Page:History of Art in Primitive Greece - Mycenian Art Vol 2.djvu/505

 44S Primitive Gricece ; Mvcenian Art. plumes, as like to that figured on a glass-paste from Spata as it is possible to imagine (Fig. 411); or a couple of argonauts, separated by a granulated flower, and set face to face (tail-piece, end of list of plates). So too, at Vaphio, we find rings and signets surrounded by a cable or twist of gold wire. In the latter was sometimes inserted an intaglio, sometimes a number of pieces of glass held in tiny compartments. Again, rock-crystals or pastes filled round cavities which pervaded the surface of a gold ball, having a hole right through the middle. It must have been the central piece of a necklet. A second ball is covered with dots, like the husk of a horse-chestnut, and there is an instance of a disc with bosses similar to those of the diadems (Fig. 540). Eiu. 540. — Gold rings ami ornamunls. Rosettes are plentiful. In a word, we have here the ^ame forms us those which the royal tombs have revealed to the world. It would appear, however, that towards the end of the period, the metal-worker was led to choose simpler and lighter designs. Glass-ware begins to play a more prominent part in the ornaments; these, whilst preserving their former gorgeous aspect, are now of less intrinsic value.' Among the ornaments found near the corpses, some are far too flimsy to have been worn in life. Such would be gold leaves covering leg and thigh (Fig. 106), or gold bands doing duty ^ Relating to hair-pins, with a silver or bronre stem, see 'K^ii/itpic, 1889. The same remark applies to gold and silver objects, found in small quantities in the graves at Palamidi.