Page:History of Art in Phœnicia and Its Dependencies Vol 2.djvu/290

 266 HISTORY OF ART IN PHCENICIA AND ITS DEPENDENCIES. without interest or else date from the Grseco- Roman time. 1 The Louvre possesses a few fragments from Gaza, Kherbet-Foukouar and Karak, in southern Palestine ; they are decorated after the earliest geometric principles, with bands and short lines, curved or straight, and with triangles within circles. 1 The only complete vase yet found in Syria was bought by M. de Saulcy at Jerusalem, and by him given to the Louvre (Fig. 202). It is unglazed and dull in colour ; the design stands out in brown upon a ground of dirty grey. The ornament is purely geometrical ; a medallion filled in with chequers, meanders, triangles, lozenges, vertical and horizontal bands separated by plain spaces, make up its details. The shape is heavy and without elegance. FIG. 202. Vase from Jerusalem. Height 6| inches. Louvre. If we look beyond Syria for the materials that are not to be found within its borders, we shall still be unable to satisfy our curiosity. The ceramic industries of Cyprus were no doubt rich enough and it is more than likely that many of the vases found in the island were made in Phoenicia, but how are we to distinguish them from the rest ? Have we not good reason to believe that in course of time the mixed population of Cyprus struck out a local and peculiar line for themselves in this matter of ceramic art ? 1 DUMONT, les Ceramiques de la Grece propre, pp. 90-91.