Dennis, George: The cities and cemeteries of Etruria: in two volumes (Band 1) (London, 1848)

introduction.] PANATHENAIC VASES. lxxxi

of early art. The figures bear the same relation to the sculptures
of iEgina that those of the later class of vases do to the marbles
of the Parthenon; indeed, these may be called of the JEginetic
school, for they correspond in date as well as in style.8 And
though it may be doubted if all the extant pottery of this class
can claim so remote an antiquity, and may not rather be a more
recent imitation, the type of it indisputably belongs to a very
early period of Greek art. It will be understood that whenever
vases with black figures are mentioned in the course of this
work, a strong degree of archaicism of design is always implied.9
The subjects on vases of this class are generally Greek—the
deeds of Hercules or Theseus—scenes from the Trojan war—
combats of the gods with the giants, and similar fables from the
Hellenic mythology. Very numerous, also, are those of Diony-
siac character. Sileni and Msenades dancing round the jolly
god, who stands in the midst, crowned with ivy, and holding a
vine-branch, a thyrsus, and a goblet of wine. Another common
class of subjects is Panathenaic; representing on one side the
great goddess of Attica brandishing her lance, between two Doric
columns crowned with cocks; and on the other, foot, horse, or
chariot-races, or the wrestling, boxing, or hurling-matches,
which took place at the Attic festivals. Such vases, from the
inscriptions they bear, are proved to have been given as prizes
in the public games.1 These subjects are peculiar to vases of
this second class.

in Etruria. Professor Ross thinks it times with the addition of EMI for efc!,

is copied from some famous picture. It as in the first of these rases found at

is a proof of the unity of Greek art in Athens, and now in the British Museum,

different countries. Bull. Inst. 1841, It stands by the side of several similar

p. 85. vases found at Vulci in Etruria, and it

8 As the art of the former class of is well to compare one of the original
vases resembles that of the metopes type with the foreign copies, which
of Selinus mentioned above, the figures differ in several respects. For notices
on this class may be said to correspond of the Panathenaic vases see Bockh,
with two metopes from another temple Bull. Inst. 1832, pp. 91—98; Ambrosch,
at the same place, which represent Ann. Inst. 1833, pp. 64 — 89. The
Minerva overcoming a warrior. learned Padre Secchi, of Rome, main-

9 It is this class of vases which is tains that this inscription intimates
most abundant at Vulci. rather an imitation of the Athenian

1 The inscription is TONA0ENE0EN- contests, than of the Athenian vases,
A0AON—rav 'Ae-firnBw &9\av— some- and would interpret it, " one of the

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