Page:History of Art in Sardinia, Judæa, Syria and Asia Minor Vol 2.djvu/189

 The Palace. Eyuk. 171 priest of Cybele, as at Boghaz-Keui. His costume is exactly the same as in all the other bas-reliefs of Pterium where his image has been met with. As usual, a lituus is carried in his right hand ; but with his left he pours out of an aenechoe a liquid over the feet of the seated goddess. Behind the priest walks the priestess, whose hands make the gesture which seems to characterize women in the plastic art of Cappadocia. Her right hand holds to her face a round object ; the left carries to her lips some other indistinct symbol. It is impossible now to say if she wore earrings. This priestess is dressed in the same flowing robe which distinguishes her in the group represented in Plate LXVI. Exploration Archdologique^ Fig. i (our Fig. 328). Behind them are two other figures, almost obliterated, whose costume seems to have consisted of a short tunic and a mantle so as to cover one leg, leaving the other exposed. By a lucky chance, the central figures have least suffered ; so that we can distinctly see the priest and priestess, who also figure in the other part of the decoration, on the left side of the gateway," ^ The Cappadocian artist, as stated, did not dispose of a great variety of forms ; thus it comes to pass that the types here described are found in other places. If we except the libation detail, which is novel, the priest and priestess are almost identical with the central group imaged in Fig. 328, and the seated goddess to whom these public rites were offered is repeated on the eastern side of the portal (i i in plan), together with the bull (7 in plan, and Fig. 329). From some unexplained cause, the side face of block 1 1 in plan was unworked, whilst its opposite neighbour (7 in plan) had half a dozen figures carved upon it (Fig. 336). The only image on the former occurs on its exterior section. Like Mr. Ramsay's goddess, it portrays a woman seated and habited in a long garment. Her hair falls in long ringlets about her neck and shoulders ; her boots are more than '* tip-tilted," they actually form a ring in front. With the dexter hand she carries a cup to her lips, a detail which seems to suggest the libation just referred to ; with the sinister she holds an indistinct object, perhaps a huge water-lily (Pig. 337). On the right of this picture (12 in plan, and Fig. 338) the decora- tion looked to the left ; but all the figures are much worn, and the upper part is almost gone. We should not have reproduced ^ Loc. cit.