Page:History of Art in Primitive Greece - Mycenian Art Vol 1.djvu/561

 534 Primitive Greece : Mvcenian Ak' Mycenian necropoles, where one would have thought that a different mode of enrichment had been more suitable. Here, the rocky facade has been plastered and painted in imitation of that of the palaces (Fig. 234).^ The best preserved of these coloured fronts is reproduced in our PI. XIII., Fig. 3, exactly as it was when excavated. This passionate love for colour found means other than paint- ing to satisfy itself. By the side of an artificial polychromy there was a natural polychromy, resulting from diversity of the materials employed. The painter's brush, doubtless, travelled nearly as often over joisted ceiling as wood panelling ; yet in some instances they may have been contented to rub the woodwork with oil, fat, or some resinous substance, which served both as a preservative and polish, and did not destroy the natural colour of the wood, ^ Fig. 140. — Glass plaque. Aciual sue. whose deep, sombre tones formed a great contrast with the brighter hues of the fresco. Then, too, stones and metals, as well as artificial products, were selected for their native colour. Green breccia and red porphyry, apparently from entablatures, were unearthed at Tiryns and Mycenae (Fig. 228).^ Along the walls of the Mycenian megaron the floor was paved with alabaster flags, whilst the centre had a concrete pavement with a chequered pattern, red and blue, in pleasing contrast with the yellowish white band which surrounded it. By far the most curious find has been the alabaster frieze (PI. XIII., Fig. i, and Figs. 228, 292). Inserted into cavities purposely made for them, were small pieces of blue paste ; they served to accentuate the creamy white of the stone. The middle of rosettes, of spirals, and dentels, which latter formed the frames of both.^were inlaid with ' TSOUNDAS, 'Etfiinip'.c. - SCHLLEMANN, TirjilS.