190 Field Museum of Natural History — Anth., Vol. VII. 



base-ring. The mouth is almond-shaped with spout at the apex. 

 The body is unornamented. 



The handle terminates below in an acanthus palmette, 1 and sepa- 

 rates above into a thumb-rest and arms which rest on the top of the 

 lip. These arms, which are rounded but imitate no natural form, end 

 in a triple disc-ring. The thumb-rest, which has a narrow band on 

 the upper side and a heavy groove on the under side, both longitudinal, 

 has a knob at the upper end. At the other end it appears as though 

 secured by a wide band which is ornamented with beading in the 

 center and a groove near each outer edge. The motive is ultimately 

 of Egyptian origin. 2 The back of the handle has in the center a heavy 

 longitudinal groove, with a lighter groove at either side. This orna- 

 ment parts toward the lower end, and terminates at either side in the 

 volutes which form the top of the lower attachment. 



A pitcher with a similar but somewhat more globular body is 

 painted in yellow on a blue background in a medallion in the Casa del 

 Centaur o, 3 Pompeii. Another example with globular body with less 

 pointed spout is afforded by a diminutive bronze pitcher from the 

 Athenian Acropolis, probably a votive substitute. 4 



Handles with thumb-rest are numerous among the Roman bronze 

 vases. 5 The thumb-rest is, however, much earlier. 6 The arms, 

 which rest on the back part of the top of the vase, are probably a 

 simplification of a naturalistic form, such as the front legs of an animal 

 or the arms of a human figure, a type which is at least as old as the 

 fifth century B.C., 7 and is probably older, for the simplified form occurs 

 on vases of about that period found in Italy, e. g. a bronze pitcher 

 with long spout in Karlsruhe. 8 



Height (extreme), m. 0.134 ( = 5.27 in.); of body of vase, m. 0.089 ( = 3-5 m -)> 

 Diameter, m. 0.073 (=2.87 in-)- Diameter of bottom, m. 0.045 ( = 1.77 in.); of top 

 m. 0.037X0.05. Thickness of metal, about m. 0.002. Height of handle, m. 0.118 

 ( = 4.64 in.). 



1 For a similar palmette cf. the bronze handle in the Louvre, Reinach, RSpertoire de la slatttaire. Vol. 

 ii, p. 744. No. 5. 



' Cf. Prisse d'Avennes, Histoire de I'art igyptien. Vol. i, painted columns from Karnak. 



» Zahn, op. cit. Vol. ii, plate 59. 



4 De Ridder, Cat. des bronzes de I'Acropole d'Ath&nes, No. 163, fig. 27. 



4 For an example with knob, see Roux, op. cit. Vol. vii, plate 76. 



• Cf. Olympia, iv, plate 55, No. 927, said by Furtwaengler to resemble the ear of an animal. 

 » Cf. de Ridder, op. cit.. No. 176. 



* Schumacher, Beschreibung d. Samml. antiker Bronzen, plate x, No. 22, p. 109, No. 580a. cf. 

 No. 582 (x, 23). 



