Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 6.djvu/415

 KERTCH ANTIQUITIES. 263 been discovered up to that time in our subterranean Etruria ; not so much however by their execution as by their subject. I showed them to many learned archaeologists of Italy and Germany, to whom it appeared incredible that objects of antiquity so remarkable could be found in Taurida. The painting of the catacombs belongs to the Greek style — there is observable in it, however, the reflex of art prevailing in Rome at the commencement of the Christian era. The walls of the catacombs were covered with stucco or plaster, on which the drawings were made in water-colours — white, black, red, yellow, blue, green, grey — with the same colours, in short, which are observed in the frescoes discovered in several parts of Tuscany, particularly near Corneto, in the year 1831. When we entered the catacomb the painting was very fresh and no where injured, I immediately com- menced copying the paintings, and in three days, with the assistance of M. Stephanski, draftsman to the Kertch Museum, I succeeded in making a faithfid fac-simile, corre- sponding to the original even in the minute parts. It was observed that the air penetrating into the vaults, from which the rays of light had been excluded during the course of many ages, destroyed not only the paintings, but even the plaster. In fact, the next day after they were discovered there appeared on the walls a great deal of humidity, the colours began to grow pale, and the plaster to detach itself from the wall and fall at the slightest pressure. Almost all the monuments of funereal painting discovered in Italy have undergone the same fate ; there, likewise, they have not been able to protect them against the influence of the air and damp." Tliis talented archaeologist then gives a minute descrip- tion of the frescoes, ten in number, preceded by a description of the catacomb in which they were found, and illustrated by twelve plates, representing the drawings in outline. A satis- factory notion of these examples of ancient art can only be gained by reference to the work itself ; we will, however, lay before our readers the following description of the catacomb and of one of the frescoes at length, as an example of their highly curious character : — " The tunuilus in which this catacomb was discovercil, measured in the centre, is 13 feet in depth, to the top of the catacomb. The digging was carried on, as has been cus-