12 Minnesota Academy of Science 



a much greater art skill than those of any other nation. 

 Many of the finest and most beautiful of their vases were 

 made from two to six hundred years before Christ and left 

 in the many tombs found in Greece. They were placed in 

 the tombs in the same way as in the tombs of most of the 

 other nations, evidently with a supply of food and drink, 

 either water, wine or oil and food in the way of rice or wheat 

 or sometimes perhaps with fruits or nuts. The case of 

 Grecian vases in our museum represents nearly all of the 

 finest selected pieces from the collection of Mr. DeMorg? # n 

 who spent many years as explorer for the museums of 

 France and of this country, and particularly for the Brook- 

 lyn museum. He explored mostly in Greece where he gath- 

 ered a magnificent collection from outside of his personal ex- 

 plorations, such as he could secure without interfering with 

 the interests of the museums which he represented. The 

 collection was sold in New York and these, with the excep- 

 tion of two or three very large ones, were secured from that 

 sale. 



In the same tombs were found in very large numbers, 

 these in the average being mostly one or two, sometimes 

 more, with each body, either men or women, beautiful pot- 

 tery figures called the Tanagra figures. They were made 

 of a peculiar clay that would dry without cracking. They 

 were made hollow and a square hole left in the back of the 

 image by means of which it could be hung onto a peg in 

 the stone wall of the tomb in which the body was placed. 

 These are perhaps the most artistic and beautiful figures that 

 any ancient or modern nation has produced. There were 

 no two of them alike. For many years — perhaps several 

 centuries — there were many artists who devoted their time 

 to reproducing these beautiful figures, such as those shown 

 here. (Mr. Walker gave an account of imitations that were 

 sold at high prices). 



This earlier Greek art of the potter led into and devel- 

 oped the higher and more important sculptures and archi- 

 tectural designs and carvings of the great art period of the 

 Greeks. 



In earliest times only sun-baked or fired, unglazed 

 earthen or clay vessels were made. Later, better forms and 

 glazing marked the next step of advancement. 



First came the sun-dried vessels, bricks or tiles; next, 

 the unglazed wares, fired in ovens and kilns; then the glazed 



