566.


21/76

7. Oinochoe.

Cypriot,

seventh

century

B.C.

Height

17.8

cm;

diame-

ter 12.63

cm;

weight

347

grams.

(74.51.4586)

The form of

Cypriot

silver

jugs,

with a

globular body,

a

flaring

mouth,

and a

drip ring

on the

neck,

closely

resembles that of the

pottery

vases of

Cypriot

make. The

edges

of

the cast handle are

decorated with a

herringbone pattern.

Bibliography:

TheSwedish

yprus

xpedition,

,2

(1948),

p.

160,

fig.

33,

no. 13.

8.

Skyphos

(wine

cup). Cypriot,

sixth to

fifth

century

B.C.

Height

8.2

cm;

diameter

13.26

cm;

width

13.37

cm;

weight

681

grams.

(74.51.4581)

The

skyphos

has

an offset

lip

and was

probably

cast

ratherthan raised.

Bibliography:

The

Swedish

yprus

xpedition,

,2

(1948),

p.

160,

fig.

33,

no. 12.

9-11.

Three bowls

from

Cyprus.

Purchased

by subscription,

1874-1876.

Ex coll. L. P. di

Cesnola

9.

Gold

bowl,

decoratedin

repousse. Cypriot,

eighth century

B.C.

Height

4.9

cm;

diameter

of

rim 14.2

cm;

weight

122.27

grams.

(74.51.4551)

The decoration

is

organized

in

concentric bands:

around

a

small

central

boss,

thirty-six tongues; halfway

up

the

bowl,

a

papyrus

thicket with seven

swimming

ducks;

below

the

rim,

another

papyrus

thicket

with bulls

pursuing

fallow deer

across the

marshes;

all have their

legs

in the water.

Bibliography:

E.

Gjerstad,

n

OpusculaArchaeologica,(1946),

pp.

3,13

f.,

pl.

12.

19

,r

'e


22/76

10.

Silver-gilt

bowl.

Cypriot,

eventh en-

tury

B.C.

Height

3.3

cm;

diameter 6.9

cm

weight

155

grams.

74.51.4554)

The bowl

belongs

o

a

class

called

Cypro-

Phoenician

nd

within t to the

second

phase.

n

a

medallion

n the center

a four-

winged deity

n

Assyrian arb

killsa

ram-

pant

ion

with

his

sword.

Behind

him hove

two

Egyptian

alcons.The tondo

is sur-

rounded

by

a narrative one

in

Egyptiani

ing

style

bordered

by

cable

patterns.

A

kneeling

archer

imsat a lion that

has felle

a

hunter

and s attacked y

anotherhunter

poising

a

spear.

Next comes a

grazing

hors

separated y

a tree

fromanother

ion that

hasthrownan

Egyptian

o the

ground.

Afteranother ree comes

a

seated

phinx

and,

again

ramed

by

trees,

wo confronte

bulls;

wo

bulls

walking

o the

right

and

a

cow and

calfconclude he

scene.This nar-

row zoneformsthe

predella,

s

it

were,

of

the chief

zone,

which s

larger

n scale.

Thi

outer

zone

is dividedrather

rregularly

y

conventionalized sacred

rees,"

lanked

once

by

an

Egyptiangoddess,

hen

by

two

sphinxes,

wo

goats,

two

griffins,

and-

interspersed

with the

group

of

an

Egyptia

slaying

a lion in a forest-an

Assyrian

ill-

ing

a

griffin,

a

pharaoh

lubbing

hree

cap

tives n the

presence

f a falcon-headed

o

and a

young Egyptian

pearing

winged

monster.The outer

border

s formed

by

uprightpalmettes.

The

Egyptian

hiero-

glyphs

on

the

panels

do not

make ense.

This

curious

mixture f

Egyptian

and

Mesopotamian

motifs

is

not

atypical

f

Cypriot

art

of the

archaic

period,

andwe

may

neverbe

able o

put

in focus

theartis

personality

esponsible

or this

amalgam

forms

and

motifs.

What

s

very

clear,

how

ever,

hanks o

the

perspicacity

fT.

B. Mi

ford,

is

the

identity

of the

first

owner

of

the bowl:

Akestor,king

of

Paphos,

had

his name nscribedbelowtherim n the

Cypriot

yllabary.

t a later

ime

the bowl

changed

hands,

probably

fter498

B.C.

when

Paphos

was

plundered

y

the

Persia

and heir

Cypriot

allies,

and he

new

owne

added,

again

near

he

rim,

butfarther

o th

left:

"I

belong

to Timukretes."

Bibliography:

T.

B.

Mitford,

in

University

of

London,

Institute

of

Classical

Studies,

Bulletin10

(1963),

pp.

27-30,

pls.

4-7

(with

previous

bibliography).

11.Silverbowl.

Found

on

Cyprus

(Kourion).Cypriot, arly

ixth

century

B.C

Height

4.6

cm;

diameter

5.5

cm;

weight

82

grams.

74.51.4552)

Unlikethe two

previous

Cypriot

bowls,

th

one

is not in

repousse

r in

relief,

but

merely

ncised.An

inscription

n West

Cypriot

or

Paphian)

yllabary

dentifies

both

the owner

(Epiorwos)

and

the

name

of the

shape phiale).

The

decoration

on-

sistsof

a

central

ixteen-petalled

osette

o

lowed

by

two

bands

of

which

the

lower

represents papyrus

hicket

and he

upper

20


23/76

a curious

grouping

of

paired

heraldic

sphinxes, riffins,

winged

cobras,

alcon-

headed

divinities,

and alcons.

n

addition

thereare solated

birds

anda

divinity

with

four

wings.

The

lettering

s

part

of the

design

and

appears

n an area

deliberately

left

empty

or the

inscription

next o

a

big

water

bird.

The

groups

are

separated

y pal-

mettes, otuses,apalm ree,and wo decid-

uous trees

as well as

by

a

highlystylized

"sacred ree."

The

style

of the

engraving

s

what

has

been termed

Cypro-Egyptian,

ut

the coex-

istence

of

the

many

different

details

makes

t

clear hat he

engraver

was not

an

Egyptian

but

a local artist.

Bibliography:

O. Masson,

in Bulletinde

Correspon-

dance

Hellnique,

104

(1950),

pp.

225-31

(with

pre-

vious

bibliography

n the

inscription);

E.

Gjerstad,

in

OpusculaArchaeologica,

(1946),

pp.

3,13 ff,

pl.

14

(on

the

style).

12. Silver

phiale

mesomphalos.

Greek

(per-

haps

Rhodian),

late seventh

or

early

sixth

century

B.C.

Height

4.5

cm;

diameter

22.07

cm;

weight

422

grams.

Classical

Purchase

Fund,

1981

(1981.11.13)

This

is

the

earliest

of

the

Museum's

tradi-

tional

phialai

with the

pronounced

omphalos

(navel)

or central

boss,

the

hollow

underside of which furnished a securegrip

for two

fingers

while the

phiale

was tilted to

pour

a

libation.

The wall

of

the

phiale

is

decorated

by

twelve

radiallyarranged

styl-

ized lotus blossoms.

The

omphalos

was

cov-

ered

by

another

layer

that was

equipped

with

a

brim

or collar and

was worked

sepa-

rately;

this

added member

was

gilt.

The

boss has in

its center a small

raised disk from

which sixteen

tongues

or flutes

descend

radially

over

the

side. The brim or collar is

embossed

with

animals

or monsters: two

sphinxes

couchants are followed

(clockwise)

by

a bull

facing

a

lion,

a

boar

facing right,

a

bird

on a

flower,

and a

panther facing

left.

Between the

animals,

tendrils

spring

from

the

ground

line or are

suspended

from the

circular

top

border.

Not

many

Greeksilver

phialai

mesom-

phaloi

are known

from this time-one

in

Berlin, said to be from Asia Minor, and two

from

Kameiros

on Rhodes-but this is the

only

early

one that has animals in addition

to the floral

ornaments,

which

help

in

the

dating

of the

object.

Bibliography:

The

Metropolitan

useum

fArt

Annual

Report

980-1981,

p.

37;

idem,

Notable

Acquisitions

980-1981,

p.

11

(ill.).

21

,%A\.

,

0.1.

r-

L

r

I


24/76

13. Silverbowl. From

Cyprus.Cypriot,

?

sixth

century

B.C.

Height

5.5

cm;

diameter

'

10.3

cm;

weight

82

grams.

Purchased

by

subscription,

1874-1876

(74.51.4562)

Ex

coil.

L. P. di

Cesnola

On

the offset

lip

thirteen birds are

engraved

marching

to the

right.

The

body

is

deco-

rated with

forty-four

tongues

or

ribs radiat-

ing

from

the

depression

on the

bottom

that^

'

"

-

forms

the

omphalos. Engraved

decoration

occurs in

the

archaic

period

not

only

in Per-

..

..

.

[

s

sian metalwork but also on East Greek silver ' "

vases

(compare

nos. 45 and

49).

'..

" "

Bibliography:

A.

Oliver,

Jr.

Silverfor

he

Gods,

Toledo,

f

1977,

p.

24,

no.

1

(with

previous

eferences).

14. Silver bowl.

Found in

Sardis.

Greek,

sixth

century

B.C.

Height

5.6

cm;

diameter

of mouth 11.44

cm;

weight

147.3

grams.

Gift of The American

Society

for the

Explo-

ration

of

Sardis,

1926

(26.164.13)

The

lip

is

sharply

set off from

the

body

of

the

bowl,

which is

decorated on the shoul-

der

by

two

grooves.

15. Silver itula

pail)

with

swinging

hand

Said o be

fromtheTroad.

Greek,

ixthcen

tury

B.C.

Height,

with

bail

upright,

19.5

cm;

height

to rim 13.3

cm;

diameter 4.3

cm;

weight

630

grams.

Bequest

of Walter

C

Baker,

971

(1972.118.153)

The

body

of the situla

s

ribbed,

and he

shoulder s

decoratedwith

a

bandof

forty-

eight

small

rosettes.The

swinging

handle

terminatesn

smallanimal

heads

perhaps

snakes).

The vessel

s

equipped

with a

smal

ring

base.No exact

parallels

re

known,

bu

the

shape

anddecoration

betray

a

strong

Achaemeniannfluence.

Bibliography:

AncientArt

rom

NewYork

PrivateCo

lections,

961,

p.

12,

no.

56,

pl.

100.

22


25/76

'k

,

II

I

c,

iI

l*


26/76

16,17.

Pair

of

silver

phialai.

Greek,

ixthce

tury

B.C.

Left:

height

6.3

cm;

diameter

12.46

cm;

weight

232

grams.

Purchase,

Mrs.

CharlesS.

Payson

Gift,

1966

(66.11.21).

Right:

height

6.3

cm;

diamete

12.57

cm;

weight

243

grams.

Rogers

Fund

1966

(66.11.22)

Eachhasa shallowomphalos,anoffsetlip,

and

engraved

ongues

on

the lower

part

of

the bowl

(bordered

boveon

no.

16

[left]

by

a

circle

of

punched

dots).

Between he

l

and

he

tongues,encircling

he

bowl,

are

attached

eighteen

beardedheads hat are

hollow

andsoldered

onto

the

wall

of the

bowl.

Whensome of the headsbecame

detached,

t was discovered hat nsidewer

tiny

bronze

pellets

hat

produce

a

rattling

soundwhen the

cup

is liftedandmoved.

On

the

bowl

of no.

16

an

engraved

and

of

rosettes

occurs

above he headsat the

junc

tion of

lip

and

shoulder,

nd

stylized

rosettesare

engraved

t the interstices f

the heads.

The

heads

havea

pronounced

Oriental

castandconform o our association

f Per

sian

eatures.

No

other

such

phialai

are

known

today,

but

a "silver

phiale

with Per-

sianheads" s mentioned n one of the

Delian

temple

nventories.

Bibliography:

M.

Vickers,

nJHS

90

(1970),

p.

201

D.

von

Bothmer,

"Les

Tresors

de

l'orfevrerie

de

la

Gr&ce

rientale

au

Metropolitan

Museum de

New

York,"

n

Academie

des

Inscriptions

et Belles-Let-

tres,

Comptes

endus,

1981,

pp.

195, 196,

fig.

1.

24


27/76

18.

Silver-gilt hiale.

Greek,

ixth

century

B.C.

Height

3.7

cm;

diameter

5.23

cm;

weight

245.4

grams.

Purchase,

Rogers

Fund,

Anonymous

Gift,

andHalina

and

John

Klejman

Gift,

1968

(68.11.14)

The

shape

of the

phiale

s of

the

so-called

Achaemenian

type-offset

flaring ip,

hol-

low

omphalos-but

the decoration

s most

unusual.

The ten

projecting

obes

or bosses

arenot

worked

n

repousse

as,

for

example,

on nos. 28 and

29)

but

are

separately

am-

meredandattached

o

the wallof the

bowl

in speciallypreparedrooves.Theplain

lobes resemble

n

contour

and

volume he

similarly

ttached

Persian eads

on nos. 16

and 17.The intervals

between

he lobes

are

decorated

with

gilt

a

jour

reliefs f the Per-

sian

king

walking

o the

left in full

regalia.

His feet areset

on two

eagle

heads

placed

heraldically

ack o back hat

surmount

drop-shapeding

decorated

with an

ivy

leaf

below.

Bibliography:

D.

von

Bothmer,

"Les

Tresors

de

l'orfevrerie

de laGrce orientale

au

Metropolitan

Museum de

New

York,"

n

Academie

des

Inscrip-

tions et

Belles-Lettres,

Comptes

endus,1981,

pp.

195-96,

fig.

2.

19. Silver

bowl,

with

omphalos.

Greek,

sixth

century

B.C.

Height

4.5

cm;

diameter

10.56

cm;

weight

89

grams.Rogers

Fund,

1975

(1975.11.4)

This small

drinking

bowl is

technically

related o the

silver-gilt hiale

no. 18)

but

somewhat ruder nd ess well

preserved.

Six hollow andshallow obes alternate

with

six

plaques

f

the

Persian

king killing

a lion.

The reliefzoneisbordered bove

by

a nar-

row

band

of

engraved

atched

riangles

nd

below

by

a similarbandof doublehatched

triangles.Halfwaybetween he lowerband

and he

depression

f the

omphalos

s

a

cir-

cular ow of

punched

irclesand

on the

edge

of

the hollow

of the

omphalos

band

of incised

herringbones.

The two bowls with

applique

eliefs

nos.

18

and

19)

may

be

compared

o a

phiale

n

the British

Museum

WAD135571)

hat

has

eight

small

plaques

f a

rampant

es-

headed

winged

ion between

eight

obes.

The

latter,however,

renot addedbut

in

repousse.

25


28/76

20-24. Five silver bowls.

20.

Silver

phiale.

Greek,

ixth

century

B.C

Height

4.8

cm;

diameter

7.0

cm;

weight

271

grams.

Fletcher

Fund,

1968

(68.11.6

21.

Silver

phiale.

Greek,

ixth

century

B.C

Height

4.7

cm;

diameter 7.4-17.65

cm;

weight

302.3

grams.

Purchase,

Anonymo

Gift,

1970

(1970.11.16)

Whilenot anexact

pair,

hesetwo libation

bowls are

obviously

contemporary

nd h

workof thesamesilversmith.Both,more

over,

hare

a

similar

lightlyengraved

mon

gram

n the hollow

of the

omphalos.

n

termsof

style they

are

similar o

the

phial

of the

so-calledAchaemenian

type

(nos.

2

and

29)

illustrated

n the

oppositepage.

All

four

havenine

lobes

alternating

with

nine

stylized

otuses.

22.

Silver

phiale.

Greek,

ixth

century

B.C

Height

4.5

cm;

diameter 4.6

cm;

weight

265

grams.

Purchase,

Rogers

Fund,

Anon

mous

Gift,

andHalina

and

John

Klejman

Gift,

1969

(69.11.10)

The

seventy-sixongues

on

the outside

of

the lowerpartof the bowl arechased,asa

the

three

carinations n the shoulder.

23. Silverwine

cup.

Greek,

ixth

century

B.C.

Height

4.9

cm;

diameter

0.85

cm;

weight

161

grams.

Purchase,

Anonymous

Gift,

1967

(67.11.17)

The

decoration,

imited

o

the

outside,

s

chased. t consists

of a

sixteen-petalled

o-

sette surrounded

y

a circle

of

beading

on

the

bottom

and

eighty-two ongues

on th

convex

part

of

the

bowl;

above

he

flutes,

just

below the

offset

lip,

isa circleof

kymatia

nd

eggs.

The rosette

s

a

forerun

ner of the similar neson thebottomsof

nos.

75,

78,

and 79.

24.

Silver

phiale.

Greek,

ixth

century

B.C

Height

4.1

cm;

diameter 4.9-15.1

cm;

weight

206.9

grams.

Purchase,

Rogers

Fund,

Anonymous

Gift,

and Halina

and

John

Klejman

Gift,

1968

(68.11.9)

As

on

no. 22 the

eighty-seven

ongues

on

the outsideare

chased,

and

here

s

an

engraved

irclearound he

depression

f t

omphalos.

n

addition,however,

his

phia

has

thirty-eight ongues

chased

on

the

inside,

surrounding

he

omphalos,

he

underside f

whichhas ncised etters

Al

thatmaybe thebeginningof a Greeknam

and a

complexmonogram.

26


29/76

25-29. Five silverphialai. Greek, sixth

century

B.C.

25. Offset

lip,

shallow

omphalos,

carination

on

shoulder,

ninety-five

lightly

chased

tongues

on the outside.

Height

3.25

cm;

diameter 17.0

cm;

weight

210

grams.

Classical

Purchase

Fund,

1980

(1980.11.13)

26. Offset

lip,

small

omphalos,

small

tongue

pattern

on

shoulder,

thirty-two tongues

on

body. Height

4.25

cm;

diameter 15.67

cm;

weight

205

grams.

Purchase,

Rogers

Fund,

Anonymous

Gift,

and

Halina and

John

Klej-

man

Gift,

1968

(68.11.8)

27. Continuous

convex

contour,

deep

omphalos

with collar

consisting

of

sixty-one

chased

tongues.

The outside

is

plain.

Height

3.8

cm;

diameter 18.0

cm;

weight

409

grams.

Purchase,

Anonymous

Gift,

1970

(1970.11.15)

29. Same

type,

but smaller.

Height

3.2

cm;

diameter 13.92

cm;

weight

154

grams.

Rogers

Fund,

1966

(66.11.20)

Phialai with

flaring

rims or

offset

lips

(nos.

25,

26, 28,

29)

are

commonly

called the

Achaemenian

type, though

it is

by

no means

certain

that

all

were made

by

Persians.The

pure

Greek

shape

is

represented

by

no.

27,

and

in

Attic

pottery

occurs as

early

as

the

sixth

century

B.C.A somewhat flatter

and

much

lighter

silver

phiale

in the Indiana

University Art Museum (ace. no. 69.102.2;

A.

Oliver, Jr.,

Silverfor

he

Gods,

1977,

p.

25,

no.

2)

shares

its

system

of

decoration with

no.

27. The combination of carination on

the

shoulder

and

tongues

below

(no. 25)

continues well into the fourth

century

and

occurs on

drinking cups

(see

no.

77).

28.

Flaring

rim,

small

omphalos,

nine lobes

separated by

nine lotuses.

Height

4.2

cm;

diameter 17.7

cm;

weight

210.5

grams.

Rogers

Fund,

1966

(66.11.19)

27


30/76

30. Silver

phiale.

Greek,

ixth

century

B.C.

G.

Bastis,

Mrs.ThomasS.

Brush,

Winslow

Carlton,

andMrs.

James .

Rorimer

Gifts,

1969

(69.11.11)

The

phiale

has an offset

lip

andan ornamen-

tal band

of

somewhat

irregular

ongues

below the

junction

of

lip

and

body.

An

owner's

monogram

shownhere)

s

t

engraved

n one side

of

the

lip;

on

the

opposite

side there

s another

graffito.

'=

31,32.

Two

deep

silver

phialai.

Greek,

ixt

centuryB.C.Left:height6.5 cm;diamete

15.84

cm;

weight

254.2

grams.Right:

height

5.8

cm;

diameter 4.06

cm;

weight

231.4

grams.

Purchase,

Anonymous

Gift,

1970

(1970.11.19,18)

Thesetwo libationbowls ntroduce

urth

variations.

The

one

on the

right

has

ninet

eight

short

tongues

chased

on

its shoulder

and

ninety-two ong,

narrow eaves hat

radiate romareserved and

around

he

hollow

of the

omphalos,

which s inscribe

with a lambda.The

larger

f the

two

bowl

on the

left,

has

only

eighty-nine

hort

tongues

below the

junction

of

lip

andshou

two Greek etterschiand ota.

33.

Deep

silver

bowl.

Greek,

ixth

century

B.C.

Height

5.65

cm;

diameter

2.24

cm;

weight

253

grams.

Purchase,

Anonymous

Gift,

1973

(1973.11.8)

34. Shallow

ilverbowl.

Greek,

ixthcen-

tury

B.C.

Height

3.7

cm;

diameter 6.36

cm;weight

237

grams.Purchase,Anony-mous

Gift,

1973

(1973.11.9)

These

wo

handsome,

hough

totally

undecorated,

owls

were

acquired

ogether

_l

with a

plain

silver

itula

no. 53),

a

plain

sil-

-i___

ver adle

(no.64),

and he

smaller

f our

l

two silver

trainers

no.

67);

presumably

he

five

objects

were

found

together.

28


31/76

35. Silver refoiloinochoe.

Greek,

ixth

century

B.C.

Height

to

top

of handle18

cm;

to

top

of rim

17.3

cm;

diameter

.55

cm;

weight

623

grams.Rogers

Fund,

1966

(66.11.23)

The

body

of the

jug

is

raised,

while thefoot

andhandlearecast

separately

nd

oined

o

the vasewithsolder.The

shoulder nd he

foot are

decoratedwith

tongues,

and here

is

a circleof

beading

at

the

junction

of the

foot and he

body;

a

kymation

s chasedon

the

edge

of

the

mouth.The handle s in the

shapeof a nakedyouthbendingbackward,

his

long

hair

falling

nto the mouthof the

vase.His feet reston a

separately

ast ower

attachmenthat

terminates elow n a

hang-

ing palmette;

he

lateral

projections

re

wo

recumbent ams n

high

relief,

heirheads

turned oward he viewer.These wo rams

correspond

o two couchant

ions

placed

back o backon the rimon

either ide of the

headof the

youth,

who

grasps

heir ails.

The schemeof

the handlewith a

yo

Documents

A Greek and Roman Treasury the Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin v 42 No 1 Summer 1984