Page:History of Art in Sardinia, Judæa, Syria and Asia Minor Vol 1.djvu/387

 Industrial Arts. 357 Fig. 249. — Dish of Black Earthenware, 25 c. in diameter. Recovery, p. 477. for a single moment ; the inference, therefore, is irresistible that as in Cyprus so in Jerusalem also, all the specimens that have come to light up to the present moment must be recognized as Phoeni- cian. They are low in tone, with patterns formed by a combination of geometric lines of "seeming" intricacy, albeit never confused and easily read. In a word, they are distinguished by all the characteristics of Sido- nian art-products. Of foreign origin are cer- tainly also curious vessels made of an extremely hard, massive, black ware, coated in three examples with a dark crimson glaze, perhaps produced by cinnabar ; five out of the seven pieces, including the perfect one, are in the shape of a pine-cone ; the neck, where it is preserved, is short, and the orifice extremely small. The small end of the cone being downwards, it is clear that these flasks were not intended to stand upright (Fig. 250). 1 It might have been supposed, with some show of reason, that they were funereal vessels con- taining perfumes, placed along with the dead. Closer examination, however, induced M. Gre- ville Chester, from whom we quote, to insert a bent quill down the narrow neck of the perfect bottle, when small flakes of bees'-wax and globules of quicksilver were seen adhering to the quill. It therefore seems almost certain that these vases were purposely so shaped for the importation and preservation of mercury. Their massiveness, and the narrowness of the neck, which insures easy stoppage, renders them peculiarly appropriate. The bees'- wax was used for closing the mouth. 2 Glass was likewise obtained from Phoenicia. 3 Great quantities of 1 Recovery, pp. 479, 480. 2 According to M. Ganneau, such recipients were caps or fulminates, used in letting off Greek fires, the mercury which formed their basis having been set free by the disintegrating action of time. See Appendix. 3 Loewy, " Notices concerning Glass in Ancient Hebrew Records " {Proceedings of Biblical and Archaeological Society,^. 84-86, i88r, 1882). Fig. 250.— Bottle. Size of the original. The Recovery, p. 480.