Payne, Humfry: Necrocorinthia: a study of Corinthian art in the Archaic period (Oxford, 1931)

THE EARLY CORINTHIAN ORIENTALIZING STYLE 47

sitional vases are characteristic of the geometric and earliest archaic periods;
the simpler, broader effect at which the Corinthian artist aims is certainly a
later development.

There can be no doubt that the adoption of the 'solid', incised rosette
encouraged the Corinthian tendency to expand. The new filling-ornament
was capable of infinite variation to meet particular emergencies, and, liberally
applied to the vacant spaces in the field, it gave the necessary degree of unity
to the design. One has only to imagine a vase like the oinochoe illustrated
in pi. 18, 3 without the filling ornament, to realize that the solid rosette was
an absolutely essential part of the Corinthian system of decoration.

It seems likely that the new filling-ornament was chosen in part, at least, for
its conglutinative qualities, for the process of expansion can be traced far
back into the Transitional period (see p. 18); but this cannot have been more
than a contributory cause. For Corinthian decoration is not simply an
enlarged and simplified version of an earlier style; it is the embodiment of a
new principle. On Corinthian vases we shall never find the minute, sharply
articulated friezes of the earlier periods: instead, intricate patterns of con-
trasting surfaces, in which the single elements, animals, human figures, and
rosettes, are alike subordinated to a general effect. Now and then we shall
come across an artist who stresses the central theme of his design (cf.pl. 22,1,
3); but such artists are always a minority.

So much for the vase at arm's length: let us now look at the drawing, of
which we have characteristic examples in pis. 17-26. The technique is clearly
the same as that of the preceding periods: silhouette, enlivened by incision
and added colour. But there is more incision and more colour than in earlier
vases. We shall return to the question of incision in a moment: a word now as
to the colours. It was pointed out in ch. ii that red is used more freely on
Transitional vases than on Protocorinthian; on Corinthian it is used more
freely still.1 Thus once again we see that the Corinthian group stands at the
end of a consistent process of development. Yellow is used, over black, on
a few Corinthian vases, but it is never a favourite colour;2 we noticed the
same thing on one or two earlier vases.3 The frequent use of white for rows
of dots which follow the incised lines is, however, something quite new.
White, as we have seen, is used on a few Protocorinthian vases, but never in
this way (cf. p. 19). This technique must have been introduced at an early

1 In the Transitional style, red is normally used for Transitional instances. And red is used for many

two details : the neck and the belly-stripe of lions, other details: cf., for example, the patches on the

panthers, goats, &c. (and of course on the wings, and cheeks of the boars, pi. 17 (8, 13) (contrast pi. 9,

for the faces of sphinxes). On a few late Transitional &c); the red patches round the eyes in pis. 19, 2;

vases (pis. 13,2; 14, and one or two others) there are 23,2; red eyes in nos. 523,806 (pis. 25, 4; 31,2-4),

patches of red on the ribs and thighs. These are 991, and 1471; and many other similar details,

almost universal on Corinthian vases, and they are 2 See on no. 600.

generally more prominent even than in the late 3 Cf. p. 11, note 3.