Page:A History of Art in Ancient Egypt Vol 2.djvu/424

 3^^ A History of Art in Ancient Egypt. which distinguishes the objects of which we have now been speaking, can only be guessed at. Our best advice to those who wish to thoroughly appreciate their beauty, is to examine them in the museums where they are exposed. But even in the black and white of our draughtsman the excellent taste which animated the Egyptian jeweller may be fairly estimated. Other races, the Greeks, for instance, gave more lightness and a more refined grace to their trinkets, but our familiarity with their productions does not prevent us from recognizing the nobility Fig, 321. — Ivory Plaque. Boulak. and amplitude of these designs. Their originality, too, is strongly brought out by their affinity to the style and decoration of the great national buildings ; we might almost be tempted to think that their designs and colour compositions were supplied by architects. The same characteristics are to be recognized on the vases figured in the royal tombs at Thebes.^ They are coloured yellow 1 See two plates of Prtsse entitled: " Ar/ Indiistriel. Vases en Or Emaille ; Rhytons et aut?'es Vases. ^'