T6 DI CESNOLA'S DISCOVERIES AT CURIUM. 



seventh century B. C. On the other hand, Assyriologists assign an almost 

 incredibly eav]j date to some of the cylinders, while the official seal of 

 Thothmes III takes us back far enough in all conscience. How Curium fell, 

 and by what means the temple treasure escaped being sacked, we do not 

 know; but at all events it contains the history of the development of art 

 through many centuries. 



"The collection has not yet been definitely arranged with any attempt 

 at chronological order, nor will it be in England. When the arrangement 

 is made Ave shall expect to see the silver and golden bowls taking a promi- 

 nent and instructive position. There is very little ancient silver in 

 European museums — though, during the last week, much has been found at 

 Mycenffi — because the metal becomes oxidized and of a dull clay color and 

 of clay-like consistency. The peasants are rather in the habit of breaking 

 any silver vessel they may find in digging, in the belief that they are 

 worthless. The Curium treasure, however, includes many vases of ele- 

 gant shape ; but especially remarkable is one golden bowl, which is curi- 

 ously decorated. Animals with an unmistakable resemblance to reindeer 

 are scratched with much spirit in a band round the inside of the vessel. 

 The style of treatment in another flat vessel is almost exactly that which 

 may be seen in a curious Assyrian plate belonging to the Museum, and rej)- 

 resenting, as it seems, the visible world. The plate is full of slight eleva- 

 tions, which stand for mountains, and in each hill and valley the figure of 

 a bear, lion or deer is scratched. The bowl from Curium is ornamented in 

 the same style, and it is easy to agree with the theory of Brunn, illustrated 

 lately by Mr. A. S. Murray, that Homer, in describing the shield of Achilles, 

 had work of this sort in his mind. A more elaborate design in silver 

 shows a hero struggling with a genuine Assyrian lion. In other vessels the 

 characteristic ornaments of Assyrian and Egyptian art are, so to speak, in- 

 terwoven. A mixture of this sort is apparently of the essence of Phoenician 

 art. Homer is full of anecdotes of crafty Phoenician traders, who brought 

 gold and silver work to towns on the seaboard of Hellas, and carried away 

 kidnapped children and slaves. The early Greek designers would thus have 

 the example of a style before them which, though somewhat bastard, and 

 perhaps even debased, was free at least from hieratic restrictions. Cyj)riote 

 art, on the whole, came nearer to that of the Etrurians than of any other 

 race. It would be difficult to trace the exquisite dignity and comeliness of 

 Greek art to anything learned from without, to anything but the divine gift 

 of the spirit of beauty which transmuted the labored efforts of earlier peo- 

 ple into perfection. Still the treasure of Curium does contain a wonderful 

 collection of these efi'orts, the latest of which are touched with the spirit of 

 Greece. In the immense variety of rings aad of other jewelry the dawn 

 of true Gr@ek art may be discerned. Many of the rings are almost bar- 

 baric ; they are gold circlets, with a revolving seal stone, or silver circlets 

 which are so rusted that the stone can no longer be turned round. It is 

 very curious that the finer the gem or intaglio the coarser and poorer is the 



