Hamilton, William [Hrsg.]; Tischbein, Johann Heinrich Wilhelm [Hrsg.]: Collection Of Engravings From Ancient Vases Of Greek Workmanship: Discoverd In Sepulchres In The Kingdom Of The Two Sicilies But Chiefly In The Neighbourhood Of Naples During The Course Of The Years MDCCLXXXIX and MDCCLXXXX Now In The Possession Of Sir Wm. Hamilton, His Britannic Maiesty's Envoy Extry. And Plenipotentiary At The Court Of Naples (Band 1) (Neapel, 1791)

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TO THE READER.

J\^Lonuments of such a remote Antiquity, as the Vases
represented in the following pages, exhibiting subje6ts re-
lative to the Mythology, the Fabulous as well, as the real
History of ancient Grece, certainly merit the utmost atten-
tion of the Learned Antiquarian *, but my motive when
I first began to colle6t this sort of Antiquities , was from
the superiour degree of merit I perceived in them with
respest to the fine Arts, and the profit which I thought
Modern Artists might reap from the Study of them A
circumstance which did not seem to have been attended
to sufficiently by the former Collectors, or Editors of this
Jpecies of Antiquities.
The Vases them selves were thought to have been
Etruscan, and were published as such byDempster, Gori,
Passeri, Count Caylus, Montfaucon, and Others, and the
drawings on them were looked upon rather as the first,
and rude attempts of Art in its Infancy , than Master-
pieces os Art arrived at perfection , which the drawings
on some of them realy are. To judge of them from the
Engravings in the abovemention'd Publications , without
having seen the Originals , the Public might be induced
to remain of the former opinion . The Drawings in the
Magnificent Edition published by M.r d' Hancarville , in
four volumes in folio , after my first Collection of Vases
( now placed in the British Museum ) having been exe-
cuted in a much more masterly Stile , seem to have
opened the eyes of the Curious with respect to the real
merit