KERAMC STUDIO 
47 
3 
HISTORIC ORNAMENT— GREEK 
REEK art originally was a continuation of Egyptian tradition modified by 
Assyrian and Phoenician influences. The Greeks being an artistic and 
original people produced an ideal and individual style which has retained 
its superiority for pure beauty of line. 
Greek art has greater liberty and grace than the Egyptian, being unrestrained by 
religious laws, but for the same reason it is wanting in the charm of symbolism. It is 
cold— almost without soul, but the principles of decoration were thoroughly artistic and 
always kept within the bounds of good taste. 
The decorative feeling is always simple; ornament subordinate to figures decora- 
tively used. Everything clearly conventional when not purely ideal. The decorations 
are inspired by nature but free from servile imitation of details. 
The conventional rendering of plants and flower is rather far removed from the 
natural types, the honeysuckle ornament being the easiest to recognize. 
Symmetry and regularity are leading characteristics. The Greeks observed nature, 
did not copy, but worked on the same lines, i. e.: radiation from parent stem, propor- 
tionate distribution over areas, tangential curvature of lines. Each leaf was done with 
a single stroke. It shows a high state of art — that there should be so many artists 
with so unerring a touch. We can hardly copy with the same happy result, lacking the 
technical skill. 
M. Jacquemart says of their method of conventionalizing everything: " Even the 
white waves of the sea, so often frayed by the wind, seeming essentially variable and 
capricious, are brought under the yoke of ornamental regularity. They have trans 
formed them into elegant Vitruvian scrolls which the ancients had the sense to place 
always at the base of goblets, whilst among us, through ignorance of their signification, 
they are frequently placed where they are perfectly meaningless." 
The ornamental forms used are Cltaplets and Egg Mouldings (Nos. 2 and la), 
Ogees (No. 8). These are formed from the 
parts and leaves of water plants. The lower 
design, No. 8, is what is called frequently 
the " egg and dart " pattern. Trelliscd 
mouldings (No, 3), Wave lines (No. 4) which 
are used always at the base of decorations 
and represent the waves of the sea. Two 
of these designs have combined with the 
wave line the conventional honeysuckle orna- 
ment. Meanders or frets (No. 5). These 
are variations of the familiar Greek " square 
scroll." Cable mouldings (No. 6), Chan- 
nelliugs (No. 7), Palmettos (No. 10) formed 
from different plants, especially the Acan- 
thus leaf which decorates the Corinthian 
capital, and Bueraues (No. 1 band 9) which 
were originally suggested by the animal 
sacrifices, when the victims were wreathed 
and garlanded. 
Figures in Silhouette (Nos. 11). We 
have given also some pottery forms as 
suggestions to modelers. There were few 
colors — black, red, white, 'ochre — a few re- 
mains of decorations seem to indicate that gold had been used sparingly — brown 
and two shades of green and blue. 
lym'M'i^Mi&si^i 
