Page:History of Art in Primitive Greece - Mycenian Art Vol 2.djvu/351

 298 Primitive Greece: Mycenian Art. altar or a table of offering. Her hair is gathered into a knot behind, whilst the head is adorned by a kind of diadem, from which rises an ornament fading away at the back into a point, afjLTTv^ (Fig- 418). The right hand holds up a mirror of elliptical shape, the other rests on her lap. Before this personage stands another woman similarly arrayed, the edge of whose dress is dis- tinguishable around the neck. One hand is raised, the other is lowered and holds a flower. Behind rises a tree. In the first figure Aphrodite has been provisionally recognized. A Mycenian origin will unhesitatingly be ascribed to a gold ring, said to have come in 1887 from a grave at Salonica (Fig. 423).^ It represents a subject familiar with these artists, the struggle between a man and a lion. The make of the Mycenian artist betrays itself in many ways : the drawing in of the body at the middle, the short drawers, and the arbitrary treatment of the ground. Yet, despite a certain dryness in the design, the movements of men and animals are rendered with rare spirit. Less valuable, although engraved with the same care, are a number of signet-rings recently excavated at Vaphio and Mycente, Represented on a gold specimen from the former locality are a man and a woman, who appear to be dancing before a tree which rises out of a great jar (Fig. 424, 9). The remaining space is filled with symbols difficult to define. Although the subject does not lend itself to be easily explained, we are almost tempted to think that we have here an orgiac scene. Among the gold in- taglios yielded by the Mycenae bee-hive tombs, is one whose theme is almost identical with that of a red jasper signet discovered at Vaphio (PL XVI. 19) ; in both are figured a stag with head raised, and a bunch of flowers popped in the field.^ The same group is reproduced on two other glyptics. Here a pair of horses tethered to a palm tree are lying down and tossing their heads about. They apparently have cloven feet (Fig. 424, 10). There, parted by a tree, are two sphinxes set face to face (Fig. 421, 22). As will be noticed, the head-dress is the same as that of the ivor}- figures. It consists of a low tiara with a raised border, and a long plume falling behind (Fig. 410). Nearly the same arrange- ^ The ring in question has been published by M. de Gobineau, Catalogue d*une collection (Tintailles asiatiques. It was acquired by M. Danicourt, who presented it to the Museum of Pdronne. 2 *E^;?/i£p/c,'i888.