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EG Y Fl IAN .

CERA MIC: ART

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EGYPTIAN

CERAMIC

ART.

By the same Aut hor

THE MACGREGOR
WITH
AND

THIRTY
187

COLLECTION.

PLATES

TEXT

IN

COLOUR

ILLUSTRATIONS.

1898.

ALL RIGHTS RESER 'ED.

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TYPICAL EXAMPLES OF THE ART
OF THE EGYPTIAN POTTER PORTRAYED IN COLOUR PLATES

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WITH

TEXT ILLUSTRATIONS DRAWN AND
DESCRIBED BY HENRY WALLIS

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PREFACE.

preparing for publication a previous series of Plates of Egyptian
ceramic art-the Collection of the Rev. William MacGregor-I pointed out
that the history of the art could not be written until its examples in the great
national museums had received adequate illustration. In issuing the present
series I venture again to urge the importance of such publication-the reason
being, that a classification of the pottery can only be accomplished by the
comparison of the known specimens of the art. These, however, are dispersed
in museums far distant from each other, and it is unlikely they can be brought
WHEN

together, even for a limited time. Hence the comparison must be made by the
aid of descriptions of the separate pieces, carefully noting their special qualities.
To render these with clearness and precision it is necessary that their verbal
descriptions be supplemented by pictorial illustrations, preferably in colour.

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Publication of this nature would be no new departure for the museums.
Taking the instance of the British Museum. It has already issued a number
of works illustrating its various artistic collections which hare been of the
highest service to students of art and of history, and which have also been
instrumental in advancing the spread of learning and of maintaining the
principles of sound taste. The volumes dealing with Greek ceramic art have
been a valuable contribution to science, and by the excellence of their illustrations have afforded constant delight to all capable of appreciating those forms
of ideal beauty with which the Hellenic artists adorned their vases. But
Greek ceramic art was restricted in range, limited in duration, and inoperative

vi

PREFACE.

in influence compared with that of Egypt. Before it had come into being the
Egyptian potters had acquired a full mastery of artistic design and technical
procedure; when it expired they were inventing new methods and were still
perfecting their practice. And those methods and practice were to serve as
sources of inspiration for the artists of many lands and diverse epochs, even
down to our own day. Prof. Erman remarks, in his ' Life in Ancient Egypt,'
"The achievements of the Egyptians in this branch of art [the ceramic] stand
so high that modern technical skill has barely attained to it even in part."
This master-work will hence be pregnant with instruction for the artists of our
time, and in placing illustrations of it within their reach, the Museum will be
fulfilling one of the most popular functions incidental to its position. Yet
there is a higher end even than that of promoting the development of our
contemporary artistic industries, namely, to assist in rescuing from oblivion the
record of one of the most brilliant phases of the art of a gifted race and a
splendid civilization.
When, as in the present case, documentary evidence is not forthcoming, the
necessary data for tracing the history of a past art must be sought for in the
existing examples themselves. The most valuable testimony will, of course, be
that of style. But there is a further source of information, and of the most
convincing kind, open to the historian of the art of the Egyptian potter. This
is to be found in the technical qualities of the examples of the art, and, as the
wares are more than usually varied in character, so they offer many distinct
clues for classification. Possibly some of the more delicate distinctions of
technique can alone be appreciated by the trained eye of the practical potter,
and it will therefore be for him to determine identity in cases which only an
expert can decide.
The following pages had scarcely been set up in type when the writer
received the sorrowful intelligence that Major W. J. Myers, whose collection
has furnished the subjects for some of the illustrations in this volume, had
been killed at Ladysmith. His death will be deplored and his memory will be
cherished by a wide circle of friends, who valued him for his sterling qualities
and loved him for his sweet and amiable disposition. In his short career, and
during the intervals of his professional duties, he had formed one of the most

PREFACE.

Vii

important collections of Oriental art brought together in the present century.
Students of Egyptian art will owe him a lasting debt of gratitude from his
having directed that the Egyptian portion of his collection shall be kept intact.
He has bequeathed it to his old school, Eton College, where it will remain
amidst the scenes endeared to him by early association, a fitting memorial of a
brave soldier and a collector of fine and discriminating taste.
H. W.

Fig. 1.-

sNGE)D
SCARAB.

Blue faience.

L. 29 cm.

Ghizeh Museum.

INTRODUCTION.

Fig.

2

.-

GIRL CARRY-

ING A VASE.

Wood.

1I. 31 cm.
du Louvre.

Musde

As our knowledge of the civilization founded along the Nile
valley in the remote past becomes more intimate and precise,
so the conviction is strengthened that the special gift of the
race settled in that region was the artistic faculty. It was
natural that this phase of its spiritual endowment should
not have been recognized by the earlier students of the
newly discovered remains of this energetic, industrious, and
cultured people. The first workers in the field of Egyptian
research had their attention engrossingly occupied in the
attempt to master a knowledge of the ancient language.
Their previous training and education had also probably
implanted the belief in their minds that Hellenistic art
represented all that was perfect in style and expression-it
was a standard by which all others were to be judged. They
were perhaps influenced by the dicta of the Greek writers,
who, while extolling the wisdom and piety of the Egyptians,
held their art in comparatively slight esteem. Further, in
the infancy of the study in modern times the really artistic
objects which had come to light were not then so numerous
as now; they were certainly too few to afford an adequate

INTRODUCTION.

x

idea of the abilities or the aims of the artists. The monumental remains of
temples were the examples most in evidence; they belonged to a time when
the arts of sculpture and architecture were in a state of decay, and they are
confessedly not masterpieces calculated to awaken enthusiasm.
Thus the altered estimation in which Egyptian art is held to-day is
obviously due both to the natural progress of ideas and the vastly increased
representation of the various arts now accessible to the student. These multifarious specimens obtained from the excavations of the past half-century
fortunately come precisely at the time when research in the history of every
department of art has trained the perceptive powers of the student to a singular
keenness of observation, such as, perhaps, has been seldom attained in any
previous period.
This extended experience undoubtedly tends to secure a
ready welcome to the newly discovered remains of any lost form of art. The
student seeks to place himself in sympathetic relationship with the new comer,
and therefore in an attitude favourable to the comprehension of its spirit
and essence. But before it can be asserted that this understanding has been
arrived at with regard to Egyptian art, something still remains to be accomplished. All this profusion of objects which the soil of Egypt has yielded up
has to be classified, and as it is distributed over many museums and collections
it has necessarily to be published, so that the student may know what we
possess of actual examples of the different classes of art.
Respecting the intention of the present
volume, dealing solely with the ceramic art of
Egypt, it may be stated that it follows on the
lines of a previous publication *, only having in
T one direction a wider scope-the reproduction
in colour-plates of works in various other colhlections which, of course, were not included in
that volume. Considering the splendid scheme
Vig.3 3. -iGED
H. 45 mm.

SC~AIB.

Faicnce.

of colour in which the whole series of Egyptian

Ghizeh Museum.

pottery is conceived, it is desirable that any
illustration of the art pretending to completeness should be chromatic. The
diversity and extent of the Rev. William MacGregor's collection enabled the
writer to illustrate the progress of the art from the earliest period to late
Roman times in choice, and frequently unique, specimens.
Still there are
* HENRY WALLIs, 'Egyptian Ceramic Art: the Collection of the Rev. William MacGregor.'

1898.

INTRODUCTION.

Xi

some few phases of the ceramic art of which more important pieces are to be
found in other collections. It is the representation of a selection of these that
the writer issues on the present occasion, trusting that the plates may be useful
to the student for reference and comparison when prosecuting his researches in
museums containing analogous examples-although not, perhaps, possessing
the extreme perfection of execution as in that of master- ork like the
TUshabti of Ptahmos, at Ghizeh, or the Rameses Bowl of the British Museum.
In the above mentioned volume on Mr. MacGregor's collection an attempt
was made, not to set forth a history of the art, but to indicate the special
characteristics of its performance contemporaneous with certain prominent
dynasties. The writer would not venture to claim for the suggested classification more than the possibility of its proving to be well founded. Where
documents are either entirely wanting or are vague and uncertain, as in the
present case, accuracy of historical statement and a classification without
flaw are only arrived at after a constant revision of texts, and resulting from
research conducted by successive enquirers extending often over a series of
years. Yet for the student of to-day some arrangoment of the known examples in chronological
sequence must be essayed. having lately drawn up
a synopsis of the art from this point of view, th,
writer feels that it is scarcely necessary for him to
perform the task again; he therefore begs to refer
the reader to the pages of the volume on Mr. Ma cGregor's collection.

Fig. 4.-AN CARRYING A VASE.
Wood. H. 24 cm. Muse

du Louvre.

The reasons determining the selection of the
subjects reproduced in the present series of Plates
have been their artistic qualities and the fact of
some being samples of important methods of ceramic
technique or design only lately discovered. Among
the earliest in date is the Statuette of the god Bes
(Plate II.), of the XIth dynasty. The authentic
known specimens of this period are naturally of
extreme rarity.
There are the few well-known
Hiippopotami, modelled in the round and remarkable
for the fine composition of tlleir paste or "body " and
32

11i

INTRODUCTION.

the purity and brilliance of their thin, even glaze-that is to say in its original
state, since all these blue glazes are liable to change, either to a greenish tint
or to almost entirely vanish when buried in damp earth, then sometimes
leaving the object in a dingy white. In vessels there is the pair of vase-stands,
one belonging to Mr. MacGregor * and the other in the Ghizeh Museum ; these,
however, may belong to a later time.
The inscribed Usertesen II. vase of
Ghizehf, although belonging to the XIIth dynasty, may practically be classed
with the art of the preceding dynasty. The Hippopotamus from Ghizeh (Plate I.)
has been included in the series on account of its being in a good state of preservation, as well as for its fine quality. The next illustrations in chronological
sequence are the bracelet of Amenhotep III. (the fellow one is in the Musee du
Louvre) and the three fragments of small vases (Plate III.). They are specimens
of an inlaid ware which has been known for some time by the Louvre bracelet and
by a few fragments of objects of personal ornament; but any specimens of vessels,
or portions of them, had not been seen by the writer till two years ago, when
he obtained the present fragments from the ruins of the palace of Amenhotep III.
at Thebes. The palace stood on the west bank of the Nile, about a mile south
of Medinet Habu. The fragments probably belonged to small bottles for
perfumes or unguents, or perhaps to hold flowers.
The vessels themselves must have been of truly regal
dignity in respect to their colour-harmony of lapis
lazuli and turquoise, in extraordinary depth and
splendour, and for their perfect manipulation. The
wall-tile from the palace of Akenhaten, at Tell-elAmarna, on Plate I., is also a typical example of this
class of faience---inlaid wares -belonging
to the
XVIIIth dynasty. This piece, of the reign of AkenFig. 5.-Q-aEEN Tm, QUEEN OF haten, hlappens to be almost intact, allowing one to
AENnOTEr IPII. Fragment
.
of Statuette. Faience.

see the full scheme of its graceful realistic design.
4 cm. Berlin Museum.
It is composed partly of inlaid work, as in the daisies,
and partly of painting, as their stems and leaves,
together with the thistle and the other passages in blue.
The refined and delicate Bowl of Rameses II. (Plate IV.) illustrates another
form of the combination of inlaid and painted ornamentation practised in the
* The MacGregor Collection, plate i.

t

Op. cit. fig. 4.

INTRODUCTION.

x1111

XIXth dynasty. It is a rare instance of the inlay being on a drab ground.
The drab inclines to a golden tint and is cleverly contrasted with the pale
purplish blue of the interior of the vessel, the two forming with the light yellow
inlay a singularly subtle harmony. One may fairly conclude that this marvel
of ceramic art was used at the table of Rameses II. or was a dedicatory offering
by him to a temple. Vessels of this form being for drinking purposes must
have been in more constant use than other kinds of artistic pottery, therefore
more liable to destruction, which is probably the reason why so few have been
found in excavations. An interval of many centuries separates this from
another royal Bowl-that of Constantine the Great on Plate XII. From
internal evidence the date of the latter may be assigned, within the limit of a very
few years, to the first half of the IVth century A.D. The recent discovery of
this vessel is a striking instance of the present uncertain state of our knowledge
respecting the history of Egyptian ceramic art. In the text of Mr. MacGregor's
collection the present writer stated that the art in Egypt had in late Roman
times lapsed into a condition of extreme degeneracy. The available evidence
then appeared to lead to this conviction, which, so far as he was aware, was
also the opinion of other students who had given their attention to the subject.
Yet we find here, in the latest classical time, an example of the highest
perfection of manipulation, and displaying a novel technical method in advance
of any known productions of the celebrated artistic epochs of the Pharaonic
dynasties. Facts like these tend to induce the belief that the progress of the
potter's art may really have been continuous in Egypt, even at that period oE
her history when she was politically defunct. It appears as if, while the rulers,
the politicians, and the priests were wrecking the land, the artists worked
quietly on, inventing ever-new varieties of design and combinations of colour.
The objection may be raised that, as the historians are in agreement that the
country in late Roman time was in a state of great misery and exhaustion, it
must necessarily follow that there would be few or no purchasers for objects of
refined ceramic art, and therefore they would not be produced. But it is
possible that the poverty was mainly in the agricultural districts-among the
fellaheen, who raised the corn which was Egypt's tribute to Rome. In the
great cities like Alexandria there may have been wealthy individuals whose
means would permit and whose tastes would incline them to acquire choice
and beautiful works of art, whatever their cost. Besides, there were foreign
customers, and we know the almost fabulous sums that the Roman connoisseurs

xiv

INTRODtCTION.

were willing to pay for the master-work of the Eastern artists. The Roman
market, it is true, at last came to an end, but when that time came a fresh
one was opened at Constantinople. The writer has not been able to obtain a
trustworthy account of the locality where the Constantine bowl was found, but
it is clearly an instance of a work made for the foreigner; whether it was a
commission from the Emperor or a present to him by some high official will
probably never be known.
Plates V. and VI. illustrate the wall-decoration by
tiles and plaques found at Tell-el-Yahoudieh, in the
-~ ,-Nile Delta, on the site of what was formerly a palace
erected by Rameses II. and decorated by Rameses III.
It happens, however, that the principal subject, the
;
full-length figure of a prisoner on Plate V., was
derived from diggings in Upper Egypt.
Unfortunately nothing is known respecting the arrangement
or position of the tiles. Their size suggests that they
were intended for the internal decoration of small
chambers or corridors. The British Museum possesses
-f
a large number of complete tiles and fragments,
--=
purchased for it by the late Lev. Greville Chester.
On examining these one readily discerns that the
decoration included a procession of prisoners, and
hence probably there were representations of the king
in his war-chariot, and others in which he was making
offerings to the gods. We see his cartouche cut in
Fig 6. -CARTOUCIIE OF RAMESU:S
ig. F6--CAROUcRE o
s:.
deep and forcible inlay, but we search in vain for
iii.
Faience. II. 22 cm.
Besides the prisoners there are
the royal effigy.
British Museum.
real and fabulous animals in bas-relief together
with well-known motives of Egyptian symbolical ornament; being mostly
fragmentary and clearly parts of large ornamental motives, it is evident that we
have before us only a fractional portion of the original series. As far as may
be judged from the ceramic cases of the European museums these most striking,
if unconnected, fragments mark one of the most brilliant passages of the
national art. Indeed it would be difficult to point out wall-decoration of any
period displaying such vivacity of design, splendour and harmony of colour,

!

artistic treatment, together with what might be termed scientific knowledge--

INTRODUCTION.

XV

as in the delineation of the racial types; and assuredly picturesque costume
was never more effectively drawn. There have been works of painting and
sculpture inspired by a deeper religious feeling or more tender poetic
sentiment, but none evincing more ability in placing before the spectator types
of humanity distinctly individual and intensely alive. It is realistic art of the
highest kind, fashioned by artists gifted with fertile imaginative faculties,
romantic, yet keeping a firm hold of nature. Our prisoner was found at Coptos,
Mr.MacGregor's example * at Luxor; this is evidence that royal or public
edifices at other places besides the palace at Tell-el-Yahoudieh contained similar
ornamentation. Further, that as the design and technique are alike in all
instances, it is probable that the tiles were made at the same pottery; and
if so, it raises the question whether the art was that of Upper or Lower
Egypt.
The next illustration (Plate VII.), although representing the art of the
XXth dynasty, is conceived in a very different spirit to the tiles of the
Riameses II. palace. They dealt with scenes of stirring, active life portrayed
with great wealth of colour; the Ushabti of Ptahmos, who was a chief prophet
of Ammon, is characterized by refined and delicate manipulation, repose of
manner, and a studied purity of colour such as is appropriate to a funereal
statuette. The general arrangement of attitude and ornamentation follow on
the prescribed lines of the Ushabti figures, which were founded on the symbolic
representation of the mummified Osiris. It is rare, however, to find them of
such consummate mastery of modelling. No less remarkable is the treatment
from a technical point of view; the colouring is perfect, without flaw or blemish,
and such precision of delineation must have been difficult of attainment,
considering that the different vitreous glazes employed do not all fuse at the
These are technical excellencies indicating an advanced
same temperature.
stage of the art, but the sentiment, the ideal grace, the beautiful and tranquil
countenance with its sad and earnest regard, as that of the Angel of Death, are
due to the inborn talent of the individual artist. Plate VIII. represents a vase
which was intended to hold the mummy of an ibis; it is one of several found by
Mariette in the Shounet-ez-Zebib at Abydos. Although so carefully drawn and
displaying such a wide range of brilliant colour, the vase is unglazed, which is
scarcely what would be expected in the case of an object whereon the artist
must have expended more than usual time and pains. It is possible that it
*

The MacGregor Collection, fig. 50.

xvi

INTRODUCTION.

b)elongs to a period when terra-cotta wares were particularly admired. The
vase is assigned to the XXIInd dynasty: other unglazed vessels are known
Which, on satisfactory evidence, belong to the XIXth dynasty; of these the
four important amphorse in Mr. MacGregor's collection * are notable examples.
In the vase here reproduced the dominant note of colour is red, in others the
red is subordinated to a clear blue, again in others the red is altogether absent.
The ware, however, is too scarce to permit of more than qualified descriptive
statement. That so few pieces have survived arises from the fugitive nature
of the colour. Being unprotected by a glaze the pigment would be easily
rubbed off when the vessels were in use, and it would almost entirely disappear
when subjected for a lengthened period to the action of damp.
Among the important pottery finds of past years
few have yielded a richer harvest to the collector
than a necropolis north of Assiout, known as Tunah.
It lies in a hollow of the mountains on the desert,
about five hours' ride inland from Milowee. No scene
can be imagined more desolate than these desert
burial-places. Not a vestige of vegetation is visible,
not a sound is heard, not a living creature is perce p tible, save that occasionally the spectator is aware of
a wolf or jackal stealing along the hill-side.
The
eye finds no rest from the pervading glare reflected
from stone and sand, its monotony unbroken, except
perhaps that some few flints and pebbles are burnt
black by the fierce and blinding rays of the pitiless
sun. It is impossible to resist a feeling of awe in
Fig.7.-cnALICE. Blue faince. tile presence of these vast cemeteries, far away from the
11.15 cm. FlorencoMuseum. habitations of the living, and where the dead have
lain in undisturbed solitude for ages. The impression
is one of death in its barest, most abstract, and remorseless form. There is no
suggestion of life, much less of art; and yet these veritable Valleys of the
Shadow of Death are the weird treasure-houses of stores of the loveliest, the
most dainty and delicate works of art-the creations of generations of active,
versatile, and joyous artists. The artists doubtless had their dreams: some,
perilaps, of a renown that might extend beyond their children's children, but
*

The MacGregor Collection, plate xv.

INTRODUCTION.

1vii

assuredly none of an appreciation and honour which would endure over
millenniums.
The sum total of the faience excavated at Tunah was numerically large, and,
regarded from an artistic point of view, of the first quality. It is perhaps not
too much to assert that if the whole had been kept together, and all else of
Egypt's pottery had perished, she could with it alone have gone into competition
with the rest of the world, whether of ancient or modern times, and, if the
judges were ceramists, with fair chances of taking first honours. There were
vessels of all kinds, figures of the gods, elegant objects of personal adornment,
and all the trappings and paraphernalia of the mummy. The art also covered
a considerable period of time, ranging from the XVIIIth dynasty, over the
Ramesside times, to the Roman conquest. There may have been earlier works,
but as the excavations were conducted by natives it is not known with certainty
what was actually discovered. If any of the pieces were of the earlier dynasties
they would possibly have been relatively few and they may have been sold to
collectors who would be unaware of their provenance, since the native dealers,
as a rule, carefully keep secret the places where their wares have been found.
In another respect it is unfortunate that the find was not made by trained
Europeans. There must have been along with the faience many other objects,
some probably bearing inscriptions or otherwise offering evidence as to the date
of the general contents of the tombs in which they were found. As far as
the writer is aware no inscribed pieces from Tunah can now be identified, with
the exception of two basalt statuettes of the XIXth dynasty, in the British
Museum. No royal cartouches are seen on the pottery (on a chalice belonging
to Major W. J. Myers, fig. 36, there are fictitious ones, that is, the hieroglyphs
are mere unmeaning signs); hence it may be concluded that the city or district
of which Tunah was the cemetery was not a place where royalty resided.
It was probably in the Middle Empire the ancestral seat of a great feudal
noble, who may have been hereditary governor or nomarch of the province.
This would account for the pottery being of high quality and representing the
art of several centuries; yet if such was the case it is singular that the family
name has not been discovered. Possibly it will be known some day. At least
it can be asserted that there was a centre of culture near Tunah which had
been maintained in a prosperous state during many successive generations.
The chalice on Plates IX. & X. affords a clue to the tastes of its former

anonymous owner in one or two directions.

He must have been fond of field-

xviii

INTRODUCTION.

sports and probably much interested in agricultural pursuits. The relief
ornamentation in the principal band of the vessel shows men fowling or fishing
from the boats made from papyrus stems, so often seen in the painting and
sculpture of the monuments. In the band beneath it oxen and horses are
crossing a stream or canal, one of the horses being seized by a crocodile rising
from the water. The topmost band is devoted to birds of all kinds and in
every variety of action, including nests with chicks in them and others in which
the eggs are still unhatched. These animated pictures of rural life are familiar
to us from the many similar representations on the walls of the tombs, the
well-known tempera paintings in the British Museum being typical specimens
of the class. They essentially belong to the class of subject which would
interest the country noble and the man who was in constant and intimate
contact with nature. The storied cup was ever a sure indication of the
proclivities (not always elevated) of its owner; in this case, however, it may
safely be affirmed that they were manly and healthy. Our friend, like Ameny,
the Nomarch of Beni-Hassan, was not only the country lord who busied himself
with the management of his ancestral estate or diverted himself with the
pleasures of the chase; he was equally ready to serve his king and country
on the battle-field. His exploits as a warrior are delineated on another chalice
in the collection of Major Myers, where he is represented in his war-chariot
and on foot valiantly confronting the enemy, and with the slain lying around
in all directions *. The vessels are so similar in size, style, and technique, that
there can be no reasonable doubt of their belonging to the same series and most
likely were executed by the same hand.
When examining any fairly representative collection of Egyptian pottery
there is one phase of the art which none will fail to observe, namely, a class of
small objects in which the ornamentation is wrought with a precision and
delicacy truly marvellous. They suggest more the art of the jeweller or graver
than that of the potter; and perhaps the former were the makers of the earliest
glazed objects, such, for example, as the scarabs of the Old Empire. But
these were cut in schist, a close, soft stone of a texture well adapted for minute
carving, while the quartz frit of the pottery, not being tenacious, is difficult
to manipulate. Nevertheless, the Egyptian potters succeeded in executing
finer and more minute work in this intractable material than can be found in
* For a learned and valuable account of the early Egyptian nobles and their position in relation to
the State, see Prof. Erman's ' Life in Ancient Egypt,' ch. v.

INTRODUCTION.

xi

the wares of countries where the clay was more plastic. Among these small
articles are pendants or necklace ornaments for the living, but perhaps more
often for the adornment of the mummy-at least, more of these latter have
naturally been preserved. On Plate XI. will be found a small series from
Tunab. The god Bes belongs probably to the XVIIIth dynasty. It is curious
to note that since we last saw him, in the XIth dynasty, he has developed with
increasing centuries a decidedly cynical humour. Could it have been the
fashionable "attitude" of the period ? Later on, in Roman times, and when
in extreme old age, he assumes a jovial air-indeed, occasionally, is almost
boisterous. The most gracious illustration on the Plate is the Isis suckling a
young prince. Although on a scale so small it has all the dignity of monumental sculpture. It may be compared with a similar subject in glazed schist
in Mr. M acGregor's collection; in that instance the prince is known to be
The two plaquettes having figures on either side have
Amenhotep IV.
presumably belonged to mummies. The compositions apparently refer to
purificatory rites, which the dead had to go through "on those beautiful ways
where the glorified travel" before entering the realms of Osiris.
* The MacGregor Collection, fig. 24.

Fig. 8.-IscBIPTION

ON BIJIACELE

OFI AMEI:NHOTEP IIT.

(Plato

*I.)

02

DESCRIPTION

OF THE PLATES.

PLATE I.

EGYPTIAN CERAMIC ART.

PLATE I.
1.-HIPPOPOTAMUS. Ornamentation: lotus flowers, birds, and butterflies
painted in deep manganese over the surface of the animal. XIth dyn.
GIZER MUSEU[M.
Blue faience. L. 21 cm.
The representation of the lotus flowers etc. covering the beast is a
naive way of indicating that he is in his native marshes. There are
about half a dozen examples of this figure (perfect or fairly so) in
museums and collections; a few other imperfect ones, and wherein the
original pure and brilliant blue glaze has become tarnished, are also
known. The whole are believed to have been found in the XIth dynasty
tombs of Drab abou '1 naggah. An account of the present specimen is
given in Prof. Maspero's excellent Guide to Boulaq Museum, p. 103.
2.---TILE. Ornamentation: on a pale yellowish-green ground are displayed
daisies, a thistle, and two unknown objects. The stems and leaves are
painted in pale brown; the flowers have been modelled separately and
are inlaid. XVIIIth dyn. Faience. L. 17 cm. PETIIE COLLECTION.
The above tile was found by Prof. W. M. Flinders Petrie in excavations at Tell-el-Amarna. Along with it were numerous fragments of
other tiles, some being in the same pattern as the above. Other
fragmentary pieces had portions of naturalistic leaf-ornament drawn.
with truth to nature; these were mostly delicate in colour, but in some
of the pieces, where the objects are drawn on a small scale (see figs. 9,
10, 11), the colour is deep and brilliant. The series is remarkable from
its illustrating the singularly beautiful phase of naturalistic art which
arose in Egypt during the reign of King Akenhaten.

Fig. 9.-FRAGMENT OP
L. 6 cm.
AJRENCE.

Fig. 10.-nRAGMMT OF
FAIENCE. L. 5 cm.

Fig. 11.FaiENCE.

FRAGlNT OF

L.

6

CIm.

PLATE II.
1.-STATUETTE OF THE GOD BES. The eyes and eyebrows, the long
hair or wig, the toes, etc. are painted in deep manganese purple,
likewise the serpents held in his hands and curling round his legs,
together with the pedestal, are in the same colour. In the original the
left hand is missing. XIth dyn. Blue faience. H. 17 cm.
HENRY WALLIS.
The evidence for dating this unique figure consists in the fact of its
being identical in technique and ornamental method with the Hippopotami from the IDrah abou '1 naggah tombs, where it also was found.
The modelling has the same breadth and knowledge of form displayed in
the animals, the snakes are painted, like the insects on the hippopotamus,
and the glaze and 'body' are precisely similar in both instances.

2 and 3.-VASES WITH COVERS.
faience.

Fig. 11

a.-VABE WITH COVER.

XIXth dyn. Blue fa'ence.
H. 29 cm. Lieut.-General
Sir Francis Grenfell.

H. 20 cm.

HENRY

Blue

WALLIS.

Vases of this form were made from the
earliest known times down to the latest.
Mr. MacGregor's tall amphora * belongs
to the XiXth dynasty. The intaglio in
the Ghizeh plaque of the IVth dynasty,
illustrated on page 33 of the MacGregor
Collection, shows also a similar form.
The present vases are said to have been
found in an early tomb, which from their
style may be possibly the case, but its
locality is not known to the writer. A
large and important vase of this form is
in the collection of Lieut.-General Sir
Francis Grenfell (fig. 11 a), the ornamentation being in manganese on a turquoiseblue ground.
* The MacGregor Collection, plate xv.

PLATE II.

PLATE I1.

EGYPTIAN

CERAMIC ART.

PLATE III.
1, 2.--BRACELET OF KING AMENHOTEP III. Ornamentation: an
inscription in hieroglyphic characters on either side, that on the one being

a'x
neter nefer
neb
neb
dri
dtai
xet
[Long] life to the beautiful god, lord of the two lands, the lord maker of things,

nieb - Mlaat - Ra

sa Ra

meri

pant

netern

Neb - Malat - ii,

son of the Sun,

beloved

of the company

of the gods,

Amen-etep 4.eq Uast

ta

anX

senb

Ria nd

t'etta

Amen-hetep, prince of Thebes, giver of life, and health like lRt for ever!
On the other side the characters are slightly altered, but the meaning is
the same. XVIIIth dyn. Deep blue faience with the inlaid hieroglyphs
HENRY WALLIS.
in a paler blue. D. 9 cm.
The writer is indebted to Dr. E. A. Wallis Budge, Keeper of the
Egyptian Antiquities, British Museum, for the translation of the above
inscription, and also for that on page 15.
3, 4, 5.--FRAGMENTS OF VASES. The same technique and period as the
Bracelet. No. 3, H. 6 cm.; No. 4, H. 45 mm.; No. 5, H. 25 mm.
HENRY WALLIS.

The Bracelet is evidently the fellow to the similar one in the Muse
du Louvre, both probably coming from the tomb of Amenhotep III.
The fragments were obtained by the writer quite recently at Thebes.
When there he was shown by a dealer a number of portions of small

PLATE III.

6-

bottles in coloured glass of the XVIIIth dynasty, among them one of
the above fragments of faience. This led him to enquire where the
objects had been found. He learnt that they came from the ruins of
the Palace of Amenhotep III. at Thebes, on the west bank of the Nile.
Continuing his enquiries among the fellakeen, lie obtained several other
fragments besides those on Plate III. They all belong to small vessels
of a very choice character, the execution being of great delicacy and
refinement. It is possible that they were made only for the royal use,
since among the specimens seen by the writer those bearing royal
cartouches, either of Amenhotep III. or his queen Thii, are relatively
numerous. Some of the fragments are in a white ground with the
ornamentation in blue and red, others only in blue. The large bowl at
Ghizeh (fig. 12) is an illustration of the former scheme of colour; the
fragment belonging to Mr. MacGregor, with portions of cartouches of
Amenhotep III., Thii, and Hont-Taui (fig. 13), of the latter. The white
in this ware is the 'body' of the vase, the ornament is incised, and, for
the blue, filled in with a coloured paste, the red being in glass paste
already fired; the whole is then covered with a colourless vitreous glaze.
The process is different in the case of the blue grounds; here the object
is fashioned in a 'body' in which a deep blue is mixed with the white
frit. The pattern is then incised and filled in with a white paste, the

Fig. 12.-oow.

Faience.

Ghizeh Museum.

D. 17 cm.

Fig. 13.-RAGMENT OF VA!E.

Faience,

H. 5 em. MacGregor Collection.

7

PLATE III.

object is dipped in a turquoise-tinted glaze and fired; the result being
that the deep blue attains the quality of lapis-lazuli and the inlay that
of a turquoise.
The writer has not seen a perfect example of one of the small blue
vases in this ware, nor pieces sufficiently large to determine the precise
forms of the objects. The fragments suggest that they were akin to the
known glass bottles, shaped like amphorae and aryballi, having an inlaid
ornament, more frequently yellow and pale blue, on a dark blue ground.
The ornamentation of the faience vases appears to have covered the
major portion of the ground of the exterior surface. The Leyden Collection contains a largish vase which probably belonged to this class and
period (fig. 14); its upper band and the incised inscription is turquoise,
the remainder being a deep blue ; unfortunately, this important example
of the art is imperfect. Another specimen of some size is in the Berlin
Museum (fig. 15) ; it is rather paler in colour and has likewise suffered
damage.
There must have been still another variation of the class wherein
the ground is a deep ultramarine-blue, in which the colour scheme is

Fig. 14.--VASE.

Faence.

H. 25 tin.

Leyden Museum.

Fig. 15.--vAs.

Faence.

Handles missing.

H. 14 cm.

Berlin Museum.

12

8

PLATE III.

extended by the addition of a pale yellow in the ornamentation, and which
therefore implies a modification of the technical process above described.
Only one example was discovered by the writer; it is, however, of
remarkable artistic excellence, and is confirmatory evidence of the matchless quality of this particular phase of Egyptian ceramic art. The piece
in question is a portion of the rim of a vessel, having below it the head
and neck of a man modelled in bas-relief, and is in open work; the
height of the fragment being 27 mm. The rim, which is 9 mm. high,
is ornamented with a band of lancet-shaped leaves in turquoise, and
another above it of half-rounds in pale yellow; the face and feathered
head-dress are carefully modelled, and the incised ornament is of extreme
precision. It may be supposed that the figure was represented in full
length, and was probably part of a composition of several figures. A
specimen so fragmentary gives no indication of the form and intention
of the original object, hence it remains for the present another instance
of a highly characteristic ware known only by a single specimen.
Continuing the record of the various arrangements of colour on
objects having the same technical procedure, a portion of a cylindrical
vessel (which may have been for holding kohl) in the possession of the
writer has the ground in apple-green and the inscription, containing the
cartouche of Amenhotep III., in blue inclining to violet. Another scheme
of colour was based on a yellow ground, with the ornamentation in blue,
red, and white. The Louvre kohl-vase (fig. 16) is a typical specimen of
this variety; it is also intact and without any discoloration. The yellow
in this instance is not pale, as in the example referred to above, but it
is a deep cadmium colour, as deep as the royal yellow in Chinese
porcelain.
It will be noted that the object bears the cartouche of
Amenhotep III., so also did the handle of a dagger in yellow faience
once seen by the writer. So far as his experience extends, this particular
tint of yellow is rare in examples of the Amenhotep III. period. Can it
have been at this time in Egypt, as since in China, that yellow was only
permitted on objects in faience intended for the service of the king ?
Fig. 17, from a fragment of a funerary stela in the Athens
Museum, must have been, when perfect, one of the most imposing
examples of the art. The ground is deep blue, the figures and hiero-

glyphs have rather a greenish tinge, probably due to discoloration; and

PLATE ILI.

Fig. 16.-v&s
JI. 9 cm.

WITH COVER.

Faience1.

Muso du Louvre.

U3

Fig.

17.-FRAGMENT OF STELA.

H. 15 cm.

Faience.

Athens Museum.

if so, the slab must be classed with the bracelets and the ware represented
by Nos. 3, 4, 5 of this Plate.
The illustrations 18 to 21 are given as types of the deep-toned blue
pottery, with dark purple manganese ornament, which prevailed during
the XVIIIth dynasty. In the finer specimens, and when in good state
of preservation, both the blue and purple of this period are of extraordinary splendour, and the glaze is of corresponding quality. It is
sometimes applied rather thickly, and being slightly granulated gives a
velvety effect to the purple lines of the ornamentation, analogous to the
burr on a dry point line in an etching. In the choicer examples, and
where the ornament is in blue relieved off the purple ground, the design
is drawn in with a point and the surface, where the manganese is to be
applied, is slightly lowered. The incised line naturally catches the light
on one side and casts a shadow on the other, thus imparting a special
vivacity to the scheme of ornamentation. Nos. 2 and 4 in Plate X. of
the MacGregor Collection are specimens of this method.

10

PLATE III.

Fig.

18.--WINE-STRAINER

f. 19 cm.

? Fa cnce.

British Museum.

Fig. 19.--VA8E WITH LID.

JI. 19 cm.

Faience.

British Museum.

The funnel-shaped vessel from the British Museum (fig. 18) is distinguished for its excellent fabrication, its depth of colour, and the dignified
simplicity of the ornamentation. It was probably intended for a winestrainer. One of the Tell-el-Amarna relief sculptures represents King
Akhenaten holding a bowl into which an attendant is pouring wine
through a strainer, thus showing that such was the practice on some
occasions. It could scarcely have been general, because in the ordinary
Egyptian banqueting and convivial scenes the wine is poured into the
bowl from a jug without the interposition of a strainer. Possibly some
particular kind of wine required straining ? At the present day in Sicily
it is no uncommon thing to find the skins and stones of grapes in the
wine of the country when brought to table. An illustration of a strainer
in the shape of a bowl with two spouts is given in the MacGregor
Collection, fig. 54. Terra-cotta imitations of this article were in use in
Greece and Cyprus, one being in the Athens and others in the British
Museum. They all belong to the Mycene Period. Those found in
Greece may have been made in lonia or Cyprus.
Fig. 19 is a larger example of the kind of vase represented in fig. 16:

11

PLATE III.

Fig. 20.--nox.

Faience.

Muse du Louvre.

H. 15 cm.

Fig. 21.--STAND FOR VASE.

IH. 9 cm.

Faence.

British Museum.

it was probably intended to hold unguents, or something of a similar
nature, for toilet purposes. The box from the Louvre Museum (fig. 20),
in the shape of a hut, the conical roof forming the lid, may perhaps
have been intended for some similar service, or it may have been among
the utensils belonging to a temple.
Considering the number of Egyptian vessels, as bowls, bottle-shaped
and upright vases, having rounded bottoms, the stands on which they
could rest in a vertical position must have been very common objects.
It happens, however, that perfect examples are rare, the reason probably
being that they are exceptionally fragile from the fact of their being
cylinders open at both ends. The earliest known specimens are a pair
which, from their technique, have been assigned to the XIth dynasty: one
is in the Ghizeh Museum, the other in the collection of Mr. MacGregor
(The MacGregor Collection, Plate I. no. 2). Fig. 21 is believed to be
the only one yet discovered having the MIycene ornament and belonging
to the XVIIIth dynasty.
It is scarcely necessary to remind the student of Egyptian art that
examples of this phase of the XVIIIth dynasty potter are found in the
cup and bowls, either half-globes or shallower and standing on a base.
The writer having reproduced some of these in colour in the MacGregor
Collection, thinks it needless to repeat them on the present occasion.

12

PLATE III.

It is evident from what have been
already discovered that decorative
objects in faience must have been
exceedingly numerous in the XVIIIth
dynasty. The material was employed
for works of art of all sizes, sometimes
even for those of monumental dimensions, as the colossal TJas bearing the
cartouche of Amenhotep II., now in
South Kensington Museum. It probably stood origin;lly in a temple,
wherein the architectural ornamentation may also have been in faience.
The minor objects are of every variety;
among the more remarkable are the

Fai'ence. H. 10 cm.
British Museum.

Fig. 22.--wio.

small statuettes, which were modelled
with masterly ability. The little head
of Thothmes III., illustrated in the MacGregor
Collection (Plate I. no. 3) has all the artistic
qualities of heroic sculpture. Then there are
articles of personal and ritual ornament, animals,
&c., all showing the same fine qualities of design
and executive skill. Fig. 22 represents a wig
belonging to a statuette of a king, the figure
being lost. The general surface is a brilliant
blue; the fillet is gold colour having inlaid
imitation rubies and emeralds, these being in
Remembering the methods of
glass paste.
the Egyptian sculptors, it is possible that the
statuette may have been in wood or stone.
The Athens sistrum-fig. 23-is in dark blue
without inlay, although possibly the inscription
on the missing handle had the hieroglyphs in
a paler tint. It is distinguished by its massive
sculpturesque style of modelling.

Judging from the style, the shallow bowl
-fig. 24--appears to belong to the XVIIIth

Fig. 23.--PART oF A SSTRUM..
Fai'ence. H. 17 cm. Athens
Museum.

PLATE

Fig. 24.---owr,. Falence. D. 11 cm.
Berlin Museum.

Flig. 25 .--owL.

Falence.

13

II.

H. 11 cm.

Major W. J.Myers.

Fig. 26.-FRAGMENTS OF A VASE. Black faicnce.
H. 10 em. Petrie Collection.

dynasty; it might be taken for
a small model, in blue faience,
of the stone vases of the IVth
dynasty. Possibly their fabrication was continued into the
XVIIIth dynasty, otherwise the
bowl must be regarded as
archaistic.
Among the examples of Egyptian faience of uncertain period
there are perhaps none more
puzzling to date than the beautiful bowl belonging to Major W. J.
1Myers (fig. 25). The inscription
is almost effaced ; there are, however, indications of a cartouche,
which has been attributed to
Sebek-hotep II., of the XIIIth.
dynasty, but it more probably
belongs to the XVIIIth dynasty.
Whatever the period, the object
is more than ordinarily attractive.
The colour is a deep mysterious
blue, full of varying tints and
superb in quality.
A few pieces have been found
in.excavations inEgyptof a blackand-white ware, very effective although rather rude in execution.
The 'body' has apparently been
coloured black and the ornamentation incised and filled in with a
white substance.
The two fragments in fig. 26
were found by Prof. Petrie at

1Kahun. The chief motive of the
ornamentation consists in two
E

14

PLATE III.

opposing animals standing on their hind legs on either side of a symbolic tree. Too little of the design is seen to speak with certainty;
it may, however, be an example of a more primitive art than that of
Amenhotep III.; possibly it dates from the XIIth dynasty.
Fig. 27 represents a box with two small vases which were found
inside it. The box itself is very neatly and ingeniously constructed in
dark-coloured wood, and is ornamented with inlaid ivory panels of a
simple yet effective design.

It was probably a travelling toilet-case.

The vases are a brilliant turquoise colour, and are rather thick in
substance for their size, therefore less liable to break when carried about.
Their form and technique suggest that they may be of the XIIth
dynasty, or even more likely
of the XVIIIth. It will be
observed that the box is
similar in shape to the little
toilet-box in glazed schist of
the latter dynasty at Berlin
(see The MacGregor Collection, fig. 21). The Berlin
Museum contains yet another and more capacious
toilet coffer, possibly also for
-

travelling use. It is inscribed

with the name of an early
queen, Mentu-hotep. Half a
dozen small alabaster vases
of very choice make were
found inside it, along with
articles for the toilet. The
coffer rests on an elegant
wooden frame: the whole
has a light wooden covering
standing on four feet; there
is a final outer box of massive
Fig. 27.--nox WITrH VA SES. FaYence vases,
T. 7 em. and 4 cm. Berlin Museum.

wood on which are painted
symbolic

scriptions.

designs

and

in-

PLATE IV.

EGYPTIAN

CERAMIC ART

PLATE IV.
IBOWL. Ornamentation: on the exterior two bands, the upper one composed
of the following inscription, the lower one of a row of rosettes, an
open lotus flower at the base. The ornamentation is incised and filled
in with pale yellow paste, the ground being a light raw-umber colour
having a greenish-golden tinge. The lotus flower is drawn in brownlines. The inside of the bowl is plain, being below the yellow rim a pale
purplish blue. XIXth dyn. Faience. D. 10 cm.
BITIH rrMUSEUM.

dan
neter nefer
tad
,a suten enn equ
Ba
a
Life to the beautiful god, the emanation of R, the king of princes like the Sun,

neb
taiu
the lord of the two lands, Usr-3MIat-Ra-setp-en-R,

Ra nma
the giver of life like the Sun

neteru nebu
for ever, the son of the Sun, pacifier of all the gods
t'eta

sa Rda

se-. etep

111

Armen-meri-Ria-neses
of crowns,

Rameses (II) beloved of Ri,

tBa

an

Ileru-xuti
neb
like Harmachis, the lord
ma

A
.ta

anx
the giver of life [for ever] !

The current notion respecting the art of the
time of Itameses II. is that it was pompous,
stilted, and mechanical, deficient in grace, and

Fig. 28.--CHLICE.

Fai'ence ;

blue, purple, and white.
H.85mm. British Museum.

lacking fancy or suppleness. Hence this bowl
in its quiet simplicity and harmonious colour
comes rather as a surprise. The explanation
may be that the generally received ideas of the
art of this reign have been derived from the
monumental works, the temple ornamentation,
together with the statues of the king and the
divinities.

Riameses, it must be remembered, was a
E2

16

PLATE IV.

great builder, and, like others who erect temples and palaces for ostentation, was not gifted with taste. Moreover, he probably insisted on the
work being executed with rapidity. He knew that if his cartouches
were not inscribed on the temple or statue during his lifetime, they
would certainly not be after his death. He himself bad even ordered
the cartouches of former kings to be erased from their monuments and
his own substituted in their places, and his knowledge of human-or
Pharaonic-nature would not incline him to suppose that his successors
would be more scrupulous. Thus the king's passion for showy splendour
created a class of official artists, facile executants who were ready on the
shortest notice to pile up columns and hew out long files of colossal
statues which appear to be rather the product of machinery than the
carving of sculptors. Their stony stare is destitute of any spark of
vitality; yet doubtless they were acclaimed as highly impressive by the
flatterers of the monarch, and probably complacently regarded as such
by himself.
There is evidence, however, that besides the official
"machines" there were other departments of art where at the same
time excellent work was being produced. The bowl is an example of
genuine and healthy progress in the ceramic art. The raw umber, in
itself a very agreeable colour, was probably invented in this reign.
The incised or " graffiata " process is continued from the last dynasty
and is used with greater freedom than formerly. It was a method of
ornamentation to which henceforth the Egyptian potter was always
partial, and he employed it in various manners with excellent effect.
The simpler form of graffiata, wherein the incised line was filled by the
general covering glaze, appears to have been first practised in the
preceding reign, that of Seti I. The earliest example known to the
writer is an Ushabti bearing the cartouche of that monarch. The effect
is that of deep blue ornamentation on a turquoise-coloured ground, the
darker tint arising from the extra thickness of the glaze. In this form
the method was destined to a career extending even down to the present
day. It was practised in Egypt with great success during the Middle
Ages; it was the system in general use by the Eastern and Byzantine
potters, then, advancing westwards, it spread over Italy, from Sicily to
the Alps.

PLATE V.

k9

II
GP

CE

CA

tr

EGYPTIAN CERAMIC ART.

PLATE V.
1.-A PRISONER, full length and in bas-relief. A bearded man with a rope
round his neck, the head seen in profile. He is dressed in a long, richly
embroidered, pale yellow robe confined at the waist by a sash in many
folds. The robe is ornamented at the neck and feet with coloured bands;
the body and bottom of the skirt are covered with stars and spots in red;
about the thighs and loins it is divided into squares in green and red
decorated with wavy lines; three tassels are at the knees, a medallion
hangs at the neck. XXth dyn. Paience. II. 30 cm.
GInrZEa MUSEUM.

2.--HEAD OF A PRISONER, in bas-relief. A beardless man seen in profile:
long auburn hair bound with a fillet. He wears a necklace. The head
is relieved off a light ground. XXth dyn. Faience. H. 75 mm.
BRITISH MUSEUM.

3.--HEAD OF A PRISONER, in bas-relief. A dark-skinned African seen
in profile. He wears a close-fitting cap with a feather in it and a ring
in his ear. Relieved formerly off a green background. An ankh is
incised on the reverse. XXth dyn. Faience. H. 6 cm.
BRITISH MUSEUM.
4.--HEAD OF A PRISONER, in bas-relief. A negro seen in profile. He
wears a close-fitting cap with a feather in it and a ring in his ear. The
face is relieved off a green ground. XXth dyn. Faience. L. 75 mm.
BuITISH MUSEUM.
The surface of the glaze is now covered with a thin whitish incrustation which dims the full force of the colour, but when sponged with
water the colour recovers some of its original depth and purity.

13

PLATE V.

Fig. 29.-A

snYRIAN PRINCESS? (Tell-el-Yahoudieh).

Faience.

H. 12 cm.

British Museum.

Fig. 30.--REHnIT (Tell-el-Yahoudieh).
Faierice. H. 10 cm. British Museum.

Fig. 31.-nxmITS
Faience.

(Tell-el-Yahoudich).

L. 7 cm.

British Museum.

It will be observed that
in the full length prisoner
the upper portion is deeper
in tone than the lower.
This arises from its having
become discoloured from
long contact with a damp
substance, probably wet
earth, while the other part
was buried in dry soil. The
writer was informed by M.
U. Bouriant that he himself
found one of the halves at
Coptos *, the other was purchased from a native dealer
by the Keeper of Ghizeh
Museum.
It is stated above that,
besides the human figures,
many of the Tell-el-Yahoudieh tiles bore representations of symbolical ornament, birds, &c. Examples
of these are given in figs. 30
and 31. The technical processes of inlaying are more
than usually elaborate. The
ground is cut away, as in
champlev6 enamelling, and
is then sometimes filled in
to a flat surface; but in other
instances the filling-in is in
bas-relief, which, again, may
be incised and filled to the
surface of the relief.
* A text states that Rameses III.
erected a Ramesseum at Coptos.
The tile may have formed part of its
decoration.
See Henry Brugsch,
Hist. of Egypt, 1879, vol. ii. p. 154.

PLATE VI.

EGYPTIAN CERAMIC ART.

PLATE VI.
1.--TORSO AND ARMS OF A PRISONER, in bas-relief. The arms are
bound over his breast, one hand is missing. He wears a long robe with
tight-fitting sleeves. The forearms are ornamented with a chequered
embroidery in blue and white; bands cross the breast and hips, stars
are on the breast, a lioness and cub and a bird are embroidered on
the lower part of the body, beneath that a fringe with pendants.
BRITISH MUSEUM.
XXth dyn. Faience. H. 14 cm.
2.-LEGS OF A KNEELING PRISONER, in bas-relief. The part of the
outer garment covering the thighs is embroidered with a griffin in blue
on a drab or raw-umber ground on one leg and on the other stars and
spots in warm brown on a pale yellow ground. The under dress is in
plaited linen with an embroidered edging. XXth dyn. Faience.
H. 14 cm.
BRITISH MUSEUM.
3.--LEGS OF A KNEELING PRISONER, in bas-relief. An embroidered
girdle with falling ribbons terminating in tassels confines the skirt, on
which is embroidered a griffin in blue, and stars and
spots in red and blue. Below there is an ornamental
border, and on the lower portion of skirt are animals,
stars and spots in pale green on a dark blue ground ;
a richly ornamented border at the bottom of the
robe. XXth dyn. Faience. L. 14 cm.
BRITIsH MUSEUM.

-.7

A descriptive illustrated notice of the Tell-elYahoudieh tiles, written by the late Professor T. Hayter
Lewis, was published in the 'Transactions of the
Society of Biblical Archaeology,' vol. vii. part 2 (1881).
It contains some interesting information relating to the
tiles and the site where they were discovered, giving

Fig. 32.--ra&MeMr

(Tell-

el-Yahoudieh).

Fai'ence.

H. 13 cm.

British

The coloured Plates,
drawings of the excavations.
however, are not very successful, the drawing being

Museum.

generalized and the colour apparently not copied directly
from the originals.

PLATE VII.
IUSHABTI OF PTAHMOS. The face, neck, and hands are turquoise-blue
colour, the head-dress and the collar are violet and yellow; the ground
of the whole figure is white, having the hieroglyphs and the vulture on
the breast in dark violet.
XXth dyn. Faience. H. 195 mm.
GHIZEH MUSEUM.

This is the only known example of a perfect Ushabti
of the style and colour. A few fragments of the lower
portions of what have evidently been similar figures in
white, with the same coloured inscriptions, have been
discovered, one being in the British Museum. The
large majority of the faience Ushabtiu are in blue, a
limited number, however, are in white, with the inscription painted in manganese purple. These have the
faces and hands modelled in a red vitreous paste, and
are inserted in cavities cut into the figure, the same as
was probably the case in the present instance, but not
approaching it in delicacy of execution. The red paste
is the same substance that is found piled on in the
coloured ornament in the Rhodian pottery of the XVth
Fig. 33.-FAENCkEs.
century A.D.; it is what is known as Armenian bole.
Berlin
IL 5 cm.
An interesting instance of its use in ancient times is
Museum.
found on a small object in the Berlin Museum, fig. 33.
It may have been an amulet, and probably there was originally a head
at the top, where it is now fractured. The ground is white, the ornamentation in red (in relief), turquoise-blue, and dark manganese, being
the same scheme and quality of colour observable on choice Rhodian
faience, thus affording an example of the intimate relationship of the
Oriental ceramic art of our era with that of ancient Egypt.
fcc~

'"

_

t

'

PLATE VII.

EGYPTIAN CERAMIC ART.

PLATE VIII.

EGYPTIAN CERAMIC ART.

PLATE VIII.
VA SE, to contain the mummy of an ibis. The shape is that of a canopic vase;
the lid being a hawk's head modelled in the round. Ornamentation: at
the shoulder, a chequered band and another band of lancet-shaped leaves
surmounting a broad red band. On the body a column of hieroglyphic
inscription terminating in a winged scarab, a red disc, and two sacred
eyes. On either side the inscription are the genii of the dead with
Horus and Anubis. On the reverse: a winged tet having human arms
holding sceptres between Isis and Nepthys; below are two ibises,
above is a hawk with extended wings and two lines of inscription.
XXIInd dyn. Terra cotta. H. 58 cm.
GRIZEII MUSEUM.
Fig. 34 represents a somewhat similar
vase found with the preceding by Mariette
inside the Sllounet-ez-Zebib - the old
The lid with the
fortress at Abydos.
bands on the shoulder nearly resemble the
vase on the present Plate. The genii of
the dead are omitted on the side bearing
the inscription; the IHorus and Anubis
The reverse is seen
are retained.

Fig. 34.-VASE. Terra cotta.
H. 50 cm. Ghizeh Museum.

in fig. 35.

The winged

figure is the goddess Khut.
For an account of these
vases see M ARIETTE, ' Catalogue gndral des Mlonuments d'A.bydos,' Nos. 1479,
14,80, 1481.

f

-j

_

Fig. 35.--levrse of fig. 34.

PLATE IX.
CHALICE. The ornamentation is in relief. The body of the cup is divided
into three bands containing figure and animal decoration; below these is
an open lotus flower: the stem and foot are ornamented with palmbranches. The upper band contains twenty-three birds of different
kinds, such as are common in Egypt; they are in various life-like
attitudes; there are besides six nests, some containing eggs. (The
treatment throughout is naturalistic.) On the central and largest band
is represented a scene of pastoral life in Egypt. Two boats are laden
with five men and an ox. One man holding a boomerang has caught a
bird, another punts the boat. In the second boat one man holds a net,
another acts as boatman; a third holds the horns of an ox, which he is
guiding through the water. Three men standing in the water are
engaged with the oxen. The background is composed of papyrus stems,
for the most part symmetrically arranged, some, however, are bent down;
a bird has built its nest among them. The third band shows a composition of two men driving four horses and two oxen across a river.
A crocodile rises from the water and seizes one oF the horses. The
colour, both on the outside and the inside, is a brilliant turquoise-blue,
Found at Tunah. XXth dyn. Faience. H. 16 cm. HENRY WALLIS.
Two chalices of the same form, and with the ornamentation in relief,
are in the collection of Major W. J. Myers; they were likewise found
at Tunah. Fig. 36 has three bands of ornamentation; with the open
lotus at the base of the cup and the stem and foot ornamented with
inverted papyrus reeds. The motive of ornamentation of the first band
from the top is a repetition of the sacred eye. The middle band is
divided into six panels, in each of which a prince or king is slaying an
enemy, whom he has vanquished. The prince stands in energetic action

PLATE IX.

EGYPTIAN CERAMIC ART

23

PLATE IL

Fig. 36.-CHALICE. Faience.
H. 15 cm. Major W. J. Myers.

Fig. 37.--CHALICE. Fai'ence.
H. 16 cm. Major W. J. Myers.

brandishing a mace; the prisoner is kneeling. A slight variation is
perceptible in the attitude of the groups. In each panel are a couple
of illegible cartouches. The lowest band has six panels containing
representations of the above subject. The colour has been turquoiseblue, it is now rather of a greenish tinge.
Fig. 37 is similar in form and general design to the preceding chalice.
The top band is composed of birds and papyrus stems. The second
shows a frieze of prisoners being led in procession; there is also a space
in which are two large vultures and a hawk surrounded with papyrus
stems, together with a figure of Isis and a prince. The subject is
rather obscure on account of portions of the cup being broken away and
missing. In the third band a king or prince is seen in a war-chariot
drawn by two horses. Another group shows the prince combatting the
enemy; the ground is covered with the slain, lying in various attitudes.
r2

24

PLATE IX.

Fig. 38.-ronnor oF A CnhALCE.

Fa'ence.

I. 13 cm.

Berlin Museum.

As in the companion chalice,
there are cartouches, also unreadable. The whole composition
Fig. 3 9.-CALICE. Faience.
is evidently intended to represent
I1. 18 cm. Athens Museum.
a battle-scene, in which probably
the principal actor was the original owner of the chalice. The stem and foot are similar to the coloured
plate. The colour is a deep blue of a lapis-lazuli tint. As before
stated, the three chalices evidently belonged to the same series, and
probably were found in the same tomb. Major Myers acquired his
two at Tunah, when the objects were first offered for sale, but the third
one was not shown to him. That was kept secret for a year and then
produced after the rest of the find was disposed of--following a common
practice with some of the native dealers of holding back the choicest
piece of an important find to sell by itself.
A limited number of faience chalices of this shape were likewise
found at Tunah and may now be seen in the various national and
)rivate collections. None, however, have figure or animal decoration.
Instead of these the outsides of the cups are ornamented with the petals
of flowers modelled in relief, so that the cup resembles an open flower.
An example is seen in Plate XII. of the MacGregor Collection. Other

PLATE X.

H
IQ:

Q
C3

W
4
Z
Q
ixI-J

PLATE IX.

Fig. 40.-caALIc.

H. 20 cm.

25

Blue faience.

British Museum.

chalices from Tunah show modifications of the shape, wherein the cup
is shorter and wider, but retaining
the modelled petals : see the
MacGregor Collection, Plates XII.
& XIII.
Fig. 41.-cANoPxc JAR. Blue faence.
Examples of drinking-cups in
H. 24 cm. ltustowitz Bey.
the form of these chalices were
known previous to the Tunah find, but they were rare in museums.
Perhaps one of the most elegant is that in the Florence Museum-fig. 7---which may be of the XVIIIth dynasty. The ornamentation is
simple, consisting only of the expanded petals of the lotus flower, the
top being rectangular. The colour is a deep ultramarine-blue. The cups
in figs. 38 & 39, from Berlin and Athens (the former a gift to Prince
Sheshonk, son of King Sheslhonk I.), show relief ornamentation as in
the Tunall chalices; they are both in pale blue. They were found long
before those from Tunah, but the localities are not known.

PLATE X. shows the relief ornamentation on the three bands of the chalice

on P'late JX.

PLATE XI.
1.-PLAQUETTE, of oblong form. Each side contains a separate composition
in relief. The figures represent a prince in the presence of divinities,
the prince undergoing purificatory or initiatory rites. ' (In this illustration
the central wall dividing the two compositions has been purposely
Madame BRUGSCH BEY.
omitted.) XXth dyn. Faience. L. 4 cm.
2.-SEKHET, standing in a naos. The cornice of the naos is decorated with a
winged globe and above it a frieze of uraei. The goddess holds the ankh
in her right hand, the left is extended to a colonette or standard. A ring
for suspension at the top. XXth dyn. Faience. H. 65 mm.
HENRY WALLIS.

3.-ISIS SUCKLING A YOUNG PRINCE. The goddess is seated on a
throne; she wears the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt. Her
right arm is over the shoulder of the boy, her left hand presses her right
breast. The prince is standing, holding in each hand a hand of the
goddess.

XXth dyn.

Faience.

H. 87 mm.

GHIZEH

MUSEUM.

4.-THE GODI BES. He is represented as a dwarf wearing a huge crown of
feathers; his mouth is open and his brows corrugated. Each side presents
a front view. XXth dyn. Faience. H. 6 cm.
HENRY WALLIS.
5.-PLAQUETTE, of oblong form. Each side contains a separate composition
in relief. The subject is apparently of the same class as that on No. 1,
although the divinities are different. XXth dyn. Faience. IL. 5 cm.
GIZEIz

MUSEUM.

The above are given as specimens of the small faience objects from
the Tunah find. They do not include the representation of all the

PLATE XI.

EGYPTIAN CERAMIC ART.

27

PLATE XI.

classes of amulets and small figures of divinities, nor the objects for
personal adornment, as rings, which are often remarkably elaborate in
their ornamentation. All these small articles are modelled with extreme
care and finished with the graver. The blues are pure in colour and the
vitreous glaze soft and rich in quality.

Fig.

Fig. 42.-VAsE wrrITH LD.
Blue faience.
H. 24
em. Florence Museum.

43

-A -EDGEHo o.

Pig.

Blae faience.
Berlin Museum.

4 4 .-- VASE WITH LID.

H. 11 cm.

H. 5 cm.

Blue faYi'ece.
British Museum.

PLATE XII.
BOWL. The form is that of a shallow basin standing on a small foot.
Ornamentation: on the exterior, a plain band of white below the rim,
beneath a chequered pattern in blue and white (reserved). The chequers
are formed by seven bands diminishing in size from the rim and inter.
sected by lines at right angles to them. On the interior, beneath the
rim and between double lines, an inscription :-

....

VAL * COSTAN-

TINVS • PIVS • FELIX • AVGVSTVS • CVM* FLAV MAX
Y
FAVST.....
Within the band of inscription is a seated figure of
our Lord, IHis arms extended. His face is bearded and encircled by a
nimbus in double lines, the cross within it in triple lines. He wears a
mantle covering the left shoulder, the lower portion of the body, and the
knees. The tunic beneath is embroidered on the breast; it is seen on
the right side of the body and the right arm; the sleeve descends to the
wrist. A triple-lined bar crosses the background horizontally in the
centre. In the spaces of the ground above the shoulders of Christ are
two medallions, containing profile portraits (indistinct).
The whole
design, including the inscription, is in white lines on a pale fawn-coloured
ground. The foot is hollow and slightly curved outwards, having
on the inside a rayed ornament in finely incised lines; it is covered
with a yellow glaze. The thickness of the sides is barely 2 mm. IVth
cent. A.D.

Faience.

D. 13 cm.

BSRITISH MUSEUM.

A remarkable feature of the ornamentation on the interior is that
it is only apparent when the bowl is filled with water. When dry it
vanishes, and the surface presents an uniform colour of ivory-white;
or, rather, it should be stated that this was the case formerly. The
white has now become toned and traces of the design are visible. The
change was observable after the long immersion rendered necessary
while the drawing for the Plate was being executed. The "body" is

PLATE XII.

EGYPTIAN CERAMIC ART

29

PLATE XII.

doubtless decayed from age, and the water may penetrate to a greater
depth than previously, thereby having modified the substance or "body."
It is likewise probable that the body is influenced by the climate of
London, which being moister than that of Italy, it remains permanently
damper since the object has been in England.
The bowl formerly belonged to the late Count Tyszhiewicz, who
acquired it not long before his lamented decease. The writer chanced
to visit the Count shortly after its purchase, and was at once shown the
bowl as something in which his host thought he would be specially
interested. He naturally expressed his gratification on seeing so
remarkably delicate an example of Egyptian pottery, and of a form
differing from that of the generality of Egyptian drinking-cups. The
Count then asked his visitor whether he observed anything peculiar or
unusual about the inside surface of the vessel. In point of fact it
appeared to be a white enamel, and it was only on turning it about in
the light that faint indications of two raised circles were then perceptible.
On receiving a reply to that effect the Count assumed a mysterious air
and said, "We will now see what happens when water is poured into
When this was done the charm immediately began to
the bowl."
operate, the genial host evidently vastly enjoying his visitor's surprise as
he watched the transformation gradually taking place on the surface of
the enamel. The Count thereupon explained that the object had been
brought to him one day by a dealer, but not recognising the class of
ceramic art, or the period to which it could be assigned (the interior
was then white), and besides not collecting vases other than Greek, he
declined making the purchase. He went on to relate that a few weeks
afterwards the dealer returned in a state of excitement and again
produced the bowl; this time, however, with the figure of Christ and the
inscription plainly visible. The worthy man asserted that thinking the
object might look all the better for washing (the outside has little
irregularities on the surface which would retain dirt), he put the bowl
in warm water and presently, to his great astonishment, beheld the
apparition of the image of Christ becoming visible on the inside of the
vessel. It is unnecessary to say that there was no hesitation on this
occasion as to the purchase, it was bought there and then. The Count,
knowing the writer's interest in Egyptian pottery and in that of the
G

30

PLATE XII.

early Christian period, kindly allowed him to make the acquisition
of the relic

.

Students of Chinese ceramic art will doubtless remember the tradition
of the Chinese cups in porcelain on which paintings of fish and animals
appeared when they were filled with water. It is supposed that all
trace of the ware is lost in China, and there is no record of any specimens
reaching Europe f. The late Sir Wollaston Franks used to point out an
ancient Chinese porcelain bowl in the British Museum as belonging to a
ware perhaps related to the Kia-tsing. Its incised design is certainly
more apparent when seen through water, but the colour of the bowl
remains the same. There is also a kind of Chinese porcelain where the
ornamentation is in light colour on a darker ground. The design is in
outline and is tinged by the colour of the ground, which seems to have
* There is reason to believe that a tracing had been made of the figure of Christ before the bowl was
brought a second time to the Count. The writer has lately seen at Rome a flat, flask-shaped vase in
blue glaze, having on one side a rough copy of the Christ painted in white lines. The figure is so alike
in size and general outline to that in Plate XII. as to have been evidently transferred by a tracing.
The vase itself is clumsily made, heavy, and is, in short, a palpable forgery. A similarly shaped object,
likewise the same in colour, with pretended early Christian ornamentation, but of another design, has
also recently been offered for sale at Rome. Fictitious Christian glass has long been a drug in the
market; now it appears the Italian forgers of antiquities have broken fresh ground with faience.
t The description of Kia-tsing by the Pere d'Entrecolles is as follows :-" Voici un proced6 que les
Chinois so plaignent d'avoir perdu. Ils avaient Part de peindre, sur les c6t6s d'une porcelaine, des
poissons ou d'autres animaux qu'on n'apercevait que lorsque la porcelaino 6tait remplie de quelquo liqueur.
Is appelaient cette espice de porcelaine Kia-tsing (c'est-h-dire azur mis en presse) a cause de la manitre
dont l'asur 4tait plaed. Voici ce qu'on a retenu de co secret; peut-ttre imaginera-t-on en Europe ce
qui est ignord (aujourd'hui) des Chinois. La porcelaine qu'on veut peindre ainsi doit tre fort mince.
Quand elle est stche, on applique la couleur un pen forte, non en dehors, selon la coutume, mais en
dedans, sur les c6tes. On y peint ordinairement des poissons, comme s'ils dtaient plus propres a se
produire (a paraitre), lorsqu'on remplit la tasse d'eau. La couleur une fois sdch6e, on donne une h1gre
coucho d'une espcce de colle fort ddlide, fait de la terre mmeo de la porcelaine. Cette couche serre l'azur
entre ces deux espces de lames de terre. Quand la couleur est shche, on jette de l'huile (de l'mnail) en
dedans de la porcelaine; quelque temps aprts, on le met sur le moule et au tour. Comme elle a reu
du corps par dedans, on la rend par dehors le plus mince qu'il se peut, sans percer jusqu'h la couleur.
Ensuite on plonge dans l'huile (l'rmail) le dehors de la porcelaine. Lorsque tout est sec, en la cuit dans
le fourneau ordinaire. Ce travail est extramemcnt dilicat, et exige une addresse qu'apparemment les
Chinois n'ont plus. Ils tAchent ndanmoins, do temps en temps, de retrouver l'art de cette peinture
magique, mais c'est en vain. Cependant i'un d'eux m'a assurd depuis peu qu'il avait fait une nouvelle
tentative et qu'elle lui avait presque rdussi."-Quoted by Stanislas Julien, HIistoire et Fabrication de la
Porcelaine Chinoise, p. 240.

31

PLATE XII.

flowed over it, giving it the appearance of being seen through water.
The effect is very delicate and charming, but it is fixed and permanent.
These examples of the art of the Chinese potter afford no clue to the
discovery of the Kia-tsing process, but they show an appreciation of its
result, namely, the additional softness and brilliance which would be
imparted to the ornament by the novel condition to which it was
subjected. There is, of course, no intention to suggest that the invention was imported into Egypt from China. Nothing certain is known
respecting the Chinese ceramic art of the IVth century. If it included
glazed wares they would probably have been heavy and massive. Hence
it must be concluded that the discovery was made independently in the
two countries. That it should have been is not surprising when it is
remembered that the potters of Egypt and China had so much in
common. They both were remarkable for their manipulative dexterity
and the range of their technical knowledge; they were both ingenious
and inventive, delighting in novel and surprising exhibitions of their
mastery over the material in which they worked. It is therefore precisely a process like IKia-tsing which would possess a special charm for
the artists of the Nile Valley and those of the Flowery Land. Whether
it was generally known and practised by the Egyptian potters cannot be
stated. The extreme fragility of the ware would account for its
disappearance.
Unless a piece were hidden away with great care it
would almost certainly have been destroyed or injured past all recognition. Instances have occurred of hoards of precious objects, including
pottery, having been secreted in ancient times and only found in our
day, and such may have been the case regarding the present object.
That other examples have not been found may also be accounted for by
the secret of the procedure having been known only in one pottery, and
hence the output would have been very limited. However, questions of
this and like nature can only receive solution from the spade of the
excavator. We stand only on the threshold of the enquiry into the
history of Egyptian ceramic art.
As to the evidence for assigning the bowl to Egypt, it may be briefly
pointed out that the conclusion is arrived at from analogies with other
examples of Egyptian pottery. In glaze, colour, and technique (for the

exterior) it resembles certain circular plaques or rosettes found at TellG2

32

PLATE XII.

el-Yahoudieh. Some of these have Greek characters inscribed on the
reverse; they therefore most likely belong to the Ptolemaic period, and
may have formed part of the decoration of additions to the palace of
Rameses III. by order of one of the Ptolemies. The " body " resembles
Egyptian pottery generally, although it is rarely found so thin. Still,
there are instances in the so-called Naucratis ware of vessels having
their sides of equal tenuity. A small vase in the Myers Collection is
so thin at the neck as to be semi-transparent. Another delicate little
vase in the Museum of University College, London, is almost as slender,
and although not of the same colour as the bowl, nor having the tints
fugitive, is yet not unlike its exterior in technique. The incised and
champlev6 system of applying the coloured ornament is, of course,
essentially an Egyptian procedure. Further, it will be remembered
that no similar incised pottery, the fabrication of other countries in
ancient times, has been discovered. Glazed wares had been made both
in Europe and Asia prior to the IVth century A.D., but not to a large
extent; nor is the writer aware of any displaying a mastery of manipulation and technical skill such as is shown in the present instance. It
is well known that the European pottery of the time of Constantine was
not remarkable for its fine execution. As for that of Egypt generally
during the same period, the ascribed examples are not choice in quality.
But it is possible that the art in its higher departments continued to be
cultivated in Egypt. Among the first references to pottery in the Middle
Ages is the passage in the 'Safer Naneh' by Nassiri Khosrau, a Persian
traveller of the XIth century. He describes an Egyptian ware implying
extraordinary proficiency in the potters of that country in his day.
This would scarcely have been possible had not the traditions of the
ancient art been maintained during the intervening centuries.
Regarding the ornamentation of the exterior of the bowl, the
chequered pattern is frequently met with in Egyptian pottery of various
periods. Fig. 32 is an example of the time of Itameses III.; figs. 186,
187 of Mr. MacGregor's Collection show the same on Naucratis pottery.
As to the ornamentation of the interior, the system of placing an inscription round the edge of a vessel is seen in the bowl of Rameses II. The
writer can cite no instances of figures of our Lord being found on
Egyptian or any other pottery of a period so early in date as the time of

PLATE XII.

33

Constantine. The general conception of the figure, the facial type, the
attitude and arrangement of the drapery are the same as in those
colossal paintings of Christ depicted on the apse behind the sanctuary in
Coptic churches, some attached to the deirs of Upper Egypt being
perhaps the earliest extant Christian edifices. Possibly none of these
pictures are in their actual original state; but although most likely the
majority have been repaired, yet the old design would have been retained.
Its venerable character, consecrated by the devotion of centuries, would
ensure the retention of a visible realization of the Christ which had been
familiar to the eyes and had been stamped upon the minds of the faithful
during successive generations. It is a conception of the Redeemer at
once majestic and touching. It is profoundly penetrated with that
feeling of genuine piety which found such noble and pathetic expression
in the primitive art of the early ages of Christianity. By whom it was
first conceived may never be known. We meet with it reproduced in
various materials in the localities where the first Christian churches
were established and also at Rome. Yet it is scarcely at the Imperial
City that its invention must be sought for. Rather may it be surmised
that it originated in Egypt, the land where more than elsewhere art had
ever been devoted to the service of religion. The remains of objects of
Christian art are now rare in that land. What, however, have been
discovered of late are inspired by the same spirit and are analogous in
style and manner to this, the first artistic conception of the personality
of the Founder of the new faith *.
* Artistic objects produced in late Roman and Byzantine times, and in countries where Christianity

was the dominant religion, are now, even in the more important national museums, comparatively scarce;
still they exist in sufficient numbers to afford an adequate conception of the prevailing decorative motives
employed by their designers. Of these works, whether in metal, ivory, glass, or enamel, the large
majority which have been preserved were intended for religious usages-either for church service or
private devotion. In some the ornamentation is merely conventional or symbolic; but in others are
found figure subjects, scenes from the gospel history or effigies of sacred personages, and among these
the representation of Christ is not uncommon. It may therefore be concluded that a similar practice
prevailed in the decoration of vessels and ceremonial utensils made in faience. Yet, saving the present
instance, none is known or, at least, has rewarded the diligent search of the writer. It can, perhaps,
hardly be determined whether representations of the Redeemer delineated on a plane surface would have
been included among the idolatrous objects destroyed by the iconoclasts of the age of Leo III., the
Isaurian; although the decision arrived at by the General Council summoned by him-that all visible
symbols of Christ except in the eucharist, were either blasphemous or heretical and were to be broken or

PLATE 'XII.

34.

For the ceramist the most interesting question relating to the

technique of the bowl is that dealing with the metamorphosing quality
of the interior ornamentation. It is certainly a point on which the
writer would desire to speak with the utmost diffidence. Since the
Chinese potters confess themselves unable to rediscover the Kia-tsing
process, it may appear presumptuous for a layman to offer an opinion on
the subject. Hence the writer only ventures to suggest what may
possibly serve as a clue to the mystery. In cases like this the difficulty
is, perhaps, not so much in the perception of a possible solution of the

problem as to successfully

work it out in practice.

The procedure

followed by the potter seems clear up to a certain point--the final glazing

of the object. According to the ancient Egyptian practice the bowl
would have been thrown in a "body" tinged with the colour of the
ground; it would then probably have been reduced to its present tenuity
by the lathe and have received its first firing. It would now have been
ready for the incision of the design and inscription, which would be
filled in with a white paste and coated with the usual transparent vitreous
glaze. The result would have been a remarkable design and an agreeable
harmony of colour, but both would have been at once apparent. If,
however, this final glaze instead of being transparent had been white
and opaque, and also permeable to water, which at the same time would

erased-seems to suggest that they were condemned equally with the images. But whatever may have
been the actual intentions of the Emperor and the Council, their authority was not of long duration,
extending only over the reigns of the three next emperors-Constantine V., Leo IV., and Constantine VI.
An edict of the Empress Irene revoked the sentence of condemnation, and the images again resumed their
former position in the sacred edifices and the dwellings of the faithful. Granting, however, that the
iconoclastic crusade may account for the disappearance of many of the objects in question, yet many also
would have escaped, and, moreover, the crusade did not prevail in the countries holding the tenets of the
Western church; so that even if there are no existing examples in museums or private collections, it is
almost certain that among the buried treasures of the East some will hereafter be found, in condition
more or less perfect, by the intelligent excavators of the future. At present, the earliest specimen of a
representation of the Saviour on fai'ence in the European museums hitherto identified is the dish at
Sevres inscribed DON GIORGIO . 1485. Christ is here depicted, a half-length figure, standing in
His tomb, the Cross with the symbols of the Passion being displayed on the background. The dish may
probably be assigned to Deruta or Faenza. A Faenza plaque in the Museum of the Htel Cluny, dated
1475, shows in the centre the monogram of Christ, surrounded by straight and wavy rays, similar to the

design on the tablet held by St. Bernardino in Italian XVth-century pictures of the saint.

PLATE XII.

35

have rendered it nearly transparent, the present condition would have
been realized. A stanniferous glaze would give the white surface, but it
would be an opaque enamel. It might, however, be possible to render
a tin glaze sufficiently porous as to imbibe water; but on this point the
writer is unable to offer an opinion. He has seen glaze on Egyptian
faience exuding water to such an extent that it has flowed down the sides
of the objects and formed small pools at their feet. When this happens
it may be accounted for by an excessive quantity of soda having entered
into the composition of the glaze, and which has absorbed the dampness
in the atmosphere. This occasional sweating must have been observed
by the Egyptian potters, and may have given one of them the hint to
discover a white glaze which, when soaked with water, would be sufficiently transparent to show coloured designs on the surface beneath.
The inventor would of course have been aware that such a novel method
of ornamentation would considerably enhance the interest in his wares.
Fortunately, a question which so often is a subject of perplexity to
the student of ceramic art can in the present instance at once receive a
satisfactory answer--there can be no reasonable doubt respecting the
date of the bowl within a very short period. Bearing the name of
Constantine the Great and his wife Fausta, it would have been made
previous to the death of the Empress, since, as she was privately
executed for adultery, her name after that event would not have been
associated with that of the Emperor on an object made for his particular
service. Again, the presence of the image of our Lord proves that the
vessel was made after Constantine had announced his acceptance of
Christianity. This may be taken as having occurred at the time of, or
not long previous to, the publication of the Edict of Toleration. Here
we have two events-the death of Fausta in 326 and that of the Edict
in 324--thus limiting the date of production within a period of about
two years.
The inscription is incised in clear well-formed characters.. It was
read first by Count Tyszkiewicz, afterwards by Mr. C. H. Read of the
British Museum, and also by the writer. In each instance there was
agreement, except that the Count read at the commencement .. A *VAL
and terminated with FAYSTA. There are certainly indications of letters
at the beginning and ending of the inscription, but the abrasion of

86

PLATE XII.

the surface at the points of
breakage makes it difficult
exactly to determine their
form. The inscription, following the general rule, probably began at the bottom,

/VSTJ
C

i

in a line perpendicular with

/ <;the head of
again

~ends,

Z\

t

would be separated by

-rule,

a space having a cross or
some small ornament, thus
leaving room at the commen cement for FL--Flavius.
The space at the end, being

O

Fig.

4

5.-INCIPTION ON BOWL,

Christ. The two
following the

Plate XII.

longer,

admits of

various

conjectures. The reading suggested by Mr. F. Haverfield---that the
missing portion may have been A " AVG VX YIVAT • IN * DEO-is very probably correct; it is of the requisite length to fill the vacant
space.
The locality where the bowl was discovered is unknown to the writer.
He had intended asking Count Tyszkiewicz the name of the dealer who
sold the object, together with other particulars; but seeing that the
Count at the time was evidently unwell, he waited for a more convenient
opportunity. That occasion never occurred. When next the writer
visited Rome the most amiable and intelligent of connoisseurs, the most
enthusiastic of modern collectors, had departed this life. As the dealer
appears to have been resident in Rome, it might naturally be supposed
that the bowl had been found either in that city or elsewhere in Italy.
But the Count's reputation for being a ready purchaser of rare works of
ancient art extended beyond the land of his adoption. It is therefore
possible that the dealer may have been merely acting as agent for another
member of the confraternity in the East or elsewhere.
The regret is natural that no tidings can be learnt relating to the
discovery of the object. At least some information respecting its history
and lassification might thereby have been obtained. The situation,

37

PLATE XII.

however, is not singular. Some of the most interesting works of ancient
art have presented themselves to the notice of the student in a manner
equally mysterious and unaccountable. They have seemed rather to
have dropped from the clouds than to have been dug out of the bowels
of the earth. Not all of these have belonged to a hitherto unknown
class; but where such has been the case, future discoveries have often,
happily, revealed their true artistic position and relationships. The
Constantine bowl is but one of several instances which have occurred
within the past dozen years, where what must have been important
classes of Egyptian ceramic art have become known by the discovery of
single examples of the wares, and sometimes only by small fragments.

H

PRINTED BY

TAYLOR

AND

FRANCIS,

RED LION COURT, FLEET STREET, LONDON.
[Printed on 0. W Paper.]

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