DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.68307#0035
SPECIMENS FROM THE NAPLES MUSEUM.
19
SILVER VASES AND CUPS.
113. (Off: No: 25287). (a). Silver drinking-
cup encircled by a vine garland. (Dia-
meter 6 in.). (Pompeii.)
(Off: No: 25300). (&). Silver mortar,
decorated with lovely sprays of foliage.
(Diameter 5 in.)
114. (Off: No: 25376). (a). Silver vase
for sacrifice, in the shape of a chalice,
adorned with bas-reliefs of genii of Bac-
chus. This vase has a lining to prevent
sediment from resting in the concavities.
Beneath the foot is the inscription sosinii
lapii. (Height 5 in. Diameter 4 1f2 in.)
(Pompeii.)
(Off: No: 25367). (b). Silver cup with
bas-relief representing Minerva fully armed,
on a chariot drawn by two horses. (Height
2 1f2 in.: diameter 5 in.) (Pompeii.)
Jhe
'Bronzes.
We present to our readers several plates
illustrating this department of the Naples
Museum, because no other museum in the
world is so rich as this one in the everyday
articles of domestic use among the Romans,
and also because the specimens are of a
kind not readily photographed , and it is
difficult to take away a memento of them
without the purchase of such a work as
ours. The specimens in the Museum are
some thirteen thousand in number, but
among these there are numerous examples
of the same stamp, though there are hardly
any actual duplicates. These articles were
all hand-made, and not sent out by the
hundred dozen from large manufacturing
establishments, as our household chattels
are in the present day. The consequence
of this is that the most ordinary articles
of household use were stamped with an
artistic merit—an intrinsic individuality
which it would never be worth while to
obtain in our day, even if we could attain
to it; and however much schools of art
may do to improve our artificers, and
better our designs—and they will doubtless
do very much indeed'—they can never get
over the difficulty that the artistic merit
of a design must certainly vanish when
it is applied by a purely mechanical medium,
and repeated over and over again either by
machinery, or by artisans who become in
course of time little better than machines.
115. (Off: No: 73000). The Candelabrum
of Diomede. This beautiful work of art
is formed of a decorated Corinthian column
bearing on the obverse a tragic mask, and
on the reverse a “ bucranium” or bull’s
skull. Four branches issue from the top
of the column, from which four handsome
double-wick lamps hang by four-stranded
chains. These lamps were not found with
the candelabrum, and do not belong to it,
but they are of fine workmanship, and
there can be no doubt that some such
lamps hung on it originally, many similar
examples having been found in the exca-
vations. The lamp decorated with the head
of an elephant, and suspended by two dol-
phins is unique. Standing upon the left
angle of the base, upon the elaborate
clusters of vine-leaves inlaid in silver, we
observe a fine group composed of Acratus
19
SILVER VASES AND CUPS.
113. (Off: No: 25287). (a). Silver drinking-
cup encircled by a vine garland. (Dia-
meter 6 in.). (Pompeii.)
(Off: No: 25300). (&). Silver mortar,
decorated with lovely sprays of foliage.
(Diameter 5 in.)
114. (Off: No: 25376). (a). Silver vase
for sacrifice, in the shape of a chalice,
adorned with bas-reliefs of genii of Bac-
chus. This vase has a lining to prevent
sediment from resting in the concavities.
Beneath the foot is the inscription sosinii
lapii. (Height 5 in. Diameter 4 1f2 in.)
(Pompeii.)
(Off: No: 25367). (b). Silver cup with
bas-relief representing Minerva fully armed,
on a chariot drawn by two horses. (Height
2 1f2 in.: diameter 5 in.) (Pompeii.)
Jhe
'Bronzes.
We present to our readers several plates
illustrating this department of the Naples
Museum, because no other museum in the
world is so rich as this one in the everyday
articles of domestic use among the Romans,
and also because the specimens are of a
kind not readily photographed , and it is
difficult to take away a memento of them
without the purchase of such a work as
ours. The specimens in the Museum are
some thirteen thousand in number, but
among these there are numerous examples
of the same stamp, though there are hardly
any actual duplicates. These articles were
all hand-made, and not sent out by the
hundred dozen from large manufacturing
establishments, as our household chattels
are in the present day. The consequence
of this is that the most ordinary articles
of household use were stamped with an
artistic merit—an intrinsic individuality
which it would never be worth while to
obtain in our day, even if we could attain
to it; and however much schools of art
may do to improve our artificers, and
better our designs—and they will doubtless
do very much indeed'—they can never get
over the difficulty that the artistic merit
of a design must certainly vanish when
it is applied by a purely mechanical medium,
and repeated over and over again either by
machinery, or by artisans who become in
course of time little better than machines.
115. (Off: No: 73000). The Candelabrum
of Diomede. This beautiful work of art
is formed of a decorated Corinthian column
bearing on the obverse a tragic mask, and
on the reverse a “ bucranium” or bull’s
skull. Four branches issue from the top
of the column, from which four handsome
double-wick lamps hang by four-stranded
chains. These lamps were not found with
the candelabrum, and do not belong to it,
but they are of fine workmanship, and
there can be no doubt that some such
lamps hung on it originally, many similar
examples having been found in the exca-
vations. The lamp decorated with the head
of an elephant, and suspended by two dol-
phins is unique. Standing upon the left
angle of the base, upon the elaborate
clusters of vine-leaves inlaid in silver, we
observe a fine group composed of Acratus