Читать книгу 1000 Masterpieces of Decorative Art - Victoria Charles - Страница 3

1. Anonymous. Bee-shaped pendant, Royal Necropolis, Malia, 1700–1600 BCE. Gold. Heraklion Archaeological Museum, Heraklion (Crete). Greek Antiquity.

It is widely accepted that the first traces of civilisation and, by extension, the first features of characteristic styles, are to be found in Egypt. The day when man determined that one substance was more precious than another, he worked on it as on a labour of love and devoted it to the embellishment of temples which he reared to his gods, or the adornment of his own person. All written records unite in proving this, Holy Scripture, Homeric poems, and even the oldest narratives of the Far East. Museums have also confirmed the fact and bear authentic testimony to this innate sentiment of luxury inherent in all people of the earth. Who has not stood astonished before the perfection of the Greek jewels displayed in the Louvre or before the first attempts of unknown people of the Americas, as barbaric and almost similar to those of Asia Minor? Is it not well-known that, among ourselves the artistic forms given to the precious metals were but a provisional garb intended to impart an agreeable appearance to the portable wealth of our ancestors? Capital accumulated in this shape was readily moveable, and, alas still more readily alienable. War, emigration, casual wants, all brought gold and silver to the smelting-pot, which had erewhile been proudly displayed in vases, furniture, and jewellery. Nor is it simply ancient times which had to undergo such vicissitudes of which we have spoken. There is not an epoch in history which has not had its hecatombs of works of art whenever the pressure of public requirements made itself sensibly felt.

Styles emerge from a mix of ideas and take on the universal cloak of timeless beauty. Whether they are cheerful or solemn depends on contemporary fashions and events as the style will pick and choose from preceding styles to satisfy current whims. Vanity, the early signs of which we discussed when describing the prehistoric cavewoman in her necklaces of coloured stones, animal teeth, and perforated shells, will now come into its own as not only the Egyptians and Assyrians, but the Hebrews and peoples throughout Asia perfected the goldsmith’s arts. Egyptian tombs have yielded perfectly-chased pectorals, scarab necklaces, symbolic fish, lotus flowers, and so on. However, these cannot compete with Greek jewellery.

The goldsmith’s trade was a school which produced masters. Lysippos hammered metal before he became sculptor; Alexander, third son of Perseus, king of Macedon, did not think it disparaging to make chasings in gold and silver. The large votive vase in the temple of Minerva has immortalised the name of Aristotle of Hiton. Calumis, sculptor as he was, used to embellish silver vases with bas-reliefs, which, in the days of Nero, were, at Rome and among the Gauls, an article of luxury for the rich and a subject of emulation for artists. However, magnificent works, crowns, vases, and jewellery, have honoured our museums and suffice to prove that the songs of Homer and the descriptions of Pliny were not exaggerated.

The Greeks excelled in the working of metal, which they decorated with repoussé work and did not solder, while the Egyptians were the masters of pictorial representation in jewellery.

However, we are more familiar with Roman and Etruscan gold work thanks to the excavations of the necropolis of Etruria and particularly those carried out in the ruins of Herculaneum and Pompeii. Amongst other objects, the clips, earrings, hooks, mirrors, and brooches recovered there are admirable for their shape, taste, and beauty. The Romans, in fact, loved gold and precious stones and brought a delicate good taste to their jewellery which Eastern peoples, who were more preoccupied with originality than with the aesthetic aspects of their art, lacked. The Byzantine emperors, too, would further emphasise luxury and their strange heavy jewellery is often accused of lacking taste. However, Byzantium at least has the excuse of achieving real luxury and the magnificent abundance it expresses perhaps makes amends for other deficiencies. It is “a dazzling jumble of enamels, cameos, niellos, pearls, garnets, sapphires, and gold and silver indented work”. (Théophile Gautier.) The Gauls and Franks seem to have been fond of the necklaces and rings made of precious metals of which so many examples have been found in their tombs. Gallo-Roman gold and silver smiths have left us many examples of bracelets and armbands in the shape of coiled snakes, necklaces, badges, brooches, and so on. Generally speaking, the style of these pieces is closely aligned with the building style and decoration of the period. We suggested earlier that a piece of furniture is a miniature architectural monument. Similarly, a piece of jewellery is a miniature monument in gold or silver. We will recognise the designs used from the pediments of temples or the columns of the time and the shape from one or other detail of a building or the curve of a typical amphora.

The list of Egyptian furniture includes chests, pedestal tables, armchairs, stools and tables which are relatively similar in shape to our own. They are decorated with metals, ivory, mother-of-pearl, and precious woods. They have brightly-coloured coverings and there are cushions on the armchairs and stools. The beds have a kind of bed base made of strips of fibres or leather which show that comfort was a consideration. The chests take the form of miniature dwellings or temples. In summary, the Egyptian style is characterised by the hieratical, monumental nature of its statuary, by its columns and capitals (palm tree or lotus), by its sphinx, by the colossi with the heads of the pharaohs and its animal-headed gods, by its obelisk and by its pyramids, by its decoratively-deployed hieroglyphs, and finally by the huge size of its buildings. Furthermore, the widely-used decorative sacred scarab motif should not be forgotten.

The weaving of textiles dates from the earliest ages of the world, and even now we are struck with amazement at the perfection of the works produced by the hands of the ancient Egyptian craftsmen. With the primitive looms and materials spun by hand, they obtained wonderful fabrics. We learn, from the description of yarn found in the Louvre, about the fine long pile and fringed material, called fimbria and the transparent fabric styled by the Latins, nebula linea, which we will again meet with in the East at Mossoul, whence it reaches us under the name of muslin.

Whether from a civil or religious point of view, the most ancient decoration of buildings and interiors consists of hangings, the accompaniment of statues, paintings, and mosaics. However far we go back into antiquity, we can trace their use; from the heroic ages, the Phrygian and Grecian women succeeded in representing flowers and human figures, not only by means of embroidery, but in the elegant fabric itself. The young girls summoned to take part in the Panathenaic procession embroidered beforehand the veil or peplum of Minerva, an enormous hanging which was used to cover the roofless area in the temple of the goddess.

2. Anonymous. Armchair of Hetepheres, Dynasty IV, 2575–2551 BCE. Gilded wood, 79.5 × 71 cm. Egyptian Museum, Cairo. Egyptian Antiquity.

3. Anonymous. Bracelets from the tomb of Djer, Dynasty I, 2920–2770 BCE. Gold, lapis lazuli, length: 10.2–15.6 cm. Egyptian Museum, Cairo. Egyptian Antiquity.

4. Anonymous. Pendant, Imdugud, the Lion-Headed Eagle, Royal Palace of Mari, c. 2650 BCE. Lapis lazuli, gold, bitumen, and copper, 12.8 × 11.8 cm. National Museum of Damascus, Damascus. Eastern Antiquity.

5. Anonymous. Decorative panel, Dynasty III, 2630–2611 BCE. Limestone and stoneware, 181 × 203 cm. Egyptian Museum, Cairo. Egyptian Antiquity.

6. Anonymous. Labels for vases, Dynasty I, 2920–2770 BCE. Ivory. Egyptian Museum, Cairo. Egyptian Antiquity.

7. Anonymous. Inlaid panel of a soundboard from a lyre, c. 2600 BCE. Seashell and bitumen, 31.1 × 11.3 cm. University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia. Eastern Antiquity.

8. Anonymous. The Standard of Ur (double-sided), c. 2600–2400 BCE. Wood, seashell, red limestone, and lapis lazuli, 21.5 × 49.5 cm. British Museum, London. Eastern Antiquity.

9. Anonymous. Litter belonging to Hetepheres, Dynasty IV, 2575–2551 BCE. Wood with gold leaf, height: 52 cm. Egyptian Museum, Cairo. Egyptian Antiquity.

10. Anonymous. Bed belonging to Hetepheres, Dynasty IV, 2575–2551 BCE. Wood with gold leaf, 178 × 21.5 × 35.5 cm. Egyptian Museum, Cairo. Egyptian Antiquity.

11. Anonymous. Bowls belonging to Hetepheres, Dynasty IV, 2575–2551 BCE. Wood with gold leaf, diameter: 8–8.5 cm. Egyptian Museum, Cairo. Egyptian Antiquity.

12. Anonymous. Chains with amulets and clasp, c. 2055–1650 BCE. Silver, lapis lazuli, glass, feldspar, electrum, carnelian, amethyst, length: 47 cm. British Museum, London. Egyptian Antiquity.

13. Anonymous. Earrings, Dynasty XVIII, c. 1550–1295 BCE. Gold, diameter: 2.6 cm. British Museum, London. Egyptian Antiquity.

14. Anonymous. Necklace with pectoral, dedicated to Sesostris II, Dynasty XII, 1898–1881 BCE. Gold and semi-precious stones, height: 4.9 cm. Egyptian Museum, Cairo. Egyptian Antiquity.

15. Anonymous. Pendant in the shape of a shell inscribed with the name of Ibshemuabi, King of Byblos, 2000–1500 BCE. Gold, semi-precious stones, 7.5 × 7 cm. Directorate General of Antiquities, Beirut. Eastern Antiquity.

16. Anonymous. Pendant belonging to Mereret, Dynasty XII, 1881–1794 BCE. Semi-precious stones, height: 4.6 cm. Egyptian Museum, Cairo. Egyptian Antiquity.

17. Anonymous. Ceremonial hatchet of Ahmose, Dynasty XVIII, 1550–1525 BCE. Wood, copper, gold, and semi-precious stones, 47.5 × 6.7 cm. Egyptian Museum, Cairo. Egyptian Antiquity.

18. Anonymous. Dagger belonging to Princess Ita, Dynasty XII, 1929–1898 BCE. Gold, bronze, semi-precious stones, length: 28 cm. Egyptian Museum, Cairo. Egyptian Antiquity.

19. Anonymous. ‘Octopus’ Vase, Palekastro, c. 1500 BCE. White fictile, height: 28 cm. Heraklion Archaeological Museum, Heraklion (Crete). Greek Antiquity.

20. Anonymous. Funeral mask, known as ‘Mask of Agamemnon’, Grave V, Mycenae, c. 1600–1500 BCE. Gold, height: 31.5 cm. National Archaeological Museum, Athens. Greek Antiquity.

21. Anonymous. Pitcher belonging to Hephaistos, c. 1800 BCE. Height: 27 cm. Heraklion Archaeological Museum, Heraklion (Crete). Greek Antiquity.

22. Anonymous. Golden Vaphio cup, c. 1500–1400 BCE. Gold, height: 7.5 cm. National Archaeological Museum, Athens. Greek Antiquity.

23. Anonymous. Stele of Amenhotep, Dynasty XVIII, c. 1400–1390 BCE. Limestone, traces of paint, height: 89 cm. British Museum, London. Egyptian Antiquity.

24. Anonymous. Drawing board, Dynasty XVIII, c. 1475 BCE. Wood, plaster, ink, 36.5 × 53.4 cm. British Museum, London. Egyptian Antiquity.

25. Anonymous. Cylinder seal of Annipi, King of Sidon and son of Addume, c. 13th century BCE. Blue glass (cobalt), height: 2.7 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris. Egyptian Antiquity.

26. Anonymous. Vases on behalf of Yuya, Dynasty XVIII, 1387–1350 BCE. Painted limestone, height: 25 cm. Egyptian Museum, Cairo. Egyptian Antiquity.

27. Anonymous. Perfume container, Dynasty XVIII, 1333–1323 BCE. Alabaster, gold, glass paste, stoneware, 70 × 36.8 cm. Egyptian Museum, Cairo. Egyptian Antiquity.

28. Anonymous. Throne with footrest, Dynasty XVIII, 1333–1323 BCE. Wood, golden leaf, silver, glass paste, precious stones, stoneware, height of throne: 102 cm. Egyptian Museum, Cairo. Egyptian Antiquity.

29. Anonymous. Chair belonging to Princess Satamun, Dynasty XVIII, 1387–1350 BCE. Stuccoed wood, gold leaf, plant fibres, height: 77 cm. Egyptian Museum, Cairo. Egyptian Antiquity.

30. Anonymous. Folding headrest, Dynasty XVIII, c. 1390–1295 BCE. Wood, 19.2 × 19.4 cm. British Museum, London. Egyptian Antiquity.

31. Anonymous. Painted chest, Dynasty XVIII, 1333–1323 BCE. Stuccoed and painted wood, 61 × 43 cm. Treasure belonging to Tutankhamun. Egyptian Museum, Cairo. Egyptian Antiquity.

32. Anonymous. Jug, 14th-12th century BCE. Bronze, height: 43.2 cm. British Museum, London. Chinese Antiquity.

33. Anonymous. Jug for rituals, 12th century BCE. Bronze, height: 20.3 cm. British Museum, London. Chinese Antiquity.

34. Anonymous. Jug with bird feet, 12th-11th century BCE. Bronze, height: 20 cm. Shanghai Museum, Shanghai. Chinese Antiquity.

35. Anonymous. Jug, 11th century BCE. Bronze, height: 42 cm. British Museum, London. Chinese Antiquity.

36. Anonymous. Chariot for worship, Bisenzio, end of the 8th century BCE. Bronze, wheels: 30 cm. Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia, Rome. Etruscan Antiquity.

37. Anonymous. Bronze razor, 9th century BCE. Bronze with engraved hunting scene and geometric pattern. Museo archeologico e d’arte della Maremma, Grosseto. Etruscan Antiquity.

38. Anonymous. Lower part of a quiver from Lorestan (Iran), 1000–750 BCE. Bronze. Musées royaux d’Art et d’Histoire, Brussels. Eastern Antiquity.

39. Anonymous. Dipylon vase, from a cemetery in Dipylon, 750–735 BCE. Terracotta, diameter: 72.4 cm. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Greek Antiquity.

40. Anonymous. Eleusis Amphora: The Blinding of the Cyclops Polyphemus by Odysseus, c. 675–650 BCE. Terracotta, height: 142.3 cm. Archaeological Museum of Eleusis, Eleusis (Greece). Greek Antiquity.

41. Anonymous. Jug, c. 650 BCE. Terracotta, 28 cm. Museo del Palazzo dei Conservatori, Rome. Etruscan Antiquity.

42. Anonymous. Situla belonging to Bakenranef, c. 700 BCE. Stoneware. Museo Archeologico Nazionale Tarquiniese, Tarquinia (Italy). Etruscan Antiquity.

43. Anonymous. Piece of a belt, probably from Ziwiye, end of the 8th century BCE. Gold leaf, 16.5 cm. British Museum, London. Eastern Antiquity.

44. Anonymous. Bowl from the tomb of Bernardini, 675 BCE. Gilded silver.Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia, Rome. Etruscan Antiquity.

45. Marsyas Painter, Peleus and Thetis, Surrounded by Other Sea Nymphs, c. 340 BCE. Red-figured storage jar, height: 43.3 cm. British Museum, London. Greek Antiquity.

46. Anonymous. Hercules Strangling the Nemean Lion, c. 525 BCE. Attic black-figured amphora, height: 45.5 cm. Museo Civico dell’Étà Cristiana, Brescia. Greek Antiquity.

47. Euphronios, end of the 6th century BCE-first half of the 5th century BCE, Greek. Hercules Wrestling Antaeus, 515–510 BCE. Red-figured calix krater, height: 44.8; diameter: 55 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris. Greek Antiquity.

Euphronios

(Athens, end of the 6th century BCE – first half of the 5th century BCE)

As pottery maker and painter, Euphronios is one of the most well-known artists of his time, as the antiquated Greek pottery with black figures was replaced by innovative ceramics with red figures. As a forerunner in the new technique, Euphronios made several of his works recognisable through his style and his signature. He was inspired by mythological themes, by daily scenes, and by the heroic acts of Hercules, producing many large vases, amphorae, and kraters. Known for the precision of drawing naked and muscular figures, Euphronios sought opportunities to create versatile works of art, and added a hand-written note on his works.

48. Douris, 6th-5th century BCE, Greek. Memnon Pieta, c. 490–480 BCE. Interior from an Attic red-figured cup, diameter: 26.7 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris. Greek Antiquity.

49. Anonymous. Red-haired Demon, c. 350 BCE. Red-figured kylix (bowl) from Vulci. Museo Gregoriano Etrusco, Vatican City. Etruscan Antiquity.

50. Anonymous. Mirror illustrating The Nursing of Hercules, c. 350 BCE. Bronze. Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Florence. Etruscan Antiquity.

51. Anonymous. Mirror from Tuscany, 350–300 BCE. Bronze, diameter: 12 cm. Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Florence. Etruscan Antiquity.

52. Anonymous. Mirror with eight protrusions, 206 BCE – 22 °CE. Bronze, diameter: 21 cm. National Palace Museum, Taipei. Chinese Antiquity.

53. Anonymous. Coins from Vetulonia, c. 250 BCE. Bronze. Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Florence. Etruscan Antiquity.

54. Anonymous. Mirror with a winged genius, 3rd century BCE. Bronze. Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia, Rome. Etruscan Antiquity.

55. Anonymous. Embellishment on the tomb of a woman from Waldalgesheim (Germany), second half of the 4th century BCE. Bronze, height: 9.5 cm. Rheinisches Landesmuseum Bonn, Bonn. Celtic Antiquity.

56. Anonymous. Chinese lacquered coffin decorated with birds and dragons, 4th century BCE. Wood, 184 × 46 cm. Hubei Museum, Hubei (China). Chinese Antiquity.

57. Anonymous. Earring, c. 300 BCE. Gold. Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia, Rome. Etruscan Antiquity.

58. Anonymous. Bracelet, Ptolemaic period, 305 BCE. Gold, diameter: 8 cm. Egyptian Museum, Cairo. Egyptian Antiquity.

59. Anonymous. Signet ring, 4th-3rd century BCE. Carnelian, diameter: 1.7 cm. The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg. Persian Antiquity.

60. Anonymous. Bracelet with an agate stone, Roman period, 117–138 CE. Hammered gold leaf, agate, diameter: 9 cm. Egyptian Museum, Cairo. Egyptian Antiquity.

61. Anonymous. Headpiece with a serapi figure, Roman period, 117–138 CE. Gold, diameter: 22 cm. Egyptian Museum, Cairo. Egyptian Antiquity.

62. Anonymous. Two adornments depicting immortals, late Han dynasty, 2nd-3rd century CE. Gold leaf and inlaid work, 2.5 × 4 cm. Musée national des Arts asiatiques – Guimet, Paris. Chinese Antiquity.

63. Anonymous. Incense burner in the shape of a Lian house, late Han dynasty, 20–22 °CE. Ceramic with lead glaze, height: 15 cm. Musée national des Arts asiatiques – Guimet, Paris. Chinese Antiquity.

64. Anonymous. Embellished vase, Roman period, 2nd-3rd century CE. Glass, bronze, and gold. Egyptian Museum, Cairo. Egyptian Antiquity.

65. Anonymous. Cup belonging to Lycurgus, 4th century BCE. Gilded ruby, glass mixture, gold, and silver with copper highlights, height: 16.5 cm. British Museum, London. Roman Antiquity.

66. Anonymous. Lamp with the figure of the god Bes, beginning of the 2nd century. Terracotta, height: 21.5 cm. British Museum, London. Egyptian Antiquity.

67. Anonymous. Adoration of the Magi, c. 200. Fresco. Capella Greca, Catacomb of Priscilla, Rome. Romanesque.

68. Anonymous. The Good Shepherd, c. 250. Fresco. Capella Greca, Catacomb of Priscilla, Rome. Romanesque.

69. Anonymous. King Hunting Rams, plate, 5th-6th century. Silver, mercury gilding, niello inlay, diameter: 21.9 cm. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Persian Antiquity.

70. Anonymous. The Missorium of Theodosius, 387–388. Silver, partially gilded, diameter: 74 cm. Real Academia de la Historia, Madrid. Byzantine Antiquity.

71. Anonymous. Scipio’s shield, end of the 4th century or beginning of the 5th century. Silver, partially gilded, diameter: 71 cm. Cabinet des Médailles, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris. Byzantine Antiquity.

72. Anonymous. Medal of Emperor Constantine the Great, 315. Silver, diameter: 2.4 cm. Staatliche Münzsammlung München, Munich. Romanesque.

73. Anonymous. Medal of Emperor Constantine the Great and the sun god, Sol, 313. Gold. Cabinet des Médailles, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris. Romanesque.

74. Anonymous. Embellished bottle, Roman period, 4th century. Terracotta, height: 30.5 cm. Egyptian Museum, Cairo. Egyptian Antiquity.

75. Anonymous. Bracelet, end of the 4th century or beginning of the 5th century. Gold and coloured stones, diameter: 7.5 cm. Cabinet des Médailles, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris. Byzantine Antiquity.

76. Anonymous. Jason and Medea, end of the 4th century or beginning of the 5th century. Tapestry in polychrome linen, diameter: 7 cm. Musée de Cluny, Paris. Egyptian Antiquity.

77. Anonymous. Lustre, 5th-7th century. Bronze (bobeches in modern glass), height: 18 cm; diameter: 48.5 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris. Byzantine.