Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 19.djvu/191

Rh PLATE 181 consists of silver vessels and two silver statuettes, sixty-nine pieces in all, the gift of various donors to the temple. It is in itself a small museum of specimens of ancient plate, containing objects of great variety of date and workmanship, from fine Greek work of about 300 B.C. down to the coarser Roman production of the 2nd or 3rd century A.D. The shapes of the vessels composing this treasure are very numerous ewers, bowls, paterae, large ladle-shaped cups, and drinking cups with and without handles. Those of Greek workmanship are in slight relief, while some of the Roman wine-cups and bowls have heads and figures almost detached from the ground. Some of these latter much resemble some silver canthari found in Pompeii. 1 The dedicatory Roman inscriptions, in some cases, appear to be later additions, made by the various donors who presented these treasures to the temple. 2 It is interesting to note that two vases among the Bernay treasure have reliefs of the theft of the Palladium, like the celebrated cup by Pytheas mentioned by Pliny ; another subject described by him as decorating silver plate by Zopyrus, the judgment of Orestes, is represented on a fine cup found at Antium, apparently of Greek design, which is preserved in the Cor- sini Palace in Rome. These may possibly be copies from originals by those much-renowned artists. Grseco-Roman and Roman Plate. Of what may be called Graeco-Roman plate a much larger number of specimens still exist. Even during the 1st century the growing pomp and ostentation of the wealthy Romans led to an enormous demand for large and elaborate pieces of plate, while their good taste induced them to prefer the works of Greek coelatorts, a branch of art which even at that time showed but little signs of decay. It was no doubt the desire for objects which should combine intrinsic value with artistic merit, and also be of a more durable sort, that by slow degrees gave the death-blow to the art of vase painting. It is not always easy to distinguish the best works in silver of this Roman period from the more purely Greek works of an earlier time. They are often of the highest merit both in design and execution. The finest collection of these was found in 1869 at Hildes- heim in Hanover, and is now in the Berlin Museum. They consist of a large number of cups, bowls, vases, dishes, and tripods, all of silver, some decorated with gilding and enriched in the most elaborate way with figure and scroll-work reliefs of the greatest beauty and finish ; these, except one or two of very rude work, can hardly be later in date than the first century after Christ. The most remarkable is a cylix, inside which a geometrical Greek border in slight relief forms a frame for a seated figure of Athene an &quot; emblema &quot; soldered on, in very high relief. The attitude of this figure, the folds of the drapery, and other details are arranged with extreme grace. Almost the only point which recalls the fact that this exquisite piece does not belong to the best period of Greek art is the very salient relief of the figure, whereas in earlier times the silver-worker was content with a more moderate amount of relief, and thus decorated the surface of his vessel without injuring its main contour. A large silver crater in the same set (fig. 7) is free from this fault. It is covered outside with delicate floral scroll-work, growing in graceful curves all over the surface of the vessel, with very slight projection from the main surface, a perfect model in every way for the treat ment of silver. Pliny specially mentions the custom of Roman generals and other ofiice rs travelling on military 1 Quaranta, Quattordici Vasi d Argento. . . Pompei, Naples, 1837. 2 See a valuable paper on this subject in the Journal of Hellenic Studies, vol. iii. No. 1, by Dr Waldstein, who attributes part of this treasure to the Ephesian school of artists, and traces in some of the designs miniature reproductions of large works of Greek sculpture. expeditions with magnificent services of plate ; and it appears probable that this had been the case with the FIG. 7. Silver Crater, 15J inches high, from the Hildeshcim find. (Berlin Museum.) Hildesheim treasure ; defeat or some other disaster may have forced the Roman owner to hide and relinquish the whole set. 3 The museum at Naples contains a very large number of silver cups found in Pompeii, encrusted with figure-subjects or branches of ivy and vine in relief. In cases of this sort the cup is made double, with a smooth inner skin to hide the sinkings produced by the repousse work in relief on the outside. Silver vessels ornamented in relief were called by the Romans coelata or aspera, to distinguish them from plain ones, which were called levia.* Among later specimens of Roman plate the most remarkable is the gold patera, nearly 10 inches in dia meter, found at Rennes in 1777, and now in the Paris Bibliotheque a work of the most marvellous delicacy and high finish almost gem-like in its minuteness of detail. Though not earlier than about 210 A.D., a slight clumsi ness in the proportion of its embossed figures is the only visible sign of decadence. The outer rim is set with sixteen fine gold coins aurei of various members of the Antonine family from Hadrian to Geta. The central emblema or medallion represents the drinking contest be tween Bacchus and Hercules, and round this medallion is a band of repousse figures showing the triumphal proces sion of Bacchus after winning the contest. He sits triumphant in his leopard-drawn car, while Hercules is led along, helplessly intoxicated, supported by bacchanals. A long line of nymphs, fauns, and satyrs complete the circular band. The so-called &quot;shield of Scipio,&quot; also in the Paris Bibliotheque, which was found in the Rhone near Avignon, is the finest example of Roman plate of the 4th century. It is not a shield, but a large silver patera, about 26 inches in diameter, with a repousse relief representing the restora tion of Briseis to Achilles. The composition and general design are good, but the execution is feeble and rather coarse. 3 Darcel, Tresor de Hildesheim, 1870. The number of gold and silver statues in Rome was very great. In the inscription of Ancyra, Augustus records that he melted down no less than 80 silver statues of himsdf, and with the money thus obtained presented &quot; golden gifts&quot; to the temple of Apollo Palatinus. See Mon. Ancyr., ed. Mommsen, 1883. 4 For the various classical methods of working in silver and gold see METAL-WORK.