( 45 ) 
Art. III. — An Essay on the Composition of the Ancient Earth- 
en Vases , commonly known by the name of Etruscan. Read 
before the Royal Society of Gottingen. By Professor Haus- 
mann. Concluded from Vol. XII. p. 368. 
Section II. Of the Composition of Vases , commonly called 
Etruscan , in detail. 
1. Qualities of the Materials * The vases described in 
the preceding section are formed of a fine clay, which is impreg- 
nated with iron, and consequently reddens more or less by the 
action of fire, but whose qualities differ in the different varieties 
of those vases. 
The finer substance of the better sort of painted vases, is 
that of which the vases with a simple black coating, or those en- 
tirely black, are composed, the specific gravity being in propor- 
tion to the degree of fineness. The whole of these vases are 
indeed very light, but more especially the finest kinds ; and in 
them also there is considerable difference with regard to this 
quality. The vases of Nola seem to exceed the rest in light- 
ness ; and by this general quality in fact, the truly antique 
vases may readily be distinguished from all imitations of them. 
Certain differences are also to be observed in the colour of 
the materials. In the more valuable kinds, it sometimes ap- 
proaches to brick-red, but its most common tint is yellowish- 
red. In the coarser kinds, the colour of the clay is usually 
paler than in those of finer texture. 
I cannot, however, agree with those who are of opinion that 
a red pigment has been added, in order to increase the intensity 
of the colour * ; for this reason, that the internal colour of the 
mass agrees perfectly with that usually observed in ferruginous 
clay that has undergone the process of roasting, and the frac- 
ture surface exhibits no inequalities in regard to colour. 
In the finer vases there are no heterogeneous parts, nor is any 
admixture, as of sand, for example, observable. They have 
* Antiquites Gauloiscs et Romaines, par C. M. Gnvaud , 1807, p. 137. 
